Wānaka lass Kiera McLeod wasn’t expecting to find love on the new reality show FBoy Island NZ. But the 22-year-old tradie confesses she’s head over heels for her two new besties – fellow castmates Kita Bunton and Coco Song.
Kiera – who lays concrete and admits she was concerned about spending so much time alongside two “out-there” girls – has discovered two special relationships, surprising everyone, especially herself.
“The majority of my friends are guy mates, so I was worried we wouldn’t get along!” says Kiera. “I’m a girl’s girl at the end of the day, but I tend to stay away from drama and this could have easily gone the other way.”
The strong bond between all three girls was formed early in the show, when they would come together after each date and elimination to compare notes about the lads.
“We helped each other out a lot and we didn’t play against each other, which is really nice,” explains Kiera.
With TV besties Kita (left) and Coco.
The TVNZ+ series, in which three single girls look for connections with 20 single guys, isn’t quite your typical dating programme. Hosted by Shavaughn Ruakere and filmed in the tropical paradise of Rarotonga, the show introduces 10 male competitors who are self-described “Nice Guys”, while the other 10 confess to being “FBoys”, otherwise known as “players”.
While forming connections with the boys, Kiera, Kita and Coco must decipher whether their budding relationships are real or if their love interest is stringing them along for the prize money – a huge $50k. If they choose the Nice Guy correctly, they split the prize money 50:50, but if they choose the FBoy, they potentially walk away with nothing but an awareness of their own poor judgement as the FBoy can take all the money for himself.
“There’s no dating show like it,” laughs Kiera. “I think what bonded us girls was that we were all experiencing the same thing. Who goes on a reality show to find love? We were like, ‘Let’s prove everyone wrong and hopefully it goes well!'”
Things get hot in the pool!
When Coco and Kita both eliminated two Nice Guys in episode one, Kiera says she stepped in to try to help. As the only one who threw out an FBoy, she felt the need to steer the two towards the nicer types.
“It was a bit hard because I knew the ratios were off straight away,” she says. “I remember telling the girls, ‘Maybe the more reserved, quiet ones, who haven’t made an impact… Maybe they could be the Nice Guys.’ But at the same time, if you don’t have a connection with these guys, what can you do? We’re there to find a connection as well.”
Despite being somewhat of a mother hen, this is something Kiera has also had to learn herself along the way. She’s had two long-term relationships and although she’s still close friends with both of these exes, she’s also had her fair share of heartbreak with bad boys.
“I’m definitely a relationship type of girl,” says Kiera. “Neither of my exes were FBoys. It’s the ones in between who lasted a couple of months who were the player types. I don’t take s**t from anyone, so every time I was like, ‘Nah, I’m out!'”
Viewers of the show quickly get a taste of Kiera’s no-nonsense approach when it becomes apparent she isn’t going to be led astray easily.
Any suitors will have to get dad Mel’s approval!
So will she find love?
“You’ll just have to keep watching,” she laughs. “I wasn’t sure if there’d be anyone I would be interested in and I can’t fake being interested, so for me, it was just about opening up and staying away from my usual type, which hasn’t got me very far in the past anyway.
“I can tell you that all the connections I’ve made have been amazing. It’s been the best experience of my life. I got two really good girlfriends out of it, which I’m really happy about.”
In fact, Kiera and Coco have become so close, they’re planning to live together. The two are currently searching for a flat in Auckland.
“I really didn’t think we’d get along,” she explains of her first meeting with Coco. “I remember being so worried before we started filming because I can be quiet at times and I thought she was going to be really intense! But she is such a sweetheart. Both of them are. I couldn’t have wished for better girls to share this experience with.”
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