Looking for affection on ‘Love Island USA’
Houstonians Jesse Bray and Sydney Paight didn’t win but they found love connections anyway
In some ways, “Love Island USA” is the antithesis of ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” franchises. Yes, they are all reality dating shows, but the similarities pretty much stop there. Season 4 of “Love Island USA,” an American spinoff of the popular British series, was picked up by Peacock. A fifth season is already in the works. On “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” contestants often live together in a mansion; the challenges are romantic, overthe-top and require a full wardrobe of tuxedos and evening gowns. “Love Island USA” castmates take shelter in a Southern California setting that feels like a love child of “The Truman Show” and “Pleasantville.” Some challenges are more ick than slick, and for 40 days, the 20-somethings looking for love frolic around in bikinis and swim trunks.
Two young Houstonians, Jesse Bray and Sydney Paight, competed on the most recent season of “Love Island USA,” which premiered July 19. By the finale on Sept. 1, both appeared as finalists. Neither took home the $100,000 cash prize. “The Bachelor/The Bachelorette” finales typically conclude with a proposal and diamond ring, but all the shows have one thing in common in how the contestants often are scouted: Instagram.
“I hadn’t watched any previous seasons (of “Love Island”),” says Bray, 27, who’s originally from Ohio. “I was contacted before for another show, “20 Something” on Netflix. Then that same casting producer from Instagram hit me up again.”
He initially auditioned in January 2022. The lengthy
interview process was conducted over Zoom. By June, Bray landed the gig.
Paight, 22, grew up in Katy and graduated from James E. Taylor High School. Unlike Bray, she’d seen “Love Island USA” Season 2 and part of Season 3, plus at least one season of the original UK show. A casting recruiter slid into her social media direct messages, too.
“I was very intrigued and thought, ‘Let’s just see where this goes,’ ” she says. “I started getting very excited because I was very single.”
As a COVID-19 precaution, cast members were isolated from each other in quarantine for nearly a month. When they emerged to start filming, Bray describes the location as a tropical paradise.
“Everything looked so perfect, the attention to detail,” he says. “Everything was really bright and colorful. My favorite part was the treehouse. It’s literally in a tree with a daybed that’s private and secluded. (Deborah Chubb) and I had our first conversation up there.”
Chubb, a 26-year-old personal assistant and Dallas native who now lives in Redondo Beach, Calf., immediately caught his eye.
“It was the blond hair and black swimsuit,” Bray says. “Looking into her eyes was like looking into the ocean. We connected on a spiritual level and were raised very, very similarly.”
Spoiler alert: They’re still together. Bray works in Houston as a delivery courier and already has plans to visit Chubb this month. The couple finished Season 4 in third place.
Besides falling in love, his second favorite part of the experience was forging friendships with the male cast members.
“Honestly, I loved just bonding with my bros and getting with guys — you know, giving each other haircuts and brotherhood,” Bray says.
Walking into the “Love Island” villa can be intimidating, he admits. “You walk in and everyone is drop-dead gorgeous. Fit and in perfect shape with perfect teeth.”
Fortunately, a gym was available. Most contestants spent one to two hours working out each day.
For Paight, who works at a tech start-up, being cameraready at all times was challenging.
“In my normal life, I don’t wear a lot of makeup,” she says. Cast members were required to wear microphones and battery packs 24/7, too.
Like Bray, she also found love. Paight coupled up with Isaiah Campbell, 21, a server and TikTok personality. Their relationship had its fair share of ups and downs, though ultimately, they won second place. Zeta Morrison and Timmy Pandolfi, both 29, were named winners of “Love Island USA” and awarded the sixfigure prize.
Paight and Campbell have plans to test their connection in the real world, as well.
Filming the show was an intense process, she says. “If you have tough skin, and are unapologetically yourself and can be vulnerable, I would recommend it. I will say, not everyone is right for the show.”
Bray agrees, and has zero regrets. “For the most part, we had high respect for one another, we’re all bighearted people,” he says. “We all got ready together, slept together — shared clothes and shared beds. The common ground was respect.”