Mention It All - Kaylor Martin on Why Beyond the Villa was Harder Than Love Island

Episode Date: September 9, 2025

On this week’s video episode, Dylan is joined by Love Island USA season 6 star Kaylor Martin for a look behind the curtain of life inside and outside the villa. Kaylor shares with Dylan what it was really like getting her phone back after filming and navigating drama with her ex. From the challenges of filming Beyond the Villa with Aaron to which reality tv shows Kaylor has her eyes on next, she doesn’t hold back on what it’s really like when love (and heartbreak) meet the spotlight. Go to the BravoByBetches YouTube page to watch full length episodes every Tuesday: Youtube.com/@BravoByBetches 00:00 Introduction05:38 Beyond the Villa is a completely different beast09:25 Kaylor on her and ex Aaron being Beyond the Villa together11:12 Kaylor’s POV on Love Island season 715:35 What shows are next for Kaylor to star in?18:02 Looking back on the last year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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See Home Depot.com slash license numbers. Hey everyone, welcome back to the Mentioned at All podcast. Today we have something special for you guys. Last week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Love Island USA and Love Island Beyond the Villa. Breakout star Kailer Martin at Glossy Pop NYC for a live recording. So stay tuned and you are going to hear our conversation from glossy pop NYC right now. Welcome to New York. How is this to be changing so far?

So well. I was living in LA for a couple months and I just feel like this is a place to do. New York is definitely the place to be from here to LA. I do so. You have had a whirlwind last year and a bit. Last year, Love Island USA, season six, safe to say that season really blew up. And you didn't have your phone the whole time.

I'm not. I am so curious. I've been waiting to talk to anyone from Love Island to just hear about what is it like that moment? That moment when you leave the villa and you get your phone back and you turn it on and you must have 15,000 notifications. Can you tell me about that moment? I turned my phone on and I was like, holy hell. I had no idea how to process any of it. I called my best friend before I even called my family and I said to my best friend,

how bad did I embarrass myself on national television? She said, well, you cried a little bit, but like that's the worst thing they can say, then that's fine. So it was a lot, it was a lot, but honestly just was full with gratitude and felt very blessed how the season went about. I mean, you cried a little bit. I know that from talking to you a little bit, you grew up watching reality TV. You're a big reality TV fan from back of the day. What do you think of as your kind of reality TV origin story?

What's the first thing you remember watching and obsessive over? I remember watching Nader Pump Rules whenever Stasi was on the show. So long ago, my mom's a huge reality show, like, fan. She watches them all. Also, Real Housewives of New Jersey, all of it. And then obsessed with Beverly Hills, but only Lisa in the season. Like, she is my queen, my idol, so yeah, that's mostly it whenever I started. And once you enter that door, you kind of like, you just,

just can't get enough. So. Yeah, I can relate to that. Yeah. What was it like for you kind of making the decision, knowing that you could watch so much reality TV, that you were going to apply to go on Love Island and kind of dip your toes into those waters? I don't even think I thought about it.

I knew Love Island was nothing like Roe Housewives or Vayner Pump Rules or any of that. I was just a normal college kid and I remember I was sitting in my room during Christmas break drinking a buzzball with my best friends in my room. As all the decisions are made in the busball. I saw an ad on Facebook to apply for Love Island. And of course I was on Facebook during Christmas break. I wanted to see what all the hometown friends were up to, like who was pregnant, who was getting married.

And then I saw the lovely Love Island application. So I applied and I didn't hear anything for months and then I was in college and I got a call from Beverly Hills, California. And I left and you're like, hey, actually, We saw your application, we would love to have an interview with you. And then the process, I could speak hours about it. Yeah. How much do you feel like you knew what to expect going in versus what was the craziest thing that you had, how I knew it was coming?

Well, first of all, I didn't want to think that Love Island would be as successful as it was. I've watched my old sister and I watched previous seasons of Love Island and we always loved it. but it wasn't like a huge, huge deal. At least I don't think. But going in, I didn't know that I wasn't going to be aware of what day it was. I didn't know, I wasn't going to know the time of the day. There was people coming in and there, like Kendall, for instance, he was like, it's my birthday this month.

