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
RELATED
Camesha created the organization after her struggles with mental health and the lack of community she experienced. The Chicago native explains how she created Sista Afya to be rooted in “culturally grounded care.”
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“So at my organization, Sista Afya Community Care, we focus on providing mental health care through a cultural and gender lens,” she tells xoNecole. “So when we think about the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, we think about the multiple identities that lead to certain experiences and outcomes as it relates to Black women.
“So in the context of culturally grounded care, being aware of the cultural history, the cultural values, and then also the current issues that impact mental health outcomes.”
Words like “strong” and “independent” have long been associated with Black women for some time and many of us have begun to embrace the soft life and are using rest as a form of resistance. However, some of us still struggle with putting ourselves first and overall shedding the tainted image of the “strong, Black woman” that had been forced on us.
Camesha shares that while there’s more and more communities being created around empowerment and shared interests like running, she still questions, “are Black women really comfortable with being vulnerable about sharing their experiences?”
Being vulnerable with ourselves and others play an important role in healing the instinctive nature of always being “on” for everyone. “I'm currently facilitating a group on high functioning depression, and yesterday, we talked about how when Black women may be struggling or have shared their concerns with other people. They may be minimized, or they're told to just be strong, or it's not so bad, or I went through something worse back in Jim Crow era, so you should be thankful,” she explains.
“So I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people. So that is probably a very common theme. I think we've made a lot of progress when we talk about the superwoman syndrome, the mammy stereotype, the working hard stereotype, the nurturing stereotype. I think we're beginning to unpack those things, but I still see that we have definitely a long way to go in that area.”
I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people.
Roman Samborskyi/ Shutterstock
While we’re unpacking those things, we know that we’re still women at the end of the day. So as we continue to serve in various roles like mothers, daughters, sisters, and caretakers, we have to make caring for ourselves a priority. Camesha reveals four ways we can still care for others without abandoning ourselves.
Trust
First things first, trust. Camesha explains, “Some of the burdens that Black women have can be linked to not feeling like you can trust people to carry the load with you.
“It's hard because people experience trauma or being let down or different experiences, but one of the things that I found personally is the more that I'm able to practice trust, the more I'm able to get my needs met. Then, to also show up as my best to care for other Black women.”
Know Your Limitations
Another thing Camesha highlighted is Black women knowing their limitations. “The other thing that I would like to bring up in terms of a way to care for yourself is to really know your limitations, or know how much you can give and what you need to receive,” she says.
“So often, what I see with Black women is giving, giving, giving, giving, giving to the point that you're not feeling well, and then not receiving what you need in return to be able to feel well and whole individually. So I really think it's important to know your limitations and know your capacity and to identify what it is that you need to be well.”
Don’t Take On A Lot Of Responsibilities
Next on the list is not taking on so many responsibilities, sharing herself as an example. “The other thing is taking on too much responsibility, especially in a time of vulnerability.
“One thing that I personally struggled with was being so passionate about community mental health for Black women, and saying yes to everything and taking on so much responsibility,” she reveals. “That affected me to do well in serving Black women and then also impacting my own well being.”
Practice Self-Care
Lastly, she notes the importance of practicing self-care. “The last thing is really practicing regular self care, regular community care, so that it's embedded into your daily life. So for me, having prepared meals, going to the gym, getting eight hours of sleep, spending time with friends and family, all of those things are part of my self care that keep me at my best,” she explains.
“Then community care, leaning into social networks or social groups, or spending time with other interests or hobbies. That's a part of my community care that keeps me going, so that I can take care of my needs, but also to be able to show up best in care for others.”
Find out more about Camesha and Sista Afya Community Care at communitycare.sistaafya.com.
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