‘Love Island: USA’ Bombshell Admits She Was a ‘Last-Minute’ Addition: ‘They Flew Me Home’
- - - ‘Love Island: USA’ Bombshell Admits She Was a ‘Last-Minute’ Addition: ‘They Flew Me Home’
Melanie RootenJuly 10, 2025 at 11:51 PM
‘Love Island: USA’ Bombshell Admits She Was a ‘Last-Minute’ Addition: ‘They Flew Me Home’ originally appeared on Parade.
Believe it or not, Casa Amor cutie Jaden Duggar almost missed out on Love Island: USA season 7 entirely. Thanks to a last-minute switch, though, she finally got the chance to grace our television screens during the infamous Casa Amor twist, sharing the entire story with social media sensations Brianna "Bri" LaPaglia (AKA Brianna Chicken Fry) and Josh Richards on a recent episode of the BFFs Podcast.
As mentioned, Jaden entered the villa during Casa Amor — alongside Clarke Carraway, Gracyn Blackmore, Coco Watson and Vanna Einerson — instantaneously forming quite the connection with OG islander Austin Shepard, despite advances from Nic Vansteenberghe as well. Remaining coupled up with Austin from the day she arrived (day 17) to the end of her Love Island: USA journey, Jaden was ultimately dumped from the villa on day 24, becoming a fan favorite despite having a rather short-lived stint on the show.
LOVE ISLAND USA -- Episode 719 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jaden Duggar, Austin Shepard -- (Photo by: Ben Symons/Peacock via Getty Images)
Now that she is back in the United States, the 25-year-old corporate investigator is spilling all of the tea via various podcasts, beginning with a question asked by Bri on a recent episode of BFFs: " How long were you in Fiji before you entered for Casa? Were you there from the beginning of the show, like waiting in a hotel?"
Surprisingly, Jaden was actually in consideration to be an OG islander...
She gushed, "I actually went in the very beginning, and then they flew me home and said 'We might fly you back.' I wasn't sure that was actually going to happen or not, but then they did end up flying me back for Casa obviously, so I didn't have to wait in the hotel too long."
To follow, Jaden admitted that she initially felt confident she would be one of the day one arrivals on Love Island: USA season 7, before adding that the show "very last minute" and wishy-washy from a production standpoint. "I feel like they changed their mind like every day leading up to the first day of filming too," she continued — how wild is that?
While the process was rather unconventional, we could not be more pleased that Jaden graced our television screens this season, even though her journey was rather brief.
Given how much fans adore her, could Jaden be a day one arrival on Love Island: USA season 8, though?
While there is no way to know for sure — and there is tons of time to find out — it is safe to say that we will be connecting with the California cutie on Instagram (@jadenashleyd) for further updates regarding her life beyond the villa.
Although she is no longer a part of the show, be sure to catch brand new episodes of Love Island: USA season 7 every day — except Wednesdays — via Peacock as well to see how the beloved competition series comes to a close.
‘Love Island: USA’ Bombshell Admits She Was a ‘Last-Minute’ Addition: ‘They Flew Me Home’ first appeared on Parade on Jul 11, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Source: AOL Entertainment