“Love Island USA” Season 3 brought 12 singles to Hawaii to find love and a chance at walking away with a cash prize. Castmates are encouraged to couple up in order to avoid elimination from the reality dating show, and more singles are introduced as the season progresses. Shannon St. Clair was among the original cast members for Season 3. Yet, the reality TV star had made headlines in February before joining the “Love Island” crew. 

Shannon was romantically-linked to Barstool honcho Dave Portnoy as the two were spotted together in Miami, Fla., per Page Six. Their tryst was short-lived, however, as Portnoy took exception to Shannon’s friends posting footage of the two together on social media, per Monsters and Critics. This led to Portnoy verbally blasting Shannon’s friends on his podcast, and Shannon retaliated with a heated Instagram video post (which was later deleted).

Early on in Season 3, Shannon coupled up with Josh Goldstein, a baseball player with a checkered dating past. Before filming of the show commenced, Josh admitted he had not always been a faithful boyfriend. “I’ve only been in one serious relationship, and I was very young in college,” Josh told Parade. “One thing led to another and ultimately, I did cheat on her.” Keep reading to see how Shannon and Josh’s relationship was tested early.

The tragic reason they left the show early on

Shannon St. Clair had misgivings about Josh Goldstein’s dating history, which made her feel insecure about the couple’s future. Early on, the couple was described as a “hot mess” by fans, per Monsters and Critics. Shannon’s concerns over Josh’s promiscuous past were the focal point of many fights between the “Love Island USA” couple. One of the first new singles to join the cast was Aimee Flores, and she immediately set her sights on Josh when she arrived on the show, and sent a flirty text telling him to meet her in the hot tub. 

Despite the temptations, Josh and Shannon remained loyal to each other, and their relationship continued to grow, per Cinemaholic. They had hit several rocky patches including the time Josh mentioned that being physical was the most important aspect of a relationship to him, via TV Shows Ace.

After a date when the duo went ziplining together, Josh and Shannon decided to make their relationship official, per Us Weekly. Unfortunately, only one episode later, Josh and Shannon made the shocking announcement that they were quitting the show due to a family tragedy. “I just want to tell you guys that me and Shannon are going home today,” Josh revealed to the other cast members on an episode that aired on August 5. “Unfortunately, my sister passed away last night.” Keep reading to see if Josh and Shannon stayed together after leaving the island.

How tragedy brought the couple together

It was Josh Goldstein’s late sister, Lindsey Goldstein, who was responsible for getting the baseball player on “Love Island USA” in the first place. “She was the reason I’m here, the reason I found Shannon and met all you guys,” Josh told his fellow Islanders (via Us Weekly). Josh’s sister was a huge fan of the show before her brother joined the cast. “I was with my friend and we couldn’t believe how much Josh looked like one of the guys on the show,” Lindsey told The Eagle-Tribune in July. “I told him all about the show and told him he should fill out the application. And he did,” she added. 

Lindsey, who was 27 when she died, worked for the state helping children, per The Sun. On August 8, Josh and Shannon shared an update with fans in a video posted to his Instagram account. “We just wanted to let everyone know we made it back to Massachusetts. We’re home with my family,” Josh said while holding his girlfriend close. 

Shannon mentioned the important role Lindsey played in helping the couple find their footing. “She’s the reason why we are together and where we are right now,” Shannon said. “We always feel that everything happens for a reason, and we owe that all to Lindsey.” Even though they left the show early, the family tragedy seemed to bring the couple closer.

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