{"id":54618,"date":"2026-05-28T17:09:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T16:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/?p=54618"},"modified":"2026-05-28T17:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T16:09:17","slug":"perfect-matchs-jimmy-sotos-reveals-why-he-quit-love-island-usa-casting-after-one-brutal-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/05\/28\/perfect-matchs-jimmy-sotos-reveals-why-he-quit-love-island-usa-casting-after-one-brutal-round\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect Match\u2019s Jimmy Sotos reveals why he quit Love Island USA casting after one brutal round"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/tag\/perfect-match\/\">Perfect Match\u2019s<\/a> Jimmy Sotos finally revealed why he never went on <a href=\"https:\/\/thetab.com\/realityshrine\/tag\/love-island-usa\/\">Love Island<\/a>, and it seems like the man was terrified of the chaos.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_54625\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-54625\" style=\"width: 966px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-54625\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.realitytvshrine.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-28-at-16.43.10.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"966\" height=\"708\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.realitytvshrine.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-28-at-16.43.10.png 966w, https:\/\/cdn.realitytvshrine.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-28-at-16.43.10-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.realitytvshrine.com\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-28-at-16.43.10-768x563.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 966px) 100vw, 966px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-54625\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Via Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Despite Netflix randomly dropping a TikToker and former Ohio State basketball player into Perfect Match season four alongside a cast packed with hardened reality TV veterans, Jimmy has now admitted he very nearly ended up in a completely different villa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Speaking on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC071KjEQUoDUe3FvDU6j02Q\">The Viall Files podcast<\/a>, Jimmy explained he actually auditioned for Love Island USA first, but bailed almost immediately after realising what he\u2019d signed up for.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">When Natalie Joy asked how on earth he got cast on Perfect Match, Jimmy laughed: \u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t even know, man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Which is fair, because people have spent the entire season asking themselves the exact same thing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Jimmy said he originally went through the Love Island casting process, but the vibes were apparently way too unhinged for him. \u201cAfter the first round\u2026I called my manager and I was like, \u2018Hey, this s**t\u2019s not for me. Like no. Hell no,\u2019\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY0LPn2Elx6\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY0LPn2Elx6\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by alison ogden (@itsalisonogden)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Jimmy admitted he knew basically nothing about reality TV before getting dragged into it all. \u201cI don\u2019t really watch reality TV. I don\u2019t really know much about this world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">But then came the regret.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">After seeing Love Island stars blow up online and turn villa chaos into influencer careers, Jimmy suddenly became a lot more open to the idea. According to him, he told his manager he\u2019d now take \u201cwhatever opportunity\u201d came next, which somehow led to him auditioning for Perfect Match while he was out playing basketball in London.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">A genuinely bizarre career pipeline, if we\u2019re being honest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">And yes, Jimmy is fully aware people were confused when Netflix first announced him as part of the cast. The internet reaction was less \u201cOMG\u201d and more \u201cSorry\u2026who?\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DYsdSbVEg9U\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DYsdSbVEg9U\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Jimmy Sotos (@jsotos1)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">But according to Jimmy, people eventually warmed up to him. \u201cThe resounding thing I\u2019ve seen is: \u2018We did not expect to like you. But you grew on us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For all the latest reality TV cast member news, scandals, gossip and updates \u2013 like <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reality Shrine<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/realityshrineofficial?rdid=TzQu2kEd2cUqU4rD&amp;share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F14zX5cKubf%2F#\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facebook<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;This is not for me&#8217;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":249734281,"featured_media":54627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1358],"tags":[1438,1791],"class_list":["post-54618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-netflix","tag-perfect-match"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/realitytvshrine.com\/realityshrine\/2026\/05\/28\/perfect-matchs-jimmy-sotos-reveals-why-he-quit-love-island-usa-casting-after-one-brutal-round\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Perfect Match\u2019s Jimmy Sotos reveals why he quit Love Island USA casting after one brutal 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