Before making a name for himself on reality television, Jason Cohen was a collegiate wrestler with a competitive mindset that never really left him. Now, the Dated and Related and Vanderpump Rules personality is bringing that same intensity to OFTV’s Perfect Set, a fast-paced beach volleyball competition series where strategy, athleticism, and personality collide.
While the show delivers plenty of drama and chaos, Jason says the experience also became a test of focus, resilience, and character. Between competing alongside his cousin, Chris Hahn, and navigating the pressures of elimination-style gameplay, Perfect Set pushed him harder than he expected, both physically and mentally.
We caught up with Jason to discuss his athletic roots, the evolution of creator-driven entertainment, and why Perfect Set may be the most authentic representation of himself viewers have seen yet.
Your background is quite diverse. You’ve done collegiate wrestling and MMA training, photography, directing and, of course, reality TV. Do you feel like Perfect Set was the first project that really brought all of these sides of your personality together?
Yes. Perfect Set was a really good opportunity for me to show my athleticism, talk about my life a little bit more, and bring all those things to light, and it was just an awesome opportunity for me to show that, for sure.
Coming from a serious athletic background, did you enter Perfect Set feeling like you had an advantage over some of the other contestants?
Look, I’m not the biggest, but I could say that I definitely have a very driven mindset, and I think wrestling is a sport that can bring that to the table. I’m not a pro at volleyball but I could say I’m athletic and I have…what’s the word I’m looking for? I guess drive, you could say. Wrestling is a sport where it’s just like you’re never really giving up and a sport like volleyball has got a fast pace to it. So, I think it helped me.
A lot of people know you from Vanderpump Rules and Dated and Related. But Perfect Set puts you in a much more physically demanding environment. Did that experience feel more authentic to who you are off camera?
Compared to Vanderpump, no. I can’t compare the two, but I would say that it did bring a very authentic part of me to the show by being in high stakes situations. I would say I was successful in some, not the best in some, but it definitely brought a very authentic part of me out, for sure.
On the show you’re competing against your cousin. Was there ever a moment where family loyalty conflicted with your desire to win?
Not really. We didn’t get to compete against each other on the court, but if we did, I definitely wouldn’t let that get in the way. I would be like, “Yo, we’re gonna battle this out to the end,” because that’s like brownie points back at home. We live together so, I’m like, “Yeah, I whooped your ass.” Nathan [Webb] was my roommate and we lived together, so that was a little bit of a battle that we had on the court – but I don’t want to spoil anything.
You have said you’re interested in directing and filmmaking. As someone who understands storytelling from behind the camera, did that change the way you approached being on reality TV?
That’s a really good question. I would say that film is different than reality. You do understand a little bit of a story arc possibly, like beginning, middle, end. But I wouldn’t say it changed anything or shed light on anything for me. When I’m on reality TV, everyone asks me what’s my plan. I don’t have one. I just let whatever genuinely is coming from my heart show and, whatever happens, I deal with it in the moment. That’s the good thing about reality. You can’t really plan for these things. You can’t plan answers, you can’t plan a defense or offense. It’s just it’s like volleyball. When the ball’s coming at you, you’re going to just hit it. Just go for it.
One of the refreshing things about this show to me is that it focuses more on competition than drama. Were you happy to see that Perfect Set leans so heavily into athleticism and performance?
Yes, absolutely. The drama came along with it for sure. Everybody’s got these we’re- go-getters on the field. Everyone there is trying to show “Yo, I’ve got the best swing. I’ve got the best spike,” or whatever. So, that came along with it. I like that the focus was athleticism, and the drama just backed it up. It was fun. It was crazy.
What was the biggest misconception you had about beach volleyball before filming the show?
The biggest misconception I had about beach volleyball most likely was, I guess I didn’t believe it could get that physical. It got more physical than I thought. The competition was pretty strong towards the end of the show – just the jumping and stuff. I know somebody got hurt on the field and hurt his leg, and people were like, “Oh, beach volleyball. It’s a pretty competitive sport. You’re going to get after it.” When I got more into the game, I was like, “Dude, I feel like I’m on a battlefield.” I was freaking out.
You’ve built a strong social media following in a relatively short amount of time. What do you think audiences connect with most about your personality and content?
What I think the audience connects with my personality the most is that I’m pretty genuine with what I post. I don’t try to pretend to be somebody I’m not and I think my audience relates to that. I don’t care about making fun of myself. I think everybody’s got a side where you think of funny little skits in your head, and it just sometimes I’m like, “I’m going to post that,” and I don’t really care what people think, but the right audience is going to find their way to that. So I think my fans found my personality to be really true and genuine, and they relate to that. I’m not posting stuff that’s really not my life. It’s stuff that’s part of me. I have that writing background or acting background. I mix it all up and make it fun.
