The long-awaited return of Are You the One? Season 9 got a lot of fans excited. After a three-year hiatus, the popular reality dating series made its comeback with an exciting new season that aired in February 2023. Overall, the season is packed with 10 drama-filled episodes and features up to 22 contestants.
It’s obvious that fans are curious about the possible plot twists, new concepts, and especially, the cast members. All of that will be discussed below, including the filming locations and the very juicy cash prize! Stay glued to this for the best details on this new and exciting season of Are You The One?
The Concept of “Are You the One?”
For those unfamiliar with the show, Are You the One? is a unique dating competition where a group of singles come together in hopes of finding their perfect match. Before meeting each other, the contestants undergo a rigorous matchmaking process that uses a special algorithm to determine their ideal partners. However, the contestants don’t know who the algorithm has paired them with and are tasked with finding that out, on a lovely tropical island of course.
The goal of the show is for the contestants to identify their perfect match and form a romantic connection. However, finding true love is not an easy task, and the contestants will face various challenges and obstacles along the way.
The Cast Of Season 9
The ninth Season of the show features 22 recently single men and women from around the world. This time, the producers decided to mix things up and went to great lengths to create 11 perfect matches. Even more, the cast of Season 9 is diverse, with participants hailing from countries such as the United States, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and more.
1. Michael “Mikey” Owusu- United Kingdom: @mikeyofficial_
Michael Owusu is an exotic male stripper who lives in the United Kingdom. He’s 31 years old and curiously has a type — women with curly hair. Beyond his job as a stripper, Owusu is also an entrepreneur and owns a face cap line called Keyzcap.
2. Clayton Carey – Australia: A Fitness Coach – @claytoncarey
Clayton Carey is a 34-year-old fitness coach from Melbourne, Australia. He loves everything fitness and even participates in lifting competitions. However, when Carey was asked what his best feature was, the fitness coach admitted it was his smile other than his totally ripped body.
3. Will Gagnon- USA – @ehwilleh
Will Gagnon is a 26-year-old Marine Corps veteran from New York. He’s really into fitness and mostly posts clips of his workout sessions as well as multiple photos of his extra-fit body. Gagnon is also a dog lover and considers his puppy ‘Thor’ to be his best friend
4. Brendan Mosca – @15grams
Mosca is a charming young gentleman from Sydney, Australia. He works as a DJ and is very passionate about music. He was born and raised in Sydney, and mostly posts content on the shows he performs at on Instagram.
5. Aqel Carson- USA: Athlete – @itsreallyak
Carson is a 26-year-old athlete from Chula Vista, California. He was also on the track and field team back in college and has a lot of fitness videos on his Instagram. Prior to the airing of the show, Carson took to his TikTok, saying he’s over 6 feet tall and a good kisser with great lips.
6. Eduardo Dickson Jr. – @eduardodicksonjr
Dickson Jr. is a 30-year-old New Yorker who loves to talk about self-love. He’s also a real estate agent who’s quite active on Instagram. The young entrepreneur is also in love with his eyebrows, but certainly not more than he loves his cute pups.
7. Nathan Grant – @nathanlavish
Grant is a 27-year-old outdoor enthusiast and creative director of a good number of businesses. He’s from the United Kingdom and currently runs his own vape company there. When Grant isn’t taking a hike or traveling to a new destination, he’s not afraid to dabble in some rap music and writing.
8. Shamal “Samuel” Khan – Not Active On Instagram
Shamal Khan is an entertainer and actor from the United Kingdom. He’s a multi-talented guy with a more lowkey vibe when compared to other contestants. In addition to his acting and modeling career, Khan is also a sales development representative working for CD Recruitment in Manchester, England. For an actor and model, it’s somewhat surprising Khan doesn’t have an active Instagram account.
9. Leo Svete – @lj_svete
Svete is a talented basketball player from Sarasota, Florida. He’s 30 years old and has been playing professionally since 2016, he even travels internationally to play. Before coming on Are You the One? Season 9 he was on a reality TV series called Holey Moley.
10. Ollie Andersen – @ollieandersen
Anderson is a British-born entrepreneur who also lives in the United Kingdom. He’s very into tech and has even created his own app. As a 28-year tech enthusiast, he’s very active on social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok.
