Rob Rausch Reveals Why He Turned Down 'Love Island: Beyond the Villa.'

Fans of the steamy, drama-loaded Peacock series Love Island USA are getting an extra special treat in 2025. Why? Because they won’t have to wait all the way until summer 2026 to watch another batch of Islanders make their way into the villa to pair up… or pack up if they don’t have chemistry (or get caught up in a controversy, like Cierra Ortega or Yulissa Escobar of the Season 7 cast did).

Thanks to the new spinoff series Love Island: Beyond the Villa, premiering July 16, 2025, the drama is coming back sooner than expected. The series will bring back fan-favorites from Season 6, including Olivia Walker, Kaylor Martin, and Kendall Washington. But with Leah Kateb and her boyfriend Miguel Harichi also set to appear, what fans really want to know is: will Robert “Rob” Rausch also be on the show, since she matched with him first. Here's what we know.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Rob won’t be appearing on the spinoff series Love Island: Beyond the Villa. And no, it’s not because Leah will be there; it mainly comes down to location.

Since Beyond the Villa follows Season 6 Islanders as they navigate life in Los Angeles after the villa, from careers to relationships and more, it didn’t make sense for Rob to join the show because he doesn’t live in LA.

Rob recently caught up with JaNa Craig, who also doesn’t live in LA but agreed to appear on the show, and in a clip of their convo shared by @toohotteaa on Instagram, he explained his decision.

“The only reason I didn’t do it is just because… I don’t live in LA,” he told producers. “What do you want me to do? Just show up and be like, ‘Hey, this is my life, I live here for eight weeks?’” He added that it just “didn’t make sense” and would’ve felt “unauthentic” to him, so he had to pass on the opportunity.

However, Rob will be appearing in Season 4 of The Traitors.

While JaNa says she totally agrees with Rob’s decision (after all, it makes sense, and viewers will probably appreciate him not faking the LA life), she was able to capitalize on the opportunity.

Though much of JaNa’s work is based in Las Vegas, where she lives, she managed to schedule meetings and projects in LA, including collaborations with YouTube. She even credited the production team for helping her find things to do to make her time in LA worthwhile.

Maybe if Rob had a similar setup, he might have joined the cast, too!

Rob may be out, but aside from JaNa, Leah, and Miguel, here’s who else is confirmed for the first season of Love Island, per a Peacock press release: Beyond the Villa: Aaron Evans, Kaylor Martin, Connor Newsum, Serena Page, Kenny Rodriguez, Olivia Walker, and Kendall Washington.

You’ll also see other former Islanders like Kordell Beckham and Nicole Jacky make brief appearances, plus Love Island host Ariana Madix is expected to make a special cameo.