

HBO Max shook up reality television with their reality dating competition series FBOY Island last year and now it’s back for season 2. For those who aren’t familiar, FBOY Island is a reality show that follows three women looking for love. The ladies are joined by 26 good-looking men, but there’s a catch. Thirteen of the men are self-proclaimed “Nice Guys” while the other 13 are self-proclaimed “FBoys.” The women are challenged to determine who is who as the male contestants’ titles aren’t revealed right away with hopes that they will choose the “Nice Guy.”
But not only are their hearts on the line but so is the prize money. If the ladies choose a “Nice Guy” the couple will split $100,000, but if they end up choosing an “FBoy,” the “FBoy” will walk away with the prize money instead.
The second season premieres on July 14 on HBO Max. Similarly to the Love Is Blind roll-out, three episodes will be available on July 14. Three more will release the following week on July 21. Two more episodes will debut on July 28, leading up to the final two episodes dropping on August 4.
Get to know the cast below:
Who is Mia Emani Jones?
Mia Emani Jones
Ramon Naquid/HBO Max
Mia Emani Jones is one of the three women looking for love on FBOY Island. Mia is a 26-year-old dental student from Tampa, FL, and a pageant queen. She’s a former Miss Delaware USA and Miss Delaware Teen USA. According to PEOPLE, Mia joined FBoy Island to find love no matter what.
The Ladies of 'FBOY Island' Season 2
Louise Barnard, Mia Emani Jones, Tamaris Sepulveda
Ramon Naquid/HBO Max
Joining Mia on her journey to love are Louise Barnard and Tamaris Sepulveda. Louise is a 25-year-old model from Onekama, MI, and Tamaris is a 29-year-old account executive from New York City.
The Men of 'FBOY Island' Season 2 Cast
Ramon Naquid/HBO Max
In alphabetical order, the men of FBOY Island Season 2 include A.C. Long, Asanté Tait, Benedict Polizzi, Braydon Elgar, Carlos Lopez, Danny Louisa, Dewayne Rogers, Ilon Hao, JaBriane Ross, Jared Seay, Jeremy Edberg, John MgBemena, Kian Lewis, Kyland Hewett-Newbill, Lukasz Yoder, Mercedes Knox, Michael Dakessian, Nick Priola, Nick Warfield, Niko Pilalis, Nikolay Pranchenko, Noam Atzil, Tom Carnifax, and Zachary Wambold.
Below are some of the men that make up season 2 of FBOY Island and where to follow them on Instagram.
John Mgbemena
John Mgbemena is 28 years old and hails from Atlanta, GA. His occupation is a pharmacy technician.
Dewayne Rogers
At 26 years old, Dewayne Rogers is ready to find love and is hoping that his time on FBOY Island can help.
Jared Seay
Jared Seay is a 25-year-old model and content creator from San Diego, CA.
JaBriane Ross
Sacramento healthcare worker, JaBriane Ross, enjoys learning about food and has a dream of being a food critic.
Kian Lewis
Kian Lewis is a frat boy from Spartanburg, SC who likes the simple things in life such as spending time with family and his frat brothers.
Kyland Hewett-Newbill
Kyland Hewett-Newbill is a 24-year-old college student from Springfield, MO.
Mercedes Knox
Dallas, TX native Mercedes Knox enjoys fashion design and hopes to meet the girl of his dreams on FBOY Island.
Nick Warfield
Michigan-born Nick Warfield is a graphic designer who enjoys art galleries and museums.
Watch the trailer below:
FBOY Island Season 2 | Official Trailer | HBO Max
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Featured image by Ramon Naquid/HBO Max
Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
Featured image by xoNecole/YouTube
Colman Domingo’s Career Advice Is A Reminder That Our Words Shape Our Reality
When it comes to life, we are always here for a good reminder to shift our mindsets, and Colman Domingo just gave us one we didn't know we needed.
In a resurfaced clip from an appearance at NewFest shared as a repost via Micheaux Film Festival, the Emmy award winner dropped a gem on how he has navigated his decades-spanning career in Hollywood. The gem in question? Well, Colman has never identified with "struggle" in his career. Let that sit.
Colman Domingo On Not Claiming Struggle
"I’ve never said that this career was tough. I’ve never said it was difficult. I’ve never said it was hard," Colman said. "Other people would say that—‘oh, you're in a very difficult industry. It's very hard to get work and book work.’ I’m like, I’ve never believed that."
Instead of allowing himself to be defined by other people's projections about their perceptions of what the industry is or was, Colman dared to believe differently even if his reality was playing catch up with his dreams:
"Like Maya Angelou said words are things. And if you believe that, then that's actually what it is. Actually I've just never believed it. Someone told me some years ago, they said, 'I remember you were, you're a struggling actor.' I'm like, 'I don't.'"
"I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living..."
He continued:
"Even when I was bartending and hustling and not having opportunities or anything, I never believed that I was struggling because I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living and creating and being curious."
Colman’s philosophy of attaching to living instead of struggle has blossomed into an enduring career. He first made his mark on stage in acclaimed Broadway productions before transitioning to the screen, where his star began to rise in the 2010s following his role as Victor Strand in Fear The Walking Dead. From there, his presence only grew, landing memorable supporting roles in If Beale Street Could Talk, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and the hit series Euphoria.
In more recent years, Colman has stepped fully into the spotlight with standout leading performances in Rustin and Sing Sing, both of which earned him widespread critical acclaim and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor.
With all that said, Colman's advice is no doubt powerful, especially for those who are chasing their dreams, building something from the ground up, or have question marks about what's next in their careers. Words shape our realities, and how we speak about our journeys even in passing matters.
Words Create Our Reality & Colman Is Living Proof
"I tell young people that. To remember the words that you say about yourself and your career are true. So, I choose to make it full of light and love and it's interesting and every day I'm going to learn something new even if it looks like I don't have what I want but it's important to be in the moment... you really build on the moments moment to moment.
"And you're looking back at your career as I've been in it for what 33 years and you're like, 'Wow, that's what I've been doing.' And I've stayed strong to that so I think that is truly my advice."
Let this be your sign to give your path a reframe. When the path you're on feels uncertain, the journey is still unfolding. Like Colman said: "I wasn't attached to a struggle. I was attached to living."
That's a Black king right there.
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