Who needs a boo when you’ve got a BFF? Adore Delano and La Demi Martinez may have thought they were filming a dating show when they signed on for Ex on the Beach: Peak of Love, but the love they found wasn’t exactly what they were looking for. Instead, the stars exclusively tell Life & Style they found “soulmates” in each other.

Though the MTV duo didn’t actually know each other before the show, they had a pretty much instant connection. “Our friendship definitely blossomed throughout living together in the chalet and connecting on a more personal level, relating to the same things growing up and actually [running in] the same circle of friends in L.A., but [we’d] never actually met each other,” La Demi, 25, says.

“I mean, now, coming out of the chalet, like, I don’t think there’s anyone else I would want to work with and be close to,” she continues. “I actually met a soulmate and someone I want to be side-by-side with 24/7.” Adore, 30, adds, “It’s hard to find that [where] you can just make a face and she can know exactly what you’re talking about. … I found that with this scumbag, and I love her so much.”

Finding a boyfriend would’ve been a nice bonus, though. “I mean, I’m pushing 30,” the RuPaul’s Drag Race alum shares. “And I’m pushing 26,” says the former Glam Masters star. “I think it’s just, like, we wanted to party, but if something serious happened, then you know what? We found our pot of gold, so we’re just there for a rainbow.”

Nonetheless, they did have some hopes going into it. “I was looking for a French guy, but it didn’t happen,” Adore jokes. Once the exes came in, she kept her “options open” despite making connections. “We certainly had little crushes on people, but … we didn’t know who was gonna come in the [chalet]. I kept making it clear to Tyler [Ash] and Jakk [Madox] and everybody else that I was fondling that, you know, there might be some frolic and play with somebody else.”

Her pal kept a similar attitude. “I was looking to have fun and maybe, you know, find some cute boys and play with them,” La Demi adds. “I think the only ex for me that I truly connected with and I was [hoping was filming] was Nico Tortorella. So I was like, ‘OK, well, s–t, this is the show, so I really want my ex Nico to come, ’cause I feel at home with him,’ but the trick never showed up.”

In addition to finding each other, though, they also learned a lot about themselves. “[You start to] realize things about yourself that, you know, repetitive mistakes and things you do in relationships that you keep doing in the real world,” the Glam Masters alum explains. “It’s like, [you’re] working on yourself, but on top of that, everyone is also seeing who you are as a person and trying to intervene to help you work on yourself.”

La Demi learned that she’s got “500 million guards up with people, not only in relationships as in dating and love, but also with friends.” As for Adore, she learned that she can be “an asshole to people” in her life. “I lost my temper super quickly,” she admits, pointing to her fight with costar Marlon [Williams], in particular. Both issues are something the stars want to work on — and now they’ve got someone to help hold them accountable.

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Have I ever lied? 👀 New Episode tonight of @exonthebeach Peak Of Love 🏔 on @mtv 📺 Shit kinda gets real and I remember shaking in my boobs…I mean boots, as they connected me to a Lie Detector Test. #LaDemi #MTV #ExOnTheBeach #PeakOfLove

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The pair isn’t just obsessed with each other, they also have lots of love for castmate Georgia [Steel] and, even moreso, Callum [Izzard]. “I had never met a man like Calum [who] actually gave me the time of day,” La Demi says. “[He got] to know La Demi before just judging me for my path of transitioning and being transgender. … [I felt like], ‘How could I meet a guy that’s like this?’ … It was really humbling, and it also kept me sane in the house.”

So what’s next for these new BFFs? In addition to embarking on a tour together in March and April, they’re also hoping “to film some stuff and just be goofy.” Their dream collab? A reboot of The Simple Life. “We’re twiddling our fingers together like [Mr. Burns from The Simpsons],” the 26-year-old jokes. “I just think anything with this bitch is gold,” her pal adds. “We have like a dynamic between us that I have with friends that I’ve had for years.”