Kriti Mehrotra
Netflix’s ‘Pop the Balloon Live’ is a reality dating experiment wherein a blend of public personalities and everyday singles agree to open up in front of the world to test their chemistry in real time. Based on the YouTube series of the same name by Arlette Amuli, it essentially highlights the ways of the world of modern dating by placing emphasis on ambitions, aesthetics, and assumptions. Therefore, romance, drama, as well as icks between the lineup and daters are at the forefront of this original production, and episode 4, aptly titled ‘Big Pop Energy,’ is absolutely no different.
Drew Carrick is a Certified Public Accountant Who Also Raps
It was back when Drew Carrick was pursuing his Bachelor’s in Accounting at Mount St. Mary’s University (2010-2013) that he kickstarted his career. After years of doing odd jobs like refereeing Grade 8 soccer matches in his hometown of Long Island or serving as a Lifeguard at the West Oak Recreation Club, he became an Audit Intern at Grant Thornton in 2012. Upon graduation, he became a Graduate Assistant at his university for over a year, that is, until he decided to take a leap of faith and embrace different opportunities with open arms. Drew evolved into a Content Developer and Finance Director at Apex Evolution Media & Ready Set Studios in August 2014, only to soon decide to spread his wings. While working here (until December 2014), he also took up a few other jobs, including as a Chief Editor/Creator at CPA Hacks from May 2015 to May 2016, and various positions at Grant Thornton, where he did his internship.
Drew started as an Audit Associate in December 2014 before being promoted to Audit Senior Associate in August 2016, and from there, he worked as a Senior Consultant from 2017 to February 2018. Since then, Drew has earned his MBA, served as the Associate Vice President – Budget Director at Long Island University, co-founded a company called Evolve Now, and worked as the Director of Strategic Planning at FloQast. Today, though, the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is a freelance professional, a rapper, an actor, and an influencer who seems to be doing great things. Whenever he is not working, the history buff can be found at Civil War reenactments and fairs or embracing his passion for entertainment and comedy. So, he presently splits his time between New York and Los Angeles.
Devin Duggan is a Man of Many Hats
While it’s true that Devin Duggan currently resides in Tampa, Florida, and serves as the Head of Sales of a local brokerage, the truth is he is also so much more. The Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, native is a former professional football player who even had a stint in the NFL, that is, until he sadly incurred a career-ending injury. After that, he decided to get into the world of sales and even dabbled in business, all the while embracing opportunities to be a part of reality television. Apart from ‘Pop the Balloon Live,’ he can be seen on ‘Married by Mom and Dad’ season 2, ‘Ready to Love,’ and ‘5 Guys in a Week.’
Since then, though, Devin has evolved into a full-fledged businessman by becoming part-owner of a solar company called Achieve Solar, serving as a National Account Executive at Progressive Freight, and getting into real estate. As if that’s not enough, he has continued being an active part of the entertainment industry, and today, he has even evolved into Modeling and is signed under the talent agencies Professionally Pretty and Level Talent Group. In 2024, he even walked the runway of Miami Swim Week. However, since becoming a single father, he has been focusing more on spending quality time with his family, too, indicating he has a great work-life balance at the moment.
Lorenzo Meynardi is a Dedicated Artist and Producer
Although born and brought up in Rome, Italy, Lorenzo reportedly knew from an early age that he wanted to be a part of the music world, driving him to relocate to Los Angeles, California, for good when he was in his early 20s. Since then, he has not only graduated from the Berklee College of Music but also established an incredible career for himself as a musician as well as a businessman. After all, he is not only a drummer who has quite a unique sound (Funk-Rock fusion), but he is also the brains behind Black Lotus Studios. His artist name is actually Stif-Lo MCD, and he started this business alongside AM Dandy and Guney Tamer (aka Southesizer). As if that’s not enough, it is also imperative to note that he is currently a member of the band THUNDERPETZ and the female-fronted hard-rock group Band Inc. He is also associated with PastAtaly, a food truck on the streets of Los Angeles, California.
Griffin Scillian is a Creative Being in Every Sense
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Griffin Scillian was just a teenager when he kickstarted his career in 2008 while attending Wayne State University as an English major. His first job was actually as a Writer, Assistant Editor, and Ad Director at the local 944 Magazine, where he served for a year before focusing on his studies and spreading his wings. Therefore, his next stable job wasn’t until 2014 when he joined Zara Creative as a Director, Producer, Writer, and Voice Actor, only to serve there for just a year prior to moving on.
Griffin’s next stint was at Doner as a Broadcast Producer for 2 years, from where he went to Unrealistic Ideas to serve as an Associate Producer for a year before being promoted to Development Coordinator. However, in 2019, he quit his job to become his own boss, meaning he became the Founder and Executive Producer at Trouble In Paradise, an independent film and television production company. As if that’s not enough, we should mention Griffin is also a professional photographer, all the while building strong relationships and pitching original, hopefully timeless projects to various online streaming platforms and cable networks.
Dominic Gathrite is a Professional Fitness Trainer
Dominic Gathrite was born and raised in California, so he graduated from John W. North High School before making his way to Chico State University, where he did his best to earn a Bachelor’s degree. It was seemingly only after this point that he realized he didn’t wish to pursue a traditional career, resulting in him following his passion for all things health, wellness, and fitness. Therefore, he gradually earned the required certification and evolved into a professional fitness trainer who now helps clients from all across the nation improve their quality of life with better habits. From what we can tell, he actually specializes in weight loss and athletic performance, and can be contacted for both online and in-person sessions. Honestly, he seems to be living his best life at the moment, which is all that matters in the long run.
