'Love Island USA''s Jeremiah Says Ace Is 'Definitely the Ringleader' of Boys in Villa: 'Why Are You So Obsessed?' (Exclusive)

Yahoo

4 hours ago

Days after he was dumped from Love Island USA, Jeremiah Brown is reflecting on his journey in the villa and how it felt for his close friends to dump him
"I'm still a little upset," he tells PEOPLE of the result of the dumping — and that it was Taylor who delivered the news, not Nic, who was his "best friend"
He also weighs in on fan speculation about the larger role Ace Greene plays in the villa and how he involves himself in everyone else's relationshipJeremiah Brown is getting real about the role Ace Greene plays in the Love Island USA villa.
Days after the 25-year-old was dumped from the Fiji villa by his fellow islanders — Ace, Taylor Williams and Nic Vansteenberghe — he sat down with PEOPLE to debrief his experience and unpack his shocking exit.
He's also weighing in on fan speculation about the influence that Ace, 22, has in the villa as a whole.
When asked about fans' theories that Ace acts like a producer of sorts amongst the islanders, pointing them in different directions and encouraging certain behavior, Jeremiah says he'd "have to agree."
"Because that's all I heard in the Villa too, is just, yeah, you just tell everyone how to play the game and what to do, and call it advice," he adds.
Jeremiah says Ace has an "amazing personality" and is "so funny," so he thought they were going to get along better.
"I had a lot of respect for him, and I was like, 'Oh, this guy's really funny. That's going to be my guy.' But then it was just like, 'Do this, do this. Don't do that. Don't do that. You're messing up.'"
He remembers thinking, "'Whoa, why are you so obsessed with how I'm dating and doing the show?'"
"So you know, 100%, he's definitely the ringleader of Nic and Taylor, respectfully," Jeremiah confirms.
Jeremiah reveals that Ace and Pepe would tell the boys "every day, 'Don't be locked in.'"
"Ace and Pepe were very [much] advocates of, 'Explore everybody, 24/7. I'm just waiting for a bombshell,' which is totally fine," he says. "He was definitely still like, 'You know, just play the game, and don't be locked in until week five or six,' and I'm just like, 'All right, buddy.'"
He makes sure to note that Pepe is "my guy" and "still a really close friend to me," but regardless, "He was definitely still like, 'You know, just play the game, and don't be locked in until week five or six.'"
After weeks spent locked in with Huda Mustafa, Jeremiah began exploring other options, first with Iris Kendall, and then with bombshell Adreina Santos.
His connection with Adreina was cut short, though, when the boys voted for him to be dumped.
"Honestly I was just like, 'What the hell?'" he says of his reaction to be dumped. "It was honestly just betrayal."
The delivery of the news was upsetting to him, too. "I was not upset that it was Taylor, but I feel like it could have been Nic or Ace [who told me], because Ace — we never saw eye to eye. We had a lot of great moments, but we never saw eye to eye, so at least tell me that. Or Nic, you're my best friend, so at least tell me that," he says.
"I'm still a little upset," he admits. "But yeah, I'm like, I get it."
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
New episodes of Love Island USA drop every day except Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Read the original article on People