I don't know what day my birthday is. You just celebrate your birthday for the whole month. Yeah, exactly. So we would try to like make tally marks with like lipstick because we're not even allowed to know. pad or pencil. So we only have the glider. So we would try to like tally mark and like ask the bomb shows. Um, what day was it when you came in and all of that? But that is so, because watching the show, you guys spend so many hours and days and weeks just hanging out, just talking by the pool or sitting in soul ties. And it's crazy to think like you have no concept of anything that's going on.

Even people reacting to what's happening on the show, because I think that season going so big as it did, there were so many memes, so many reactions, so many, I mean, people being critical, people loving you guys. Like, there's, you just don't know any of that's happening in real time. Yeah, I remember leaving and, like, seeing, like, Sabrina Carpenter came out with, like, a new album. And with all the fresh new music that I had missed throughout the summer. And I was like, I remember listening to, like, please, please, please with my best friend. I'm like, please turn it off, kid, we've heard it all summer.

And I'm like, this is a new song to me. So like, even things of that, things in politics, everything. So like, literally someone could die that's like a huge public figure, and we wouldn't even know. Yeah, it's a strange thing. And this year, the show that you've been doing,

Love Island Beyond the Villa, is such a different format. Completely, yeah. And now every week of this show has been coming out. And for better, for worse, you're able to get those reactions in real time, of people having all those opinions on social media. What does that be like kind of the contrast between those two experiences?

I wanted to be on the villa. I was like, you know what, I'll be cool. Like, I've done this before. Like, I got this. And then I started me on the villa. And I was like, oh my goodness, this is nothing like Love Island. You know, Love Island, they have, there is a plot. You're there to fall in love.

And you don't have your phone, which I would think that not having your phone would have made things more difficult. But actually, filming Beyond the Villa, it was way more difficult. filming having my phone and also like dealing with real life problems simultaneously like dealing with drama between like the castmate so um that was definitely the most challenging thing for me um but also there's cameras right in your face this time so that's all so different whereas in the villa there's cameras everywhere like like everywhere like even in our off-camera bathrooms there's cameras so yeah and you guys obviously everyone on beyond villa had gone through season six

together, you had, you know, various different levels of relationships and bad relationships and good relationships. And now that you guys have really been on this journey together over the last year and a half, I imagine that it feels like everything is a little bit deeper, too. Yeah, completely. I feel like we all argue, we all fight. At the end of the day, I can't say, like, as season six, like, we are all a huge family and we support each other. And we really felt bonded after low island and also like experiencing our lives change in a blink of an eye so going for those transitions with people is really it's amazing honestly when you have close people to like experience those those changes with so yeah what did you after love island obviously you go out there

you have the experience of a lifetime then you come back it's so popular how did the conversation happen oh maybe let's do something else with this group of people like how what was it an easy yes for you to continue kind of on that rocket yeah so actually we were supposed to film beyond the villa in November of last year so um we were all like yeah why not we were leaving the villa it was very fresh and we're like yeah let's do it again and then i kept getting pushed back and pushed back and then we just started filming for beyond the villa on may um may 4th so it was a little bit different for me as well because I was in a different point in my life in that area. So I was, yeah, I was very uneasy about filming just because I was dealing with a lot of, like,

family and personal issues and I didn't want to miss out on time with, for instance, my grandma passed and I didn't want to miss time out with her just because I was filming in LA. Ready to soundtrack your summer? With Red Bull Summer All Day Play, you choose a playlist that fits your summer vibe the best. Are you a festival fanatic, a deep end DJ, a round. road dog or a trail mixer. Just add a song to your chosen playlist and put your summer on track. Red Bull Summer All Day Play.

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who has a big audience now, what has it been like kind of adjusting to living, you know, your dating life and your personal life kind of in public? Yeah, it was challenging at first. Now I know, like, not to read the comments and not, like, reply to Pete and all of that stuff. But in all, I went on Love Island and that was my dating life. So, and beyond the villa, I feel like they just see it a little bit more, you know? So. What was it like knowing, you know, obviously you, on Love Island, you had the relationship with Aaron and you guys aren't together anymore. We could spend a long time going through all the details of that.

