Too Hot To Handle Season 5 Episodes 1-4 Review: Featuring ten single contestants, Louis, Hannah, Courtney, Hunter, Megan, Dre, Alex, Christine, Isaac and Elyse, this season we see a $200,000 cash prize that gets smaller and smaller as the contestants start to break the rules of the game. With the narrator Desiree Burch in hand and the host Lana keeping them on track, the players go to Turks & Caicos for their forbidden paradise. The series is produced by Joshua Mayes and Viki Kolar, who have also created some of the challenges.

There are ten Episodes in every season, and so far, four episodes have been released, with the next three dropping at the same time later. Each episode lasts 45-50 minutes and will feature more singles as the series progresses.

– Too Hot To Handle Season 5 Episodes 1-4 Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –

Too Hot To Handle Season 5 Episode 1 Review

Already we start off strong and see the contestants for the first time. Personal opinion, these characters are so ditzy. The sheer amount of male gaze employed to run this show is blinding. If we were to remove every shot that employed the male gaze, there wouldn’t be anything to add to the episode. Additionally, all the characters are cisgender and heterosexual. There isn’t any gender or sexual diversity in the group of contestants.

There are certain things that sound concerning when other people would have said it, but somehow it is so normal when the contestants say it. Additionally, all the men are such big dude-bros; they all have such a male testosterone-leading energy that has to be retired for the 21st century. The only way for someone to enjoy this show is if the feminism floats out of their body like a wispy spirit. Not to mention, the narration does nothing for Too Hot To Handle. It would have been fine if all it did was give the audience context. The humour was not required.

Too Hot To Handle Season 5 Episode 2 Review

We get into this episode and see all our contestants in paradise, but they’re not allowed any sexual intimacy. For the rest of the episode, I wonder why they all act like they’re about to lose a limb. And this is not really a story or a structural grievance, but why does everyone stay naked all the time? Their mics could be put in better places if they were not constantly dressed in minimal clothing. The logistical issue with the mic can be fixed with better clothing rules. The Too Hot To Handle guidebook needs some updating.

As these people start to form bonds, the word ‘horny’ comes up a lot. If someone took a drink every time they said that word, they would be drunk too hard too soon. The way Lana, the cone, comes into this series is so odd. The AI consistently gives the feeling that we’re in the film I, Robot, and an apocalyptic rampage is about to come if someone steals a little smooch in the corner. Also, all of these people seem like they come from backgrounds that don’t require this cash prize, so it seems like the show is set up to fail the contestants.

Too Hot To Handle Season 5 Episode 3 Review

As the episodes start progressing, we start to understand that there are no concrete parameters to Too Hot To Handle, and it seems like murky ground to expect the contestants to pass the tests. While some of these couples do seem cute and have the quirks that make them fun, their transgressions and mistakes eventually become obvious. The whole dynamic then seems fabricated, and the conflict seems more petty than evolved and nuanced.

It’s supposed to be a reality show, but no one in reality ever speaks or acts like that. This is such a specific situation with such specific people that the show isn’t interesting anymore. There is no diversity in the cast. We watch the same five couples go through their motions and give us the same responses. At some point, it feels like they’re in high school, and we’re watching them navigate life in general.

Too Hot To Handle Season 5 Episode 4 Review

After spending so much time seeing these characters be their sex-crazed selves, it seems weird to include some emotionality in this. Why are viewers supposed to care about their emotions all of a sudden when there hasn’t been any kind of indication that we would be eased into that process? Additionally, sending them to workshops sounds like the show is sending them to learn some life skills that they should already know.

The idea that this AI is supposed to be some kind of Cupid is worse than signing up for a dating app. It becomes a caricature of emotion rather than actually pulling in the audience because of the authenticity of the characters. If the producers wanted us to care about the characters, they should have done a better job at giving them some kind of redeeming qualities. And if they’ve shown it to us, then the next thing shouldn’t be the characters going on all the things they said.

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Too Hot To Handle Season 5 Episodes 1-4 Review: Final Thoughts

Honestly, anyone who loves drama will love Too Hot To Handle. Additionally, while they all set a ridiculous beauty standard filled with unattainable or at least a very specific body type, they are incredibly good-looking. The thing that makes this show so infuriating to watch is the characters, who all seem like they walked out of a machine training them to be the most petty at all times. It isn’t fun to watch or interesting to see. Personally, the premise of the show in itself fell apart, but the writing and all the things mentioned above things made it even worse.

It makes sense why this show garners views, though. The drama and tension are appropriately placed to generate the most emotional response from the audience, even though all the characters fit into a trope like clockwork. Their responses may have been fake and fabricated, but it gets eyeballs and tickle that urge us to consume conflict that is not happening to us. Even though the reality show bit is not there at all, it still makes sense for people to get behind this show in such an enthusiastic way.

Too Hot To Handle Season 5 Episodes 1-4 are currently streaming on Netflix. Episodes 5-7 are dropping on the streaming platform on July 21, 2023.

What did you think of this season? Are the characters better than in the last season? Let us know in the comments below.

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