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- [00:05]
A
Good morning, girlies. It's the Toast. It's Jackson Claude, and we're your host. It's your favorite show. The Fast 5 things you need to know. We'll start your day off Swirly. It's the Toast. I sound amazing. Welcome back to the Toast. I am humbled and honored to be joined by somebody who America voted number four, but in our hearts, he's number one. It's Pepe Garcia from Love island, usa, just back from Fiji. Hello, Pepe.
- [00:38]
B
How are you doing today?
- [00:40]
A
I'm so excited. I'm actually. I don't know if you know this. I had a baby seven weeks ago. I'm on maternity leave. I'm not podcasting for the next two months. But I got a text. I got a text that we have the opportunity to have you on the show, and you are the only person I would have gotten out of bed for. I have been a fan of yours since. Since day one. I feel like the papyrus stand train starts and ends with me, and I'm honored to be speaking with you.
- [01:02]
B
I love it. Thank you so much. Honestly, that's. First of all, congratulations on baby, and secondly, thank you for. Thank you for coming on the podcast just for me. I really appreciate that.
- [01:15]
A
Honestly, I have so much, selfishly, I wanted to have you on. I have so much to ask you. You have kind of been at the. At the. The center of a lot of the couples that Jackie and I have been following really closely. So my sister Jackie hosts the show with me, and she was obsessed with TJ and Iris, and when TJ got sent home, she was kind of, like, done with the show, and I said, just wait, there's something brewing. And lo and behold, we got Papyrus. Now, you guys did not win, which I'll get into later in the show because I'm devastated about. But I think. And based on some of the things I've seen on social media of you guys in the airport, like, you are actively still in a couple, correct?
- [01:48]
B
Yes. Yeah.
- [01:49]
A
Exclusive. Seeing other people.
- [01:53]
B
One, I think. Yeah. I mean, that's how I date, so I wouldn't want to do anything differently nowadays. Right.
- [02:00]
A
I mean, that's such a refreshing take to hear from a, you know, a young man. How old are you, Pepe?
- [02:04]
B
27.
- [02:05]
A
Oh, man, I can't believe I'm older than Pepe. You just seem so wise and. And mature, and actually seeing your mom on the show, I feel like I got to understand how you got to be the way that you are, because your parents were quite sophisticated.
- [02:17]
B
They are yeah, they. They hold themselves to a level of respect and accountability. You know, they had me when me and my sister, when we were young. So the fact that they're able to show that, I think showed me that I can show that as well at a young age.
- [02:32]
A
Well, that was kind of, I think, what also set you apart in the Villas. Anytime you were, you know, speaking to somebody or in a couple with somebody, you weren't actively pursuing other connections. And I know that's what the show is for, but, like, at some point, like, you can stop. Like, you don't need to be exploring connections till the very end. And that was, like, a little bit of the frustration I had with some of the couples. But it was really refreshing to see you just sort of go all in on somebody and you had a few people whom you went all in on throughout that journey. First, obviously, we have to talk about Hannah, because I loved you and Hannah together, and I was screaming at my tv, like, throwing things at it. When she got sent home, I was so upset. Walk me through that journey for you. Were you shocked when the girls chose her? I was shocked.
- [03:11]
B
Honestly, very shocked. I think everybody. Not only was I shocked, but I think all the guys were shocked as well. I think some of the girls were probably shocked, and obviously America was definitely shocked. But I think that was the name of the season. I don't think anything this season that happened was. I mean, if somebody told me this, how the whole season was going to play out, I would have either thought you were lying to me or you were the smartest person in the world.
- [03:37]
A
Yeah, there's.
- [03:38]
B
There's no in between. So, yeah, I think we were all shot.
- [03:41]
A
And I was really proud of you for. At the standing on business challenge for bringing it back up, and I thought Sierra's answer, like, literally made no sense. She was speaking gibberish. And I wish you pushed her a little bit more, but, like, I understand you were just being respectful, but good for you for bringing it up. I still don't really understand why she got sent home. A theory online is that at the time, Huda was thinking about pursuing you because she was kind of left with nobody after Jeremiah, and she had made it seem like she wanted to pursue you, and then maybe getting Hannah out of the way was a good way for her to do that. But then we never saw her pursue you after. Was there anything that went on with you and Hooda after Hannah went home?
