Netflix was right to reviveTemptation Islandafter its cancelation on USA, as it’s the perfect social experiment for 2025.Temptation Islandoriginally aired on Fox in 2001, where it ran for three seasons before getting canceled. In 2019, USA revived the show and aired five seasons. Now,Temptation Islandhas joined dating social experimentslikeLove Is BlindandToo Hot To Handleon Netflix.
Temptation Islandstruggled with ratings during its first iteration in 2001, but the show has become far more relevant today. The show asks couples to date a group of hot singles before deciding if they truly want to commit to their original partner or move on. In the age of dating apps and hook-up culture,Temptation Islandholds a mirror up to society.
Temptation Island Puts Relationships To The Test
The Show Is About Trust
Couples often enterTemptation Islandwith something to prove to their partners. Namely, that they can resist temptation and remain faithful. According toPsychologyToday, the best estimates suggest that20-25% of spouses cheat at some pointin their relationship.Temptation Islandallows people to test if their partner will engage in that behavior when given the option, rather than getting farther and farther into the relationship and worrying that their partner will cheat at any moment. Given the similar shows onNetflix,Temptation Islandhas found the perfect new home.
Temptation Islandalso asks participants to grow outside their relationships. In season 3 of USA’s version of the show, Erica Washington hoped her boyfriend, Kendal Kirkland, wouldn’t cheat on her again, only to be proven wrong at every turn. Despite his infidelity,Kendal assumed Erica would leave the islandwith him. However, Erica chose herself over a relationship with Kendal. Despite leaving the island single, Erica showed immense growth on the show and proved there’s more toTemptation Islandthan finding love.
Temptation Island Is A Reflection Of The Real World
There Are A Lot Of Fish In The Sea
Despite being a reality dating show where participants are away from the real world for weeks at a time, the show is a microcosm for dating in 2025. Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge have created the thinking that there are always more fish in the sea. One study, titledMate Choice Plurality, Choice Overload, and Singlehood: Are More Options Always Better?,found that more perceived mate options led to lower relationship satisfaction. In other words,if someone thinks they could get a better partner, they won’t be happy in their current relationship.
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Temptation Islandputs this idea to the test,making it a true social experiment. People likeTemptation Island’s Brion Whitelycame on the show to prove they could remain faithful in the face of temptation. In one of themost shocking moments ofTemptation Island, Brion had a threesome with two of the temptresses. Despite his actions, Brion expected Shanté Glover to forgive him, which she did. The two left the island together.
Brion wasn’t the only person to cheat on his season.Grant Larsen cheated on Ashley Moorealmost immediately after entering theTemptation Islandhouse. Grant, however, did not expect Ashley to take him back, and he left the island alone, despite his relationship with temptress Natalie Cruz. We’ll have to wait fora possibleTemptation Islandreunion episodeto find out if Grant and Natalie developed a relationship off the island.
Cast Members Are Given The Chance To Redeem Themselves
The Show Provides Closure
Couples go onTemptation Islandfor various reasons, although they all ultimately want to determine if they should stay with their current partner.Many couples enter the island due to infidelity.Since one person has cheated in the past, the other wants to test them and see if the cheating will happen again. Usually, the cheating partner cheats again when faced with temptation.Temptation Islandhas even turned non-cheaters into cheaters, as is to be expected given the title.
However, some people are able to redeem themselves on the island.
Shari Ligons and Javen Butler came toTemptation Islandin an eight-year relationship. Although they were high school sweethearts,Javen had cheated in the past, giving Shari trust issues. Plus, after so many years together, it seemed suspicious that Shari and Javen weren’t even married, much less engaged. Did they even really want to be together?
Shari was sure Javen would cheat again when faced with temptation. To Shari’s surprise, Javen was the only man on the first season of the USA iteration not to cheat.Temptation Islandallowed Javen to redeem himself and prove he could be the partner Shari needed. The two left the island engaged. Relationships require partners to choose each other, even if they could walk away or commit infidelity. Shari and Javen proved their love when they decided to stay together.
Mark L. Walberg Is A Great Host
He Tells The Cast What They Need To Hear
Mark L. Walberg is a reality TV veteranknown for hosting shows likeAntiques Roadshow,Russian Roulette,andThe Moment of Truth.Mark has hosted the show since its inception, providing a familiar face even as it changed networks. He plays an integral part in the dating show, hosting each of the bonfires and getting into the nitty-gritty of how each cast member feels about the shocking videos they watch of their partners.
Mark doesn’t let the cast members lie to themselves, to each other, or to him. If he asks a question and doesn’t think the cast member is being honest,he’ll call them out in the moment. Mark has been known to tell the cast members, “Now tell me how you really feel,“when they’re putting on a brave face or refusing to tap into their emotional side.
As a host,Mark doesn’t have any agendas.He doesn’t care whether the couples break up or stay together, so long as everyone walks away from the island different and better from how they came. In the first season of USA’s iteration of the show,Karl Collins wanted to leave the islandwith his girlfriend, Nicole Tutewohl. Nicole, however, realized throughout her journey that she didn’t have as much love or passion for Karl as the other women had for their boyfriends.
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Going into the final bonfire, Nicole fully expected to break up with Karl. However, he managed to rope her back into a relationship with him. That is untilMark stepped in and encouraged Nicoleto be honest with Karl. Nicole broke up with Karl and left the island alone, thanks to Mark’s motivation.
Temptation Islandmay not have been super successful when it first came out, but the show was ahead of its time. The show has a fantastic host and prompts interesting conversations among viewers.Temptation Islandhas proven to be an excellent show for 2025.
Temptation Island
Cast
Temptation Island, released in 2019, is a reboot of the 2001 reality series. It follows couples as they travel to a tropical paradise to test their relationships and decide whether they are ready to commit to one another for the rest of their lives.
