You haven’t seen the last of Love Island USA’s Kenny Rodriguez yet. In case you missed it, the former “islander” is joining La Casa de Los Famosos newest season. Ahead of joining the house, Remezcla talked to Rodriguez about his Dominican roots, what he learned from his time on Love Island USA, and what he’s looking forward to in La Casa de Los Famosos.
Rodriguez will represent Dominicans in the new season of the popular Spanish-language Big Brother-esque reality series. After the producers reached out to him, he went through the interview process and was chosen to join. He’s aware that Spanish is his second language, but he’s still looking forward to the opportunity to “put himself out there and show [his] personality.”
Overall, he wants to show the “Dominican Kenny,” which he says people don’t understand at times. “[Dominicans] throw in words in there that is very us, you know, colloquial terms that is just us,” he told Remezcla about representation. “No one else uses them, like, ‘Vaina,’ ‘¿Qué lo que?’ ‘¿Qué lo que tú dices?’ all these words. And so I think I’m excited just to show that Kenny to people.”
It makes sense since in La Casa de Los Famosos, Rodriguez is bound to show a different—and more Latine—version of himself as opposed to what we saw under a U.S. television lens. And as someone who has already been on television, he’s learned a thing or two from being on the small screen.
From his time in Love Island USA, he learned that he has to communicate more. “It’s gonna be very different. For one, the most important is communication—communicating in a respectful way,” he said about what he learned in his first series. “In [La Casa De Los Famosos], [there’s] so much pressure that, that, you know, [having to be] 24 hours with people that you don’t know going in, there’s so much pressure.” Another thing he learned from his time at the “Villa” is to speak up. “I felt like at times in the Villa, I was reserved. I really just wasn’t sure of my place in the Villa,” he said.
Now, because of Telemundo, he feels like he’s getting another chance to put himself out there after Love Island USA and the very public controversy and criticism from ex JaNa Craig and several cast members about Rodriguez’s behavior.
For Rodriguez, the criticism doesn’t define him. “I know there are a lot of rumors that don’t represent the person that I am,” he said. “But I do wanna say I’m a proud Dominican. I come from African ancestry, Spanish ancestry, and Taino ancestry.”
In La Casa de Los Famosos, he will have the opportunity to mingle with many Mexican talent—from actors to influencers. As of now, he’s confirmed to be rooming with Caeli, Jailyne Ojeda, Kunno, Laura Zapata, Lupita Jones, and Yina Calderón. For Rodríguez, being part of the reality series is about making connections that will help his career move forward. “At the end of the day, if I come out of there with relationships—with connections—I’ve accomplished a lot of what I went in,” he said.
La Casa de Los Famosos Season 6 is currently airing on Telemundo.