- [04:15]
B
I had a conversation with her, and I don't know if I haven't even been Able to watch the show yet. So I'm kind of hearing bits and pieces. I go had a conversation with her and kind of told her I wasn't a big fan of the way she moved and the way she did a couple of things considering Hannah really took care of her.
- [04:32]
A
Right.
- [04:33]
B
Especially as Huda was put in these positions of not being at the top of the leaderboard and then being at the top. But still voters wanted or islanders kind of putting her position to potentially get voted off. And Hannah was. Hannah was there for her and for hooded to then come and pull me for a chat. Special phrase around here, I guess, without kind of letting Hannah know. I wasn't a big fan of that. Yeah. I think. Right. I think exploring in here, in the villa, I should say. Not here. I'm not there anymore.
- [05:04]
A
Oh, my God. Are you okay? Like, are you having, like, sort of. Because you've literally been completely disconnected. Right. From the world. No phone. Did you guys know about, like, world affairs? There was like, low key, a small war in Iran while you guys were gone. Did you know that?
- [05:17]
B
We didn't know anything. They literally kept everything sided. I mean, even with our. When our parents came. Which kudos to all of them. They did such a good job of keeping everything a secret.
- [05:28]
A
Yeah.
- [05:28]
B
That the second we got home and opened up our phones, I was like, insane. What? Yeah. Like, what is going on with the watch party? Yeah, it was wild.
- [05:38]
A
So quickly back to Hannah. I think a question that everyone wants to know is when she left the villa, you guys were like, pretty seriously, you know, whatever you want to call it, dating, seeing one another. Um, and life goes on. You know, you had to get back to what she had to do. She had to leave. And you did fall into this other couple, which I think is more serious than you were with Hannah. But do you. And I know you just got home last night, so it might be premature, but do you talk to Hannah? Like, have you spoken to Hannah? Do you end things with Hannah? Like, where does Hannah play into all of us?
- [06:06]
B
So I haven't even had the chance to speak to Hannah. Yes. I got home and I was just immediately. I drove down, picked up my dog. I saw my family and friends and they had millions of questions.
- [06:18]
A
Right.
- [06:19]
B
So I kind of put the phone to the side and just spoke to them. Just turned it all off and said, let me speak to the people that actually have been loving and caring for me from before all of this happened.
- [06:29]
A
Yeah.
- [06:30]
B
And let me make sure that they, like, know the full story of everything before anybody Else. I think that's only fair. So I would like to speak to Hannah. I think what happens in Love island is. Is a crazy thing. You're with somebody for a couple days, then in there feels like a lifetime. And so you really get to connect with somebody very quickly, especially when you realize that, you know, you connect with somebody more than anybody else. Right, right. And so being with one person for X amount of time, it really makes you just kind of want to be with them for forever. Right? He just. It feels like that's. Right. It feels like that's your person. It feels like this is the only person I can talk to and hang out with in here that really understands me or just wants to also be with me. Hannah's an amazing girl. I'll, you know, I'll cherish every moment that I have with her in the building. I definitely want to call her and, you know, give her. Just talk to her, you know? And so in one of the interviews, she's like, no matter what, I'd still love to be friends with Pep. And it's like, you know what? I think just because things happen in the villain, things went one way for one person, another way for another. I think at the end of the day, we all went through this crazy experience together. So, yeah, why shouldn't we all still be friends no matter what?
- [07:44]
A
I also would love to know how you felt about, you know, you get cast on the show. I'm sure you're very excited. You're in the hotel room, when are they gonna bring me out this new bombshell? And then you find out that you're gonna be brought out in a pair of leather underwear with another man, Jalen, who we love.
- [07:59]
B
Right.
- [08:00]
A
Walk me through your thought process when you saw that outfit on the hanger.
- [08:03]
B
You know what? That process was one of the funniest and weirdest processes of my life. There was no outfit set out. They brought me out in the morning. I was in the hotel. You know, you have your little routine, and then we're just trying out a bunch of clothes and what. What fits and what we like and what we don't like. Definitely a weird one. But I remember once I realized, like, this is what I'm doing. I'm walking in like this. I could only just remember thinking, my mom is going to kill me, for sure. My mom, my sister, my dad's going to laugh his ass off. But, yeah, that was. That was the only thought process that night, honestly, until I physically started walking into the villa.
- [08:47]
A
Did you think about your parents or your family a lot on the show because you are put almost, you know, not daily, every, every couple of days in precarious situations. The challenges are quite explicit and you know, this is being televised and you know your parents are watching, I think. Did your mom run your social media for you while you were gone?