What was it like having to have that continue to be a dynamic that was going to come up throughout the season? Yeah, it was difficult because I went through a lot in Love Island during his, like our relationship. So when we stopped filming, he went back to the UK, I was here. It was like, okay, I had a site, out of mine, out of the country out of mine. And then when I heard it was being, um, being casted for Beyond the Villa, I was, I was nervous and scared because it was kind of like my reality was coming back. And yeah, if you watched Beyond the Villa, you've seen that we can go from zero to 100 really quick days. Well, you're in a new relationship now. Yeah.

And that obviously, you know, meeting somebody and starting to make somebody when you have the public attention on your personal life, I imagine that's something to navigate. Yeah, it was really hard. I think it was hard for both my boyfriend and I because he's coming in with the entire cast, and my ex-boyfriend's a part of the cast, and where he's, whenever we do long distance, when he was coming to visit me in L.A., I was going out and filming at the parties and such like that

for Beyond the Villa, and I wasn't going to leave, like, oh, hey, babe, you just don't want you at home while I go hang out with my ex-boyfriend on my friends. So, yeah, it was definitely difficult for him, and I think even when I get married Sunday, I am still going to be hearing Bob Aaron. So I guess I'm just going to take that to my deathbed. You know, some crash outs stick with you for a long time.

Speaking of crashouts, on season 7 of Love Island this summer, obviously also went super viral. People had so many opinions on it. What was it like for you kind of seeing a new prop of people going through that same experience with that, you know, something that you've gone through? Yeah, it was. It was interesting. Watching it, for me, is way different from my feeling someone that hasn't experienced Love Island

because you know all the ins and outs. You know, when producers are setting up a conversation or saying, have a chat with this person and that person. So it was definitely eye-opening watching that. And I felt from the girls this season because their crash outs were so valid. And I will say this so I die. Like if I, you guys saw my crash outs for season six,

I was put in season 7 class, like, house, I would have lost my mind. Like, I would have cried every day, so I give them all props. Yeah, I think, you know, once you've sort of been behind the curtain, any kind of show that you're going to be watching, you're going to have that thing in your mind, like, okay, like, there's more of the story here, or, you know, she probably, you know, was still thinking about this other thing. Or, like, the cuts that they do, like, for instance, for a lot of, like, people's nonverbal.

So, like, they'll cut things up to, like, let's say, someone says something and you had a blank face the beginning of that, but you're actually smiling, they will cut to like your blank face to seem like you're just giving like a rest of Mitch face. But like, yeah, yeah. When you're out there, I mean, you're out there for like 30 days, just rolling cameras all the time. They've got a lot of footage to sit through. Yeah. It's easy to let me catch you like that.

Oh, 100%. Has it made you, you know, when you're watching people go through things, like you said, all those crash outs, like, Do you feel like you have a lot more grace kind of for what people are going through? Even down to, like, criticizing someone's looks or someone's makeup or their last extensions look crazy. There's so much feedback happening on those shows. 100%. And even, like, going back to whenever I was a reality, like, love reality TV, love housewives. I would be like, oh, I can't stand that through.

And it's like, well, now you kind of have, like I do, I have a different perspective when you're watching people. because also for Love Island, there are 24 hours each day, and you guys are being cut into 40 to an hour or show. So I just keep that in mind. And yeah, the public can be very harsh, and I think also Love Island fans are really crazy. I mean, we love them, but they are very harsh, yeah. Yeah, it's, I mean, it's something where like, especially because you guys are out there on your own, it's not like you're, you know, going to get glam before every time you film, you're, you're, you're, you know, You're in the room yourself, you're doing the makeup, you're doing the hair, you're out there in the humidity.

Like, there's so much, so much it goes into it. I think for to be in that situation and like coming out and be like, oh wait, I guess I did look crazy, but like, so would you? Exactly, yeah. I think like we're all human or not just like little sins on TV. So I think that sometimes the public can be very harsh. How tempted for you to ask Ariana questions about band of comfortables? I'm so tempted, so freaking tempted. I loved her on Banderpump Rules from the start,

and whenever I found out that she was hosting, my mom was freaking out, like, oh my gosh, she could get a picture with her of this? And, like, now, like, we follow each other on Instagram. It's insane. It's like, yeah, I'm going to get a picture with her. We'll be, like, on the TV screen. She got it's wrong.

