It hasn’t been smooth sailing for relatively new couple, Dom Thomas and Shelby Mills. But after the lie detector hiccup, project manager Dom, 26, confirms he is with Shelby, while the Gold Coast student, 24, is happy to matchmake her in-house ex, Jaxon, with her out-of-the-house friends.
DOM
Will you do a binge watch of all the episodes?
I’m up in the air about it. It’s probably best to do that because I’m being asked questions and you kinda want to know what’s been going on behind the scenes, things you don’t see. I probably will, I just don’t want to think about it too much just yet, to be honest.
So what happened with the lie detector?
I’m not too sure. Obviously it’s a lie detector but in my head I do believe what I said was correct, so that’s all I can say. It doesn’t look very good but I stay true to what I said.
If you got arrested for a crime would you say no to a lie detector test?
Na, I would do it, I’ve got no issues with it. I just don’t really know what happened, whether its nerves or, I just don’t know.
So you do have feelings for Shelby?
I do, I honestly do. It’s not love or anything just yet. But genuine feelings for me is that there has been progression and we do look at each other and want to be with each other, that sort of thing.
So have you made plans for when you get back to Australia?
No, we have had chats and will obviously keep in contact when we get back. She’s in Queensland and I’m in Sydney, so it’s a bit different to some of the other couples who are in the same state. But we’ll try and make things work and see how it goes day by day.
Do you still have dating accounts? Like Tinder?
I did when I was single, back in the day, but I’m not in to those dating things. I’ve had them but I’ve honestly never met up with a girl on Bumble or Tinder or anything. I’ve never used those to meet up with girls. I’ve had them but I haven’t really used them. It’s not my type of way to meet a girl. I don’t really like the whole general boring chit chat. I want to meet someone out and about.
Are you a cheater?
Was that one of my questions? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t cheat.
I guess if you’ve never had a girlfriend, how can you be a cheater?
That’s the thing. People were getting praised for not cheating and stuff and here I am, obviously I’ve never had a girlfriend, that means I’ve never cheated. It’s a bit weird.
Why do you think you have found it hard to find a partner?
I think I got to 24 and then I did want to try and find someone but before that I was kind of just happy doing my own thing, finding myself first before getting in a relationship with someone else. I think travelling and all that stuff was a higher priority for me than settling down at the time. Now I’m in a much better situation to invest time into someone.
Have you learnt anything about relationships while you’ve been in the house?
100%. The main thing is being able to communicate and obviously things are sped up in the [villa] so you kind of have chats that you may not have in the outside world so early on in a relationship.
Would you do Love Island again?
100%. I think it was a great experience, I did learn a lot. I’m with Shels at the moment, so I wouldn’t do it right now. But looking back on it, it was a great experience.
So you would say, “I’m with Shelby” at the moment.
Obviously. We just got to see how things go.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done. Like, are there naked photos of you?
What? Are you joking? Look, if they’re me, I don’t really care. That’s fine, it doesn’t bother me but to be honest I don’t really think I’ve sent many naked photos. I don’t expect photos from girls, so I don’t send them.
So you are more of a gentleman than you are being portrayed.
100%. The way I was portrayed is a bit annoying because I know who I am, I am a really genuine guy. The reason I haven’t had a girlfriend is because I haven’t wanted to lead people on and that sort of thing. So if people want to meet me and find out for themselves, I’m a lot more genuine than how I’m being portrayed.
Were there difficult times in the house?
To be honest I was kind of expecting everything that came, it is very high emotions and long days. The first couple of days you are finding your feet then you kind of adjust to it. You cop it on the chin and just move on. You’re there for a reason, you’re there to make a TV show, you’re there to get involved and get amongst it. So you can’t really think about things too much, you just got to get in there and do it and don’t be too highly strung about everything.
Any regrets?
Nah. Obviously the lie detector thing didn’t really work out for myself. I can’t regret it because I went in to it thinking the questions that I said would come out in my favour. What I said was how I felt. To me that wouldn’t be a regret.
Are you Team Eden or Team Grant?
Look, I actually like them both. Outside of the house I knew Grant, we’d worked on a few building sites together. And we had some good chats on those sites and I think he is a great bloke. In the villa I was probably closer with Eden, so I’d have to go with Eden.
What do you think of Eden?
Honestly I think Eden is a great bloke. Him and Erin are very passionate, and somethings they say might come across the wrong way. I truly do think, most of it is in a joking manner. Eden is really genuine. I think I’ll be friends with him the rest of my life. 100%.
Who will you hang out with when you get out?
