Undoubtedly, Miguel Harichi was one of the biggest head-turners on Love Island USA‘s breakout sixth season, and it showed in his performance throughout the reality dating/competition series.
Despite not being one of the original contestants in the villa, he made it to the finale with Leah Kateb, and they were the season’s runner-ups behind Kordell Beckham and Serena Page.
Shortly after the finale, Harichi chatted with Blavity’s Shadow and Act about their shock that they made it to the end, an unseen moment with a smoothie that keeps getting referenced, the backlash surrounding Leah being held to the fire during Movie Night, and if the two will date across two countries.
Watch the full interview above. A select conversation transcript below has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Did you expect your Love Island USA experience to be what it was? No shade to the guys that came in, but you were the bombshell that had the most impact. Honestly, either guy or girl, you made the biggest splash, clearly, since you were the only non-OG to be in the finale. But was everything how you expected it to be once you first entered the villa?
MH: Not at all…not at all. I really went with zero expectations. My main objective was just to enjoy the experience and just take things by day and see how it goes. Knowing how I am in the outside world, I have my guard up quite a lot when it comes to relationships. It was very unintentional, but that was something I had always had in the back of my head. I didn’t really expect to find a strong relationship, let alone get toward the final four, let alone make it the final two. However, I’m so grateful for everything that happened because I ended up meeting someone that, really, I find incredible in and out, someone that I definitely do want to get to know in the outside world, someone I just vibe with. So I definitely left with way more than I ever expected.
It seemed there was a lot of shock, not only when you made Top 2, but when you made the finale. And though it was announced in no particular order, it seemed for that final spot, a lot of people thought it may have been Aaron and Kaylor. What did you and Leah think of your chances, and what was the sentiment inside the villa, because in the eyes of viewers you seemed to be a shoo-in.
MH: It was definitely a shock. As the numbers started to dwindle, I literally whispered in Leah’s ear and I said, “Whatever happens moving forward, I’m really happy that I got to know you and I got to go through this experience with you.” And when we got placed in front of the fire pit and we was waiting, I was very content with the idea that, OK, I may be getting sent home right now, but I’m definitely going to be hitting this girl up when I’m outside. And then our names get called out, and I don’t know if it was shown on the camera, but I literally had a moment where I just stared at the fire pit and it wasn’t until Leah jumped in front of me screaming, I was like, “Oh s**t, that’s our name. Damn, like, OK. We made it. What the f**k?” And I looked over to Aaron, I just went, “Yo, what the f**k?” I was just in utter shock, only because they hadn’t already established that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, and I felt like that was something that people were going to gravitate toward.
I mean, you two were the only couple that wasn’t technically closed off, that made it that far.
MH: Exactly. That’s why I was like, everyone was so vocal about how they felt toward their partners and everyone was either, like I said, closed off, boyfriend-girlfriend and told each other that they loved each other. Me and Leah, we always kept things internal. I think she was doing that more for me as well, which I really respect because she knows the pace I move at and she knows that I can get nervous when it comes to these things. I guess I can have my guard up, but me, she and I always knew how we felt toward each other. I always told her, “I think you’re an incredible human. I definitely want to get to know you. I think you’re a very rare breed when it comes to your soul.” I do think she’s an incredible soul in and out, and I stood by everything I said, whatever happened outside, I want to maintain what we’ve created within here because I think what me and her have is such a rarity, and I’m mad grateful for it.
And as the days went on, me and her just got closer and closer and way more than even I expected. I was actually looking at it some days. I was like, “What the f**k? This girl’s actually like, she’s making me feel something. I know what [that] something is, but she making me feel something and it’s feeling good.” So yeah, I think it was a mad shock for us. But overall, we understood very well why we made it as far as we did. Because I think what me and her had, even though it wasn’t as vocal, you could see it. Me and her vibed with each other so well.
In lieu of Leah being here, I do want to pose a question to you about Movie Night. It seemed like Leah got a lot of criticism from the men for the scene in which she spoke about Rob. And fans thought that it was being overblown and she was getting held to the fire. And in viewers’ eyes, that was to be expected because she was dumped, essentially, and had to recouple. Were there any conversations you all had about that moment or the villa’s perception of her prior coupling with Rob? Did that impact the way you both moved forward?
MH: I still don’t entirely know what happened between Rob and Leah, besides the fact that he was indecisive about two women. However, visually it seemed like he was already leaning toward one side, which was Andrea. Obviously, Leah had every right to be frustrated at that because you’re saying, I think this is a phrase that got thrown around quite a bit, but “I’m feeling 50/50, I’m not too sure,” you know what I’m saying? But when you’re saying 50/50, but you’re moving 80/20, you know what I’m saying, and it is obvious? That can really weigh on you, and you feel a type of ways. So I think, looking back at it, Leah had every right to feel the way she did. The only thing that threw me off is that I think this is something that has put me off relationships in general. I grew up in quite an emotionally hostile environment when it came to love, you know what I’m saying? I’m not going to name names, but the people I grew up with, I love them to pieces. They’re my biggest role models.
