Surviving Paradise contestant Taylor Olympios has revealed she is still dating her co-star Shea Foster – despite nearly quitting when she was left blindsided at his brutal decision to banish her to the wilderness on the new Netflix show.
The pair struck up a romance on the reality series, which sees 12 contestants whisked away to a luxury villa – only to be immediately chucked out and tasked with clambering their way back from the woods in a bid to win a $100,000 cash prize.
Taylor has now revealed Shea’s snub caused a mountain of ‘distrust’ and left her questioning their compatibility.
In an exclusive interview with AlertContent, she opened up about their ‘situationship’ – and gave her verdict on who she really thought should have won the dramatic new series.
Surviving Paradise star Taylor remained coy when pressed about the current status of her romance with her co-star Shea Foster
The reality star found love with Shea while filming the new Netflix show
The couple struck up a romance while fighting to win the $100,000 prize fund
Asked about the current status of her relationship with Shea, she said: ‘How am I gonna put this? These things happen. Life happens.
‘Me and Shea come from two very, very different lives and I think when we were on the show it was like we were having the same life and things were really easy.
‘When we left the show and we were both back to both our lives and we are combining both of our lives, it was a bit of a shock.’
Asked if she is single, she stated ‘no, I would not say that’ before confessing that the duo ‘definitely have some things planned’.
In the show’s eighth episode, Shea left Taylor stunned when he opted to stay in the villa and send her back to camp during a brutal game, which saw three pairs of contestants forced to decide who should go to the wilderness and who should stay in luxury. If they failed to reach a decision in time, they both risked being sent home.
Recalling Shea’s savage move, she said: ‘It was definitely very hard on me. A lot of people didn’t realize the heaviness of the situation. I had just come down to camp and was a full emotional tornado. It was pretty serious.
‘I’m not gonna lie, that decision put a really bad taste in my mouth. I’m a hardcore lover. I will always like put myself last for my person. I could have fought, and I could have been like “no you’re gonna go” and he probably would have gone, but just the fact that he was like, “oh, yeah, I agree”.’
Taylor revealed they had ‘multiple’ off camera conversations once filming on the show was done because Shea’s snub caused a mountain of ‘distrust’.
The couple appeared to be totally smitten with each other throughout the series
But Shea left Taylor stunned when he opted to stay in the villa and boot her off to base camp
‘He knew how hard of a time I had, so the fact that he was okay with sending me back there, just showed me that he wouldn’t be a ride or die,’ she said.
By the end of the series, it was revealed the majority of the eliminated cast members had voted for Linda Okoli to win the $100,000 prize money – which she then chose to split with her co-star Lellies Santiago.
The move shocked Taylor, who said she expected Linda to go halves with Alex Dourassof, after the pair forged a close bond.
‘I was so happy for Linda because she’s a really really, really nice girl,’ she said. ‘She’s so genuine and always has nice things to say about everyone and I know she’s gonna do great things with the money.
Surviving Paradise contestants enjoyed living in a luxurious seaside villa
The sprawling mansion boasted several pools and entertaining areas
The infinity pool overlooked the ocean vista and became a sanctuary for the players
The villa was a far cry from camp life – where contestants sat on logs and slept in cabin beds
‘But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked when Linda chose Lellies over Alex.
‘Now, I’m not sure if Linda was allowed to pick somebody that was already eliminated, but Alex is my best friend, and I’m not just saying this because I’m his ride or die, but I thought he was wholeheartedly by Linda’s side day in and day out.
‘Everybody deserved the money and everyone had their reasons, so, of course, I’m happy for Linda and Lellies, you know, great for them. But Alex did the work and I just I wish that it paid off, you know?’
Despite her frustrations about the cash prize – and her hiccup with Shea – Taylor said she was impressed that she managed to ‘survive’ paradise.
Linda won the $100,000 cash prize and split the jackpot with her friend Lellies
Taylor was shocked by Linda’s move as she believed her pal Alex had a strong chance of taking home the cash
‘It was a complete surprise,’ she said of being pulled out of luxury and into the wilderness.
‘They let us hang out in the villa all day, made us put our stuff in the rooms as if we were going to sleep there. Then all the lights shut down in the villa and Jessimae came out and said we had to go down to the woods.
‘I literally was like off camera was like “Wait, hold on, like, can I go home? I don’t know if I can do this.”
‘As I was going down there I literally was like, “Oh my God, like I’m gonna die! I’m not going to survive” and like I ended up like surprising myself.’
Upon reflection, Taylor accepted that she ‘adapted very well’, adding: ‘I do have to say do I give myself credit.’
Surviving Paradise is now streaming on Netflix.