Serena Page and Kordell Beckham are not only the reigning champions of Love Island USA season 6, but serious couple goals for the folks who keep screaming at hot strangers on their TV screens every week. (It’s me, hi.)
The lovebirds are returning to Peacock thanks to Love Island: Beyond the Villa, a new spin-off series featuring a few of season 6’s standout islanders. However, Serena revealed that her beau would only be returning as a guest star for the show’s first season, while she’s billed as a full-time cast member.
“At [first] he was going to do it with me. I had fully confirmed, signed the contracts, and everything, and then he got booked,” she shared during an interview with Teen Vogue. “I was very proud of him, but I was sad and it made me very anxious about filming because I was like, ‘Damn, I’m going to be alone.’”
She dished that she was at least able to confide in her PPG besties, Leah Kateb and JaNa Craig, on the new show, adding, “Granted, I have my girls, Leah and JaNa, but their men were on the show doing it with them. There were a lot of times where I was like, ‘Damn, I don’t know. We’re supposed to be navigating our relationship, but you’re about to be in a whole different state. What am I going to do?’”
Though Kordell isn’t a main cast member due to other projects—including a gig with Keke Palmer’s KeyTV network—Serena added that he’s still part of the Love Island family as one of its biggest supporters.
“He was like, ‘I will be there for you whenever you need me,’” she revealed. “But he wants to prioritize his acting. And as you know, from our first conversation, he let me know that was what he wanted to do.”
She continued, “But he did an amazing job reassuring me. He was like, ‘Any crumb of a chance I can get, I’m going to be on that screen with you.’ And honestly, you’re going to see a lot more of him than you would’ve expected. It’s maybe [only] a handful of scenes that I’ve done without him. Y’all will get to see some behind-the-scenes of me and him working together. Y’all get to see dates. He even ends up coming to Miami, too.”
In addition to PPG, other returning cast members include Miguel Harichi, Kenny Rodriguez, Liv Walker, Kaylor Martin, Aaron Evans, Connor Newsum, and Kendall Washington.
“It was all or nothing,” Serena said of her decision to join the spin-off with JaNa and Leah. “We talked and we said either we all are going to do it or none of us are going to do it. Kordell was the one from the beginning, you could tell never really wanted to do it, so I’m glad that he got booked because he really be chilling. My man is relaxed. He doesn’t like all the extraness.”
To catch up with our favorite former islanders, tune in to Love Island: Beyond the Villa, which premieres Sunday, July 13, on Peacock.
