Shortly after Jaden Dugger and Austin Shepard coupled up on Love Island USA, they were dumped from the villa in Episode 27. Although their time on the show was cut short, Jaden tells Elite Daily that they’ve been in contact and have been thinking about their connection in the real world. “We actually saw each other yesterday, and it’s been great, but unfortunately even that interaction was so fast,” she says.
“I think we’re both still wanting to see where it goes, but we just had a conversation about how overwhelmed we are, and I think we both need to take a beat,” she says. “We’re definitely planning on coming back to each other when things have calmed down.”
Jaden was introduced to the show as a bombshell when the original group of women was sent to Casa Amor in Episode 19. While Jaden and Austin immediately gravitated towards each other, the 25-year-old also explored a possible connection with Nic Vansteenberghe.
In a tense moment at the fire pit, Jaden chose to couple up with Austin, leaving Nic single and forced to leave — before a shocking reveal that he and Olandria Carthen were returning to the main villa as a couple.
It was like I had known him for my entire life.
Choosing between the two was harder for Jaden than it looked on TV. “I liked them both for the same reasons. Us girls always wish that we could take these different qualities from different people and morph them into one,” Jaden says. But when it came time to decide, she knew she had to trust her intuition.
“The energy and the vibe with Austin was more fun and organic. It was so easy, almost like I had known him for my entire life, which was really cool, especially being in that environment and how uncomfortable it could be,” Jaden says. “Austin felt like a safe person and I felt more comfortable when I was around him, and I didn’t have that with anybody else.”
Upon returning to the villa, Jaden and Austin continued to explore their connection — but that didn’t stop Jaden from having chats with other islanders. One fellow bombshell she spoke to was Bryan Arenales, who had been coupled up with Andreina Santos-Marte in Casa Amor. In the villa, Bryan told Jaden that his connection with Andreina skewed more platonic, and that he wanted to get to know Jaden more.
“Bryan and I definitely had more chats that were not shown, so we got to know each other better than people think. The day before I left the show, Bryan and I had another conversation about him and Andreina’s connection, and he basically told me that they didn’t feel like there was a spark,” Jaden says.
Unfortunately, their chance to connect on the show was limited, and Bryan is now coupled up with Amaya Espinal. Despite not being caught up on the show yet, Jaden is excited to see the couple’s progression.
“I love how he stood up for her in the Stand On Business challenge. I think she really appreciates that because a lot of people didn’t,” she says. “They seem more opposite personalities, but sometimes I feel like opposites attract.”
Luckily for Jaden, she left the show with her own strong connection, giving her plenty of time to further her connection with Austin now that they’ve both returned home.