- [09:04]
B
No, I had one of my social.
- [09:07]
A
Media manager, you know, she did tell them a lot. Yeah, I saw little messages from your mom on your Instagram like, oh my God, that's so cute. But you're in the challenge, the milk challenge. That one really stuck with me, you know, spitting milk from your mouth into somebody else's.
- [09:20]
B
Uh huh.
- [09:21]
A
What's going through your mind as it relates to your family?
- [09:25]
B
You know, challenges I wasn't really too worried about. It was more of like the, the relationships and the connections you build in there and what they're seeing, what I'm not. Obviously I can't have eyes and ears everywhere in the villa. I think this season would have been a lot easier if we did. I think every season in general would be a lot easier if you did. So, you know, it's my biggest worry was you're always thinking, because this is your support system back home, right? And you bring a home, a girl home, they're going to tell you everything that they think about her. So not being able to have that where it's like, I wonder what they're seeing and are they seeing what I'm seeing or are they seeing a different side of this person that I'm not seeing? That was more of the, you know, the questions and the worries that I had with my family. It wasn't so much the challenges. I think we all kind of understood when I went on the show.
- [10:15]
A
Right.
- [10:16]
B
No clue of the show prior. And I started watching some episodes before leaving with my family and they were like, this is crazy. And I was like, you know what? Crazy. But it seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity that I cannot pass up.
- [10:31]
A
What made you want to do this show? You're not like a likely candidate for it. You were playing basketball overseas, correct?
- [10:38]
B
Yes, I was playing basketball overseas. I had a couple injuries that made me decide I think it's time to hang it up. And then I was just working. I was working on businesses and they. A couple of my friends, you know, were telling me about doing different things with social media. I never really wanted to do it. And then the show kind of hit me up and I realized I went to college for a couple of years, a year and a half, and I never really got to experience this whole spring break type of vibe.
- [11:08]
A
Yeah.
- [11:10]
B
And it seemed like, you know what, this is probably as I'm 27, not in my early 20s, obviously in my late 20s. So this is probably one of the only last times I'm gonna really get a chance to go out there, have some fun. And I decided, you know what, no matter what, if I don't meet someone that I really like, I'm probably gonna meet some amazing friends.
- [11:30]
A
Yeah.
- [11:31]
B
That are gonna turn into family that are very similar to me and like what I do and are the way I am. That was my reasoning for going on it. To meet friends and potentially someone that. Which is ironic looking back at it, but potentially someone that I would have probably never met in my normal day to day life in California, you know. And yeah, it was, it was a shot in the dark, but a shot I wanted to take.
- [11:58]
A
Now this might be a dumb question because I don't know how the overseas basketball leagues work, but did you know Chris? He's also an overseas basketball player.
- [12:06]
B
The overseas basketball world is such a small but big circle. I didn't know Chris from overseas, but apparently as we were talking the villa, him and I had played in high school, one game together against each other.
- [12:17]
A
Oh, that's so cute.
- [12:18]
B
Yeah. And it was funny when my dad like was watching everything he came and when he came for family day, he's like, I like Chris a lot. He's like, when I get home and watch the tape of you guys playing.
- [12:29]
A
Each other, that's so cute.
- [12:32]
B
Yeah. So I'm excited. Honestly. I spoke to him about it yesterday. He's like, we gotta have a little like watch party with you and Chris so we can watch the game and see who actually played better.
- [12:40]
A
That's so cute.
- [12:42]
B
But didn't know of him but have we've got a bunch of friends.
- [12:45]
A
It's a small world.
- [12:47]
B
Yeah, small world, but just such a big world as well.
- [12:50]
A
I can pretty much back up every decision you made on this show except for one. And now, now in hindsight I can think maybe you were being slick. But when I was watching the challenge where so no, someone was getting sent home and you guys had to vote and stand behind them.
- [13:08]
B
Yes.
- [13:09]
A
And your ass stood behind Taylor the way I wanted to kill you. Especially because I felt in that moment so deeply for Iris, like she is in an active couple. Like she was so emotional and I really wanted to kill you. Now I see maybe you were being slick, like, you know, trying to get Iris isolated out on her own. So you could attack, if not explain yourself.
