Lakeyn Call grew up in Yorktown, and now finds herself calling Miami home after filming CBS’ Love Island season 2.
And she moved during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The overall experience was great and if I could do it again tomorrow I would. I’m so glad I did it,” Call said about being on Love Island.
After graduating from Grafton High School, Call made her way to Richmond to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.
She said she decided in fall of 2019 to take a break from school as junior after just switching her major from biology to marketing.
As the coronavirus pandemic hit the nation, Call decided to pack up and move to Miami in April. Why? She has friends there, enjoys the music scene, the opportunities and wanted to get out of Virginia, she said.
Someone from CBS’ Love Island reached out to her about being on the show in March before she moved. She did a few interviews with producers, but they put the show on hold for a while because of the pandemic.
Call said she went ahead with the move and less than a month later, she got an email saying they wanted to continue with interviews. She did the interviews and she got a call from the head producer at 10 p.m. on a Sunday in July saying they wanted her on the show.
She got to Las Vegas on July 24, and she and had to immediately quarantine in her hotel room.
Each week was a waiting game for her to see when she could be introduced to the cast because of how the show is set up, and had to spend the time waiting alone in her hotel room in Las Vegas.
In Love Island Season 2, a group of contestants, referred to as “Islanders,” live in a villa in Las Vegas. Islanders are cut off from the outside world, constantly under video surveillance — to stay in the villa, they must be in a relationship with another Islander.
Contestants can choose to remain with their current partners or to switch partners. At the villa, they are allowed to talk with other Islanders at any time, which gives them the chance to get to know everyone.
Islanders are presented with many games and challenges that test their mental and physical abilities, after which the winners are sometimes presented with special prizes, such as a special date.
Islanders can be eliminated, or “dumped,” for several reasons; these include remaining single after a re-coupling and by public vote through the Love Island mobile app. During the show’s final week, members of the public vote to decide which couple should win the series.
Call said she entered the villa on Day 29 and was dumped from the Island on Day 37. She said entering the show was the most nerve wracking thing she has gone through.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do walking in and doing a dance in front of the group of people,” she said.
“It was my time to go. I had a great time and it was amazing. I went home (to Yorktown) for four days and I’ve been in Miami since Oct. 8,” Call added.
Miami has been nothing short of exciting for Call.
“I think it is best to live here right now. After the show there’s more opportunities with brands and scenery,” she said about her big move from Yorktown to Miami.
She said her goal is to do marketing in the music industry after she finishes her degree.
To keep up with Call follow her Instagram.
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