On the Friday, July 11, episode of the hit Peacock series, fans said goodbye to another couple who recently "closed things off" and became exclusive with one another.
Before the penultimate episode, America was given the chance on Tuesday, July 8, to vote for the final four couples they think should be in the finale.
Throughout the Friday, July 11, episode, the final five couples were visited by their families and then enjoyed a Thanksgiving in July meal amongst themselves. But as the episode came to a close, the group of 10 islanders received a text to gather around the fire pit once more to learn who America picked as the final couples.
Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales, Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen, Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia, Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley, and Chelley Bissainthe and Ace Greene all gathered together before learning that it was the original Islanders, Chelley and Ace, who were eliminated from the show.
Ahead of Chelley and Ace's elimination, the pair were chosen by their fellow Islanders to enjoy a night together in the hideaway. There, Ace, 22, penned a heartfelt poem for Chelley, 27, and asked her to become exclusive and a "closed-off" couple.
Both exclusively tell PEOPLE that their exit is "bittersweet." But, Chelley explains, "We went through it all, had so much fun with it, and then in the end, we get to walk out together. So it's one of those moments of like, happiness, where it's like, 'Okay, at the end, we still won. We have each other.' "
She notes that their dumping aligns with a common theme of the season, in which stronger and exclusive couples were either broken up or, in their case, voted off. "It does seem like the strong connections got the boot," she says. "A lot of it, too, is America's voting. So, I mean, whatever America wants to see, they're getting what they want, at that price."
"We're just very happy that we have one another. We're so happy with the friends that we made on the inside," she notes,"So it doesn't end here. The journey still continues."
As for the next steps in their relationship, "We're just going to continue to spend our time together, really nurture our relationship," Chelley says. "That's something we really want to make sure we're intentional about. So it's going to be some work, but nothing we can't handle."
The pair are in awe of how far they have come and even acknowledge they had met once before the series started, with Chelley noting, "I'm happy where we started to where we have been, and what's to come with us."
But they confirm to PEOPLE that they had only met one time prior while Ace was in New York City for his birthday, which led them to follow each other on social media -- and ultimately exchange a couple of comments on each other's posts.
"But it's not like we knew each other," Chelley confesses, through her and Ace's laughter, "It was a thing of like, 'Hey, we've had a conversation before. What the f -- are you doing here, type of thing?' "
Ace says with a laugh that "It's hilarious" that fans believed the pair were a couple before the show and remained a secret item while on the show. "We made it known on the first day that we knew each other," he says. "So it's not like we were gonna scam our way to the top, like that's crazy."
Chelley echoes his sentiments about hearing "all this craziness." She also reveals that Ace wasn't the only Islander she knew before coming into the villa; she also knew fellow New Yorker, Amaya, as well as model Andreina Santos.
Meanwhile, Ace adds that he knew Pepe beforehand, and Nic and Jeremiah Brown also knew each other before the show. "Everyone knows each other some way, somehow," Chelley says.
While some contestants may have known of each other before filming, Ace says, "Everybody's great," and Chelley adds that everyone in the group has "trustworthy relationships" with each other.
Ace notes that because of the group's dynamic, everyone was free to give each other their opinions. But he acknowledges that he developed a reputation as the leader of the villa. "But of course, I have leader qualities," he says. "I'm very, very vocal." Adding, "I like to speak up when you know it's time, to speak up and shut up when it's time."
"It's not just a matter of me being the only one to give my opinion," he explains as Chelley nods in agreement. "Sometimes I'll give my input, but it's not just me." He assures that those conversations with his fellow Islanders were never 'messy.'