The Hawaii-based star initially wanted to go on the show to gain clarity in their relationship, as she felt Vanessa was ”hot and cold” about where they stood. “You’re saying you want to be with me, but you’re also saying that I feel like a best friend,” Xander recalled to E!, “and I don’t want that.”
That wishy-washy mindset made Vanessa an early villain in the season, with castmates Lexi Goldberg and Yoly Rojas calling her out for allegedly being rude or scheming.
“Within truly, no edits, within 10 minutes of meeting me and [partner] Mal, she insinuated her and Mal were going to be like trial wives together,” Yoly told E!, recalling that Vanessa’s toast to her own future with Mal ”was so disrespectful.”
And that wasn’t the only drama with Vanessa. “Going forward, she tries to instigate little things and do things for attention. It was just not my kind of person,” Yoly shared while reflecting on some off-camera moments. “There was no Lexi coercing all of us not to like her.”