Kids & Family

Dublin High Grad Starred in NBC's "Love in the Wild"

Meet Dublin's own Jason Ewell

Bay Area devotees of the reality dating show, Love in the Wild, have even more than a new season to be excited about.

The show's Tuesday night debut features a few faces from the Bay Area. We caught up with one of the contestants to get the scoop about the NBC show.

Jason Ewell, 25, a Dublin native and resident, says he ended up on the show simply because he was “at the right place at the right time.”

“I was in Vegas on New Year's and crossed paths with two people casting for the show. They asked me if I was single,” says Ewell. “I did my research, and I was enthusiastic about it so I applied.”

Ewell, who was the youngest contestant on the show, graduated from in 2004 and was not “in the business” as an actor or model when he was discovered. He says he was working full-time in sales in Livermore when he ended up on the show. He was one of three Bay Area residents on "Love in the Wild."

Ryan Smith of San Francisco and were also contestants, according to Ewell.

Ewell says he was really interested in trying the show because he felt after watching past seasons there was a genuine shot at finding that special someone.

According to Ewell, there are two components to the show. He says there are challenging “quests,” including cliff jumping, racing through the jungle, traversing waterfalls, dealing with snakes and swimming in the tough ocean waters.

During the quests contestants compete against each other, vying for better housing quarters and, of course, to avoid being eliminated. In their off time, the contestants get to know each other.

Ewell said the challenges are a great way to really learn about someone’s true personality.

“You get to learn about someone without having them have to tell you anything,” Ewell said. “It makes it pretty clear from the beginning if it is gonna work out or not.”

Ewell says he had an “amazing time” during the six weeks the show filmed in the Dominican Republic. When speaking of host Jenny McCarthy, Ewell sounded impressed.

“Jenny [McCarthy] is incredible. She is just as attractive in person,” says Ewell. “[She] is hilarious on and off camera and made it a lot more comfortable. She has a cool vibe.”

Ewell says the once-in-a-lifetime experience was worth being away from home for such an extended stint.

“The main reason I did this was because in today’s lifestyle of everyone working 40 hours a week, you may only get time to date once or twice a month,” said Ewell. “This sped up that whole process.”

Follow Ewell on Facebook or tweet him @JasonEwell22. Love in the Wild airs at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.

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