Reality dating shows have been evolving over the years, but the essence of all of them is attractive, narcissistic people falling for other attractive, narcissistic people. Nevertheless, they remain popular and people become entranced by these shows. Netflix’s “Too Hot To Handle” has put a twist on the genre. They have to make a connection with someone, but they cannot have any sexual contact with each other. With the contestants that are chosen, it is quite a challenge. For the record, I want to make it clear that it was not my idea to watch the newest season of this show. When hanging with my friends, they suggested we watch it, and we watched the whole season together. Honestly, I think this is the only way you can watch these shows. Laughing and talking about dating shows with your besties makes the experience fun. I think I enjoyed the companionship more than the show. I knew the basic concept of the show before watching it, but it was another thing to witness these people’s desperation for sex. All of these people seemed selfish and I do not think I witnessed any conversation that was not about shallow compliments or relationships. It’s a real study on vanity and sexual attraction, and I cannot say if I will watch this show again.

The third season premiered Jan. 19. Since so many people knew about “Too Hot to Handle” by this point, the contestants were not told that was the show that they were going to be on. Instead, they were told they were going to be on a new show called “Pleasure Island.” They went off to Turks and Caicos thinking that this would be a show where they could get some pleasure. When they got there, they got a rude awakening. The ten sexy and sex-driven singles had to learn how to make actual bonds without getting sex involved. The producers knew what they were doing because the moment we meet each contestant, we can tell that they have a very high sex drive and a lack of romantic experience. In the opening interviews, the first thing that each of them talk about are their hookups, their love of sex and how they never get emotions involved when they are with someone. There is a cash prize of two hundred thousand dollars for whoever shows the most growth, but every time they have any sort of sexual contact, a certain amount of money is taken away based on the act. There are also wrenches thrown their way throughout the show, from being put in a romantic suite, to new contestants who may make the others insecure. They also have to go through different workshops that are meant to teach them how to love themselves and how to connect with other people. The people with the most growth win the show and the money, but growing for these people is easier said than done.

Watching this was like going to the zoo. I could not relate to anything I was seeing from this species, but there sure was a variety of entertainment. Sure, I found some guys very sexy on this show (Stevan, if you’re out there, call me), but I feel like I have not encountered these people in real life. Their attractions had nothing to do with personality and they were always looking to start fights. They would yell at each other for spending money or if someone looked at “their partner,” aka a person they have clinged to after a few weeks. It is crazy how territorial some people got after knowing someone for a few days or weeks. You’d think some of the couples were together for years. The way some people acted like a person was their property. It was also insane how even when there was a lot of money on the line, they still could not resist kissing the other contestants. How do these people ever go out in public if they can not even go a few days without doing anything? Every episode felt the same to me. They wake up, they have separate conversations about how they are doing, drama, they find out if anyone broke rules, they do a workshop, drama and it ends with some rule breaking. It gets repetitive after a while. I also found the workshops to be weird. They get professionals with job titles that don’t seem real to do activities that do not seem like they have much of a purpose. From putting paint on each other to the women showing love to their vaginas (no masturbation was involved), I have no idea how the producers came up with these ideas, and I don’t think they lead to much improvement. I was not going into the show expecting fine art. I know this is a guilty pleasure show that many would label “trash TV.” Still it is hard to believe that not only are people willing to act like this, but also do not have the self awareness to realize how they come across on TV. Even if producers told them what to do, they still did not care about these reputations being built.

While I was rolling my eyes after every other line, I felt it was interesting to put these unique people under a microscope. It was a lesson about relationships and shows that there really are people who think with their libido. I want to make it very clear, I am not slut shaming anyone and I consider myself a sex positive person who believes that people should do what they want as long as it does not hurt anyone. I just found the lack of restraint to be fascinating and how much these people are begging for attention. I guess those are reality dating shows in a nutshell. There has been no word on if this show will be picked up for a fourth season, and at this point, it will only get easier for contestants to figure out what show they are on when they try out. Would I watch another season? Only if I’m with a group of friends so we can laugh, I’m not going to suffer alone. If you want to take a break from thinking for a few hours or you want to see just how much sex can dominate the mind, watch “Too Hot to Handle” today.