"Too Hot To Handle" premiered on April 17, and it was one of the weirdest Netflix Party experiences EVER. My friend and I binged all eight episodes in one night, and to say the least, the ending was utterly disappointing.
After all of the drama, rule-breaking and workshops, the group finally sat down with Lana for the big prize reveal, and it was not worth the wait. The group would find out who was the most dedicated and changed by Lana's guidance, and they would win the final total of $75,000. Lana kicked out a few contestants for not embracing the journey and announced that all 10 contestants would walk away with a share of the money.
The whole point of the series was to bring a group of sexy singles together to teach them that relationships are about much more than just sex. And, supposedly, they ALL learned how to change their previous behavior.
However, over the entire season, did any of the contestants actually have a fundamental, life-changing epiphany about their love lives?
Spoiler alert: they did not.
So, here's why some contestants definitely deserved the prize money and why the others should've walked away empty-handed.
1. Francesca and Harry lost nearly half of 100K; HOW did they get a share?
We HAVE to start with the naughtiest little possums on the show: Francesca Farago and Harry Jowsey. They were the first contestants to break Lana's no-sex rule, taking $3,000 from the group's prize money in literally no time. Yet, what made that first rule-break even worse? The extreme toxicity of their budding romance after Harry lied and blamed the whole thing on her to the group, leaving Francesca in tears and vengeful.
That only lead to another rule-break, when Haley Cureton and Francesca kissed to stir the pot since they weren't clicking with the others. And who could blame the group for getting upset at the $6,000 loss? Even I was mad at Francesca and Haley because who just doesn't care about risking $100,000?
Then, Francesca moved on to Kelz. Kelz, or The Accountant, made the strongest effort to follow the rules and not lose any money in the hot tub scene. He was sticking to the game, even while pursuing a potential relationship with Francesca.
She, on the other hand, kept trying to break the rules with him, and his resistance is ultimately what made her lose interest. Kelz really deserved to win — he just deserved better, period. And, instead of going solo or developing on her own, Francesca took BACK Harry. It was at this point I lost all faith in her winning the prize money, and then, the two lost an additional $26,000 together.
Both Harry and Francesca made it seem like the 100K meant nothing, despite the group making it clear that they all wanted the money. They spent a whopping $32,000 altogether, but did they really earn it back?
From the clips in the private suite and their constant want to rule-break, it's hard to believe they didn't touch for the ENTIRE night. And even if they didn't, one night doesn't resolve their complete disregard for the rules and their combined zero growth.
Both of their personal journeys on the show truly lacked any development at all: they broke rules, lost money, started drama, all while trying to claim that they were focusing on their emotions and communication. Surprisingly, in the real world, they're maintaining a long-distance relationship and planning to move in together. We'll see how this goes...
2. #Sharrhonda4ever
By far THE most promising couple of the show: Sharron Townsend and Rhonda Paul. These two were THE power couple and made the most effort to truly connect and grow under Lana's terms. Sharron and Rhonda learned how to communicate and accept each other, even calling Rhonda's son so that Sharron could be a bigger part in her life.
These two did lose $16,000, but it almost felt like they deserved to break the rules because they had made such an effort. If any contestants proved themselves to Lana, it was them. They began a relationship, worked on love before physical intimacy and created almost no drama. I believe they deserved a share of the money, even if they're not together in the real world (but I'm blaming that on quarantine).
3. Oh, Chloe…
Another contestant to lose money, Chloe Vietch, lost a total of $6,000 in kisses that we all regretted. She said it herself, she could be kind of ditzy, and she proved that by choosing both Bryce Hirschberg and Kori Sampson. Bryce was, well, kind of a sad character. Chloe really tried to have chemistry with him, but her encouraging his bizarre music night was something to behold. She quickly left Bryce after their bland kiss for bad boy, Kori, who only played her while trying to get Francesca. Honestly, Chloe was such a sweet person, but none of these three earned the prize money. Although, Kori definitely deserved to get kicked out of the villa.
4. OK, but David's love story.
David Birtwistle made the best attempts at finding love this season. After pursuing Chloe and Rhonda, he ended things as friends with them and respected the "bro code" with Sharron. He was the epitome of a gentleman, yet his politeness almost seemed to work against him.
However, after meeting Lydia Clyma, they both got the romance they deserved. David 100 percent earned a share of the prize money, as he focused on forming connections first with all three women. Although he did lose $3,000 with Lydia, he still grew first.
5. Nicole and Jesus were the unsung heroes of the season.
Lastly, my favorite contestants on the show: Nicole O'Brien and Matthew Smith, a.k.a Jesus, were hands-down the most supportive and hilarious contestants on the show. Nicole was such a sweet friend who had Chloe's back (they're actually planning on collaborating and living together in the future) and deserved way more screen time than she got. Also, Matthew was a rule-enforcer with Kelz and a good friend to all. He attempted a connection with Madison Wyborny, but that went downhill fast.
Unfortunately, he left the villa based on evaluating his own personal growth and didn't get a share of the money. Despite both of them being great people to watch, they didn't really have the opportunities to embrace the experiment. However, Nicole is now in a long-distance relationship with Bryce during quarantine. Their romance blossomed outside of Lana's rules and the villa, so does this mean that the show actually works to create the foundations for good relationships?
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