Yes, Caleb McDaniel knows he’s the Internet’s boyfriend.

Caleb quickly rose to fame on season 8 of “Love Island USA,” entering the villa with around 10,000 Instagram followers and now over 1 million just a week after leaving the show.

“I’m waiting to wake up from a dream right now. It’s been overwhelming love,” Caleb says. Variety. “The fact that there’s very little hate and the only thing people really have to say about me is that I’m boring? It’s been great.”

At the end of the sixth episode, Caleb arrived like a bomb alongside Jennifer “Jen” Terry and Sol Dean. The United States voted to pair Caleb with Mackenzie “Kenzie” Annis, whom he intended to pursue. His efforts dragged him into a love triangle with Annis and her former partner, Corbin Mims, which ultimately left Caleb single before Casa Amor, the show’s midseason twist.

Caleb paired up with Jaiden Bacciocco while at Casa, and the two returned to the villa together. When their fellow islanders were later asked to vote for the two least compatible couples, Caleb and Bacciocco were sent home, along with Gal Tshnieder and Amora Robinson in episode 27.

While his journey on “Love Island” may have come to an end, Caleb is just getting started. Season 8 became Peacock’s most-watched television debut and is set to “ride the train” of its success. Caleb says he’s open to any opportunity that comes his way, which includes trying acting (“People tell me I look like Matthew McConaughey”).

The season finale of “Love Island USA” airs this Sunday on Peacock. Until then, Caleb is waiting for his former contestants to join him outside the villa and, no, the Internet’s very strong opinions haven’t changed the way he views his friendships.

“This is controversial, but I love Sincere,” he says. “I don’t love the way he does things, but as long as it’s just me and him and we can vibe and talk about anything other than their connection and what he’s doing, it’s good.”

Next, Caleb talks to Variety about his unexplored connection with Melanie Moreno, his thoughts on “Brinity,” and where he and Jaiden are now.

What was it like getting your phone back and seeing everyone’s reaction on social media?

It’s been crazy. Coming out of the program, I wasn’t expecting that much. It was in my head like, “If I had 50,000 followers, that would be crazy.” And then seeing what I have is absolutely out of this world. It doesn’t seem real. I’m waiting to wake up from a dream right now, but it’s been overwhelming love. The fact that there’s very little hate and the only thing people really have to say about me is that I’m boring? It’s been great.

You’re now posting videos online that show a lot of your personality that we didn’t get to see on the show. Do you think it’s due to the editing or would you say that you were more reserved in the Villa?

I would definitely say I was a little more reserved just because it’s a wild environment. I’m in a bit of an awkward situation, but I also feel like my personality wasn’t portrayed as much as I would have liked. I didn’t have any problem. I didn’t have a lot of drama and this show is based on drama. If you’re not going to put me there because I’m not dramatic, I’m fine with that. I prefer to be myself and spend less time in front of the screen.

Now we are seeing the bigger picture.

It is not performative. People say I’m performative. I was like, “No, it’s just me. I’m sorry you didn’t see this there, but it’s actually me.”

I’m sure you’ve seen that you’re basically the internet’s boyfriend now. Have you been watching all the editions?

Have. It’s crazy not being able to walk 200 feet without pictures and honestly, I love it. Just knowing that so many people support me has been crazy. Seeing myself on my For You page, I’m like, “Okay, this is probably just because it’s my phone and I’ve been liking this stuff.” But then everyone comes up to me and says, “You’re on the Internet.” I’m only now starting to realize it’s as big as it is.

You worked on elevators before the show. With all the attention now, do you see yourself going? go back to that?

Hell no. I remember sitting at work one day and these older guys were talking about how they were going to come back and change so many things in their lives, just warning me to get out of the business while I could. If I sat there and continued doing that until the day I died, then I would have held back a lot. I’m very happy to be out of it. It is a very, very risky job. I had many cases where I could have been seriously injured.

What do you have planned next?

I’m definitely going to take the train and see where this goes. I’m probably going to leave Charleston. I’m still not quite sure where that is, maybe Los Angeles, maybe Miami, just more connections. More freedom. Charleston is larger than Asheboro, but it’s still pretty small, so there’s not a lot going on here. Now I’m really up for anything. Maybe, in the future, act. I’m trying to take it all in and not think too much about the future. I’m excited about anything that comes my way and I’m very open-minded to anything that happens.

Let’s talk about acting. Would you star in a romantic comedy? Drama? What is the dream?

Growing up, I always loved Matthew McConaughey and people told me I looked like him. I love their stuff, so maybe stuff like that. I also love the “Fast and Furious” franchise. A little action or drama would be nice.

How are you and Jaiden doing now?

We have kept in touch. We are still texting and talking. Everything is fine between us. We haven’t really had time to talk to each other about what this is and how we’re going to approach things. We have both been very busy since we returned. We still need to have conversations and see where everything is. It’s still very early, so the long distance thing is also something that’s pretty scary. We will have to cross that bridge when the time comes.

Have you communicated with other islanders since returning home?

Gal and I had returned home together. America is going to hate this, but I like Gal. He’s a really cool guy. I also reached out to Gabe. He’s already ready for me to go to Miami and hang out, so I’m looking forward to it. I finally got to meet Sean.

How was that?

It was ok. He’s a really good guy. I haven’t spoken to him on the phone yet, but we texted a few times.

Who are you most excited to see again?

Really everyone. This is controversial, but I love Sincere. I don’t love the way he does things, but as long as it’s just me and him and we can vibe and talk about anything other than their connection and what he’s doing, it’s good. I think he is a good friend. Maybe he’s not such a good guy for relationships. He really did things in a very wrong way, and I was the first one to tell him, “You’re really screwing up, man.” And the thing is, he would recognize it. But then he does it again. When I walked in, he was the first to welcome me with open arms. It was hard for me to get mad at him because of the way he moved. I felt frustrated with that. I’m sure they all were, but I think he’s a good guy. Believe [him and Melanie] could solve it.

Who do you want to win? Are you Team Melanie and Sincere?

I think Bryce and Trinity are really cute. They’re probably one of my favorite couples, just because of their whole journey. They were the slowest burn I’ve ever seen. The fact that they are so invested in wanting to have everything to do with each other is really cute.

In “Aftersun,” you said that one of your regrets was not being able to explore your connection with Melanie. Is there anything else you regret?

When I said that, I meant more that when I walked in there, I went straight after Kenzie. I couldn’t explore other things. Melanie and I had some talks and they were really good. It wasn’t something where I was like, “I need to talk to Melanie too.” It was more like walking in there, it was a girl I wanted to chat with. It faded a little bit, because of the way she and Sincere were going through so much together, and Sincere being one of my good friends there, I was helping him through a lot of things. I was telling him how to do everything, so by giving him all these tips, I want to see him use them. I want to see him win. So, going behind his back would be somewhat hypocritical.

This interview has been edited and condensed.