Rachel Recchia was a fan of Perfect Match costar Louis Russell until he spoiled the season 3 finale by debuting his new romance with Love Island‘s Huda Mustafa.
Rachel, 29, confessed on the Tuesday, August 5, episode of “The Viall Files” podcast that it was “disappointing” to see Louis, 24, hard launch his relationship with Huda, 24, last month before their season of the Netflix series had fully dropped.
“It’s literally airing — we have what, maybe two weeks. It feels, like, a little selfish,” Rachel explained. “It affects the whole cast.”
Louis and Huda sparked dating rumors in July when they were spotted together in London, shortly before the first batch of Perfect Match episodes premiered on Friday, August 1.
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On Thursday, July 31, Huda and Louis seemingly addressed the rumors surrounding their romance when they stepped out together for the Los Angeles premiere of Weapons. They were photographed holding hands as they posed for pictures.
Fans met Huda earlier this summer on Love Island USA season 7, where she initially connected with Jeremiah Brown. After a tumultuous relationship, Huda moved with Chris Seeley and the couple made it to the finale but called it quits before the winners were announced.
“Everyone has their opinions. I know exactly how I want it to be treated in a relationship and I’m not going to settle,” Huda exclusively told Us Weekly in July about her and Chris’ breakup. “I will never sit here and just accept [whatever] as he says shut up to me. That’s another thing, Chris would want me to shut up. I don’t like that.”
Huda, who shares 4-year-old daughter Arleigh with ex Noah Sheline, noted that it didn’t make sense for her to “put on a show and be a happy girl and whatever when I’m not happy in my couple.”
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Louis, meanwhile, sparked a connection with Sandy Gallagher during the first part of Perfect Match season 3. However, after confirming his relationship with Huda, fans know that they won’t last — at least once the cameras stopped rolling. (He previously starred on season 5 of Too Hot to Handle.)
“I love him as a person. I think he’s amazing. I get along with him so well. He’s such great TV,” Rachel said on Tuesday of Louis, noting she wasn’t a fan of his recent actions.
The former Bachelorette added, “It just feels, like, kinda selfish a little bit. I mean Sandy and him have such a good connection on the show. Now people are kinda seeing things like, ‘Oh, what’s going on now?’”
Rachel noted that “what’s happening now is crazy” with Louis, referring to his budding romance and his fallout with Miguel Harichi that seemingly transpired once he went public with Huda.
Louis has been friends with Love Island USA season 6 star Miguel, 28, for some time, but they are seemingly currently on the outs. The pair made headlines last month when fans speculated that Miguel’s girlfriend, Leah Kateb, was feuding with Huda and Louis after she “unfollowed” them.
Leah, who also starred on season 6 of Love Island USA, denied that she had any “beef” with any of the season 7 islanders after fans noticed she no longer followed Huda.
“I’m incredibly proud of everyone who has gone on Love Island bc it takes a lot to put yourself up on a chopping board like this,” Leah, 25, wrote via a TikTok comment last month. “I wish them all well truly. … I haven’t spoken about Love Island once. I’m not watching it. I don’t know why you guys want to involve me so badly. Please leave me alone.”
Leah Kateb Calls ‘Love Island USA’ the ‘Perfect Disaster’ That Led Her to Miguel: ‘The Only Guy for Me’
Miguel, meanwhile, broke his silence on the alleged feud via his Instagram Story on Saturday, August 2, explaining why Leah unfollowed the couple.
“They did it because, as women, the reasoning behind why he was dating her didn’t sit right with them,” Miguel claimed, referring to Leah and her friends. “Whether or not they are truly falling for each other, at this point, I couldn’t care less. I wish them nothing but peace, but my road is my own, and I would prefer if my name and my girl’s name no longer closed into their world.”
Miguel also explained his own distance from Louis in recent weeks, writing, “It feels ridiculous I’m even writing this message, but this [is] the world I’m in, and everyone seems to need an explanation. So, here it is. The people you thought I was close to, please remove that idea from you’re [sic] mind because it’s clear to me now, we’re walking two different paths.”
The second half of Perfect Match season 3 drops on Netflix Friday, August 8.