11. Hamudi Hasoon- @hamudi.hasoon
Hasoon is a sports and fitness instructor from New Zealand. He’s 28 years old and owns a barber shop. He already had a decent following before joining the show, but the numbers certainly multiplied during his time on Are You the One?
Female Cast
1. Danielle Bonaparte – @dani_bonaparte
Bonaparte is a 27-year-old from Texas. She’s a dance instructor in San Antonio but was previously an NBA dancer. Bonaparte clearly loves to travel, party, and take exquisite pictures, if her Instagram page is any indication.
2. Anissa Aguilar – @anissakristine
Anissa Aguilar is an instructional mathematics coach from Texas and teaches at elementary schools. She got a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership in 2020. Additionally, she’s very big on mental health awareness and pushes a lot of educational posts on her Instagram.
3. Mijntje Lupgens – @mijntjelupgens
Lupgens is a 26-year-old dancer from the Netherlands. She’s also a photographer and a creative director. The young diva has danced for famous names like Haile Steinfield and Dua Lipa. She’s quite energetic and has even participated in Dance Dance Dance (a Dutch dancing competition) multiple times.
4. Taylor Kelly – @tayykellz
Kelly is a real estate agent born in Germany but from Sarasota, Florida. She played college lacrosse, earned a degree, and then moved back to Florida to pursue her dream in luxury real estate. Alongside her professional achievements, she’s a mental health advocate, helping those with depression and anxiety, especially veterans.
5. Brooke Rachman – @Brooke Rachman
Rachman, a.k.a Tini, is an American model who lives in Los Angeles. She loves hiking, doing meal preps, and keeping fit. The 30-year-old model is quite enthusiastic about reality TV as well.
6. Rosalyn “Roz” Odujebe – @rozodujebe_
Odujebe is a Nigerian-Irish beauty queen who describes herself as caring, vibrant and loud! She’s 27 years old and also works as a scientist when she’s not competing in pageants and modeling. Beyond that, she also co-hosts a podcast called Get The Gist alongside three other hosts.
7. Ciara “CC” Cortez – @cc_thedon
Cortez is a TV personality from Bridgeport, Connecticut. She admits that she initially applied to Are You The One? During a sleepover with her cousin. Cortez also admitted that she’d happily do another reality show if given the opportunity.
8. Courtney Rowe – @courtneyrowexx
Rowe is a 26-year-old with an education degree who works as a recruitment consultant from the United Kingdom. She mostly seems transparent and honest, especially with her fellow girls. ALtogether, she’s ecstatic to be joining the cast of the show.
9. Julia-Ruth Smith – @julee_aaah
Smith is a multi-talented dancer from New Zealand, although she lives in the UK. She’s also a make-up artist and model but really loves to dance. She has a really bubbly personality and loves to connect to her NZ roots.
10. Jordanne Deveaux – @jordannedeveaux
Deveaux is an American entrepreneur who owns a swimwear line named after her. She’s 28 years old and a pet peeve for men without ambition. However, Deveaux admits that the show really challenged her and pushed her boundaries and expectations.
11. Dew Anderson- Not active
Anderson is a health and fitness model from Spain and has a clear passion for living healthy and body positivity. She’s 33 years old and also works as an executive assistant. When it comes to dating, the fitness model prioritizes personality over looks.
Filming Location
Are You the One? Season 9 was filmed in Gran Canaria, Spain, providing a stunning backdrop for the contestants’ journey to find love. The beautiful location adds an extra layer of romance and adventure to the show, making it even more captivating for viewers. Previous seasons were filmed in Hawaii, New Orleans, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Louisiana. Additionally, many expected the show’s usual host, Terrence J. to welcome contestants to the exotic island. However, this season, Kamie Crawford replaced the presenter cum actor.
The Prizes
Finding love is not the only reward for the contestants on Are You the One? Season 9. If they can successfully identify all 11 perfect matches at the same time, they will win a massive cash prize of $1,000,000. This adds an extra layer of excitement and motivation for the contestants to put their best foot forward and make the right connections.
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