Hagerstown native Jalen Oliver appears on “Love Island USA”
FIJI – Wayne County residents have been on television a lot lately.
First it was Dougherty Orchard from Cambridge City, who was featured on TLC’s “90 Day Fiance.”
Then it was waitress Amari Scott Keys from Richmond who earned her golden ticket to Hollywood on ABC’s “American Idol.”
Now a Hagerstown native recently found himself in the spotlight as he tried to find true love on Peacock.
Jalen Oliver, a 2018 graduate of Hagerstown High School, appeared in season 6 of Love Island USA as one of the residents of Casa Amor.
Oliver’s appearance on the show had been two years in the making, as he first applied in August 2022, but by the time the casting director contacted him in early 2023, he was already in a relationship.
“For me, it’s a given that I’m not going to go on Love Island if I’m in a relationship,” Oliver said in a Zoom interview. “My relationship ended in November 2023 and I thought, ‘OK, hey, why not give it another go?'”
That’s what Oliver did.
He reconnected with the original casting director who had initially accepted him last January, and then, he says, things really took off.
“There are so many things that led to this, but it’s a once in a lifetime experience,” he said. “So it’s definitely worth all the effort.”
What is Love Island USA?
Love Island USA follows islanders who team up to take part in games and challenges during their stay in the villa. Temptations and drama separate couples as bombshells drop and relationships are threatened. Contestants can pair up with someone new and they can be eliminated by viewer votes.
At the end, the winning couple will receive a total prize of $100,000 or $50,000 each.
They may also break up with their true love, but this is not always the case as things get very messy and the relationship is put to the test.
“Love Island runs in real time,” Oliver said. “What you see is probably something that happened yesterday or maybe the day before, but it’s all up to date. If you’re not paired up, your time on Love Island is at stake. Sometimes they give you extra time to try and make a connection before you get kicked out, but if you’re not paired up, that’s definitely not a good thing.”
What is Casa Amor?
Oliver appeared on Day 17 as part of what the show considers to be “infamous” for its franchise, Casa Amor.
According to Oliver’s description, Casa Amor is a different villa than the original cast, in which six different men and women live.
The first half of the couple can then leave the main villa and go to Casa Amor, while the other half of the couple stays in the main villa, similar to another USA Network show, Temptation Island.
During their stay in Casa Amor, the original cast will have four days to mingle with the new islanders and see if they are a better fit than the original partner. They will also be able to choose whether they want to stay with their original partner or team up again.
Those who do not have a stable relationship at the end of the four days at Casa Amor are sent home.
Dumped on day 20
Unfortunately for Oliver, his time on the show was short-lived as he was unable to find a partner.
“When I arrived on the first day, it was so unreal, it felt like a dream,” Oliver said. “Honestly, when I walked in there, I saw people who had appeared on TV. I don’t want to say I was totally blown away, but it’s just crazy to see them in person.”
Oliver said he spent the first day trying to understand the mood in the room and wasn’t really chatty with the others as he likes to observe people before he starts talking to them.
“When I started, I knew I wanted to be true to myself,” he said. “There’s a girl on the show named Liv who was single, and just because she was single, I didn’t want to try to build a connection with her if that connection wasn’t there. I didn’t want to force anything that wasn’t there. Still, I talked to her. She was cool, she’s more like a friend. It wasn’t anything on a romantic level.”
Oliver added that he got to know Kaylor very well and that even though he knew the odds were against him as she was one of the strongest couples, it ultimately came down to staying true to himself.
Off camera, Oliver revealed that “there were definitely things that happened” during the Raunchy Races challenge that caused a mass reaction from viewers, but he wasn’t sure if it was PG-13-rated enough to explain.
“Another thing I can talk about is that Taylor and I had our own conversations away from everyone else and we really got to know each other and developed an understanding of each other,” he said. “She had told me that if I had been in the villa before Aaron, she definitely could have seen the sparks flying between me and stuff.”
“Don’t take anything for granted”
Oliver hasn’t always been particularly confident and five years ago he might never have seen himself on a show like Love Island USA.
The reason for this was surgical scars on his head that he had due to a cyst following three different brain surgeries.
The cyst has disappeared since his sophomore year of high school, 13 years after the hospitalizations.
“Growing up, I always had long, curly hair all over the place just because I didn’t want anyone to see it,” he said. “… At the same time, I understand that everything happens for a reason and it’s a part of me. People can always have it worse and I could have been born deaf or blind, so I can’t complain about my life.”
Having spent much of his life with a cyst, Oliver has learned not to take anything for granted.
“(Jesus) and I did the interview and it opened my eyes to being comfortable with who you are and still loving yourself,” he said. “That being said, I eventually decided to cut the locks. … I’m happy to be where I am today and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
More: “Prodigy” Jalen Oliver unleashes his football potential
Life hasn’t changed much since the show aired
When he returned home from the show, Oliver’s lifestyle and personality had not changed much.
He goes to the gym every day and plays basketball with his friends. Last weekend he went to a bar with his friends, which is something he does often since he considers himself an outgoing person.
Oliver refuted an article from another publication that said he was taking college courses at Hanover College. Instead, he said he was taking all of his courses online at Indiana University East as he pursued a business degree.
He also said that he was supposed to move to Indianapolis a few months ago, but hasn’t done so yet due to a situation with one of his friends. He plans to move within the next few weeks.
What has changed is the attention he gets from the show.
“My phone was beeping nonstop and I was only there for a short time, which is kind of surreal,” he said. “I’m not one to be driven by attention and like I said, I like to stay true to myself.”
As for a future career in reality TV, who knows?
“It’s been a very eye-opening experience for me,” he said. “I would love to come back for season seven of Love Island USA if I get the chance. I really liked the idea of doing reality TV and seeing where that takes me. But that’s plan A. I have plan B, which is to get my degree and find a career if it doesn’t work out that way. I’m not going to put all my eggs in one basket.”
Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter for The Palladium-Item. You can reach him at X (@evan_weaver7) or by email at [email protected]. Dina Kaur, a reporter for The Arizona Republic, contributed to this story. She can be reached at [email protected] or @dina_kaur on X.
How to watch the College World Series finale tonight: Tennessee vs. Texas A&M, Game 3
CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT AGAINST VICTORIA GOLD CORP.
Pelicans unlikely to award maximum contract; trade value is “steep”
About The Author
