One of the most popular reality show aired on Netflix is by far the Too Hot to Handle.
Let’s find out more about it!
- Contestants had no idea about the rules beforehand.
- According to producer Laura Gibson, the cast members were none the wiser about the sex ban before Lana, the show’s virtual assistant host, broke the news to them.
- All the producers told the cast was that they would be in a tropical location for one month, they could win a prize, and dating was involved.
- The bad news wasn’t dropped on the cast until 12 hours after they arrived, giving ample time for the singles to get to know each other.
- If the cast can withstand a month abstaining from any sexual practices of any kind (including kissing, sex, and even “self-gratification,” as Lana put it), they’ll receive a $100,000 prize
- For every rule break, money gets taken out of the pot.
- The producers then took their sex ban idea and formatted it like the hit reality series Love Island, which has aired in the U.K. since 2015.
- The idea of a global cast was enticing for Netflix because it suits a broader audienc
- Netflix’s production team set up south of the border in Mexico. Specifically, in a beachside villa in Punta Mita, Mexico.
- The crew spent up to 29 days filming the first season in April,2019.
- According to Trip Advisor, it costs approximately up to $15,600 a night to stay at the seaside villa
- The AI device called Lana was inspired by Amazon’s Alexa.
- It would communicate with the cast—and listen in on them to gather personal data.
- Actress and comedian Desiree Burch is the Too Hot to Handle narrator.
- Producers were looking for a specific kind of personality.
- “Sexy, sexed up, and charismatic” is what producers were looking for when they were casting the show, according to Netflix.
- In fact, many of the people who ended up being cast didn’t even apply to be on the show.
- The singles were all 20-somethings for a reason. “As an older person, I knew that I would always go for the cash, but I know that my 19-year-old self would have gone for the sex,”, the producer told Oprah magazine.
- Production made sure the cast didn’t meet before filming.
- Unlike some reality shows, where the liquor is flowing, producers on THTH made sure the contestants were drinking in moderation.
- The food was prepared by a five-star chef.
- No cell phones were allowed.
- Every time the singles engaged in behavior that broke the sex ban, the prize money decreased.
- They eventually settled on $6,000 [for oral sex].
- It was someone’s job to make sure that even in the middle of the night people weren’t breaking the rules.
- The cast was given some time off from the camera for group dinners each evening and they were allowed to turn off their mics, too.
- The cast wasn’t paid to appear on the show.
- Some cast members slept on the floor.
- The show allowed contestants to touch one another—they just weren’t allowed to let it turn into “heavy petting”.
- The couples were rewarded for good behavior.
- The retreat didn’t have a countdown on purpose.
- First, the show’s premise was inspired by an episode of Seinfeld where the characters hold a competition to see who can go the longest without masturbating.
- Even the showers had cameras in them, making “self-gratification” basically impossible.
- The cast got to hang out for a couple of days in Mexico when filming finished — without cameras.
- The cast weren’t told about the prize money until day two.
- Matthew Stephen Smith, aka “Jesus,” once actually played Jesus in a short movie.
- Matthew was also a contestant on Season 21 of America’s Next Top Model.
- arry was also on another reality show before THTH — Heartbreak Island. He won $100,000 with his then-girlfriend Georgia Bryers and the pair announced they had split up a few days after the show aired.
- And Sharron was on an MTV show where people undress each other.
- Transcribers would have to listen and figure out if certain noises were a sign of rule-breaking or just a toilet visit.
