There have been a few of iterations of Temptation Island over the years, first on Fox and then USA, and the newest version arrives to Netflix this week. On the latest reboot, the show’s previous host, Mark L. Walberg, returns as the host, helping four couples figure out if their love can withstand the test of cheating. The couples are split up and allowed to live and date a group of singles and figure out if they want to stay together or not. And while the show features plenty of hot bodies and sexy situations, it lacks the lighthearted fun that makes similar shows like Love Island and Too Hot To Handle so addictive.
TEMPTATION ISLAND: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: A group of four helicopters, each carrying a couple, flies over a tropical island.
The Gist: Four couples, each with an “It’s complicated” relationship status, have agreed to an experiement where they’ll be separated from one another and tempted by the fruit of another.
The first couple we meet is Ashley and Grant, who have been together for 1.5 years. As Ashley explains, joining the cast of this show seems crazy to her, but she agreed to do it because she seeks some reassurance that in the face of temptation, Grant won’t stray. If they can make it through this, she’ll feel comfortable and confident moving forward.
Brion and Shante, together for one year, are in a similar situation. Brion explains that he needs to “learn how to control my sexual desires” and show her that he can do it.
Alexa and Lino, the couple who have been together the longest, at 3.5 years, are at a crossroads. Alexa wants to be engaged, but Lino has never had another long-term relationship and wants reassurance that Alexa is the one for him.
And then there’s Tyler and Tayler. Tayler calls this experience their “hail Mary” and will make or break them – she’s sure Tyler is the one, but Tyler struggles to commit. Simply just being on the show makes Tayler immediately seem like she’s given up on their relationship, as if that helicopter landing on the beach was a wake-up call, and whatever happens on the show might just be inconsequential. Of all the couples, I feel like they’re the most likely to not make it out of this experiment as a couple.
So far, what this show is telling us is that all these guys seems to enjoy having a girlfriend but are keeping their options open.
Host Mark L. Walberg then arrives to get to know the contestants and introduce them to the 24 sexy men and women they’ll be living among, the ones they’ll have to resist. Not even a minute earlier, several of the couples revealed to Mark that they set rules and boundaries for themselves, not allowing any physical cheating during filming, but as soon as the 12 women in bikinis arrive, the men’s tongues start wagging and it seems like maybe those rules they set might be broken in no time.
The couples are then split up and sent to live with the men and women who hold their fates in their hands and/or bikinis. From there, they’ll go on dates to see if they form connections with any of these other singles. If they can’t be with the ones they love, will they really end up loving the ones they’re with? We’ll find out.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The original Temptation Island, which first aired back in 2001, was something of a blueprint for all the similar shows that came after it – shows like Too Hot To Handle, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, and Love for the Ages. This version takes the original formula of the show and ramps up the sexy trashiness a few notches.
Our Take: Watching the first act of Temptation Island and meeting the four couples whose fidelity would be put to the test, I was relieved to discover that all eight of them seemed like caring partners to each other. It appeared that, for most of them, their worst fault, relationship-wise, was simply that they didn’t know if they wanted to commit. I like to be surprised by shows that seem like they’re going to be totally trashy and then redeem themselves with genuine characters you can root for. But a lot of my optimism washed away when we met the 24 men and women who would be doing the tempting.
Realty shows have managed to come a long way since their earliest days – the early 2000s were well before Me Too and there were plenty of problematic and tasteless shows that passed for entertainment. We were marrying women off to millionaires without even vetting them for domestic abuse. And while Temptation Island isn’t exactly problematic – everyone on the show has consented to be there and seemingly understands the premise – it still feels like an icky throwback to times before we knew better.
There’s constant defensive banter and put-downs, usually at the expense of other people’s looks, when the four couples see the men and women who are there to “steal” their partners away. It was fun for a moment before it became a feature and not a bug. And there seems to be an uneven skew of women whose most “tempting” trait is to discuss what they’re all willing to do sexually in an attempt to turn on the guys. (Meanwhile their male counterparts mostly just bumble around making feeble attempts at innuendo.) I don’t have a problem with women owning their sexuality, but in this context, it feels like these women were told that they only interesting thing about them is their love of dick, and they’re weaponizing it in a very “Don’tcha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me” kind of way that’s gross.
But in general, the thing that bummed me out about this show was simply that no one seems like they’re actually having fun. Of course, this is ultimately more of a social experiment than a matchmaking show, but in the casting department a lot of these contestants seem serious, egotistical, and occasionally disrespectful to each other, which drains the entertainment value from it.
Sex and Skin: There’s no shortage of scantily clad contestants, but the most salacious content on this show is the frankness with with everyone talks about sex. “My guilty pleasure is sucking dick,” one of the 12 temptresses reveals within seconds of being introduced. Another says, “First I open up your mind, then you can open up my legs.” I’m not a prude but Jesus, ladies.
Parting Shot: There’s tension between Ashley and Grant. After Ashley selects a guy named Logan to go on a date with, Grant says, “I’m very surprised Ashley chose arrogance.” She responds, “You’re also very arrogant.” In the show’s final moment, Grant says, “Maybe if Ashley thinks that way of me, then we’re not as connected as I thought.”
Performance Worth Watching: I found Tayler to be the most interesting person on the show – she takes her relationship very seriously, she can be mean and cutting toward others, but she also seems like the most real person here and I’m curious how this whole messy process will play out for her.
Memorable Dialogue: “I don’t care how fat their ass is, they’re not tempting me,” Brion, the self-proclaimed sexual beast reassures his girlfriend Shante when he first lays eyes on the 12 seductive women he’ll be living with.
Our Call: I am absolutely certain that Temptation Island is going to shoot into Netflix Top 10 and people will be talking about it for days, but I’m also certain that I didn’t enjoy it. This is not fun, light entertainment; much of it feels sad (like, the part where all the contestants cry about having to split up), much of it feels mean (like, the parts where contestants constantly take jabs at each other which is sort of expected but goes on too long), and I can’t say I’m rooting for anyone to make it through this process unscathed. SKIP IT.
Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.
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