Liv Walker Is A California Girl Now

Olivia “Liv” Walker thought she was used to being in front of cameras by now. The Love Island USA Season 6 bombshell spent last summer in Fiji, with her life under a microscope 24/7 thanks to the show’s hidden surveillance system. But filming the spinoff series, Love Island: Beyond the Villa, was an adjustment for the 23-year-old — even if the plot is more closely aligned with her real life.

“It’s a completely different setup,” Walker tells Elite Daily of the new show, which premieres July 13 on Peacock and follows the former castmates as they navigate life in Los Angeles. “We’re not staying in one house together. There’s no money involved. We’re not doing challenges. On the island, the cameras weren’t in our faces, whereas in this new show, there were handheld cameras filming us.” Producers followed her to work events, social gatherings, and other day-to-day activities. “That took some getting used to,” she says.

Acclimation period aside, the Sydney, Australia, native is eager to let fans in on her life again, one year after Love Island Season 6 broke viewership records and became the Internet’s most-talked-about reality show. “I’m extremely grateful that we got to do another show,” she says. “I’m excited for people to see our different friendships, dive more into our work, and see what we’re doing for summer in L.A.”

Here, she opens up about what to expect from the spinoff, her Boys Lie campaign with Kendall Washington, and the weirdest parts of watching yourself on TV.

Elite Daily: You filmed Love Island: Beyond the Villa earlier this year. What else have you been up to?

Liv Walker: I’ve been so busy, which is a good thing. Since moving to L.A. from Australia, I’ve been trying different avenues to see what path I want to go down — I’m doing a bit of hosting, a bit of modeling. I’m focusing on myself.

ED: You went to Miami Swim Week and brought Elite Daily along for that experience. Any other travel that you’ve been excited about?

LW: I feel like I’m always everywhere. Miami Swim Week was incredible, and I was just in the Hamptons with Revolve. I’ve mainly been traveling domestically in the U.S., but toward the end of the year, I have a lot of exciting opportunities coming.

ED: One fun thing you did recently was a campaign with Kendall Washington for Boys Lie. Those photos were super sexy — what was it like shooting that with such a close friend?

LW: That was so much fun. I hadn’t done a shoot before, other than taking the Love Island USA cast photos, and I cannot speak more highly of the Boys Lie girls. It was really fun to do it with Kendall, one of my good friends, and to be able to bring the vision to life.

ED: Did you expect the photos to confuse people in the comments because they looked so romantic?

LW: Sometimes people will forget that when you’re doing a shoot or a movie, you’re telling a story. That’s what we were doing. I’m not silly — I can see how people thought that, but Kendall and I are just good friends, and it was all fun. I laughed about it.

ED: I’d imagine you’re used to online comments by now, coming off a show like Love Island USA, where fans have a lot of opinions.

LW: Yeah. I try not to read all of them, but sometimes I can’t help myself. In the villa, we’d be in the middle of getting ready, and I’d tie half of my hair up and go have a chat. My extensions would be out, and people were doing funny memes about it. I’m like, “OK, you got me there.”

ED: The trailer for Beyond the Villa is out, and JaNa Craig left some comments seemingly criticizing the editing. Did you have a reaction to seeing the first clips of the show?

LW: I understand that a trailer is supposed to grab people’s attention, and it’s not going to show everything. I don’t have any particular anger, frustration, happiness, or any emotion toward it. I’m just excited to see what we’ve all created and what the fans think.

LD: We’ll be seeing all of you in the show, but who do you actually hang out with the most from your cast?

OW: JaNa and I go to a lot of events together, so obviously I see Kenny [Rodriguez] because they’re a couple. I love JaNa. She gives you the hard truth, and she’s not just going to tell you what you want to hear. But she’s also so loving and always there for you. I really value those qualities in a friend.

I was staying near Kendall for a while, so I was hanging out with him a lot. If I’m not seeing everyone every two weeks or so, we’re always in touch over the phone or social media.

ED: Kaylor Martin launched her new boyfriend on Instagram recently. Have you met him?

LW: I’ve met him, and she seems really happy with him. They bring the best out of each other, so I’m happy for her. She deserves that.

ED: How’s your dating life going these days?

LW: I just moved out to L.A., and I’m focusing on my own identity, and we’ll see where it goes. I’m a very “go with the flow” type of person — I don’t like to search for anything because I feel like when it’s right, it’ll fall into your lap. I’m just trying to build my life here, and everything else will fall into place.

ED: Who are you close to in the influencer world outside of your former castmates?

LW: I love Remi Bader — she has been such a help showing me the ropes in this new space. I also love Acquired Style [Brigette Pheloung] and her sister [Danielle Pheloung]. I went into Love Island knowing nothing about social media, so I was thrown into it when I came out, and I’ve met and learned from so many people. There’s so much creativity in this space, and it’s really nice to see people bouncing ideas off each other.

I don’t know if I fully processed that it was me on a screen. Sometimes I’ll be scrolling through TikTok, and I’m like, “Huh?”

ED: Did you ever watch your own season of Love Island?

LW: No, I didn’t really want to. It’s a weird thing watching yourself on TV. I know what my experience was, and I don’t need to know about the other conversations that happened. It didn’t affect me then, so I don’t need to know it now.

ED: Did you ever see edits of yourself online, especially when you were first coming back from the villa?

LW: Yeah, that was very odd, but it was cool to see how people had created edits. I was like, “This is insane how you guys can mash up different scenes that I'm in.” But it’s also a surreal experience — I don’t know if I fully processed that it was me on a screen. Sometimes I’ll be scrolling through TikTok, and I’m like, “Huh?”

ED: The Love Island Instagram account posted a story asking fans to show love to contestants and remember they’re real people. What was it like for you, coming back to all that discourse?

LW: It’s weird — you go from no one knowing who you are to everyone knowing who you are overnight. When I first got off the island and went to the shops with my cousin, someone yelled, “Liv!” I turned around like, “Huh?” Or I’d go to pay for something, and they’d be like, “That’ll be like $40, Liv.” I’m like, “How the hell do you know my name?” It took a little bit of time to adjust to that.

One of the benefits of our success is that fans become so invested in us, and they want to see us find love. But that also means they give us their opinions. It was overwhelming at first, but also beautiful to see how many people relate to you. I wouldn’t change it.

ED: What’s the biggest thing you learned from your Love Island USA experience?

LW: One of the producers told me that on Love Island, you come away with three things: a relationship, friendships, and personal growth. I got two out of the three, so I’m winning. The best thing about our cast is that we’re all human. In some moments, we might act out a little bit, and in other moments, we’re there for each other. Love Island and this new show have been great ways to grow personally and figure out what I love.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.