I’d catch up with everyone, they’re all in different states so depending on where I am. It’s obviously easier with myself, Eden and Josh, we’re all in Sydney. We’re very close to each other, so I think we would probably be the three that would hang out on the outside.
How do you feel about being portrayed as a bit of beefcake?
It’s nice to know people think you are attractive but it’s not high on my priority list. It’s not like I’d get a big head over it. I’m a little bit thrown by it.
Final message to Australia
I had a great time on the show, it was an amazing experience. I have no regrets. I think the way I might have been portrayed is not who I am, the whole F—kboy thing is a bit of a joke. I am a really genuine, kind guy, if you get to know me, you’ll find that out for yourselves.
Shelby
You are portrayed as a very sunny person. Is that a correct kind of assumption?
Did you say Funny?
No, sunny.
Oh, I was thinking I’m definitely not funny. Sunny, I do think that is an accurate representation of myself. I do try and always look for the best in people and I like everyone around me to have a good time. I always try and lift people’s energies.
Were you surprised you went?
To be honest I was really shocked to be in the Final 4 [couples] because obviously Dom and I came in as new islanders and your time in the villa is shorter. That means trying to find a connection you have to do it a lot quicker. So being in the Final 4 was just such a shock for me and such a huge achievement. To be going, I wasn’t sad, I was quite excited. I was happy with the progress we got with such a short amount of time in the villa.
How do you feel about Dom saying he’s with you?
Look, obviously the lie detector test happened, which was a bump in our road, but we have since mended things. It’s made us stronger. I am looking forward to meeting up with him on the outside and I’m happy with how things have gone. Of our time in the villa, that was our only down, the lie detector test. I am with Dom 24 hours a day, so for me to believe the lie detector test over his genuine personality I saw 24 hours a day was a little bit silly. It just caught me off guard. But we’re happy and moving forward from it.
So do you think it was nerves that got him on the lie detector?
He was really nervous and I found out that when he is nervous he does this little cough and it may have changed the results a little bit. And a lot of the questions that were asked did have room for error because they weren’t as specific as they could have been. SO for those reasons I did choose to believe that what Dom said was the truth.He has no reason to lie.
What do you like about him?
(laughs) His personality, he’s pretty funny, he makes me laugh pretty much every day. And he’s not bad on the eyes as well. So that’s a positive! Don’t tell him that though, it’ll go to his head.
What do you think he likes about you.
I have no idea, I have no idea what he sees in me. I hope he likes my personality and that I am bubbly and that we have been able to be honest with each other.
Who do you want to stay friends with?
Hopefully everyone to be honest because they are all such amazing people. I am so blessed to have met all of them. If I had to pick one person in particular, it would have to be Amelia and that’s probably because we went in together and we already had a chance to bond. We became each other’s backbones in the villa.
Will you get back in contact with Jaxon?
Yeah definitely. Obviously Jaxon and I didn’t work out in a romantic way in the villa but our friendship was amazing and he’s such a genuine guy. I would definitely, 110%, want to catch up with him.
Would you set him up with any of your friends?
I actually would. I’ve got a few girls up my sleeve that would be suited to him. I have a few friends that ride bikes and that’s obviously a big thing for him. And they’re really energetic, similar to myself but with a serious side which I think is perfectly suited for Jaxon. I think they would be more open to getting to know him on a deeper level and with more time.
Did you feel that at times in the house it was the blondes vs the brunettes?
No, I did not feel that. Obviously, there was different friendship groups in the villa. That’s going to happen no matter what, different personalities don’t always mesh together as some others do but I don’t think there was a blondes vs brunettes thing. To be fair, my hair is half blonde and half brunette.
Did you take sides between Millie and Erin?
No, I would not take sides. Millie is one of the most amazing girls I met in the villa and she offered a lot of advice to me. Erin did the same, she was a really great friend to me. For me to pick sides would be completely unfair.
Would you have done anything differently if you had your time again?
No because I everything I did led to where I am now and I’m quite happy and content at the moment. So for that reason I don’t think I do have any regrets.
Message to Australia
Thank you so much for supporting me through my amazing island journey and I’m just excited to see what’s going to happen next.
Love Island airs nightly at 8.30 PM on 9Go! (till the finale on Thurs., July 5.)
Catch up all episodes now on 9Now.
This week on WHO’s fun TV podcast, Binge List, Matt, Clare and Gavin name their top 5 shows of 2018 so far, their biggest disappointments, their favourite Aussie dramas, and the best of reality TV. They also cast a surprising spotlight on some shows you thought were long gone. Subscribe on iTunes: http://po.st/syE3JF or OMNY: http://po.st/IlEcNa
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