The Big Picture

The show follows Caymanian expats & locals navigating relationships and upholding Caymankind culture.
Cast members appreciate the professionalism of the show’s production, gaining newfound respect.
Despite potential online hate, the cast remains optimistic, hoping to portray positivity and share their authentic selves.

Freeform’s newest unscripted offering, Grand Cayman: Secrets In Paradise, follows a group of Caymanian expats and locals as they navigate their friendships, relationships, and the close-knit nature of living in Grand Cayman. The biggest names in the cast are former Victoria’s Secret model, Selita Ebanks, and Elizabeth Chambers, owner of the BIRD Bakery retail chain, who many may also recognize as the ex-wife of disgraced actor Armie Hammer. They may be the bigger names in the new series, but the reality show has an incredible cast of people whose names are going to be just as famous.

The other major star of the show is the island itself, as the people who live there live and breathe Caymanian culture. There is a common creed that every local and expat must respect and abide by. Caymankind. Being Caymankind is essentially a way of life. It’s an unspoken rule driven by kindness and empathy. The term is mentioned a few times on Grand Cayman: Secrets In Paradise by the cast, and it is definitely a running theme for the series stars. Collider had the opportunity to speak with the cast of Grand Cayman Secrets in Paradise to learn more about living on the island as well as feeling the very new experience of filming a reality show.

Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise (2024) Set against the lush backdrop of Grand Cayman, a young lawyer discovers a hidden world of corruption after taking a seemingly dream job at a prestigious law firm. As she delves deeper, she must navigate a dangerous path between truth and deceit, putting her own life and the future of her family at risk.Release Date April 9, 2024 Cast Elizabeth Chambers , Selita Ebanks , Courtney McTaggart , Craig Jervis , Julian Foster , Aaron Bernardo , Cass Lacelle , Victoria Jurkowski , Chelsea Flynn , Teri Bilewitch , Trevor Coleman , Dillon Claassens , Connor Bunney Main Genre Reality Seasons 1 Streaming Service(s) Freeform

‘Grand Cayman: Secrets In Paradise’ Puts Its Cast Into a Brand New World of Reality Television
Image via Freeform

Aaron Bernardo, Cass Lacelle, Craig Jervis, Connor Bunney, and married couple Dillon Claassens and Teri Bilewitchhave all experienced living on the island either their entire lives or officially relocated there as expats or expatriates. They were all very excited about the series premiering, as well as having the opportunity to show the world a small piece of their lives on Grand Cayman. A few of them were surprised by the level of production that went into creating the show. Aaron said: “Once I did, the first day [that] I actually shot. That’s when I knew the professionalism. And the crew? This is the real deal.”

Connor added to this, as filming was better than he anticipated. He said: “The professionalism of it all and the way it was all done was better than I expected. Being newbies to the world of reality TV showed them just how much goes into the creation of unscripted television. Aaron shared: “You see the hard work. You don’t appreciate the work that these guys do, man. We’ve put so much time into this thing. I have a newfound love and respect for that.” During a tense time with multiple reality titans facing allegations of racism and mistreatment, it’s refreshing to hear that this cast has not only had a positive experience filming the series but also gained an appreciation for the production process.

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Fellow cast members Craig and Cass also have thoughts on their first dip into the reality TV pool, and that includes preparing for how people will receive them. The internet has gone from being the information superhighway to a pipeline of obsessive fandoms and bullying. Reality stars receive all kinds of vitriol online, even escalating to death threats. But the beauty of living the Caymankind life involves not letting the hate get to you. When asked about the potential dark side of their newfound fame, Craig had a simple but straightforward response, saying: “To those people, I say, big up yuhself.” He added to this by saying: ”I do hope the world picks up some sort of positivity from this show. And with our lives being exposed to the world, in the world at large. We can expect some horrible comments to come our way, but that comes with the territory of doing anything good.”

Cass commented on dealing with the potential hate as well. She said: “It’s definitely going to be a learning process. Right now, I can say I don’t think it’s going to bug me, but I guess I won’t know until I’m in it.” There’s also the flip side of internet interactions, like adoration. People love to slide into the DMs of their faves, hoping to get noticed. For example, former Degrassi star and rapper Drake is particularly known for sending DMs To women he finds attractive. When asked about what she’d do if Drake slid into her DMs, Cass laughed and said: “I’m pretty open. I do love kind of a dirty boy with a mustache.”

Married couple Dillon and Teri also had to adjust to the reality tv life. Having to balance work and filming provided many challenges for them. Dillon said, “Whilst there were some great moments and a lot of fun and good eating, it definitely had its setbacks and drawbacks.

It was, at times, very draining. Teri agreed with Dillon’s statement, adding: “You don’t want to take that frustration or low energy into shooting because that’s unfair to the show and to the other cast members as well.” Regardless of the occasional exhaustion, the experience is one they are both incredibly grateful for. But the balancing act was a significant challenge. Teri said: “There were a lot of late nights, and then I had to wake up very early for my job. So there were a lot of nights where I’m like, ‘This is way past my bedtime!’ [laughs]”

The Cast Has High Hopes for the Future of ‘Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise’
Image via Freeform

One thing the whole cast agrees on is the authenticity they bring to the series. Dillon said: “There’s no regrets or remorse or anything to follow from that because I stand by who I am and my character.” Teri shared some insightful thoughts on her time filming, saying: “The best thing you can do is be confident in what you did and be able to pick up and move on if it wasn’t your best moment. You have a moment to redeem yourself, if you need to, or apologize to someone to make it right if you need to.”

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They all have high hopes for what the series will bring to the island. Aaron said: “I’m hoping to put Cayman on the map and to show people our beautiful island, the life we live here, and the unique place we have.” Connor is hoping to bring his DJ skills to the masses under his moniker, Decades of Perfume. He shared: “Everyone knows me here, and I’m doing a lot here, but it’d be good to try and expand that.” When asked if he had any hopes of dethroning DJ Pauly D, Connor showed nothing but deference for the Jersey Shore star, saying, “I don’t know if anyone can dethrone that guy. [laughs] I’m well clear of that.”

Craig, aka. Craigy Boo, is also hoping to bring his radio show to the masses. He said: “I had my own radio show called ‘Big Up Yuhself with Craigy Boo.’ It was a feel-good space that allowed listeners to start their day off on a positive note. So, with this newfound platform, I’ll be looking forward to replicating what that morning show brought to the world.”

As of right now, Grand Cayman: Secrets in Paradise is gaining steam with viewers. As their popularity continues to build, the cast’s dream of introducing the world to Caymankind will continue to flourish.

Grand Cayman: Secrets In Paradise airs weekly on Tuesdays at 10 PM ET and 9 PM CT on Freeform and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.

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