But when it came to their relationship, it was very off-putting to see from the outside and it was very toxic to live within. And certain traits that I saw in the video reminded me of a certain someone and certain emotions that I tend to avoid when it comes to relationships. So it definitely threw me off quite badly. I remember sitting down that day thinking, “Yo, what the f**k am I doing here? This girl that I’m making a really strong connection with, she’s now showing traits that I tend to run away from.” And it definitely made me feel a type of way. And I got scared. I got nervous. I was just in a bit of a spiral. And then I had to sit down in myself and just say, the only thing I can do right now is be honest about how I feel, and that’s the only way I can progress.
And how she reacts will let me know whether it’s worth sticking around for. And I remember I sat down with her and I told her the truth. I said, “The traits that I saw in the video, the traits that I tend to run away from and avoid when it comes to relationships, it kind of triggered a past that I grew up with and it was scary to watch. However, with all that being said, the person I’ve been getting to know is so much more than what I saw in that video, and I really am starting to like the person that I’m getting to know. I definitely think things could be handled different. I don’t understand entirely what happened between you and Rob, but I just need to let you know that. And I can’t promise what will happen on the outside, whether we become boyfriend and girlfriend, whether we just stay friends or whatever it be, but I do really like what we’ve created and I don’t want to let that go.” So I said with that being said, “Are you still happy to be coupled with me?”
And she understood everything completely. And one thing I really respect about her is her ability to reflect on everything that she does and how much she’s willing to work on all of her shortcomings. Like, no human is perfect. We all have our flaws, we all have our downfalls, you know what I’m saying? We all have our shortcomings, but what makes a greater human are the ones that are willing to reflect on their shortcomings and try and work on that to become a better person. And that’s something that she is very much, she’s someone that is so reflective, so hard-working and just continuously wants to work better on herself. And the attraction just shot up again. That one conversation is all I needed.
Something that has come up a lot is an interview that Liv did a few weeks ago. She mentioned a moment we didn’t see on the show in which you and Leah had a conversation, and after this, you made her a smoothie. We didn’t see this scene, and a lot of fans want to know more context about this and some of the other dynamics we may not necessarily have seen in your relationship.
MH: I think my memory is terrible. I do apologize for that [laughs]…. I definitely said that was one of my red flags going into the villa, but I believe she’s talking about the night, I think it was two nights after or the night after we had come back from Casa — one thing I would always do because I can be a bit of an airhead and I can be very blunt sometimes, I would always use me and her’s relationship as an analogy. And sometimes that wasn’t always the best thing to do, and I just was oblivious to that, and I would just, because what I was saying is what it is, it doesn’t always sound good hearing it from the other side.
It sounds like I’m being inconsiderate to how she’s feeling. And the moment she said that, I was like, “F**k, you’re right.” I don’t actually remember what it was exactly, but…I mean me and her, [were] still closed off and she’s still allowing me to get to know people and I’m allowing her to get to know other people, but [Liv was like], “OK, because you said that you down to get to know other people. Leah still wants to get to know just you, and you’re making it seem like you don’t really give a f**k about that.” And I was like, “F**k, no, you’re right. That was a dick thing to do.”
So I took her up. I took her up to Soul Ties and I let her know, [and] I’m pretty sure this is the conversation that Liv is talking about, but yeah, just let her know, “I apologize. First and foremost, I just want to let you know I don’t see what we have as a joke. I know I can be really blunt and air-headed at times, and I know I can seem like I don’t care, but genuinely, I do care about you. I do care if you recouple with someone else. I do care if [you want] to just end things with me right now. I care very much about how you feel in your emotions, and I do treasure what me and you have developed, and I know I can be very dumb at times, but I just want you to know that I really do respect everything that you want. I do want to see how far this will go.” It was just like me apologizing for I guess being a bit inconsiderate to how she may have felt at times. And yeah, she understood that really quick.
She’s a very understanding person. I feel like the one thing she treasures most is transparency. And as long as I’m transparent with her, I think that’s one thing that she liked about me, is that I would always keep it very truthful to her and never really beat around the bush, even with how I was feeling sometimes that I’d let [her] know, “I’m not going to lie, this has been hard for me to say just because of the way I grew up, but I do care for you.”
Now that you both are out of the villa, what does the future look like for you both? Will you be in LA a bit, will there be adventures across the pond? People want to know what that may look like going forward.
MH: I’ve already decided I’m going to go straight to LA after this — definitely going to go straight there. I want to spend two months there or something, at least. Just to kick with her and see her side of LA. She definitely wants to show me around. I’m very much a tourist when it comes to America, so I’m looking forward to seeing Leah’s version of LA. And yeah, we’ve even spoken about her coming over to the U.K. She wants to see my side of London. I’m definitely down to give her the Miguel tour and just show her around. So there’s definitely talks of us linking up. She wants to show me to her farm and stuff, which I’m so looking forward to. She wants to show me to her horses, which I’m absolutely honored by because I know that’s not something that she does with any person. So I definitely picked that as an honor and I’m mad grateful for it. But yeah, we definitely have talked of, we want to go to Disney World. We want to do little dates like that. I know Kordell and Serena [want to] as well. We want to all link up and do a little double date thing.