OnlyFans and OFTV are creating more opportunities for creators to branch into larger entertainment spaces. What interested you personally about joining a creator-driven platform like OnlyFans?
What drove me to be very excited about an OnlyFans platform that was creator-driven is that on social media, you’re like your own artist and you find your niche. You find your art. Everyone is given a blank canvas in a sense, and you get to put your own artwork on there on what you want it to be, your style. It’s like going inside someone’s head and being like, “Oh, this is what it looks like in here.” And somebody might be way different than what they look like on the outside. So you could show character, it’s almost like in the daytime you’re Peter Parker, but at night you’re Spider-Man. It’s cool. But at the same time you can go as big and as low as you want. It’s very interesting, so I love that about OnlyFans. And OFTV is an amazing platform because it’s just, you get to bring that character to real-life situations. It’s gonna test your boundaries.
You’ve worked in so many different channels, like reality TV, modeling, fitness and digital content. Which space currently feels the most creatively fulfilling for you?
I would say OnlyFans TV has been really good. It gives you the most liquid sense of creativity. It’s a broad spectrum. You can do anything you want, which is great. It’s like your own TV show. And then the OFTV the competition series is insane. I think that has given social media influencers or just OnlyFans stars the creativity to express themselves in the way they want. So yeah, I would say OF has been something that has reached those levels by far.
What was the hardest lesson that you learned while filming Perfect Set?
Bringing your outside world to the inside world. Like, when you’re in there, you’ve got to focus. You’ve got to play hard. During that time, I was going through a couple things outside of the show, and it’s just like any other sport. You’ve got to focus so hard when you’re playing. I had a bunch of other things going on but I was really trying to focus and I made it pretty far on the show. I don’t want to give any spoilers away but I probably could have been a little bit better with my focus. But just like any competition you’ve really got to lock in when you’re in the moment. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you either. Throw those away and just get after it.
Speaking of not giving away spoilers, was there a specific challenge or moment during the season that completely changed the energy of the competition for you?
Yes. One of the challenges before the finals. Basically, there were four players and everybody’s on their own. It wasn’t really a teammate thing, and you just saw everyone’s true colors coming out as far as what they were there for. I’m sure it was to win, but some people still have loyalty on their mind. Some people still have friendship on their mind, because you’re there for so long and it was really interesting to see that.
The cast is full of big personalities. Who surprised you the most during filming?
Alicia [Waldner, host of the Naked Ambition podcast], actually. I wouldn’t say she was the most talented volleyball player, but no matter what she was going through, she just kept her head up. She was going through a time that was like she might not been the best player and had been at a disadvantage, but she really kept it going strong. It’s hard to find that in somebody who’s going through a tough time, so she did an excellent job of keeping her head up, so I’ve got to give it to her.
What do you hope viewers will take away from seeing you on Perfect Set that they may not have understood about you from your previous TV appearances?
They’re definitely going to see a couple sides of me that I didn’t even know were in me. I didn’t know how strong I am when I am at a complete disadvantage. There were moments where we were at a pretty big disadvantage and just kept staying strong.
I feel like I was really resilient during that episode, and my character shows that – and also truth. I was sticking to truth and resilience, and I was like, “Damn, I have good character with that.” I felt like I portrayed that. You never know how the edit’s going to look, but as far as me being pressed and feeling that resilience and honor come out hopefully everybody gets to see what I felt.
You’ve obviously got a lot on your plate, but would you say yes to a second season of Perfect Set if you were asked?
Absolutely. 1,000%. Sign me up.
And, speaking of future projects, what is next for you after Perfect Set?
I’m currently working on something with my cousin Chris, which is cool. We’re working on a couple of things together. I’m also working on a couple of things with reality TV and then OFTV. I’ve got some cool things coming up that me and Chris have been working out on, and I can’t wait to film those OFTV shows that we’ve got lined up. Something with cocktails. I want to make some drinks and do some cool stuff, some competitions. I’m trying to take a little bit what I learned on the Spike show and bring it to my little niche. So yeah, I’ve got some competition ideas in my mind, so we’re working on those.
Check out season one of Perfect Set (with new episodes dropping each week until the finale on August 7), along with other original content encompassing fitness, cooking, music, comedy, and more on OFTV. Keep up with Jason on Instagram, YouTube and, of course, OnlyFans.
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