Yes, Caleb McDaniel knows he’s the internet’s boyfriend.
Caleb quickly rose to fame on Season 8 of Love Island USA, entering the villa with around 10,000 Instagram followers and now sits with more than 1 million followers just a week after leaving the show.
“I’m just waiting to wake up from this dream. It was just overwhelming love,” Caleb told Variety. “The fact that there’s so little hate, and all people really have to say about me is that I’m boring? That’s great.”
Caleb appeared at the end of the sixth episode as a bombshell alongside Jennifer “Jen” Terry and Sol Dean. America voted to pair Caleb with Mackenzie “Kenzie” Annis, whom he intended to pursue. His efforts drew him into a love triangle with Annise and her ex-partner Corbin Mims, ultimately leaving Caleb single before the show’s midseason twist, Casa Amor.
Caleb became a couple with Jayden Bacciocco during his stay at the casa, and the two returned to the villa together. Caleb and Bacciocco were then sent home along with Gal Tschnieder and Amora Robinson in episode 27 when their fellow islanders were asked to vote for the two least compatible couples.
His Love Island journey may have come to an end, but Caleb is just getting started. Season 8 will be Peacock’s most-watched TV debut ever, and he’s ready to “ride the train” of that success. Caleb has stated that he is open to any opportunities that may come his way, including trying out acting (“People say I look like Matthew McConaughey”).
The season finale of “Love Island USA” airs this Sunday on Peacock. Until then, Caleb is waiting outside the villa for his former contestants to join him, but even the internet’s very strong opinions haven’t changed his view of their friendship.
“There are pros and cons to this, but I love Cynthia,” he says. “I don’t like the way he does things, but any time we can just me and him to change the mood and talk about things other than his connections and what he’s doing, it’s good.”
Below, Caleb talks to Variety about his secret relationship with Melanie Moreno, his thoughts on “Blinity,” and where he and Jaden are at right now.
What was it like when you got your phone back and saw everyone’s reaction on social media?
It was insane. I wasn’t expecting this much when I finished the show. In my head I was thinking, “If I had 50,000 followers, that would be insane.” And when I look at what I have, it’s totally out of this world. It doesn’t feel real. Now I’m waiting for him to wake up from the dream, but the love was just overwhelming. There’s so little hate and the only thing people really have to say about me is the fact that I’m boring? It was very good.
You’re now posting videos online that show a lot of your personality that we didn’t get to see on the show. Do you think it’s because of the editing, or do you think they were more subdued in the villa?
I would definitely say I was a little more reserved because it was a wild environment. I’m in a slightly uncomfortable situation, but I also feel like my personality isn’t portrayed as well as I would have liked. I had no problem with it. I didn’t have much drama, but this show is based on drama. If they don’t put me in there because I’m not dramatic, I’m fine with that. I want to be myself and spend less time looking at screens.
Now we can see the whole picture.
It’s not performative. People say I’m performative. “No, this is just me. I’m sorry you couldn’t see this here, but this is actually me.”
I guess you’ve now figured out that you’re basically the internet’s boyfriend. Have you seen all the edits?
I have. It’s insane that I can’t walk 200 feet without a photo, but honestly, I love it. Just knowing that so many people were supporting me was just incredible. You see your page listed on the For You page and think, “Okay, maybe this is because this is my phone and I like this content.” But then everyone started contacting me and saying, “You’re on the other side of the internet.” I am only now beginning to realize how big it is.
You worked in elevators before the show. There’s a lot of attention now, but do you think it’ll go back to those days?
No, no. I remember sitting at work one day and hearing older people talking about going back in time and making big changes to their lives and warning me to get out of the industry as soon as possible. If I sat there and did it until I died, I would have been very restrained. I’m so glad I got out of there. It’s a very, very dangerous job. There were many instances where serious injuries were caused.
What are you planning next?
I’m definitely going to take the train and see where it takes me. It will probably be out of Charleston. I’m not really sure where that is yet, maybe LA, maybe Miami, just more connections. More freedom. Although Charleston is larger than Asheboro, it’s still pretty small, so there’s not a lot going on here. Now I’m really positive about everything. Maybe I’ll try acting in the future. I try to absorb everything without thinking too far into the future. I’m excited about everything that happens to me and I’m very open-minded to whatever happens.
Let’s talk about acting. Would you like to star in a romantic comedy? Drama? What is your dream?
Growing up, I love Matthew McConaughey and people say I look like him. I love his work, so maybe it’s something like that. I also love the “Fast and Furious” series. Action and drama will be cool.
Ben Simmons/Peacock
What are you and Jayden doing now?
We keep in touch. We still text and talk. Everything is going well between us. We haven’t had a lot of time to actually talk to each other about what this is and how we’re going to move forward. We’ve both been very busy since we came back. We still need to have the conversation and see where everything is. It’s still early so I’m pretty scared of long distances. In an emergency, you must cross that bridge.
Have you kept in touch with other islanders since you returned?
Gar and I came back together. America will hate this, but I love it gals. he’s a really cool guy. I also contacted Gabe. He’s already ready for me to come to Miami and play, so I’m looking forward to that. I finally met Sean.
How was it?
It was good. He’s a really good guy. I haven’t talked to him on the phone yet, but we’ve texted a bit.
Who are you most looking forward to seeing again?
Really everyone. There may be pros and cons, but I love Cynthia. I don’t like the way he does things, but it’s good when it’s just me and him and we can change the vibe and talk about things other than his connections and what he’s doing. I think he is a good friend. Maybe relationships aren’t so good. He really took things the wrong way and the first thing I said to him was, “You’re such an asshole.” And the thing is, will he admit it? But then he does it again. When I walked in, he was the first to welcome me with open arms. It was hard to be angry at the way he moved. I was getting frustrated with it. I think he’s a good person, as I think everyone is. I think (he and Melanie) can get through this.
Who do you want to win? Are you team Melanie and Cynthia?
I think Blythe and Trinity are really cute. They are probably one of my favorite couples because of their entire journey. They were the slowest burning I’ve ever seen. The fact that they want to do anything to each other is really cute.
In “Aftersun,” you said one of your regrets was not being able to explore that connection with Melanie. Do you have any other regrets?
When I said that, I meant I went straight after Kensi when I got in there. I couldn’t look into anything else. Melanie and I talked a little and it was great. It wasn’t like, “I have to talk to Melanie too.” It was more like going into it, and she was the girl I wanted to talk to. I was helping him out a lot because she and Cynthia were going through a lot together and Cynthia was one of my good friends. I was telling him how to do things, so I want to give him all this advice and see him put it into practice. I want to see him win. So it’s kind of hypocritical for me to go behind his back.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
