‘Love Undercover’ Stars Share the Struggles Of Shedding Their Status [Interview]

Celebrity and fame are attractive for a number of reasons. First, there is usually a monetary aspect tied to them. And then there’s the adoration of fans. Being adored by the masses is extremely appealing to a lot of people. Professional athletes experience this on another level entirely. Athletes experience an intensified level of fame. Their talent attracts the fans of the teams they play for, and their looks and physiques attract the thirst of fans and people who couldn’t care less about their efforts on the field. Regardless of why, fame can become addictive, and it can also become a crutch. That is precisely the premise of Love Undercover.

Peacock’s newest reality series follows international soccer superstars in their search for love. These incredible athletes who have a lot of fame all over the world are now having to meet women who have no idea who they are and then get to know them. It’s the classic story of the prince trying to find a bride who will love him for who he is. However, this is not a fairy tale. It’s reality. Soccer players Ryan Babel, Marco Fabián, and Jamie O’Hara have had very public lives and relationships on the international celebrity scene. Their love lives have played out in the tabloids, so it’s only natural that they’d want to try something different. Love Undercover features Ryan, Marco, Jamie, Lloyd Jones, and Sebastián Fassi, all of whom are looking for true love without fame attached.

The best place for that is, of course, the United States. Soccer is less well known in the States, making it easier for them to set up new identities for themselves. Collider spoke with Jamie, Ryan, and Marco about the struggles they faced having to shed their celebrity status.

‘Love Undercover’ Was Challenging For the Guys

Going from having women throwing themselves at their feet to being at their mercy is an extremely humbling experience. Some of the men appreciated the challenge. Ryan said, “I actually really enjoyed being a nobody and just seeing who I was really genuinely connecting with. You can’t leverage your status, your career, what you’ve achieved.” When it comes to dating, everyone wants to lead with the most impressive facts about themselves. Love Undercover forced them all to hide these things, something that affected Marco and Jamie a little more than the others. Unlike Ryan, Lloyd, and Sebastián, they are both retired and subsequently not as fit as they were when they were younger. The unique thing about Love Undercover is that the women have the power to choose who they date based solely on the profiles in one picture. Jamie said of his experience, “For me, it was an absolute disaster, like a nightmare. I hated it.” He added, “I knew what I was signing up for. I knew I was going in there to give up that power. But I’ll be honest, I wish I had the power.”

Marco had a more positive attitude towards his experience, even with the ego hits from the show. He said, “Without power and the life we [live], you feel naked. It’s really hard because [your] confidence– Lloyd and Sebastian, all the girls [wanted] to date them, so they were okay.” He elaborated more on this, as he understood pretty quickly that he was up against Lloyd, Ryan, and Sebastián and how difficult hiding his status made it in dating. Marco is not just a retired professional soccer player. He is an Olympic gold medalist from the 2012 Olympics in London. He added, “It’s like I have hands, and I cannot move them. So it’s very hard.”

Ryan may have had a better time than Marco, but hiding his accomplishments was still a challenge for him. “I’m definitely a person who likes to be in control. However, it was a good challenge.” One thing that wasn’t challenging was the relationship between the men themselves. Whether or not they found love in this experiment, the soccer players bonded through the process, and that’s a major win at the end of the day. Love Undercover shows that status plays a huge role in how men are perceived, and these men certainly learned a valuable lesson about who they are and how people see them. The first 4 episodes of Love Undercover are currently available to watch on Peacock. 3 more episodes will be available to stream on Thursday, May 16, with the final 3 episodes streaming on Thursday 23. All on Peacock. Watch on Peacock