- [13:30]
B
So that was the complete wrong reasoning for me doing that. I did not do that at all. Because of that. I'm gonna be honest with you. Taylor is one of the guys in there that, since from the day that I walked in, has had my back. He's helped me maneuver everything from the start. And honestly, I respected him so much for everything that he's done for me, from literally the beginning to the end. There's not one point in my villa experience with Taylor that he did anything that was just not to help me. And, you know, honestly, you look at things in the villa, and you can say, okay, well, I want to do things for myself, or you say, I want to do things for other people. And I was definitely the one that I decided if I left, I left. I didn't care to be there a long time.
- [14:19]
A
Right.
- [14:20]
B
I didn't care to be there a short amount of time. It was just, I want to make sure that I'm true to myself and respectful to everybody. I'm like that in the outside world, so why would I change in there? And, yeah, it was one of those things where I respect Taylor from the bottom of my heart. He's the first person I called. Well, he's the third person I called when I got my phone back. You know, I called my mom, my dad, and my family. Then I called my friends. Those are two separate phone calls, and he was the third one. So, you know, just to check in on him and make sure to see how he's doing. I didn't get to. You know, they're quick goodbyes, but. So you try to get as much out as you can in those.
- [14:54]
A
How did you get his phone number?
- [14:57]
B
Instagram. I found. He followed me on Instagram. Yeah.
- [15:00]
A
Okay.
- [15:01]
B
Phone numbers were all getting spread out through. Through ig, Just trying to, you know, even followers. It's like you're getting so many followers that you follow, so you're like, I don't know who follow me. So you're just trying to look up everybody's name.
- [15:13]
A
Is there a group chat now with all the castmates?
- [15:15]
B
Not yet, but I believe there's going to be one very, very soon. Sound like Ariana when I say that. Totally.
- [15:23]
A
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Because I can say with total honesty, I actually don't hate him and I didn't hate him. It was unfortunate what he did, but he chose love. You know, he's a hopeless romantic.
- [21:50]
B
You know what? And it's a tough thing to do in there, especially when you build such a strong connection to the casa comes around. I don't think it's ever going to be an easy decision to. To choose, you know, someone you recently met over someone you've been with for three weeks. Especially like I said earlier, the way three weeks in there feels like four or five months. Right. But he chose his heart. And honestly, again, I. You just respect it for it. Because at the end of the day, no matter what, the only thing you can continue to base your decisions off of in there is from your heart and how your heart feels. So my heart felt to stand behind Taylor. And I mean I and my family said that they saw in the episode and TJ had an interview saying it where I just kept saying I'm sorry.
- [22:37]
A
Right?
- [22:38]
B
I'm sorry to tj, I'm sorry to Iris. Because you know, I, I've been taking. I was caring for Iris and taking care of her, making sure that she was fine from the start. So me choosing from my heart saying, you know what? I just. Taylor was my rock in there. And same with Iris. I mean, it was honestly such a tough decision made. Yeah, well, you know, you get put in those decisions, split moment decisions where you have to just make them and I don't know, I just. Honestly, the way Taylor was looking at Clark and the way Clark was the way they were both maneuvering themselves in there and just continue to deal with everything being thrown at them and continue to just choose each other no matter what. I just, I didn't want that journey to end for them.
- [23:25]
A
That's nice. I guess, like when you hear, when I hear you say it that way, it's not so bad. Can we talk about the finale? I have a couple of questions. One moment in particular has gone viral. I'm not sure, if you've seen. But when it's all, when it's all said and done, you give Iris a kiss because you guys are so cute and in love. And then Iris is a joke because like Hood is third wheeling. She's like, do you have one for Hooda? And you give the dirtiest look and you just like ignored Iris. Talk me through that. Do you hate Huda?
- [23:51]
B
No, not at all. There's no hate to anybody. It's actually really funny. There's a lot of moments that you don't really notice that they're gonna put in there, but you're just trying to joke around and you like, you kind of wait for them to continue to play something and it just doesn't happen. I thought you were gonna bring up the. When Iris and I cheered, but had I taken a drink beforehand and I said oops afterwards because I took a drink and she said cheers. I was like, oops, like my fault. And I know people are spinning that around like as if we were mad to get fourth place. And it's like not.
- [24:25]
A
Well, were you? Because I was mad.