But I saw her, I was literally taken back. I was like, oh, my God. I know. I mean, she turns out those looks on love island. She has to play out. Yeah, she does. Yes, actually should. So good, so good.

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Work your magic. I'm so curious for you, you know, being on Beyond the Villa this season, and you've watched so many Housewives shows, other kinds of reality shows, like you've also seen the sort of production maneuvers on a show like that, which is different from Love Island. Like, do you think differently when you watch, even like something like Housewives now?

100%. Yeah, everything's so screwed once you're a part of it. Now, like, I know that a lot of the fights are blown up. It seems, it's something like, let's say, arguing over glam. Something's so small, but it's blown up on television because you're giving them that hand-o, you know? So. Like, who would argue over glam?

Yeah, exactly. I'm so curious, what is there, are there any shows that you are dying to go on? Like, is there anything on your bucket list that you see other people doing and you're like, get me on there? Honestly, I love to answer to the stories. I mean, if you wouldn't, that would be like my, um, that would be like my, um, AHA moment, like I would freak out. Also, Traders, I think Traders is really fun.

Okay. That would be really cool. Yeah, I've been recently watching Next Gen in New York City, like the NYC, next gen. Have you seen it? I have. It's like the housewives. It's like a fine, young,

daughters, yeah. Maybe that. Okay, okay. Or maybe I just need to take a break from Rial. Or figuring it out. You're like, maybe in like 20, 27, you'll see me on Traders. Would you want to be a trader? Or do you think that sounds too stressful?

I think I would like it. I think I would like the messiness. Your girl Lisa Renna is going to be on next season of creators. I'm breaking out so was wrong for my cast and I've been texting him out like when you go to the Traders cast and you see Brenna you better tell her and your girl Kayla is her biggest fan. He's like Keeler I will chill out and like text him a little bit having that Renna yet he's like Taylor I'm the talbot don't worry he's like I get one 15 minute phone call the day. I can't spend it talking to you about whether Lisa Rina says hi. Right. Yeah. I can see you on trainers. I can see you on next gen NYC. I mean, it's a young group. Some of them are new to New York City as well. It could work.

Yeah, I've seen a couple of them out too. So I'm like, we might be going in the same places. It might work out though. Was there anyone like celebrities, a lot of celebrities have been watching Love Island the last couple years commenting on it. Is there any move that you kind of were a little star-struck by or even a little mortified by movie that it's like, oh, they watched that along with everything else? Yeah, my crash out 24-7, like, but I remember leaving. My friend that I called was like, Kim, you have no idea. It shows really big. I'm like, okay, yeah, that's nice. Just like, no, like, Kim Kardashian's posting it off it. Take the craye took a picture of watching the mobile and it's your face crying on the screen.

She was freaking out. So it is insane. It's crazy that people that I have like idolized all my life have watched all my crashouts. Is there anything, you know, looking back over these, you know, two shows over the past year, like, is there anything in which you had known before or maybe any, like, advice you'd give to somebody who is thinking about putting their life out there like that? Just stay true to you overall. And like, yes, I cried, but like that's me. So I think just being yourself and staying true to your heart will make people love you even more because you're relatable. We're human, we mess up.

We have hiccups in our lives. So I think, yeah, overall, just being yourself. You mentioned that you've learned not to read the comments so much. Have there been any moments of weakness where you're like, and just have to know? All the time. I'm not going to read the comments. read the comments and then here I am like fishing through like the hidden ones to see what they're saying. Because I care.

Like, you know, I don't want people to think that I'm like this crazy girl that cries all the time or someone that isn't like a real person. I want people to like think that I'm still a good person. So like I guess with the more so the comments like where it's coming at my character, I read into because I do respect what my followers have to say they're my supporters. So yeah, it's tough. It's a fine line because it's like you don't want to be too closed off to, you know, what's happening in the world and if there is maybe something that you can learn from or something that you can work on, but also you don't want to be like, it's really easy to fall into the thing of like, oh, like I'm going to spiral and doom swirl into these comments. Yeah, my boyfriend was just on Beyond the Villa and who was not in this world at all and I was pretty sure you want to do this thing.

