Jen Terry, Certified Everything Bagel

Jen Terry is anything but a “nothingburger.” The Love Island USA bombshell may have started off on the wrong foot with the show’s chronically online fan base, largely steering clear of drama in her first few weeks on Season 8 and thus failing to entertain the audience. But it was her digital footprint — her TikTok reposts full of Taylor Swift, Off Campus, and WNBA edits — and a man-hating streak in her last days in the villa that won over viewers, earning her the nickname “everything bagel,” the opposite of a plain, unseasoned “nothingburger.”

Terry has taken the new title to heart — even her roommates in LA use it now. “I'm obsessed. I think it's so hilarious,” she says. “And I love bagels. Who doesn't love bagels?”

If you were curious, her go-to bagel order is, in fact, everything, topped with strawberry cream cheese. “I also like fruit on top of my bagels with honey,” she added. “Super random, but I swear it tastes good.”

The 23-year-old Florida native, who has modeled for major brands like Guess and SKIMS (yes, she rocked the merkin undies), made her grand entrance into the villa on Day 7, alongside fellow bombshells Sol Dean and Caleb McDaniel. While she may have looked the part, smearing paint on the OG boys while clad in a white lingerie set, the role was out of her comfort zone.

“Going in as a bombshell was strange for me because I know the job is to go take someone's man, but I was like, I want to be friends with all the girls,” Terry says. “Because Bryce knew me, Trinity would joke around. She was like, ‘I didn't know how I felt about you at first.’ I'm like, ‘Girl, I don't want your man! Don't worry!’”

Terry’s run on Peacock’s reality TV series ended during the July 3 episode, when Gal Tshnieder, whom she brought back from Casa Amor, chose to recouple with Amora Robinson instead, leaving Terry single and vulnerable. The switch-up didn’t exactly come as a surprise; “I was packing my bag before we went down that night,” she says. The pair had a rocky relationship, with Tshnieder even kissing Terry’s friend Kenzie Annis. But Tshnieder and Robinson’s run was short-lived, with the islanders voting to send them home that very same night.

Terry reveals that she and Tshnieder are “cool with each other” since leaving the villa, sharing that she wants to meet both his sister who called out his behavior on Love Island USA’s aftershow, Aftersun, as well as the baristas working at his coffee shop, Saba Surf, which Tshnieder owns in Venice, California, who supported her online. And Terry has even been sending Tshnieder her favorite hate comments about him, as he’s shared on TikTok.

Now out in the real world, Terry is at peace — as she puts it, in Taylor Swift terms, she’s in her folklore era, considering a Lover arc. “They're two different things, but I need them both in my life,” she says.

In other words, she’s open to love, but not too pressed about chasing it. “I'm not anti-men, but I'm also not dying and desperate to be in a relationship,” she says. “I think the best relationships I’ve had have come unexpectedly.”

Here, Terry shares the (very fitting) Swift song she has on repeat, her comfort watch, and her viral TikTok audio.

The Fast Follow with Jen Terry

What’s the weirdest internet rabbit hole you’ve gone down?

I love a doomscroll, but when it gets to those weird AI videos, I skip. I'm just like, "This is crazy. I have to get out of here." My roommate showed me one video of fruit Love Island, and it was Corbin's voice, and I was like, “Oh my goodness, who put this together? What is that?”

The last song you’ve let replay more than twice?

“Better Than Revenge” by Taylor Swift.

The TV show you can’t stop trying to get people to watch?

How I Met Your Mother. That is my comfort show. I've watched it so many times, I don't even know how many.

I've been stalking your TikTok reposts, and I have to ask: Heated Rivalry or Off Campus?

I can't decide! I watched Off Campus in isolation in Fiji, and I was alone screaming in my hotel room. I've watched it again already in America. When Season 2 comes out, I'll have an answer.

What’s on your nightstand right now?

I’m always reaching for Charlotte Tilbury lip liner and Aquaphor.

Topic you could give a PowerPoint presentation on with a moment’s notice?

How I Met Your Mother.

Most surprising hobby you’ve ever picked up?

Everything I do is pretty basic. I'm a basic b*tch. I've tried pottery. It wasn't good.

Favorite microtrend or the last one you fell for?

Probably capris.

What is your favorite TikTok audio?

My own voice? Because right now I have a trending TikTok of me saying “men are annoying and I'm sick of it.” That's my favorite one right now.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.