Eliott Nazarian Effortlessly Balances Law and Entertainment
If there’s one thing absolutely no one can deny, it’s that Eliott Nazarian is the personification of charm. However, he is also incredibly smart. He actually earned a Bachelor’s in Philosophy and Spanish from Vanderbilt University in 2016, only to then attend the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University for his Juris Doctorate. Therefore, he kickstarted his career in 2019 as a Legal Intern at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and then at the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the US Department of Justice. From there, he actually stepped into the offices of the US Department of State, where he intervened in the departments of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, the Executive Office, and the Office of Iranian Affairs, to then take on the role of Attorney Advisor.
In September 2022, though, Eliott decided to shift gears and move into private law. He became an Immigration Attorney at The Matian Firm, shortly following which, in 2024, he launched his own law firm. So, today, at the age of 31, he is a Managing Attorney at Nazarian Law Firm near the heart of Los Angeles, California, all the while also dabbling in entertainment. According to records, Eliott has always had a passion for being in front of the cameras and being a comic, so he knew it was high time to pursue this path once the global pandemic hit. Since then, the travel enthusiast has been a part of this aforementioned Netflix show, ‘Doctor Odyssey’ (in 2024), ‘Swiped and Arman’ (2025), and much more.
Dillon Hansšon is a Wellness Enthusiast
While many might assume that Dillon Hansšon is still trying to find his path in this world, the truth is he already has – he knows what he is passionate about, so he focuses on those aspects. That’s how he is not only a professional model but also a Certified Masseuse, Personal Trainer, Marathon Runner, and rising actor, director, producer, as well as writer. From what we can tell, to maintain his standing as a public figure on these terms, he focuses on more than just working out by eating healthy and caring for his mental health through meditation. In fact, he has run around 10 marathons and even participated in a boxing match in the last few months, all the while also dabbing as a creator. He came out with a short film, ‘Dancing with the Devil’, in early 2025, and now he is doing an original series.
Hashim Moore is a Model and Tech Entrepreneur
While Hashim Moore’s first loves are reportedly sports like basketball and football, things changed as he grew older and realized that there was much more he could do. It was in 2013 when the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native enrolled at Princeton University for a Bachelor’s, where he not only honed his skills as an athlete in their basketball and football team but also gradually evolved into a Student-Athlete Impact Leader, Profound Ivy Peer Mentor, and Princeton Faith and Action Program member. Through these, he learned some significant career aspects like networking, enabling him to expand his scope as time passed, and even get into the corporate world as a
It was in 2016 when Hashim did this internship at Leverage Agency, following which he chose to attend Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg for a Master’s in Instructional Technology (2017-2019). He then became a Senior Workday Analyst at Mercer from February 2019 to April 2021, after which he served as a Senior Workday Consultant at TopBloc until August 2022, and now as a Regional Sales Manager at Skyline Smart Home. As if that’s not enough, today, this 30-year-old freelance model is also the brains behind Pilot, a tech company focused on being an all-in-one platform that connects entertainment, luxury, and everything in between for its users.
Laina Hortatsos is a Travel Enthusiast Through and Through
Laina Hortatsos, or Lainey Marie, is admittedly more than just her beauty and brains; she is also an adventurer, a globetrotter, and a thrill seeker in every way imaginable. Originally from Chicago, this now Los Angeles, California, resident not only serves as a Head of Clinical Partnerships at a medical company today, but she also seems to be a promotional model at Push Modeling Agency. Moreover, and more importantly, this University of Illinois graduate is a dedicated traveler – whenever she is not working or winding down with her family, she is traveling to different destinations across the globe. Whether it be Iceland, Ibiza, Mexico, Dubai, Greece, Monte Carlo, France, or different states in the US like Utah, Nevada, and Michigan, she has been everywhere in the past few years.
Ameerah Jones is a Reality Star Turned Content Designer
While it’s true that Ameerah Jones is most known for her stint in CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ season 24 and ‘The Challenge: USA’ season 2, she is also much, much more. In the past few years, she has actually begun dabbling in the world of tech, resulting in her evolving into a UX Writer or Content Designer who specializes in blending sharp copywriting with knowledge and design to help consumers. In fact, today, the 34-year-old hobbyist reader, fitness enthusiast, and explorer is based out of Washington, DC, where she serves at Etsy to help them define their user journey as easy. We should also mention that Ameerah is a true traveler, so whenever she is not working, she can be found by the water in different countries like Morocco, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Italy, Iceland, Thailand, Switzerland, and many more.
Cosette Romero Never Shies Away From Who She Really Is
While Cosette Romero initially attended the Santa Barbara City College to study Psychology, she transferred to the University of California-Santa Barbara after two years to earn her Bachelor’s in 2012. From there, she landed a job at Enterprise Rent-A-Car as a Management Trainee, where she served for a year before moving on to Aerotek. She started out as a Recruiting Manager, only to be promoted to Practice Lead, but now, she proudly serves as a Strategic Delivery Executive.
However, apart from this, Cosette is also a proud Disney fan as well as a professional Mermaid Entertainer, which means that you can hire her to perform as a mermaid at different events. The Long Beach, California, resident honestly doesn’t care what others think of her dual profession because it brings her joy, which is all that matters in the long run. Another thing that brings her joy is traveling, so whenever she has time, she does her best to pack her bags and go on a vacation. Pennsylvania, New York, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Cancun in Mexico, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Hakone in Japan are just a few places she has been to in the past year.
Read More: Pop the Balloon Episode 3: Where Are the Contestants Now?