- [24:28]
B
Not mad at all. Honestly, like I said earlier, everything in here, I didn't come to win. I didn't come to, to stay in the villa until the finale. Like nothing was pre planned or premeditated. It was just be you, be happy, enjoy it. Because there was a lot of a ton of different emotions. Not just happy ones, but sad ones. So enjoy no matter how you can, and whatever happens, happens. So I was happy. No matter what the outcome was, I was happy. If I would have left three days into the villa, I was happy. If I stayed into the finale, I was happy getting fourth, I would have been happy getting first. None of that mattered. It was just be able to walk out of that experience and still be happy is all that I could have asked for.
- [25:12]
A
So did you have an idea of who was going to win? Because based on like my experience and I think a lot of people who are watching and like, you know, engaging on social media, it was like pretty clear Amaya and Brian were going to win. She was really, really well liked. Not even so much them as a couple, but more so her as a person. Did that permeate the village? Did you guys know that or you really. It was just like going in blind.
- [25:31]
B
We had no idea. We had no idea what was happening. We had no idea. I mean, when we got out of there and we saw that she had millions and a bunch of the girls had millions, we were like, wow. Like, yeah, I Mean, and I tell this, and obviously people probably won't believe me. I walked into this experience thinking, like, I'm gonna walk out with maybe a couple thousand followers. More like nothing crazy. I had never seen the show, so I didn't know that last season had gone, I guess, very well. And it was kind of one of those things where I'm like, I don't know. So we didn't even think that. At least me, I didn't really think that there was much going on with all of that. You know, I didn't know there was that much voting going on in the outside world. I thought it was very. Just small and unique, in particular to a group of people that were voting. But clearly I was wrong. It was very wrong. It was huge. So, yeah, we had no idea what was happening.
- [26:31]
A
And so that challenge where you guys had to stand on different podiums based on how people in America were voting, and it seemed like everybody was really shocked that not only were Shelly and Ace, like, not everyone's number ones, they actually, a lot of people did not think that they were genuine. And it seems like everybody in the villa sort of thought Ace and Shelley were like king and queen. Is that. Is that how the. The. The dynamic in the villa was?
- [27:00]
B
Personally, I've never held anybody higher than anybody else, so I never thought somebody was king and queen in there. It was always just, you know, you base things off of your eye value and your value of what you see. And for me, I always thought Ace and Shelley were very respectful people to. To me, at least, because that's all I was able to see. I never saw anything else outside of that. And honestly, until I watch the show, I still feel that way. Until I. Until I give. Until I'm given a reason as to why, I don't believe that I'm gonna continue to think that, obviously. So, no, it wasn't about a king and queen type of thing. It was just. Honestly, from what I've experienced with the both of them, yeah, they were very. At least to me, very genuine, very, very sweet, very kind. A couple of things that were, like, you know, misleading every once in a while, but then they would bring it right back in and, you know, apologize or whatever they need to do. And it's like, you know, what I don't see, you know, they never again, from what I know, they never said anything wrong about me and then not say it to my face. They would bring it up to my face, and. And honestly, I think that's as genuine as you can get. You Know if you don't like someone, if you tell them. I mean, shoot. Or if you do like someone, you tell them. Or if you have a problem and you tell them, no matter what, as long as you're saying it, that's being as respectful and kind. So, you know, even if it comes it's a negative thing, it's still respectful. And, yeah, so I. I held him to that just because of what I saw.
- [28:33]
A
And your decision to. I don't like to use the word reject because it feels kind of harsh, but Andrina, that was really shocking. When she entered the villa, everybody was like, you know, tongues hanging out of their mouths. Andrina this, Andrina that. She comes back from Casa, she wants to pursue things with you, and you just in a very lovely way told her no. Was that more so because you wanted to pursue other. A different connection or just because she's, like, not your type?
- [28:58]
B
I'll say this. I don't have a type. I don't think.
- [29:00]
A
Oh, well, that's also been major discourse on social media, that you only like the blonde girls.
- [29:06]
B
I've seen that. No, I definitely. I don't have a type. I think attractive is attractive. And I kind of just went off again. I put everything mentally to a side and just went off my heart. And at that time, I was. I was with Grayson. I was kind of trying to figure things out with her. After the Hannah dumping. Yeah, after the Hannah dumping, I was like, it was again, you're in this little whirlwind for a couple of days. And I know in the episode, people are saying, like, oh, people move on so quick. It's, you know, one episode doesn't mean it's one day. Like, one episode can have been filmed over a span of two, three days, you know, so people are moving on after two or three episodes. That might be five days.
