If you watched Season 3 of “Vanderpump Villa” and found yourself trying to keep track of exactly how the Ekin-Su and Tina situation unraveled, you are not alone. What started as two “Love Island” alumni arriving at the same luxury English estate turned into one of the messier interpersonal conflicts of the season — and it happened fast. Here is the full breakdown, in order.
It Started Before Ekin-Su Even Arrived
The groundwork for this feud was laid in Episode 1, before Ekin-Su set foot in Rosecroft Park. Tina Stinnes arrived with the “Made in Chelsea” engagement party group and immediately clocked Nick King, the “bartender.” They flirted, went for a walk, made out at a table outside, and ended up in bed together that same night. Nick confirmed they hooked up to his coworkers the next morning. Tina was invested.
What Tina did not know yet was that Ekin-Su was arriving for her 31st birthday celebration. The two had been on “Love Island All Stars” togethe. Tina felt like she had always had Ekin-Su’s back on that show. She was about to find out whether that was mutual.
Ekin-Su Arrived and Nick King Noticed Immediately
Episode 2. Ekin-Su walks in for her birthday celebration and Nick starts flirting with her almost immediately. Tina notices. Her confessional makes clear she has already mentally claimed Nick — she notes that she and Nick kissed in bed the night before, but that things feel different now that Ekin-Su is in the room. “Because… Ekin,” as she put it.
Ekin-Su, for her part, said something felt off, but she could not identify what. She also assessed Nick with the now-iconic observation that he has “a really nice bum,” which tells you where her head was at. Her dinner table conversation with guests was literally about whether she should pursue Charlie or Nick, so she was not exactly keeping her interest subtle.
“He’s Mine” vs. “You’re Not Married”
The nightcap is where things crystallized. Tina and Ekin-Su sat down and actually talked — about not dating anyone, about the boys in the house, about Nick and Charlie. Tina was clearly steering Ekin-Su toward Charlie. When Ekin-Su brought up Nick, Tina said flatly: “He’s mine.” Ekin-Su’s response was equally direct: “You’re not married. You just met him.”
Two different philosophies, two different approaches to girl code, and neither of them wrong exactly — which is what made this particular conflict genuinely interesting rather than just dramatic.
The Pool Incident
Later that same episode, things escalated without much warning. Earlier in the day, Tina had grown closer to Charlie Tiedemann after Nick’s wandering eyes. Charlie ended up asking Tina out on a date.
The group then ended up at the pool after dinner, and Ekin-Su got progressively closer to Charlie — the same Charlie that Tina had started showing interest in and who had asked her on a date. Charlie and Ekin-Su jumped in the pool together. Tina ended up crying on the side of the pool.
“I had enough of people,” Tina said.
When they finally sat down to talk, Tina brought up the “you’re not married” comment and said she felt disrespected. She also said that once she found out Charlie had asked her on a date, Ekin-Su’s attention seemed to shift directly to him — which, watching it back, is not an unfair read. Ekin-Su apologized but then called Tina dramatic. Tina told her to f—k off, walked away, and muttered something considerably less polite under her breath as she went inside.
Sam Vanderpump Steps In
This is the moment that pushed things from a two-person argument into a wider house conflict. Sam Vanderpump — whose engagement party this was, and who clearly felt ownership over the vibe of the week — pulled Ekin-Su aside on a walk and told her and her guest they should stay around the pool or go to their rooms rather than mix with the group, because she was being “kind of nasty.”
Ekin-Su was not having it. She told him she does what she wants, that she didn’t know why he was making a problem out of nothing, and that it had nothing to do with him. Sam’s response was pointed: “Rather than blaming shows for editing you badly, maybe you should think and look at yourself and maybe think about how you act and just try and be a nicer person.”
Ekin-Su later went looking for Sam. Marciano Brunette blocked her. Tina walked by and Ekin-Su tried to talk to her — Tina said no. Ekin-Su then turned around and accused Marciano of “talking s—t” because things had blown up right after she had confided in him. “Why did you open your fat mouth?” she asked him. Marciano, for the record, genuinely had not done much wrong in this particular exchange.
Episode 3: The Aftermath
By Episode 3, Marciano was the one dealing with the fallout. He was worried Ekin-Su would get him fired, given that she had contributed to him being let go at the start of Season 2. He was determined to be the best server at breakfast just to make sure she had no ammunition.
The Ekin-Su and Tina tension was still simmering but no longer the central focus. The show had moved on to other drama by this point, and both groups were wrapping up their stay.
The “Made in Chelsea” group noted at the wave-off that Hagen Bach had been their standout star on the comment card, with Ekin-Su herself reportedly noting Hagen as her top pick — which felt like its own kind of conclusion to the whole thing.
What the Feud Was Actually About
Stepping back from the specifics, this conflict had two real layers. On the surface, it was about Nick — and then Charlie — and who had the right to pursue who. But underneath that was a longer-running dynamic between two women who had history from a previous show, where Tina felt she had been a loyal friend to Ekin-Su and did not feel that loyalty returned.
Ekin-Su was not wrong that Tina had just met Nick. Tina was not wrong that Ekin-Su shifted her energy toward Charlie specifically after learning he had asked Tina out. Both of them were operating from a place of feeling disrespected, and neither of them was entirely off base. The Sam intervention complicated it further by making it a group issue rather than just a two-person disagreement.
It was messy. It was fast. And it was one of the more watchable conflicts of the season precisely because it was not as simple as one person being the villain.
“Vanderpump Villa” Season 3 is streaming now on Hulu.
The ‘Vanderpump Villa’ Season 3 reunion airs April 30th. See what we know and watch the trailer here.
More ‘Vanderpump Villa’ Content
Catch up on everything leading into the reunion:
- What Are the “Vanderpump Villa” Cast Up to Now?
- Who’s on the Hot Seat at the “Vanderpump Villa” Reunion?
- The Wildest Moments From “Vanderpump Villa” Season 3
- Questions the “Vanderpump Villa” Reunion Needs to Answer
- Everything to Know Before the “Vanderpump Villa” Reunion
- Who Won the Bonuses In “Vanderpump Villa” Season 3?
For more “Vanderpump Villa” content, click here.
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