Pop-Culturalist.com

Marco Fabián, Ryan Babel, and Jamie O’Hara, renowned international athletes, are also among the eligible bachelors on the captivating new reality show, Love Undercover.

Love Undercover is a modern-day fairytale meets buddy comedy about an elite group of international soccer stars who come to the United States on a secret quest for true love. We’ll follow them on an epic journey filled with drama, heartbreak and self-discovery. Can they win over the ladies without their fame and fortune? Will they manage to keep their true identities a secret? And will any of them fall for an American princess before inviting them back to their home countries and testing their relationships on the global stage. For these men, finding love is the #1 goal.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Marco, Ryan, and Jamie about Love Undercover, keep their secret identities, finding love, and more.

PC: Marco, the soccer season is so intense, and you barely have an off-season. What was it about Love Undercover that excited you and made you want to use this limited time off to be a part of this project?
Marco: It was amazing to be a part of this project. It was such a great experience. I have no regrets. It was definitely challenging. I never imagined myself being on a reality show. When they offered me this opportunity, my mind was on soccer, which it always is. But I decided to be open to this experience, and it was a great decision because I met so many great people like these guys. I shared time with the girls also. When the show was over, I went back to my reality, which is soccer.

PC: Ryan, at the start of this experience, you were all given secret identities. Who among the boys did you think would blow their cover and why?
Ryan: Naturally, I would say Marco. We filmed this in Los Angeles. There are a lot of Mexican people who live in Los Angeles. We knew that could probably be a problem if he went out. Secondly, I would say Lloyd [Jones]. We could tell from his personality that he had difficulties being under pressure. [laughs]

Jamie: [laughs]

Ryan: He didn’t know what to answer or how to answer. So we were a bit nervous with him as well. [laughs]

PC: Jamie, this is such an interesting social experiment where you all went in to try to find love, outside of your fame and careers. There’s also so much unexpected vulnerability that results from that. What was the most surprising part about this experience? What did you learn about yourself?
Jamie: Great question. Going into it, it was difficult to know if people were going to like you for you. You’re going undercover. Normally you’re around people who instantly know who you are. They have a perception—good or bad—but it answers a lot of questions even before you have to speak to them.

Going undercover, you really have to learn about yourself and see your true personality around people whom you’ve not met before. You have to have the confidence to meet new people and get to know them without them knowing who you really are. That, for me, was something I learned a lot about. I learned whether people are actually going to like you for who you are and not just as a footballer.

PC: Marco, thirty days is not a lot of time to find love. What were some of the immediate red flags that you were on the lookout for as you were evaluating who may or may not be a good fit for you?
Marco: Like you said, thirty days isn’t a lot of time. It’s not easy to find true love or a real connection in that time. But I tried. I tried to establish that connection with some of the girls. It was about being yourself as a human and not just a soccer player because they don’t know about that aspect of my life. However, I did form strong connections with some of the girls, especially one. I shared many important aspects of my life with both the girls and the guys. Finding love in thirty days is difficult, but you just have to give it your best shot.

PC: Ryan, having gone through this experience, what’s more difficult: competing on the field or love, and why? You’re also a rapper, have you written a song about this experience yet?
Jamie: [laughs]

Ryan: Not about this experience. But I definitely have new music coming out. However, this was definitely more challenging. We all acknowledge this, but dating in the real world, we can leverage our careers, status, and what we’ve achieved. Then all of a sudden, we can’t use that. You have to be more creative. You have to try to inject way more personality than you’re used to. That is definitely challenging. It can be very intimidating at times because you’re in a room with other people. It’s a show. You had seven or eight cameras in your face at every minute. I was personally very conscious of that. I didn’t want to come across as a fool. So yeah, it’s not easy.

Jamie: It’s a lot easier playing football, let me tell you. A lot easier.

PC: Jamie, there’s such candidness that you brought to this show as a result of being yourself. There’s so much humor and hilarious commentary that you provided. Did you find your experience as a sports analyst and on-air personality made it easier for you to be in front of the camera? How did those skills help you suss out which girls could uncover your secret?
Jamie: Yeah, I’ve done TV in the past. I was in media. These guys are still playing football. So I guess I was a little bit more comfortable with the cameras on. But I think I went into the experience thinking, be yourself, be your true self. I have that personality. People are either going to like you or lump you. This was an amazing experience to do this for thirty days with five footballers in an amazing setting and meeting loads of new people, beautiful girls, and just enjoying it and having fun. That’s exactly what we did. Hopefully, the personality came out and people loved it. The personality was the only thing I had against these guys. They’re way better looking, ten times better shape. The only thing I had going for me was my banter.

Make sure to follow Marco (Twitter/Instagram), Ryan (Twitter/Instagram), and Jamie (Twitter/Instagram). Stream Love Undercover on Peacock today.