by Thinus Ferreira
Jay became the first person to be dumped from Love Island South Africa (DStv 101) after he got the least number of votes - but was he really too vanilla to stay longer for piña coladas, and did he feel any peer pressure to maybe have sex?
Jay speaks to me about being blindfolded, Millie who wanted more affection, what stressed him, why he entered, what it was like, what he's learnt from his time in the villa, bringing out your "YouTube personality" and his advice for people who still want to enter to become an Islander.
What was the quarantine period like before you entered the villa because it's almost like horses at the races waiting in that anticipation period and then bolting?
We were kept in a hotel and had to shoot our introduction shoots and intro video.
Then we had our quarantine checks where basically a medic came in and did our tests.
From that point onwards we were not allowed exposure to anyone else. All our meals were brought to our doors. If we needed anything we had to phone reception. But we weren't allowed to have contact with anyone obviously because of Covid. That process lasted until the next Friday.
Then there was an early wake-up, we got fetched, hair and make-up came up - we were basically up since 2am that morning, got taken to the villa and then it was just a matter of waiting to enter the villa.
It was obviously excited and you can't wait for it to happen, so the excitement kind of trumps everything there.
We were blindfolded on the way there so you don't see anything until it's your time to come into the villa, and then the blindfold's suddenly off, and then for the first time you see the villa, you see the cast, you see everything.
It was a lot to take in, it was very exciting, it all went by in a bit of a blur.
And once you walked in, how was that feeling?
Ja, so obviously it was a lot. For me it was like white noise - I can't remember what I said, or what I saw. All of it was a lot.
Obviously, you see the girls standing there in front of you, there's Leandie du Randt as the host who was there. It's the first time you see the cameras as well. So it's a lot to take in at first.
Sjo, I was so nervous. But once it gets flowing and the girls stepped forward that was a lot more reassuring and calming.
Once you were in your couple things seemed as if all the stress disappeared. I think it was just the nerves of no-one maybe stepping forward and all of that kind of stress that you put in your own mind beforehand.
What is there that you think you could maybe have done differently?
I think I could have been more straightforward and have gone after what I wanted - I think I've put a lot of other people's feelings and emotions above my own, obviously with the situation with Millie and me.
I was also getting to know Rochelle at the same time, but when she had made the call and approached me and said listen "Let's try and build something here, let's push our relationship" obviously it didn't last very long at her end but I've obviously stayed loyal to the relationship until the end.
I think if I had gone back I definitely at that point would have stood up for myself and rather have pursued Rochelle with a lot more effort to see.
What was maybe stressful suddenly being part of a group of strangers? What were the pressures and did you feel you have to be completely social the whole time?
I'm an introvert, I get my energy from being alone.
So getting thrown into a social situation like where we are with people 24/7 and there's not a lot of room to move where you can get your own space that's obviously quite and lot and there is pressure and it's uncomfortable at first.
I'm someone who after a while warms up to people so after like the 3rd or 4th day I was very much myself, I was a little bit louder, talking more and making more conversation, but there's definitely pressure the first few days.
You've got to put yourself out there from the get-go, so that was definitely a pressure.
And just not being able to get your own space - you've got to be ready to be with people all the time. You might get 5 minutes to yourself when you go to the bathroom or something like that but other than that there are always people watching you - whether it's cameras or other people.
So there is definitely a pressure to be kind of more - I call it "your YouTube personality" - you've got to bring out a bit more of an animation in yourself in order to entertain, which can be tiring but it's definitely manageable for anyone.
What did you enjoy about the whole experience and why did you enter?
Originally I entered because I'm an entrepreneur and I run a few businesses and my biggest thing is, in the outside world, I find it very hard to give relationships enough time and effort.
So this was the perfect option for me, without distractions, no work, to commit to 6 weeks of really trying to build a relationship with someone without work and without other outside influences getting in the way which often ends up happening. So that was my main reason.
I just enjoyed getting to know so many people, connecting - I formed some amazing friendships while I was there, so that was incredible.
But I also learnt a lot about myself. I learnt that I'm a lot more shy and reserved and sometimes I need to bring force and go out for what I want in a very, not aggressive way, but a very straight-forward and upfront way.
What can you tell about your time that DStv subscribers wouldn't have seen or know?
Rochelle and my relationship - we spoke a lot. A lot of it didn't make air but I do understand that when you're recording 24 hours a day and have to condense it into a single episode it is very tough.
The Love Island SA Unseen Bits are coming out Sunday which will be a recap of the past two weeks of the show, so I'm sure there will be a bit of fun stuff in there. Some of the banter that the boys have doesn't make the screen so that will definitely come out as well.
Did you feel under group peer pressure to have sex?
To be honest I personally didn't - especially under the guys.
While I was there nothing like that was really happening. Everyone was kind of cuddling, the most kissing was happening between Kaige and Summer because they were the only kind of solid relationship.
Xavier and Millie kind of started getting more affectionate towards the end of my time when I was leaving. Obviously everyone cuddled at night but there was never any pressure to be doing anything.
My relationship with Millie was a big factor - she wanted more affection, so there was a type of pressure in that sense but not really either because I know myself and I know I'm not ready to sort of push things too soon.
So there was no real pressure to get moving with anything.
People can still actually apply and enter to be a part of Love Island SA. What tips or advice can you share?
The biggest thing for me is you've got to be true to yourself - don't try and be someone you're not, especially with the interview process.
Be yourself, be authentic, at the end of the day if you get picked, you get picked. If you are going to do it you've got to be aware that you are really putting yourself out there in the world - so you've got to understand that there are going to be people who love you and people who hate you and you've got to be open to that.
Obviously everyone's going to have an opinion about you, so if you are entering, it's a very good idea to have a look at your support system you have now - whether that's family and friends or a mix of both - decide who's opinions you really value and keep that close to you.
At the end of the day that's something I've done - my family and friends - I know that their opinion of me is all that really matters, I don't mind what other people have to say about me because at the end of the day they only see 40 minutes of me.
It's good to stay level-headed and remember your roots and remember who you are before you go in.
Love Island South Africa is on M-Net (DStv) on weeknights at 21:30
