How do you find out for sure?
Rusinyak came to the “Temptation Island” screen at the suggestion of wait for it her parents!
I hadn’t seen the show and my mom and dad liked to watch it.
My mom, she was like, “You’d be so great on this show.
I could totally see you being so awesome.”
I’ll try it."
I’m very outgoing, very confident.
I feel like [with] this show, you have to be outgoing and confident.
What was that process about coming to the show and then seeing it for all the nuts and bolts?
The production, on camera what was that transition like from viewer to in front of the camera?
It was honestly crazy.
I didn’t realize how much time and effort went into everything.
I thought people went there and partied, but I didn’t realize there were interviews.
You had to do confessionals.
As I watched reality shows, I was like, “God, these people are so dramatic.”
You don’t realize what it’s like until you’re there.
Why “Temptation Island?”
What was it about this show for you?
Honestly, I can’t even watch “The Bachelor” because it’s very …
I don’t want to say religious, but I feel it’s a very cookie-cutter jot down thing.
I feel like “Temptation Island” is way more fun and people can really be themselves there.
You’re a single lady.
You’re among all these couples.
What was your initial reaction to that very unique dynamic?
I went in very confident.
I was like, “You’re awesome.
You’re unique,” because I looked around and there were so many beautiful people there.
I was like, “How could I compete?”
I had to literally give myself a pep talk.
I was like, “You’re the only you.
You got it.”
How did that transgress throughout your time on the show?
Did you have to keep reinforcing that to yourself?
All the time, because it’s hard to get one on one time with …
There’s only four guys.
There’s 12 girls.
I kept telling myself, “It’s okay.
Especially at the mixer when we first met, it was very hard to get a word in.
And not be uncomfortable to be like, “Hey, could I grab you for a conversation?”
Let’s go talk somewhere else.”
“Can I steal you for a second?”
That’s the catch line?
I was like, “I did not just say that.”
What was that self-awareness like?
The whole thing was crazy.
I don’t want to look fake.
I’d rather look psycho and desperate than be fake."
You came to “Temptation Island” from your parents, which is so funny.
Did you ever anticipate ever being on a reality dating show?
This is not fake."
What did Madelyn’s love life look like before the show?
What was the dating scene like for you?
I’m from a small town in Georgia.
I grew up in a town that has one red light.
Dating before this was extremely hard.
It was a bunch of country guys who weren’t open-minded.
Frat boys, mostly, because I was in college for four years before the show.
All of a sudden, you’re exposed to people from so many different areas and walks of life.
Tell me a little bit about what stepping into that new world was like.
It was honestly awesome and it gave me a lot of hope.
Wow, this is great."
I know that [you’re a] yoga instructor [and] environmentalist.
You have all these really mindful practices.
I learned that I need alone time.
It’s hard for me to live with 11 other girls and not ever get alone time.
I also learned that I need my sleep.
It was really hard to sleep there.
I came home and I slept for three days straight.
I was so tired.
Sometimes every other weekend.
Living there, we were drinking every single day.
I was like, “I’ve got to take care of my body.”
It was rough, honestly.
That must have such a structure shock, honestly.
Doing yoga, I would normally go to the 5:45 a.m. or 7:00 a.m. class.
I went from that to not going to bed till 3:00 a.m. sometimes.
Is there going to be a bonfire?
Is there going to be an elimination?
Are they picking dates?"
My anxiety was on 10, always.
Every time I sawMarkwalk into that house, I was like, “Leave.
You got to go.
you might’t bring good news.”
All bets are off?
I’m like, “I’m getting sent home or someone’s getting brought in.”
I feel like my heart rate would be elevated the entire time.
I was like, “We could never get comfortable.”
If you could reveal anything?
It was really hard for me to be empathic before.
I wasn’t a cold-hearted person, but leaving, I became less cold-hearted, I’ll say that.
That must have been an interesting path for you to experience.
Every single there grew and I saw a change with everyone.
Well, it’s a unique environment as well.
Right, and not having your phone.
We should do this more often."
What was that huge disconnect from technology like?
Honestly, my phone lives with me.
I was fine without the social media aspect.
I was like, “This actually is good.
I needed a break,” but I felt FOMO.
I felt left out because I knew all my friends were hanging out at home.
I was like, “What are they doing now?
Are they talking about me?
Do they miss me?
Who’s texting me?”
That’s so funny.
It’s that kind of disconnect.
I feel like it’s so ingrained in our daily lives.
I [missed] my mom the most.
That was the hardest part, not being able to talk to my mom.
It was good and bad.
The social media break was awesome.
I felt really confident.
I wasn’t like, “Oh I want that.”
I saved a lot of money.
Scrolling through Instagram like, “I want that top.
Oh, I need to do that pose.
Can someone take pictures of me?”
I wasn’t worried about that.
What if my mom died?"
I don’t know why.
That was a constant fear I had.
I get that, though.
I’m also a worst case scenario.
“What if I get my phone back and no one’s there?”
Everything’s ended outside and we’re stuck in Maui.
I was like, “I don’t know.”
What are Madelyn’s plans moving forward?
I’d love to talk to you about your life.
Like you said, your small town Georgia.
I’ve moved to Atlanta, so it’s way more diverse and awesome.
I love it here.
I’ve been hoping to get into modeling a little bit.
That would be great.
Yeah, print stuff.
That would be ideal.
What is it about modeling and the fashion industry that really grabs your eye?
I’m going to be honest, I love attention.
I love someone I care [about] being like, “Oh, you look great.
Oh, that’s good.
Oh, perfect.”
I love that so much.
I love how the fashion industry has shifted towards women loving their own bodies and less Photoshop and stuff.
I wasn’t embarrassed about that.
I was like, “I’ve probably done worse things.”
I’m a yoga teacher.
I don’t normally dream and drink this much.
I like to take care of my body [and] my mental health.
This isn’t who I am.
I’ve wanted to get that across to Luke [and] everybody there.
I actually taught a yoga class.
That is me, but I also have other sides.
What was that like on the show?
What was that like for you to be a part of a more diverse crowd of people?
But I just kept telling myself, confidence.
I still love my body.
As long as you have a good personality, who gives a s***?
It’s like a lose-lose situation.
I remember that first party with the whipped cream and stuff.
There were a lot of girls who were like, “I’m not comfortable with this.
I don’t care.”
I was like, “F*** it.”
I had that mentality the whole time.
My biggest takeaway would probably be always stay true to yourself.
And then they would act another way when the guys were around.
So I was like, “Why put on this fake personality when this guy starts being into you?
He’s not going to be in love with you.
He’s going to be in love with this facade you put on.
You’re never doing that again.”
I’ve also I wish I would’ve realized this before.
I went into this thinking, “Are these guys going to like me?”
I should have gone in being like, “Am I going to like them?”
Even though I’m here for them, basically, they’re here for me too.
Do I even like them?
If I could’ve told myself that a year ago throughout college and high school
Oh my God.
I would’ve saved myself so much time.
I would’ve never dated anyone probably.
I feel like we put a really high commodity on playing it cool.
Yeah, who cares?
I’m not going to be like, “I have to wait an hour to reply.”