- [29:46]
A
But I also imagine a day in the villa is not a normal day in at home, like, the hours, it just feels like so much happens in a day.
- [29:53]
B
Yeah. So it's one of those things where, you know, all of that kind of gets a little intertwined and confusing. But, yeah, when. When Andrena came to me and was, like, kind of telling me, like, I'd like to explore you. We had a couple chats before Casa. Never really did anything because I was with Hannah. I kind of was in the same boat as I was with Hannah, where it's like, let me. Let me give my all to this person and really explore this option until it either continues or until I realize there has to be an end to it. Just sadly, the way that worked out was I realized, like, I just didn't feel that spark with Grayson. I kind of sat her down, and I told her as politely, as respectfully as possible, because you are dealing with some of these emotions, of course. But in that moment with Andrina, I was like, look, I need to make sure that I can give Grayson my undivided attention so I can make sure I do like her. Because I didn't want to stay in the villa and not be authentic and not be happy just to stay in the villa. Like, that didn't make any sense. I would have rather let. The first day I walked in.
- [31:01]
A
Yeah.
- [31:01]
B
If I was not going to be happy with the person that I was going to be with. Because at the end of the day, again, a normal day in the village is not a normal day out here. So you're going to be 247 with somebody. I want to make sure I'm happy with that person. So, yeah, that was. It was nothing against her. Nothing about, like, I'm not attracted to her. I think all the women that walked in were beautiful. I think all the guys that walked in were attractive. I didn't see a single person. I was like, you know, why are they here?
- [31:29]
A
That's very nice of you.
- [31:30]
B
Yeah. Everybody was, you know, on their P's and Q's in there, and everybody was. Was there for a reason. So. Yeah, no, it wasn't anything like that.
- [31:39]
A
So did you sit next to Iris on the flight home?
- [31:42]
B
I did.
- [31:43]
A
And I saw you guys in the airport, and there was, like, so many fans. I'm sure that was really shocking. Then you two went your separate ways. Of course, you have to say hi to your family, and I saw your dogs. When are you and Iris gonna get together next? And, like, do you think it's gonna be different? Like, weird?
- [31:57]
B
You know, I'll answer the first question. I think we're gonna hang out tonight.
- [32:03]
A
Yeah. We're gonna do burgers on the beach. In and out.
- [32:06]
B
Something. Something smaller. Realizing maybe it might be a little bit harder nowadays.
- [32:10]
A
Yes. Yeah, I don't think burgers on the beach is gonna work.
- [32:14]
B
Yeah. Maneuvering that a little bit is gonna be an interesting one, but I don't know. We'll see. But definitely want to hang out with her. I will say the. The awkward part was I've never texted her.
- [32:27]
A
Right.
- [32:28]
B
Obviously. And I had never FaceTimed her. It was always like, we're just together in person for 30 something days. So when I got into The. The escorts to get back to my house. I took her to her house and to get back to. Mind, when we got into the. When I got into the car, I was just. I kind of turned off the phone and just let it go because I realized I don't want to go down the whirlwind of.
- [32:57]
A
Yeah.
- [32:57]
B
Of things. I just. Let me just relax for a bit. It was the only. I had an hour and a half drive and there's some traffic, so I was like, you know what? I've got some time to just close my eyes for a little bit and just relax. And when I got home, I realized, shoot, I need to text her. I need to, like, tell her I'm home. Like, all these little things that you're, you know, you. You do pretty quickly into relationships that I didn't. And then even last night, I was like, do you want to, like, FaceTime?
- [33:25]
A
Like, stop. That's so cute.
- [33:28]
B
And it was also very awkward of, like, asking the question. Whereas usually, I don't know, like, I'm very much a FaceTime person.
- [33:35]
A
Yeah.
- [33:36]
B
So I wouldn't have even asked the question. I would just call, click the button FaceTime.
- [33:41]
A
Right.
- [33:41]
B
If they answer the answer. They don't. They don't. But, yeah.
- [33:44]
A
The last thing I want to ask you about is another saga. I mean, it was such a long six weeks. Like, there were so many things that happened that now seems so long, so many. But your bombshell brother, Jalen took the world by storm. People were. And by the way, when I say people, I mean myself so mad that he didn't get chosen. He was such a genuine, sweet guy. I think a lot of people were really touched by the fact that it was his first time leaving the country. He got his passport for this, only to be brutally rebuffed by Alandra and sent home. Like, it was devastating. The Internet really rallied behind him. He had like a million followers on Tick Tock, all these brands, airlines, hotels, wanting to fly him out, help him see the world. It was such a beautiful thing. Because social media can be so toxic, Especially the Love island fandom gets really fucking crazy. It was such a wonderful moment, and I'm curious if you've spoken to him to see a big travel plans, like, what's up with Jalen?
