Hall High School graduate Leonardo Dionicio is a member of the cast of ‘Love Island USA,’ now airing on Peacock.
By Ronni Newton
Leonard “Leo” Dionicio’s chosen career is in sales, but currently his job is selling himself to the public and his fellow cast members as he looks for love and strives to remain on “Love Island.”
The reality show, which features a group of 10 “sexy singles” searching for love, airs on Peacock and is now in its fifth season. The season – which is set at a villa on Fiji – launched on July 18, and new episodes are released daily, other than on Wednesdays. As of Aug. 1, 13 episodes have aired.
The goal is to navigate temptations and drama, to remain a couple with their original partner or “recouple” with someone new, and to gain the support of the viewing public as they compete to win an ultimate grand prize of $100,000.
Dionicio, 21, did not set out to become a reality show participant, his mom, Gina Dionicio, told We-Ha.com.
“They found him on social media. They approached him,” she said. He didn’t believe it when he received the first messages.
Leo wasn’t familiar with the show previously and actually thought it was a scam, Gina said. “He ignored them at first. He thought he was being catfished.”
Gina hasn’t been able to speak with her son, and he isn’t able to be interviewed by the media while the show is underway. Contestants had to surrender their phones well before the show began.
She knows he’s in Fiji, but no one knows exactly where.
Leo is part of a highly competitive family. He was a star athlete (football and baseball, as well as indoor track) and graduated from Hall High School in 2019. His twin sister, Giovanna, plays soccer for Yale University and his older brother, Brian, played baseball in college.
Gina said that Leo, who was young for his grade, wasn’t sure which sport he wanted to pursue, and was hoping for some more offers, so he opted to do a post-grad year at St. Thomas More before deciding on his college plans. “Then COVID hit, and he played one game and that was it,” Gina said.
He accepted an offer he had received from Division 1 University of Dayton, where he majored in business and e-commerce, focusing on a career in sales.
Gina said the whole family is very excited, and supportive of Leo. His Hall friends have had some smaller watch parties, and she said once he makes it further into the competition, they plan to host a larger watch party.
Relating to the other contestants, and gaining support of the public, are important factors in remaining on the show. Leo and his partner were saved last week, Gina said. But there are also challenges the contestants face, including the arrival of new contestants to shake things up and add to the drama. “If everybody coupled up happily, then it’s a boring show,” Gina said.
There is also a talent competition.
“He is also a singer,” Gina said, and has been since his days in the choir at Whiting Lane Elementary School. Leo was in the choir at Hall, and also played violin in the orchestra. He plays the piano as well.
Just before he left for Fiji, Leo released the single “Make U Mine,” a song that he had originally recorded (under the name Andre Dinero) a few years earlier. Coincidentally, the lyrics mention going to Fiji – and she thought they might use it in the show’s promo. While that didn’t happen, she thinks the song will make an appearance at some point.
“Make U Mine” is available through a variety of streaming services, including Apple Music.
Love Island USA Season 5 is hosted by Sarah Hyland and Iain Stirling is narrator.
For more information about the show, including how to stream it (the first episode is now on Bravo, Gina said), click here.
Gina hopes that the West Hartford community will support Leo.
“You can vote through the app,” Gina added, which is available through the Apple Store and Google Play.
The couple with the most votes at the end wins the $100,000 prize, although there’s still a twist. Each member of the couple receives an envelope, but one is empty. The person who receives the $100,000 can decide to keep it all, or to share – which is what Gina is certain her son will do if he gets to that point.
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