And he's like, yeah, I don't do it yet, sure. And then he is like receiving a lot of like hate and backwash. we both are because of my acts and all of that stuff. And it's been like extremely difficult for him as well because he's just had thrown into it. So I'm like trying to like tell him like, he cares like what the people think. And then I need to listen to my own advice because I find myself doing the same thing sometimes.

It's crazy though because there's so, there can be so much negativity and so much backlash, but then other people are watching the exact same show and having the complete opposite reaction. Right. So you also then are kind of like, okay, well like, 50 people hate me, but also 50 people love me. Like, I don't know.

Yeah, no, we say that all the time. I'm like post a TikTok video and the 100 comments are like, oh, like, we don't like this relationship, that. And we're like, well, 300,000 people liked those. So like, hey, we're, we're, it's all right. You know, like, those engagement metrics are not too shabby. Right. So.

You mentioned that you would love to do traders, a couple of those other shows. What are you kind of, like, excited about? I know you just moved to New York, like, in your, in your life, post, love. love island. What is, what's excited to you, opportunities like that? Yeah, I feel like all the opportunities I've had within the year, like, so, so exciting. I was just a small town growing Pennsylvania, working three jobs, fully in school, hang my rent and my schooling. So, like, all

of this, this is even, like, amazing. So I guess I'm just like, I'm very blessed. I think God every day for everything that I've been blessed with within the last two years, but I'm 23, So I'm like figuring it out. You have so much time. Whenever I graduated college, I had this plan. Sure, I'm going to go for my master's degree. I'm going to work with children with disabilities. And then my entire world flipped around.

And sometimes it is stressful because I'm like, shit, where am I going to do it three years? I don't really have that plan. So I'm just kind of navigating that. But yeah. What were the three jobs that that Kayla was working? So I was a tutor on campus. Okay.

I had so many jobs. I was a preschool teacher for one, For one time, I was a companion for an autistic adult. I worked with autistic children. And I also was a waitress and a bartender. So I- You really were running together there. And then still fully in school.

And my mom would be like, maybe you preserved this. Like, you worked your little ass off for college. So yeah, I'm very grateful for all of this. I love that. I know recently you have the opportunity to be on Watching Heavens Live with any comment and as a Bravo girl growing up. I imagine that was very exciting.

I was freaking out. Oh my goodness. I wish my mom would have been there. Actually, I could not have her there because she wouldn't embarrass me. But it's a very small studio. We can't have mom screeching behind the camera. I was so scared.

I was like so intimidated by Andy because like he clocks. Like he clocks the shit. Like he does not play. I'm like, okay, he is going to like, he's gonna fuck me. So I was like practicing my answers and all of that. And then when I go on stage, I just literally saw away. Like I was so scared. But I think I did okay.

I don't really know. I was a little tipsy, but I'm coming here. No, and when you go on that show, they're like, what's your favorite cocktail and we will make sure that it is full at all times. Three dirty martinis, please. I love that. No, and you had your boyfriend there in the audience and the hot seat. It's always a good time.

I know, and it was not expecting that either. I'm like, hey, come support me backstage. And they're like, actually, you're going to be in the hot seat next to Mr. Debrough. And he had, my boyfriend had no idea who like, Mr. McDonough was. So he's like, yeah, so what do you do? He's like, I'm a doctor. And I'm like, oh, nice. I'm like, hey, do you understand?

Like, no, since we're getting botched. Right over his head. I love that though. The world is your oyster. It really is. For you, like, when you look back on your time on Love Island, on doing Beyond the Villa, like, what is, how do you kind of take a step back in and say like look at everything just happened in the last year?

I like have my moments where I'm like just sitting at home looking through like old journals of mine being like where will little killer be in five years and I just like I literally just cry like it's actually insane I'm from a town of like five thousand people so it's just I don't even know I still don't know how to handle it Like, I'm just very grateful. I'm going to keep going into liking it anymore. So, yeah. I love that. Well, thanks so much, Kayla.

Thanks, everyone for being here. Thanks so much for listening. Thanks to Kayla for participating in our first live episode recording. And thanks to everyone at Glossypop NYC for helping to make this happen. Don't forget to rate, review, subscribe to our YouTube channel at Bravo by Betches. And until next time, be cool. Don't be all like uncool. Aw.

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