From the moment Love Island USA season 6 star Hannah Smith stepped into the villa, she quickly became a fan favorite with her funny one-liners and bold personality.
Hannah, 26, from Charlotte, North Carolina, built strong friendships with the other contestants, especially the girls, and even seemed to hit it off with Kendall Washington after they were paired up on the first day. But the pair hit a roadblock when sexy Hakeem White entered the villa. After Hannah playfully kissed White during the game, her budding romance with Washington fizzled out, leaving her “single and vulnerable,” as the popular dating show calls it.
Hannah hoped to strike up a relationship with new beau Miguel Harichi, and the two enjoyed flirting training together. Despite Harichi expressing his interest in him, he instead decided to date Olivia “Liv” Walker, making Hannah the first OG girl to be dumped from the island this season.
“[Miguel]was very flirtatious and kept it all to himself. He didn’t let anybody know who he picked,” she told TODAY.com in an interview. “I was so shocked that he picked Liv. I think she was shocked too… I thought maybe I had a chance, but obviously I was wrong.”
Although Smith left the Peacock show after the 10th episode, she has been keeping up with all the drama happening in the Fiji villa, especially the recent dramatic falling out that saw Rob Rausch and Andrea Carmona split, as well as an incident that led Washington to learn some startling information about his partner Nicole Jackie.
“I watched all the tea parties and drama where the girls and boys had to choose one person to leave the villa – it was madness!” Smith said.
Below, she opens up to TODAY.com about why her romance with Washington “ended” so quickly and the “stigma” she faced in the villa. She also shares her thoughts on her unexpected exclusion after her departure.
TODAY.com: You weren’t up front for Kendall on the premiere. What did you think when the two of you were paired up for the first time?
When you first walk into the villa, five guys walk in and you have to make a choice. Who are you most attracted to? Who do you want to move forward for? I was looking for a tall, good-looking guy, and Coy (Simmons) was just the right fit, so I chose him. So Kendall and I were paired by default.
I was really happy to meet and be paired with Kendall because we have so much in common. Me and him were like the odd couple in the villa. I had a lot of fun and got to know him really well. I can honestly say Kendall is a great guy. Very genuine. Although we didn’t end up together and the relationship didn’t last as long as I would have liked, I can’t say anything bad about him.
TODAY.com: Things seemed to be going well, but then Hakeem came along and you got to know him. Kendall also previously knew Liv. How do you think you two would have handled that situation differently?
So, me and Kendall, we talked about it every day, we were each other’s number one. But we had open communication. I told him I was interested in Hakeem. He said he wanted to know Liv. There were things I didn’t say. I didn’t feel like I needed to tell him the 50/50 thing that Hakeem obviously brought up when we got back together. But I think we had open communication. I feel like when the reconciliation happened and I chose Kendall, things just didn’t work out. In my heart, I was going to choose Kendall, but I also wanted to follow through with Hakeem because me and Hakeem were doing well. Everything went as it was supposed to. I wish me and Kendall had lasted a little longer. But we just kind of faded away and we were just like friends. So we both knew it was going to happen. But obviously, all the little obstacles and stuff that happened along the way didn’t help our relationship grow.
TODAY.com: After the kiss, it seemed like your relationship was beyond repair. Was that the same feeling in the villa?
So, the challenge was what started it. The way the challenge worked was, we girls went in and we were like, “We’re not picking couples. This is fun. We’re not taking anything personally.” But the boys were totally different. They took it very personally. They were all really upset. When I got back to the villa after the challenge, I talked to Kendall and he was really not into it. He was like, “You basically slapped me in the face twice. I’ve put up a wall between you. I want to just step away and work this out.”
And after he took a step back, I feel like things just didn’t go the way they did in the beginning. So, I feel like after that, everything just started to slowly decline. And then obviously Nicole came along and Nicole shook it up.
We talked to each other and I said, “I think it’s better to remain friends.” He replied, “I want you to find someone. I’m always rooting for you.” So we didn’t break up on bad terms. We’re still really good friends. I support him, too.
TODAY.com: After Kendall got back together, Miguel came on the scene. Did you have a feeling he was going to start dating you?
I thought there was a chance because Miguel was kind of a wild card, he was very flirtatious and very friendly, so I had no idea what to expect with him.
We had some fun conversations and I felt like maybe he would choose me. But he was cheating on everyone. So it was really hard to tell… He was cheating and he kept it all to himself. He didn’t let anyone know who he chose. I was really shocked that he chose Liv. I think she was shocked too.
I thought maybe I had a chance, but I was obviously wrong.
TODAY.com: You were very open in the villa and said you’d never been in a relationship before. One of the guys said that was a “red flag.” Miguel also hasn’t had a relationship before. Do you think that was a stigma that only you carried in the villa?
I feel like they stigmatized both of us because when I told everyone I had never been in a relationship, they saw that as a red flag. They were like, “Why have you never been in a relationship?” I explained my situation. He was the same, and they saw him as, “Oh, he’s a red flag. He might be… a guy. He hasn’t been in a relationship.” But that’s why we got along so well and we had good conversations.
Well, I think there was a bit of bias… but it’s not like that, we just haven’t found the one yet. I think both me and him are not comfortable being vulnerable. That’s something we had to learn on Love Island. You have to be vulnerable. Time moves so fast, you have to have serious discussions with people. On there, you get along with someone for five minutes, then suddenly someone hot comes along and you get dumped. That’s it. It’s over.
Before, I was reluctant to show my vulnerability or share my feelings with people in the real world, but now I’m ready to meet someone, show my vulnerability, and hopefully start a relationship.
TODAY.com: Have you been watching it since you left?
I’ve seen all the tea parties and drama with the girls and boys choosing one person to leave the villa – that’s amazing!
The girls really didn’t know who to pick. We knew they weren’t going to vote for JaNa (Craig). She’s an OG. A girl’s girl. She’s been with us since the beginning. We all love JaNa.
In the real world, there was something going on between Andrea and Rob. There was definitely a connection between them. It was pretty crazy. Everyone was pretty pissed that I picked Andrea. But at the end of the day, you have to do what’s right. It might look bad, it might piss people off, but when you make a decision like that, it’s not just a random decision. It’s because you know what’s going on in the real world.
TODAY.com: Were you surprised that Nicole was interested in Miguel?
I was there and I thought maybe she was a little bit interested because they had talked the day before they got back together. They had a good conversation. So I thought maybe she was interested in him. But she also had a very strong connection with Kendall.
I think she obviously has a stronger bond with Kendall since she spends more time with her, but Miguel knows what he’s doing. The guy’s got a good mouth. He’s definitely a ladies’ man. I think he could win over everyone in the villa.
TODAY.com: Were you surprised to hear that Rob might stay and repair his relationship with Leah?
It was crazy. With Rob, you never know what’s going to happen. That’s the thing. He’s an unpredictable person. I didn’t think he’d leave. I knew he liked Andrea, but I don’t think it was enough to make him leave the villa.
But he and Leah (Kateb) “Please stop, it might reignite something! Please save everyone! It’s too much. I love you both but please stop. Please stop. Please give my girlfriend Leah the shocking news and let her find someone. Let the snake exterminator do his thing.”
I mean, you saw how quickly he changed his attitude. I mean, he was really close with Leah and thought they had the strongest bond. And then you saw how quickly he changed his attitude. Then this bombshell girl called Andrea came along and that was it. I don’t think it was worth it. He changed his attitude too much and I hope she never comes back.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