- [34:33]
B
You know what he texting. I get chilled every. This is like the fifth time somebody has brought this up, and I keep getting over it. I. He texted me last night and we're gonna see. I'm gonna hang out with him on Wednesday. He is literally Gosh, I mean, everything you said, you hit it to a T. He's the most. He's the sweetest man in this planet. And for him to put himself out there and do something like this. Yeah, I mean, we all put ourselves out there to do this crazy experience. But the fact that he had never done anything even remotely, not even traveled, it just like, I mean, you know, you have to give him all the love and all the. All the respect for that. I mean, truly, I'm so happy I walked in with him. I'm so happy I got to talk to him. I had the most conversations with him. We had each other's back. Him, I and Iris, we constantly had conversations in the villa and we just always had each other's back. And proud to be able to say that. He is like the closest guy that I had in there after Taylor. And, you know, I wish. I wish he would have stayed till the end. I mean, he deserved it, of all people.
- [35:43]
A
Agreed.
- [35:45]
B
Those are situations where. Which happened a lot in the villa, where it's like you just want to put yourself in the other person's position so that they can continue to just, yeah, live that experience. And that was. That was. It happened for me a couple times, but that was a big one. While. It's like, gosh, I wish I could just trade places with him and just let him stay here and just continue to be him, continue to. To find something. Because we all love them. I mean, that was. Yeah, that was. That was a. That was a heart wrenching one for me.
- [36:14]
A
You know, you should have seen this back home. We were devastated when you talked to him on Wednesday. Please let him know, like, America's still rooting for him. We love him so much. And he's what we call here at the Toast, a pj, a precious gem of a man.
- [36:27]
B
I love it. He. He is. And I can't wait to see him. The fact that he's. He's like, I'm. I'm going to la. It's like, gosh, it's those little things for me that, you know, he went from working his butt off and. And just, you know, kneeling down and working and just being in Georgia to now he's able to explore everything. It's like those are the things that honestly made this crazy roller coaster of an experience the most fun. Yeah. It's the fact that, you know, when somebody is a good human being and a great person and they get rewarded for it, doesn't matter how much time they were in the villa, it doesn't matter anything. It's like those are the things that you realize. He. He was there not to. Not to win, not to stay there for a long time. He was there to do his thing, to be himself and to put himself out there. He did, and he's being rewarded for it. And I honestly, I love that, and I appreciate America and everybody that's. That's kind of backing him.
- [37:29]
A
Totally.
- [37:30]
B
Yeah, I love that for him, and I'm so happy for him. I'm so proud. It's the only moment that I've gotten chills. I mean, when I. When they gave me my phone and they said, look at your Instagram followers, I just, like, I didn't get the chills from that. Obviously. It was a great feeling, a great experience in that moment, finding out how many people actually support you. But hearing Jalen and how many people truly loved him, it was like, you know, because the last. I don't know how many weeks, I was like, I wonder what's happening with Jalen. I wonder what's happening with Jalen. I hope he's having such a great time. I hope he got so many unbelievable opportunities that he would have never been able to have. And to come out hearing that not only did he have those unbelievable. But if they're elevated to a higher level. Yeah, I keep. I get chills every time I think about it, I talk about it. It's.
- [38:21]
A
It's a Love island fairy tale, much like Papyrus. Please send our girl Iris, who I just found out is half Jewish obsessed. Please send her all of our love. You just know you have the support of every listener of the show. We are rooting for you guys so hard. We'll be devastated if you break up. So you have to stay together forever. And thank you so much for joining the toast. I know you have a million things to do and you're, like, busy because you're one of the biggest celebrities in the world right now. So thank you so much for being here. Pepe. We're going to let you go. Make sure to follow along. Pepe and Iris's off the Villa island journey on social media. I just followed you both on Instagram. Feel free to follow me back, Pepe. I will be. And we will see you guys on the next episode. Thank you so much, Pepe. Love you. Bye.
- [39:04]
B
Thank you so.
- [39:11]
A
Much.