Taylor Chmelka may have been eliminated from season 5 of Love Island: USA, but we will never forget her radiant energy and glowing smile.
Taylor entered the villa alongside 12 other islanders as a part of the infamous Casa Amor twist, however, her blonde hair and blue eyes quickly caught the attention of her fellow islander – Jonah Allman. Rather than exploring relationships with any of the other men, Taylor and Jonah instantly hit it off, continuing to build a connection with one another during Casa Amor week, as well as after the re-coupling. It was truly love at first sight!
After getting to know each other for several days, Taylor and Jonah eventually agreed to be an exclusive couple, however, the hot new bombshell was forced to leave the villa far too soon…
In a shocking elimination, host Sarah Hyland read off the islanders who were the least favorable among viewers of Love Island: USA – based on the results of an online poll. Sending two boys and two girls home that fateful night, Taylor and Hannah Ortega were the two women dumped from the villa, likely due to their lack of screen time during the days that followed the re-coupling.
Lucky for Taylor, Jonah was not willing to leave her behind. The California native delivered an extremely heartfelt speech to his fellow islanders, prior to self-eliminating and leaving the villa alongside his new girlfriend:
“So people have been asking me questions about how I feel about Taylor C. I told the guys before I came out here… I said that I’ve had a great experience. I came in expecting nothing [but] open to everything. If I had had a box of checklists, I would’ve checked them all, and it ended with her. I feel like I’ve made such a great, genuine connection with her that was so deep, and for me, I don’t want to continue this experience if it’s not with her. I feel like I’ve completed my Love Island experience.”
While viewers have gotten to know Taylor and Jonah’s relationship throughout Love Island: USA, who is Taylor beyond the villa? After taking a deep dive into her social media accounts (and even her LinkedIn profile), we discovered everything you need to know about the Casa Amor hottie.
What you should know about Love Island USA‘s Taylor Chmelka
Taylor is 23 years old, born and raised in San Diego, California, however, she attended the University of Oregon from 2018 to 2022.
Receiving her degree in advertising (and now working as an advertising account manager), as well as serving on the executive board of her sorority, Chi Omega throughout her time in college, it can be inferred that Taylor is extremely career-driven, with a go-getter personality.
Aside from her impressive resume, Taylor’s Instagram profile (which has amassed nearly 10k followers) features various images of the Love Island: USA bombshell spending time with her siblings and friends. Raised as the oldest of three siblings, Taylor has always been looked up to as a mentor by her younger siblings – how sweet is that?
In addition to this, Taylor has said that she enjoys outdoor activities — such as backpacking, hiking and more — and her Instagram profile showcases her more adventurous side. She even posted a pic from back in 2021 of her skydiving in Oceanside, California – Taylor is fearless!
It appears that Taylor has found her very own Brad Pitt or Austin Butler in the Love Island villa (two of her all-time celebrity crushes), leaving Fiji with a budding romance with Jonah Allman.
With Taylor and Jonah leaving the villa together (and making things exclusive just hours beforehand), Love Island: USA fans have just one question: Is the happy couple still together?
In an exclusive interview with Maura Higgins upon their untimely exit, Taylor said that leaving with Jonah was “the best ending possible” to her Love Island journey.
“I mean, it’s the best ending possible… I feel like I got everything that I thought I was gonna get. It was once in a lifetime. It was crazy. Got some friends [and] got this guy right here, so yeah, it was great… I feel like I, you know, chatted to all the guys in there, and he was really the only one that I had a connection with, and it just really blossomed from there.”
Since their departure, it looks like Taylor and Jonah are still going strong as a couple, with Jonah reposting an Instagram story this past Sunday of him and Taylor on FaceTime with their fellow islander, Emily Chavez.
Given that the lovebirds are in a committed relationship — despite being dumped from the villa — we can’t wait to see how their connection will continue to flourish back in California (both Taylor and Jonah’s home state). Who knows… there could be wedding bells in the future!
Catch new episodes of Love Island: USA every night (except Wednesdays) at 9pm ET/6pm PT on Peacock.