Louise Barnard, Mia Emani Jones and Tamaris Sepulveda all came on Season Two of "FBoy Island" for different reasons.
Sepulveda told TODAY she wanted to show the world Tamaris. "I wanted to make a big splash, and I think I did that," she said. Barnard said it seemed like a "fun experience" and a way to be in a "power position" after a relationship with an unfaithful partner.
Jones' intentions were purely romantic. Having had friends meet their partners on "Big Brother" and "The Bachelorette," she thought she could do the same: "I went on there looking for somebody because obviously the real life dating world was sucking for me really bad," she said.
In the finale, which aired on Aug. 5 on HBO Max, we see how their experiment shook out.
After all the contestants' statuses were revealed in Episode Six, the women were left to make a decision knowing which men were "nice guys," and agreed to split the $100,000 in prize money, and which were "FBoys," and could take the entire bucket for themselves.
Below, the three leads of "FBoy Island" Season 2 recap the events of the finale from their own points of view and tell us where they are now.
Louise and Mercedes
What happens in the finale? In the end, Barnard decides to choose Mercedes Knox over the collective, "No way!" of the audience. Knox, from Episode One, had been transparent with his identity as an FBoy. His intention was to win over Barnard and take the money.
Ultimately, he chooses to split the $100,000 — but until the very end, Barnard was worried.
"I was so stressed and crying. I thought he was gonna take (the money). I'm just sitting there like, I all this work. I've put in six whole six weeks of filming, and I'm about to get played on national television. My life flashed before my eyes. It was such a relief when he ended up splitting it," Barnard said.
Are Louise and Mercedes still together? Barnard said that after the show, she and Knox took a break to resume their normal lives, leaving things open-ended. "We're very close and it's kind of up in the air right now," she said.
Barnard said she was shocked to see Knox's behind-the-scenes interviews. "I watched the first three episodes with Mercedes. So I'm sitting there watching them and I'm like, 'Oh, my God. I looked like I'm completely getting played.' I had no idea. He didn't tell me."
What is she up to now? Barnard is living in Miami and sees her co-stars frequently. "We've been hanging out since the show ended. We have each others' backs. There has been hate online. We want to make sure we stick together and support each other," Barnard said.
Jones added, "When we see something about somebody else (online), we usually shut it down right away without even like notifying the other person."
Mia and Peter (and Danny)
What happens in the finale? Jones is torn between Peter Park and Danny Louisa. Both entered the show as FBoys, and both claim to see a future with her, promising to switch the cash. She decides to go with Park, even though she has a strong connection with Danny. Park splits the money with her, despite being an FBoy.
"It was hard. I cried a lot. How did I choose? I really couldn't. I had to go with my strongest connection from like day one and that was Pete," she said.
Jones said revelations from the "mansplain" episode, in which other contestants spilled tea about the remaining men (especially Louisa), contributed to her decision. "I didn't know if (Danny) was lying, especially after hearing everything that came out about him. I was like, I can't do that to myself," she said. Danny ultimately said he would have split the money.
Are Mia and Peter still together? Jones said she and Park are no longer a couple, but talk once or twice a month and are still friends. When asked whether their connection fizzled in the real world, Jones replied, "I think (Peter) more decided that than I did."
Following the #TeamPeter and #TeamDanny discourse online, she asked, “What about Team Mia?”
What is Mia up to now? Mia is in dental school. She said the show forced her to confront what she calls her "bad picker," especially when the two remaining guys on her lineup were FBoys. "I have a bad picker. I feel like I've known that but now the whole world knows," she said.
The revelation contributed to the panic attack she had in Episode Six — and a greater awareness about her approach to dating.
"Having a bad picker means like you fall in love with the idea of somebody and you think you can change them. You can't change them unless they want to change themselves," she said.
She still is open to finding love on reality TV. "I think it's possible," she said.
Tamaris and Tamaris
What happened in the finale? In the ultimate twist, Sepulveda decides to choose herself over the two Nice Guys offering themselves up to her, walking away with the $100,000. Yes, Sepulveda is an "FGirl."
"Making that decision was extremely hard, but also it was realistic. Can I see myself with these guys outside of this romantic bubble that we have? I couldn't," she said.
She said her decision aligned with her own strategy on the show, which essentially boiled down to, "Tamaris looks out for Tamaris."
"I don't trust any guys. I'm on a dating show called 'FBoy Island.' No one's gonna play the game harder than me. I was not. I was not going to allow any FBoy to take advantage of me," she said.
What is she up to now? Sepulveda said that while she still doesn't believe in marriage, she's open to meeting the person who will change her mind. Otherwise, she's fine alone: "I’m OK being a cat mom. If I had like 12 cats in my house," she said.