It’s been over a year since the first series of Netflix’s hit dating competition Too Hot Too Handle aired, and it’s back again for Season 2.
The eight-episode series sends a mixture of ten men and women into paradise (a luxury villa in Turks and Caicos) to try and win $100,000. But, there’s a catch.
To win the money, the sexy singletons must give up sex completely. Sounds easy, right? Well, it’s not just sex, it’s kissing, canoodling and just about any form of sexual contact you can think of.
In Season 1, some of the contestants were unable to avoid temptation as romances blossomed, but there’s one question every Too Hot To Handle viewer wants to know.
Is the show scripted? Let’s explore what some former contestants have said.
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Too Hot To Handle Season 2 | Official Trailer
Harry Jowsey admitted producers can “influence decisions”
As you’re watching Too Hot To Handle, it’s hard not to wonder whether some of the things they say and do are actually scripted.
The dumb comments, the bizarre language… and some of the relationships do seem kind of forced.
Luckily, in an interview with Cosmopolitan, Season 1 contestant Harry Jowsey gave us all the info. Well, some of it.
He revealed that the production team were allowed to influence his decisions, but they couldn’t force him to do something.
“In these situations, if they know that you’ve got a problem or you need to have a chat with someone, they’ll just point you in the right direction to get a result, or to get that conversation happening and get to the end goal,” he said.
“They’re not forcing you to say or do anything you don’t want to. They just kind of help nudge you in the correct direction,” he added.
So, according to Harry, the show isn’t actually scripted. But, the producers are allowed to tell you what to do and say.
Nicole O’Brien revealed lots of things are edited out
Whilst the show might not be scripted, it’s the editing that can make it seem kind of forced.
Former contestant Nicole O’Brien revealed to Cosmopolitan that everything that was shown was real, but as everything has to fit into eight episodes, there are things that don’t appear in the series.
“It’s filmed over a whole month, and footage is slimmed down into eight episodes, of course you don’t see everything. But there were some parts of my personal growth that were missed. David and I also had a date that wasn’t shown, we connected, but quickly realised it was more of a friendship,” she said.
Again, that doesn’t mean the show is scripted, but the producers do decide what is shown and what isn’t.
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Opinion: Is ‘Too Hot Too Handle’ scripted?
Whether you think Too Hot Too Handle is scripted or not is down to personal opinion. The producers will never actually tell us how the show is filmed, because that would ruin the series.
But judging by what former contestants have said, it doesn’t seem like the show is scripted. It’s pretty unlikely that the producers actually tell the cast exactly what to say and do.
However, as with all reality shows, there is an element of it that is forced and over-produced. How else would they make an entertaining show?
Producers set up scenarios that they know will cause drama to make the show exciting, but does that make the show scripted? To an extent, yes. But that’s the nature of a reality show!