"I'll wait for her": Love Island Games star Mert speaks out about his connection with Lucinda after elimination

Love Island Games Season 2 returned with a new episode on September 21, 2025, which saw Solène Favreau and Mert Okatan get dumped from the villa after receiving the fewest votes from America. 

Their elimination weighed heavily on Mert, in particular, as it robbed him of the opportunity to develop his relationship with co-star Lucinda.

Despite being in a couple with Solène, Mert was attracted to Lucinda and wished to pursue her in the coming days. 

But his plans were thwarted once his time on the island was cut short. During his exit interview, Mert opened up about his feelings for Lucinda and said:

“I feel really sad because I can’t fake my feelings from my heart. So, I want to say from the bottom of my heart that I really had a great connection with Lucinda, and it was not fair for me to leave now. If it’s meant to be with Lucinda, it’s meant to be. I’ll wait for her.”

As for Solène, she was equally upset with the outcome, noting that she felt “very sad” and hoped things could be different.

That way, she could have the time to explore a relationship with someone in the Love Island Games villa.

According to her, she and Mert deserved to stay in the competition. 

Love Island Games Season 2: What led to Mert and Solène’s elimination from the show?

Five vulnerable couples were at risk of being sent home. They were Andreina and Johnny, Tyrique and Lucinda, Solène and Mert, Isaiah and Nicola, and Andrea and Toby. 

Andreina and Johnny, as well as Tyrique and Lucinda, received the most votes from the show’s fans and earned immunity, leaving the other three in the bottom three.

Love Island Games host Ariana Madix called the three vulnerable couples to the firepit and informed them that the final decision would be in their hands, and not in the hands of the safe contestants. 

The girls were each asked to pick a box that would contain either a ‘safe’ heart or a ‘dumped’ heart. With two ‘safe’ hearts and one ‘dumped’ heart, one couple’s journey was set to end during the September 21 episode. 

“But you can choose not to open the boxes. If that’s your choice, I will tell you who received the fewest votes overall from America, and that couple will be dumped. Or you can all open the boxes,” Ariana explained.

Solène and Mert, as well as Nicole and Isaiah, chose not to open their boxes, while Andrea and Toby decided otherwise. Since the majority chose not to open the boxes, they now awaited America’s verdict. 

However, before Ariana revealed that, she asked them to open the boxes to see what could have happened if they had left things up to fate.

Both Andrea and Toby, as well as Solène and Mert, had the ‘safe’ heart, whereas Nicola and Isaiah had the ‘dumped’ heart.

With the boxes opened, Ariana then disclosed the public’s verdict, revealing that Solène and Mert had the fewest votes. As a result, they were dumped from Love Island Games.

After the names were announced, Lucinda expressed that it was a “s**t feeling” to see Mert leave the Love Island Games villa, especially when they were getting to know each other.

Later, during a conversation with Lucinda, Mert said his goodbyes and told her that he would miss her. 

He added that he was grateful for the experience because now he knew what he truly felt for her.

Stay tuned for more updates.