Kriti Mehrotra
As a one-of-a-kind reality dating series wherein singles test their connection in real-time, Netflix’s ‘Pop the Ballon Live’ can only be described as equal parts charming and entertaining. That’s because each episode revolves around a particular line of singles and daters, only for them to be able to pop the signature red balloon in the former’s hands if they are not feeling the vibe. If all balloons are popped for a dater, their time is up as they don’t get a second chance in any way, shape, or form – so with there being no matches in episode 1, here’s what we know about its vibrant lineup’s current standing.
Semina Bildik is a Rising Creative Entrepreneur
Although a native of Istanbul, Turkey, Semina has seemingly spent the majority of her years in the US as her family relocated here when she was just a young girl. According to reports, she attended Hisar School in her hometown before actually completing her high school education at Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg, Maine, and then attending college. She pursued a Psychology and Fashion Marketing degree from The New School, a private university in New York, before kickstarting her career in 2015.
Semina started out by serving as a Social Media Project Coordinator at John Brevard, from where she eventually moved on to serve as a Project Manager/Producer at Pop Up Mob in 2018 and a Project/Calendar Manager BPI at Macy’s from 2018 to 2020. She then spent a year as a freelancer Creative Project Manager and went on to hold similar positions at Hubspot, Everlane, and Walmart. Today, though, based out of Los Angeles, she is not only a Design Program Manager at Instagram but also a Freelance Senior Creative Producer at Revery. Furthermore, she is a photographer in her own right, a model for Minelli Management, and the brains behind Livredelavie. The latter is a Creative Solutions & Brand Experiences consulting company that she soon plans on expanding across California, New York, and her hometown of Istanbul, Turkey.
Evita Agrusa is an Entertainer Through and Through
While Evita Agrusa only described herself as someone who works in the nightlife of Los Angeles, California, as a bottle service girl and bartender, the truth is she is so much more. After all, the Sicilian, originally from Detroit, Michigan, attended Macomb Community College before doing a few odd jobs and eventually relocating to California. Here, the former producer assistant attended the Orange County School of the Arts, where she took not only dance but also acting lessons before stepping into the entertainment industry for good as an actor, dancer, model, and full-time performer.
According to reports, Evita was an Assistant Retail Manager at Guess for a few years back when she was a teenager, and then she served as a Personal Assistant to a Producer at MaddTV in 2021. Since then, though, she has completely honed in on her passions and is now a bottle service girl and bartender at Hayes Social Bistro & Entertainment while also being a creator. In fact, the 23-year-old is currently expanding her wings in every way. The dog mom recently modeled for brands like Dior, featured in music videos and plays alike, and traveled all across the globe to spread her reach further. Italy, Brazil, the UK, Scotland, Turkey, Georgia, she has been everywhere recently.
Kiara Jones is a Professional Model and Rising Influencer
Although some might recognize Kiara from Fox’s ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’ season 2, she is primarily a model and has been one ever since she was in high school. However, she never let her career deter her from studies or extracurricular activities, and she was actually even a track and field athlete for most of her time as a student. Yet now, she is primarily focusing on her career online as a model and influencer, all the while also raising awareness and driving donations for anti-racism and equality movements.
In 2023, Kiara admittedly found her niche as a mixed-raced curly hair influencer and fashion content creator, especially since she is half Navajo and half African American. Across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, she currently shares a variety of content, primarily surrounding curly hair techniques and product reviews, tutorials on how to care for and style curly hair, as well as fashion outfit inspirations and lookbooks. As for her current place of residence, it seems like she is still based in Tracy, California.
Katherine Swallow is a Twinfluencer and Fashion Blogger
In 2017, Kather first stepped into the entertainment industry alongside her twin sister Sarah, but she never looked behind. She started her career as an actor with an appearance in ‘The Adventures of Indiana James,’ after which she landed spots in ‘Big Trouble at Barney’s’ (2018) as well as ‘American Bikini’ (2018). Then, she featured in the short film ‘Popstar: Reflections,’ (2019), ‘Castles in the Air’ (2019), and ‘Debbie and the Devil’ (2021), all the while also expanding her wings.
After all, today, Katherine primarily runs a blog alongside her twin sister while also letting her own individual interest and fashion sense shine through via her own social media platforms. While her blog with Sarah, The Swallow Twins, revolves around everything fashion, fitness, sustainability, and travel, her own brand, Lived In by Kat, hones in on vintage fashion, in particular, along with beauty, health, and wellness. The Los Angeles native appears perfectly happy today, which is all that matters in the long run.
Sheila Young is an Experienced Actress and a Passionate Comic
It was back when Sheila D Young was just a young girl growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, that she developed a passion for the entertainment industry and set out to establish herself in it. She started out as an actor before branding out into music too, but then she found her real calling as a comic and has now been focusing all her energies on this aspect of the industry. She has several credits under her belt, some of which include ‘Check Please,’ ‘Marlon,’ ‘Black Ink,’ ‘Little Fires Everywhere,’ and ‘Grownish-ish’ amongst many others.
Most recently, though, Sheila has only been focusing on her comedy career and doing her best to blend aspects of both traditional stand-up and social media humor into one. From memes to sketches to full-on bits, she creates them all on Instagram and TikTok, where her following makes it clear that she is definitely on the right path. We should mention she is still based out of Baltimore, Maryland, and is currently managed by Falen Ghirmai. Honestly, we can’t wait to see what’s next in line for her.
Suzette James is a Renowned Public Figure and Entrepreneur
Originally from Stamford, Connecticut, Suzette James is of Chinese and Jamaican descent, which makes her so unique that it comes as no surprise that she has been modeling since the age of 4. However, it wasn’t until she was 12 that she got her big break by landing a part in Kool G Rap’s music video for his single “All Of My Life in the early 2000s. Since then, she has made an appearance in over 60 videos for artists such as DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, and Sean Kingston while also dabbling in acting.
