“Love Island USA” contestants Serena Page and JaNa Craig are coming to fellow bestie Leah Kateb’s defense after a friend of castmate Kaylor Martin was caught trash-talking her in a viral social media clip.
“Y’all know I don’t play about Leah and I don’t know if it’s because she’s blown up and it’s like, oh now we have all these things to say,” Page, 24 — who won Season 6 alongside partner Kordell Beckham — says in an exclusive interview with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea.”
No matter what was said about Kateb, the media planner emphasizes that she doesn’t “give a s—t” if Martin’s pal has a negative opinion of her villa BFF.
“Love Island USA” contestants are coming to Leah Kateb’s defense after a friend of castmate Kaylor Martin was caught trash-talking her in a clip. Ben Symons/Peacock “Y’all know I don’t play about Leah and I don’t know if it’s because she’s blown up and it’s like, oh now we have all these things to say,” Serena Page, who won Season 6 alongside partner Kordell Beckham, says in an exclusive interview with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea.” Page Six
Following Sunday night’s finale, Martin’s boyfriend, Aaron Evans — whom she met on the Peacock reality series — took to his Instagram Story to let fans know that the couple would be answering their questions.
But astute netizens heard a voice disparaging Kateb in the background, leading many to speculate about her and Martin’s current dynamic.
“Nobody’s going to give a f—k about Leah in six months,” says the mystery individual, seemingly during a phone call with Martin.
Martin isn’t heard engaging in the denigration but also makes no effort to immediately shut it down. In response, she says, “She’s gonna get a s—t ton…”
No matter what was said about Kateb, the media planner emphasizes that she doesn’t “give a s—t” if Martin’s pal has a negative opinion of her villa BFF. Ben Symons/Peacock Following Sunday night’s finale, Martin’s boyfriend, Aaron Evans — whom she met on the Peacock reality series — took to his Instagram Story to let fans know that the couple would be answering fans’ questions. Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images
The rest of her sentence is cut off in the video, but many fans have surmised that she was predicting Kateb — arguably the most popular “Islander” from this season — will receive an influx of sponsorships due to the Instagram following she amassed throughout filming. (She presently sits at 1.7 million, while Martin has racked up 311,000.)
“We’re not going to forget about Leah in six months. Nobody’s going to forget about Leah. She’s an icon, she’s my icon,” Page asserts. “She’s a queen and whoever that was can shut the hell up.”
Martin and Kateb met up after the drama made waves on the internet, enjoying some shots together before heading home from filming in Fiji back to the United States.
But astute netizens heard a voice disparaging Kateb in the background of the clip, leading many to speculate about her and Martin’s current dynamic. Ben Symons/Peacock “Nobody’s going to give a f—k about Leah in six months,” says the mystery individual, seemingly during a phone call with Martin. Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images
Martin shared the moment via her Instagram Story, insisting it was “all love” between her and Kateb. Kateb re-shared the post on her own Story, seemingly confirming that she was unfazed by the biting comment from Martin’s friend.
“It’s like we’re literally a family. You know, when you argue with a family member, it’s like, ‘OK, now come here.’ I mean, it wasn’t Kaylor who said it,” Page points out.
“So I think that plays a major role as well. I’m sure if it was Kaylor who said it, Leah would [have] definitely … probably said some stuff … Maybe whoever that was was trying to make Kaylor feel better about something. We didn’t have much context but … watch your mouth if it’s not positive. Don’t let me hear it.”
Craig, for her part, says that Kateb is “strong,” and therefore unbothered by spiteful behavior.
“Nobody’s going to forget about Leah. She’s an icon, she’s my icon,” Page says of Kateb — pictured here with partner Miguel Harichi — who, as this season’s breakout star, has amassed more than 1 million Instagram followers. Ben Symons/Peacock Martin insisted that it’s “all love” between her and Kateb after the drama, which the latter seemed to confirm herself via social media. Ben Symons/Peacock
“I don’t think Leah took it to heart because Leah is really good at taking bullets,” she says. “As you’ve seen, people will just go for her and she’ll take it.”
Kateb, Page and Craig — who call themselves “PPG,” a nod to the beloved animated series “The Powerpuff Girls” — formed a tight bond during their search for love in the South Pacific.
Craig’s partner, Kenny Rodriguez, warns Martin should beware of the trio’s fervid fanbase — including Kateb’s legions of “Leah-nites.”
“I think you can’t mess with PPG. When you mess with one of them … and the Leah-nites that are out there, Kaylor, I wouldn’t want to be in your boat right now,” he tells “Virtual Reali-Tea.”
JaNa Craig, pictured here with partner Kenny Rodriguez, tells “Virtual Reali-Tea” that Kateb is “strong,” therefore unbothered by spiteful behavior. Page Six Kateb, Page and Craig — who call themselves “PPG,” a nod to the beloved animated series “The Powerpuff Girls” — formed a tight bond during their search for love in the South Pacific and made it to the finale together. Ben Symons/Peacock
Craig adds, “You’ve got to be careful.”
The day trader wonders if Martin’s conversation with her unidentified friend was rooted in jealousy as Kateb and partner Miguel Harichi made it to the final four on “Love Island USA” based on America’s votes — whereas Martin and her man, Evans, 27, did not.
“Was there envy? I don’t know. Maybe, I think because we all thought that Kaylor and Aaron [were] going to win, no question, like they had that in the bag easy from the jump,” Craig says of the duo, who endured plenty of tumult after Evans explored a connection with another woman during the infamous Casa Amor episodes.
“So I think she was very surprised and hurt but I mean, for her to say something bad [about Kateb] …” she continues, before extending grace to Martin: “Technically, it was Kaylor’s friend saying something.”
“Love Island USA” is available to stream on Peacock. The Season 6 reunion drops August 19.
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