Why Kaylor Martin says she won't watch 'Love Island: Beyond the Villa'
Martin, 23, tells USA TODAY that it's "such an honor" to be part of the "USA" franchise's first spinoff show, "Love Island: Beyond the Villa" (new episodes out Thursdays on Peacock).
"Looking back, (seeing) how much our lives have changed, we're very blessed and lucky," she adds.
But Martin acknowledges her second go-around on Peacock will be "more difficult" than her breakout role on "Love Island USA" last year. Last summer, an exponentially growing audience of fans watched her fall head-over-heels for Brit Aaron Evans, only to be left heartbroken over his deception and sobbing to an entirely too appropriate Sabrina Carpenter song chosen by the show's editors.
But at the time, she had no contact with the outside world and was spared from outside opinions until she left the villa right before the finale.
"It's going to be even more difficult, our show airing and us having our phones in real time, hearing everyone's opinions and backlash and everything like that," Martin says. "That's going to be the most challenging part, at least for myself."
'Some of the fans ... they're very toxic'
So, what is Martin going to do to set boundaries?
"I'm not going to watch the show. I want to have a Europe summer and just sign off," she says.
This desire to escape is, in part, because of online hate. "Some of the fans, we are very lucky, but they're very toxic. And sometimes they forget we are real human beings," Martin says.
"You never know how you're going to be perceived or what the public's going to think," she continues. "But as long as you feel like you've stayed true to you, I feel like that's the most important thing."
"Beyond the Villa," in its first two episodes, sees Martin and her best friend from the show, Liv Walker, feud as tension builds over a missing invite to a boyfriend's birthday celebration and lack of communication over how much effort they will put into their appearances for an event.
Her "Villa" co-stars include fan-favorite Season 6 couples JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez, Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi, and winners Serena Page and Kordell Beckham (who make guest appearances while he's filming his first movie). For better or worse, Evans is also on the show, and he and Martin reunite, without much resolution, months after a contentious reunion episode.
Unlike "Love Island," which is a reality romance-slash-competition show, "Beyond the Villa" is more along the lines of fellow NBCUniversal show "Vanderpump Rules."
"Beyond the Villa" follows the cast socializing and navigating inner-circle drama in Los Angeles. It filmed in the spring, close to the show's July 13 premiere.
"Filming this season, I feel like it was way more difficult than filming 'Love Island,'" Martin says. "When you're there (in the villa), you're there for love, and it's all happy. And, I mean, some parts sad, but all this was very challenging for me at least, dealing with the real world and real (stuff) going on."
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