Love it or hate it, this marmite TV show has got people all over the place talking, almost as much as Tiger King! The Netflix reality show, consisting of glamourous and good-looking men and women is similar to that of Love Island – with one big twist.
To be in the chance of winning the prize fund, (a whopping pot of 100,000 dollars) they must abstain from sex. This includes kissing, fondling, and yep you got it… masturbation.
“On the surface, Too Hot To Handle is perfect viewing for the socially isolated. Contestants are prohibited from physical contact with their crushes and forced to deepen the ’emotional bonds’ instead.”
The Guardian
Why are we talking about this TV show that has contestants relaxing in a paradise in tiny-weeny swimsuits? Well, there were a couple of things that we loved about this show. The first is that it shows that women do enjoy sex, just as much as men and that they have an appetite for it too.
Often we see women portrayed as preferring cuddles and romance, which of course is absolutely fine. But this show contained some strong women that knew exactly what they wanted and weren’t afraid to let it be known.
Of course, there is a questionable moment when the gorgeous Harry manages to come out as the innocent one after a tryst with the lovely Francesa, meaning that she ends up coming off as the ‘untrustworthy’ one out of the pairing in the eyes of the over contestants… not cool.
But her openness and candid nature about sex and enjoying sex is refreshing. She’s not apologetic for her sexuality, and hell yeah to her!
“For every chastity test that tempts salivating couples with a private suite stocked full of sex toys (these producers are truly devious), there’s an actual lesson on the value of cultivating self-worth.”
Variety
Throughout the show, you soon realise that the device (which looks like a diffuser that lights up and makes the rules much like an Alexa) wants people to experience relationships and bonding beyond a physical nature.
Contestants are rewarded with ‘green lights’ to kiss or show affection at moments where they have unlocked a level in the relationship they are creating, and have broken through a deeper emotional barrier.
“The hope is that, at the end of it, these previously sex-loving, relationship-rejecting men and women will experience some woolly concept of ‘personal growth’.”
The Guardian
This consists of ‘activities’ whereby both sexes take part in… aiming to tackle certain topics such as trust, empowerment, feminism, and more.
“In another activity, the women slip out of their bikini bottoms to hold a mirror up to their vaginas in order to learn to see them and learn to respect them. This workshop is called Yoni Puja, a sacred tantric ritual in which the female organs are worshipped.”
Esquire
All in all the show has it’s complications and predictability. It might even be what you call car crash television, but whilst being in lockdown and for a lot of people being unable to see family, friends or loved ones, it’s easy to see why watching this group of people being unable to be tactile or physical with one another is a feat that we share.
“You’re unlikely to walk away having learned anything meaningful from this mess — though nearly every contestant claims they did — but it will have you laughing, gasping, and desperately texting your binging buddies in no time.”
Mashable
Tell us what you thought about the show in the comments!