Sydney And Isaiah Reflect On Their Love Island Journey And What's Next - Exclusive Interview
Say what you will about reality TV, but whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit that there are some nail-biting moments. The mere seconds before the leading lady of "The Bachelorette" lets her runner-up down as easily as she can leaves hearts beating out of viewers' chests. The proposals on "Love Is Blind" — while separated by a big blue wall — are just as tear-jerking as any question-popping that you see in real life. Reality dating shows remind us that sometimes, you have to put everything on the line to find that one special someone, and perhaps no show embodies this more than "Love Island."
The U.S. version of the hit franchise — which can be viewed on Peacock — just wrapped Season 4 and gave viewers couple after couple to root for. While bombshell entrances and recouplings certainly mixed things up, some unions stood the test of time. One such couple was Syndey Paight and Isaiah Campbell, who — despite a number of ups and downs — made it all the way to the finale. Not only that, but they were neck and neck with Zeta Morrison and Timmy Pandolfi for the ultimate prize: $100,000.
While Sydney and Isaiah didn't take home the cold hard cash, they walked out with something incredibly valuable: a relationship that had been tried, been tested, and survived. Not many couples can say they put it all on the line for love and trusted such a unique process, but Isaiah and Sydney made it known that they cared for each other. The viewers at home certainly picked up on their affection, sending them all the way to the finale. As Season 4 came to a close, we sat down with the couple for an exclusive interview, getting to the bottom of their relationship, how they made it through the tough times, and what's coming next for them.
Sydney and Isaiah dish about the villa environment
You guys came in second. Congratulations. Such a whirlwind, I bet. What's the last 24 hours been like?
Isaiah Campbell: It's definitely been a ride, but it's definitely been enjoyable to finally get some alone time with her and feel normal. That's very, very key.
Sydney Paight: It was fun to transition into the normalcy [as] I learned just to be normal and take it all in, to sleep a little bit, watch some Netflix.
We've gotten to chat with all the Islanders as they've left the villa, and it really does seem to be such a unique environment: no phones, no access to the outside world. Tell me a little bit more about what that's like, maybe something that we didn't see on camera.
Sydney: I thought it was nice, because in the real world, you go out and you meet people. You constantly have your phone, and you can be sidetracked. You can vibe with someone. But to go in and meet someone and vibe with them without any distractions is key. Now when I'm with him, I don't even need to be on my phone.
Isaiah: It was nice. It definitely was. It was a nice break, but it also ... It began to be a bit rough, at least for a little bit, not knowing a sense of time, date, or anything.
Sydney: I didn't know anything. It could be 5:00 in the morning. We had no idea.
That's kind of wild. It seems to me, for couples, you had six weeks, but so much uninterrupted time. I'm sure it feels more like six months than anything else.
Isaiah: Definitely. It felt like a long time. The first two weeks felt like a month itself. I think every two weeks was a month.
Sydney: Everyone was like, "Y'all met four days ago." I'm like, "Dude, four days is a year."
Isaiah: And y'all only see 10 clips from every couple for a 24-hour-day period, maybe two days.
What did it feel knowing America was so in your corner? They got you all the way up to second place. That must be pretty incredible to know.
Sydney: I know. I felt so loved. It felt so awesome. I was so proud of both of us. Thank you to America. They're lit for that.
Isaiah: I couldn't be more blessed. It was definitely something I wasn't expecting at all, but I'm glad that the U.S. and anybody else that was watching too was very supportive and really saw our [genuineness].
How did the couple overcome the hurdles they faced?
I think an aspect of your relatability as a couple is that you did power through some ups and downs. What ultimately was it about this connection that we didn't see on-screen that really made you not want to give up throughout the process?
Isaiah: I didn't want to have any regrets or [feel] like, "Oh, damn. I really should have tried more." That was why I was fighting, because I knew that I messed up. I knew I had to fix some things. ...
It was a time that I was really realizing my feelings for Sydney, and I was like, "Damn, Isaiah, man the f*** up, bro."
Sydney: Everything I felt in [the villa] was so real. I can speak for myself; I don't know about others, but I wasn't in there playing games. I was like, "Yo, these are my feelings."
Isaiah: It was probably the talk on the balcony too.
Sydney: We had many hard talks on the balcony. Every time I went up to the balcony, it was like, "All right, are we going to break up or what?"
We've all seen a play out on social media. I know you guys just got your phones back. Isaiah, you won a lot of fans over when you asked Syd to become your girlfriend. What about the timing of that decision made you realize that she was the one?
Isaiah: It was a few days prior to the big question, so it did take some planning. It wasn't like, "Oh, I know what I'm going to do today." It was definitely a few days prior to that. It was really when she confessed her feelings to me in the kitchen. Then we had a couple days to truly vibe out.
Sydney, what was it about Isaiah that really made you believe in this process? Because it is such a unique way to find love.
Sydney: He kept reassuring me, letting me know that he hasn't felt this way in a really long time. So I knew that he was being real as well.
What's next for Sydney and Isaiah?
We all want to know the details, but what does life look like now for you both moving forward? Individually as a couple, you've now got all these fans and people in your corner. Life looks a lot different than what life looked like when you entered the villa, I'm sure.
Isaiah: I'm always going to remain humble, my same Zay self, but I honestly have no idea what life has to offer yet. I feel like it's definitely going to be a bit up in the air for a little while. Obviously, [we want to] stay protected, but also stay on the grind, keep working hard, see what's next. [For our] relationship, we do have a couple things planned. We're going home for a little bit, and then eventually she will be going to South Dakota to meet my family.
Sydney: And then it'll be my birthday, and then it'll be Halloween and Thanksgiving. It's crazy. The summer's over.
Isaiah: Summer's over. That's [another] thing — we were in quarantine mid-June or end of June, and then we're getting out now.
It's almost September. You two are looking at holiday season and everything! Have you gotten to think about Christmas presents for each other already?
Sydney: Oh my God. I already know what I'm going to get him.
The couple have plans to reconnect with the Season 4 cast
What would you say your biggest takeaway from this experience is?
Sydney: I would say my biggest takeaways are [to] know your worth, because it can be really hard in there at times, and to communicate. Communication is key, keeping it real at all times. No b***s*** allowed for me.
Isaiah: [My takeaways are] to remain humble, remain optimistic, and also to remain yourself. If you don't, it definitely catches up to you. If you're not true to yourself and your actions and your words ... [You have to] stay mindful, stay truthful. That was the big takeaway. Also, it brought me a lot closer to my guy friends, and in general with talking about my feelings. I'm not a guy who does that a lot. To do that with the homies, [not just with] a girl but let alone the homies is definitely something I did not expect.
It really does seem as though this cast in particular, you're all so genuine. It seems like you've come out with lifelong friends. Any plans to reconnect [and] hang out all together?
Isaiah: The boys have a trip in Massachusetts in probably a couple [or a] few weeks. I don't know if it's going to be a couple weeks or a few weeks yet, but it's going to be around then. And then a Cabo trip for Sydney's birthday, probably. I don't know when, but that'll be probably a big little mini-reunion night.
Sydney: A lot of people are in the LA area too. So we got Bryce [Fins], Courtney [Boerner], Deb [Chubb], Jesse [Bray] is about to move there, Timmy [Pandolfi], Zeta [Morrison]. We're all going to chop it up in LA.
"Love Island" Season 4 concluded on August 28. The reunion episode will drop on September 1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
This interview has been edited for clarity.