Love Island USA has captivated fans with its dramatic recoupling ceremonies, unexpected twists, and, of course, the thrill of watching couples find romance and officially close off.

One of the biggest twists of the beloved reality TV series is Casa Amor, with viewers watching as this season saw both the men and women meeting a new batch of bombshells meant to test their current connections. This season delivered plenty of drama when the bombshells entered the villa, but one in particular has since revealed that she was originally supposed to be on the show from the very beginning.

Love Island USA’s Jaden Duggar Revealed She Was Considered To Be An OG Islander

Instead, Jaden Duggar Came In As A Casa Amor Bombshell

Bombshells entering Love Island USA are always in a tricky position. While they’re there to find love like everyone else, they often end up challenging existing couples, sometimes even risking breaking them apart. (We’re looking at you, Taylor and Clarke).

While 25-year-old Jaden Duggar came into the villa as one of the Casa Amor bombshells and was tasked with finding a connection or breaking an existing one up, she’s since revealed that she was actually in Fiji ready to be an OG contestant.

Speaking on a recent episode of the BFFs podcast with hosts Josh Richards and Brianna Chickenfry, Jaden was asked, “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?” To fans’ surprise, Jaden revealed that she was in Fiji at the very beginning.

“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,” Jaden shared.

Additionally, Jaden shared on the podcast episode that she felt producers “changed their mind like every day” when considering who to send on the show.

It’s interesting to see how things would have changed if Jaden had been an original cast member. When she arrived at Casa Amor on Day 17, she struck up an immediate connection with Austin Shepard. However, Nic Vansteenberghe also expressed interest in her. Unfortunately, she was dumped on Day 24, when the contestants took part in a challenge in which America voted for their favorite and least favorite Islander. Along with Jaden, four other Islanders were also dumped from the villa: Austin, TJ Palma, Andreina Santos, and Gracyn Blackmore.

Bombshell Gracyn Blackmore Admitted To Being Disappointed At Being Chosen As A Casa Amor Girl

Gracyn Knew It Would Be Challenging to Form A Connection So Late In The Game

In addition to Jaden being eliminated on Day 24, so was Casa Amor bombshell Gracyn Blackmore. Fans will recall that Gracyn was instantly attracted to Pepe Garcia, and the two coupled up right away. Pepe was newly single after the Islanders chose to shockingly eliminate Hannah Fields, with whom Pepe had a strong connection.

Even more unfortunate was that Pepe expressed that he could not shake his feelings for Hannah after recoupling with Gracyn. Confiding in Taylor and TJ, Pepe shared, “The last three days, Hannah’s been on the back of my mind. I feel like I’m dragging [Gracyn] along. I definitely don’t want to string her along and I definitely don’t want to ruin her experience.”

During the show’s “Stand on Business” challenge, where the Islanders were asked anonymous questions by their peers, Pepe was accused of “playing it safe” by coupling up with Gracyn. “When you get something snatched from under your feet like that, that you felt great about, it doesn’t feel good,” he told the Islanders. However, it wasn’t a good feeling for Gracyn who believed she struck up a connection with Pepe. It was clear that Gracyn and Pepe weren’t really a couple at that point.

During yet another voting challenge where America ranked the Islanders, Gracyn was unfortunately among the five who received the fewest votes and was sent home.

Speaking on the Chicks in the Office podcast, Gracyn shared that she didn’t believe she was the right fit for Casa, but had really hoped to connect with someone on the show.

She continued, “I was so nervous. All of it was out of my comfort zone. Like, I can’t even describe how nervous I was. I genuinely was like, ‘Maybe I can’t do this. Like, maybe I can’t go in for Casa,’ and I had to really think like long and hard about doing it.”

She went on to tell the hosts that the experience was “daunting” and she felt “disappointment” knowing that she would be a Casa girl. It appears that at some point in time, Gracyn might have been told that there was a possibility of bringing her onto the show as an OG. But, as Jaden mentioned previously, producers are constantly making new decisions each and every day.

“I just wanted to have the fullest experience possible because honestly, it sounds so corny, but I really wanted to make a connection there. I had seen last season, I saw so many couples come out of it, and they’re still together, like that’s what I wanted,” Gracyn shared. “I don’t think we’ve seen much success from past seasons of like girls coming in from Casa or guys and making it, you know, out of the villa.”

However, the season has seen Clarke, a Casa Amor bombshell, connect with OG Taylor. The two were voted off by America, but they remain coupled up in the real world. In fact, the season finale includes two Casa Amor male bombshells: Bryan, who is coupled up with Amaya, and Chris, who is paired with Huda.