Love Island USA Recap: Things Are Getting Juicy

Love Island
Episode 12
Season 8 Episode 12
Editor’s Rating ★★★★★
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Each season of Love Island USA is approximately 1 million episodes, and we are recapping all of them. Check back for morning-after recaps of weekday episodes and a Monday roundup of the weekend’s shenanigans. 

In the ancient texts of Love Island, you will find a phrase, “My type on paper,” which implies more than its literal meaning. It suggests that a fellow Islander can be everything you think you want — tall, dark hair, maybe with a particular accent — but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a real-world spark. Corbin is Melanie’s type on paper, and Caleb is Kenzie’s, but as we can clearly see, matters of the heart are not so easily codified in the villa. Corbin and Kenzie’s connection is simply too strong, and they must sneak around to fulfill their desires. And thank God for that, because forbidden love is my favorite type of drama to watch on Love Island. America’s votes tore these couples asunder (which I still maintain was a bad production choice), and now they’re left to either find their way back to each other or find a way to move on.

To be absolutely clear, nobody, except maybe Melanie, is behaving honorably here, but a good Love Island story line isn’t measured in admirable behavior; it is measured in juice — and Melanie, Corbin, Kenzie, and Caleb have it. Corbin may have become my new favorite Islander the moment he said, “Fuck the repercussions, bruh!” This is the kind of uncalculated, hormone-led foolishness that (reality dating show) true love is made from.

But before we can get to the Sol-Sincere-Melanie and Corbin-Kenzie-Caleb sextet, we must first discuss their opposites: Aniya and KC. They may be compatible and certainly good on paper, but their lack of juice is becoming a problem. 

Aniya and KC disagree on pacing

In addition to their unresolved communication issues, we are just now learning of an additional conflict brewing between KC and Aniya. To KC’s chagrin, there has been little to no intimacy between the sheets after lights out. Basically, it seems, Aniya conks out the minute her head hits the pillow, which is understandable after being out in the sun all day, every day. Personally, I don’t understand why all of the Islanders aren’t the same. But KC, who describes himself as a “touchy person,” complains to Corbin, “I ain’t gonna lie, me and Aniya ain’t done shit!” Aniya feels differently. She asks Melanie, “Can’t a bitch take it slow?” Aniya explains she just doesn’t want to spread her legs in this damn bed, and is that so wrong? “I don’t want you all in my cooters.” Fair! 

But this is not the conflict they discuss that night when they finally have a chat. Instead, they rehash last night’s arguments to precisely the same results. Aniya says she just wants five minutes of serious conversation, and KC is offended that she would even suggest he thinks of her as a fallback. Aniya says if KC feels that her emotions are holding him back, then he should just go pull Sol for a chat right now. Then she walks off. I can’t help but feel that the only person whose heart is really in this relationship is Melanie, who continues to root for KC and Aniya in all of their pep talks. 

The Melanie and Sincere Show is far from over

Melanie is still sleeping outside on the Soul Ties bed, but after watching Corbin work out with the girls (their favorite show) and getting a stern “bitch, it’s time” from Trinity, she decides to finally give being in a couple with Corbin a real shot. Corbin refrained from kissing Kenzie the night before out of respect for Melanie, but then he feels a little confused when she won’t even share a bed with him because she’s still so stuck on Sincere. Melanie acknowledges that this is a fair point and promises to probably, definitely, most likely share a bed with him tonight. 

This conversation must have gotten back to Sincere (my evidence: The boys talk about it), because he does everything in his power to keep Melanie sleeping in Soul Ties for as long as she and Corbin are coupled up. That evening, Sincere tells Sol that he thinks he owes Melanie a conversation, implying that this will be a sort of final good-bye because he only has eyes for her, etc., and Sol agrees because she’s not a monster. 

Instead, Sincere takes Melanie into the speakeasy and immediately starts talking about how much he misses her and still thinks about her all the time, and how he misses hearing her voice, which she finds improbable because she is “loud as fuck” all over the villa. “But you’re not loud as fuck to me anymore,” says Sincere, tenderly shaking his hair at her. Meanwhile, poor Sol is blithely ignoring Jen’s warning that Sincere seemed to switch up on Melanie awfully quick and that Sincere and Melanie are very in sync. 

Melanie and Sincere do not kiss in the speakeasy, but only barely. They hug, and Melanie puts her arms over Sincere’s shoulders and gazes up at him, and it’s like, okay, we all recognize that move, missy. It’s possible that Sol’s days in the villa could be numbered, is what I’m saying. 

Kenzie and Corbin Have a Secret

Kenzie may not know that Corbin used to make rocket ships out of cardboard boxes as a child, but boy does she know the size of his hands. You simply cannot converse your way into physical chemistry like this, and let’s face it, these two aren’t exactly conversationalists to begin with. Poor Caleb is watching Kenzie and Corbin’s chat from afar — where he can see Kenzie’s legs slung over Corbin’s lap and her face inches from his — and complains to the other guys, “I hate being fuckin’ short, bro.” But he is not defeated just yet, and he spends their next several chats trying to convince Kenzie to establish some boundaries with Corbin and maybe spend a little time with him, all of which Kenzie pretty much rejects. I just don’t think Kenzie likes him all that much. Corbin turns her on, she says, while she thinks Caleb seems nervous around her. She’s encouraging, in fact begging, Caleb not to put all of his eggs in her basket, but is inflamed with jealousy when Corbin won’t kiss her while coupled up with Melanie. It’s fair to say that Kenzie is enjoying having a roster more than she enjoys being on a roster. 

So the following night, Kenzie and Corbin sneak away to the bedroom, where none of the other Islanders can spy them from afar as they talk about how much they hate seeing each other with other people and how much they want to be making out right now. Corbin is known for asking Islanders to kiss him, which has about a 50 percent success rate at the moment, but perhaps the problem is his technique. When Kenzie asks for a kiss, she is getting that kiss. She starts by pouting, “You don’t say crap to me!” Then, as Corbin is literally stroking her thigh, she complains that he doesn’t do enough to show her he’s into her. Essentially, she tells him that if he doesn’t kiss her right now, then she has to assume he’s more into Melanie than he is into her. Corbin, being but a man, takes the bait, and they make out hard. Midway, realizing she’s about to blow up the universe, Kenzie suggests, “Let’s just not tell anyone that we kissed.”

I’m sorry to say that I am into this. Sometimes love is messy and toxic and hurts people’s feelings, and that’s just Love Island, baby. Things are finally getting juicy in here.