There’s something quietly painful about seeing someone figure out weeks later that what they quickly forgot about looks a lot worse on film. This is pretty much what happened to Kaylor Martin after Season 6 of Love Island USA ended. It’s also the only real reason she and Aaron Evans aren’t together anymore.
Aaron, 26, from North Devon in the UK, and Kaylor, 22, from Connellsville, Pennsylvania, were paired up from the start. They were kicked off on day 30, right before the finale. It felt like the end, even tho it wasn’t quite. They tried to keep things together in the real world. It looked like they might for a few weeks. She then watched Casa Amor.
Aaron got close to Daniela Ortiz-Rivera, another contestant, during those episodes, while Kaylor waited on the other side of the island, loyal. There were little things that made it worse, like the morning stomach kisses, breakfast together, and the sweet gestures that Kaylor thot were just for her. Then she saw him break up with Daniela and kiss her anyway. It’s hard to get rid of that kind of thing.
Kaylor said on the BFFs podcast on July 31, 2024, that she was “emotionally drained” and that her view had changed a lot since she left the villa. These women had been honest with her and told her she hadn’t stood up for herself or been there for herself. She agreed. “Most of all, I feel like I wasn’t there for myself,” she replied. Of course, saying it out loud is hard, especially after forgiving someone in public before.
The difference between the Casa Amor video and Kordell Beckham seemed to hurt more. Beckham also had a complicated Casa Amor situation, but he owned it and took responsibility in a real way. Kaylor said that Aaron didn’t quite get there. On the podcast, he said the right things. He told her that her feelings were valid and that he hated seeing himself in the mirror. A different question is whether that led to the kind of behavior that really builds trust again.
By the middle of August, it was clear what would happen to the couple. In New York City, Kaylor told Aaron outside of her hotel that she and Aaron were “done.” It felt like both an impulsive and inevitable claim. Someone posted on TikTok a week ago that she was single, with a Carrie Bradshaw lip-sync and the words “Hard post” written below. Most people got that right. She kept it simple at a 92NY panel on August 16: “I’m single.”
Aaron, on the other hand, hadn’t talked about the breakup in a public way. Love Island USA posted a TikTok video of him where he talked about being “depressed, anxious, and sad” after leaving the villa. Fans thot this was an oddly dark video for someone who seemed to have left the show without much trouble. It’s possible that he felt the heat from the fans more than anyone else did. He might have also been able to sense what was going to happen.
Liv Walker, Kaylor’s best friend, knew what was going to happen before the whole show even aired. She told Us Weekly that she didn’t think they’d be together in real life because she had noticed that Aaron used the word “love” when it was convenient, like it was a lever instead of a feeling. She said actions speak louder than words. Kordell showed that to be true.
Seeing how everything turned out makes you think that Kaylor’s journey wasn’t really about Aaron in the end. The story was about a 22-year-old who learned that trusting someone and forgiving them are not the same thing. Also, having a big heart does not mean you have to keep trying. She said it herself on the panel: this is teaching her something. That person has moved on, even if it took longer than we’d have liked.