Ever since 2020, Suzette has expanded her wings to such an extent that she is now a part of SAG-AFTRA. In fact, she features in television shows like ‘Shoot Ya Shot’ (2020), ‘What Had Happened Was’ (2020), and ‘The Family Business’ (2021). Now, though, the 36-year-old is a rising influencer, a Fashion Nova Ambassador, a partner at C4 Energy (energy drinks for athletes), and an entrepreneur. Most of her content revolves around fitness, travel, health, and beauty, especially since she has a hair care brand herself.
Louise Barnard is a Digital Creator and Rapper
Louise was reportedly attending the University of Michigan to pursue a degree in Psychology when she developed a deep interest in the world of content creation, which pushed her down a path she had never imagined. Whenever she wasn’t dedicating herself to her studies, she was creating content in the fashion genre while also working with fashion organizations and local brands to empower fellow students. That’s how she managed to make a name for herself before deciding to expand her wings and pursue her passion for rap, too.
Under the stage name Loua Lush, Louise has released 7 singles as of writing, with her debut being “Rock With Me” in 2020. She followed this up with “Tease,” “Starters,” and “Track Meet” in the same year, after which she came out with “Baby Blue” (2021), “Vitamin C,” and “No Disputes” (2021). Most recently, though, it appears as if she has relocated from California to Miami, Florida, where she is determined to make a name for herself in modeling. She is currently signed by Elevate Agency, with the help of whom she is modeling and continuing her career as a travel-enthusiast Instagram Influencer.
Tea Ball is a Medical Assistant and Branding Professional
It was while Tea Ball was attending the University of San Francisco as an International and Global Studies major that she kickstarted her career in the corporate world. She was a Marketing Intern at Theory Foods before making a Marine Conservation presentation for GVI, all the while also serving as a Medical Assistant at Far West Podiatric Medical Group. She actually holds this potion to this day, but she has since also expanded to be a professional in the world of brand development, growth, and partnership. In fact, the California resident is currently working in Branding at Far West Nutraceuticals as well as Growth and Partnerships at Gift. On a more personal level, the Halloween lover is rather introverted, so whenever she isn’t working, she is either at home or with loved ones.
Johnny Bananas is Thriving as a Public Figure
Johnny Bananas, or Johnny Devenanzio, is best known to us as a contestant on the MTV reality competition show ‘The Challenge,’ but he actually made his television debut tears prior in ‘The Real World’ season 17 in 2006. Following this, he even evolved into a host and held that position on NBC’s ‘1st Look’ from the moment it premiered in 2018 until 2023. However, during this period, he was featured in many other shows, too, including ‘The Head Thieves’ (2018) and ‘Jay & Silent Bob Reboot’ (2018).
Since then, he has even done ‘Celebrity Sleepover,’ ‘The Challenge: Ride or Dies,’ ‘The Challenge: World Championship,’ ‘The Challenge: USA 2,’ E!’s ‘House of Villains,’ Peacock’s ‘The Traitors,’ and ‘The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras.’ And now, it seems like the 42-year-old is determined to continue down this path as a reality star. He even has travel, merch, and boxing brands of his own, through which he is expanding his reach. As for his personal standing, the singleton from California appears to be actively dating.
Chase DeMoor is a Serial Reality Star and Professional Boxer
When we first came across Chase DeMoor on Netflix’s ‘Too Hot to Handle,’ he was a football player and a bit of a playboy. However, it’s evident that his ways have changed since then because even though he has not settled down with anyone as of writing, he does seem to have a desire for a long-term relationship. He may be a traditional man, per his own accounts, but he also wants his partner to have a career and a life of their own, especially since he almost always has a busy schedule.
After all, since the early 2020s, Chase has evolved into not only a public figure but also a professional boxer. He has actually even joked that he plans on holding the record to feature in the most Netflix original reality shows, especially as he has since featured on ‘Floor is Lava,’ ‘Netflix’s Reality Games,’ ‘All Star Shore,’ ‘Perfect Match,’ and most recently ‘Pop the Balloon’ as well as ‘Battle Camp.’ As for his career as a professional boxer, Chase is actually actively fighting matches and is currently the Heavyweight Champion. Signed under Elevate Agency, he splits his time between Los Angeles, California, and Barcelona, Spain.
Keith Brown is a True Visual Artist
Since Keith was born and raised in Pasadena, California, he was essentially surrounded by the entertainment industry at every turn, driving him to pursue a career down that path. He actually started off as a rap artist with a preference for directing and shooting his own music videos, which gradually led him to learn videography. From there, he developed an interest in still photography as well as the art of visual storytelling as a whole, driving him to leave his rap career behind for it. It was then that he established City Celebs, a brand focused on empowering the youth to pursue their dreams by shining a light on them. Keith is also focused on helping youngsters through sports too, particularly football.
Braeden Paterson is a Proud Hat Maker
With a passion for the Western culture and cowboy hats that rival all others, Braeden Paterson has actually chosen a profession that enables him to work in a way that doesn’t feel like work. After all, he is the proud owner and operator of the Paterson Hat Company, which specializes in classic, custom cowboy hats (from natural sources) built to last a lifetime. It was actually over a decade ago that he made his first hat, and he has never looked back. He reportedly does take up odd jobs from time to time to make ends meet, but Paterson Hat Company (established in March 2021) is his pride and joy. He himself makes each hat by hand one at a time before shipping them across the globe from his base in Vancouver, Canada.
Read More: Million Dollar Secret: Where Are the Contestants Now?
