For the past week and a half, Too Hot to Handle has been the talk of quarantine. Yeah, I know that phrase is a little unsettling, but this is life now: We sit in our homes looking for things to distract from the stress of a global pandemic for a few hours. On April 17, the Netflix dating show about sexy people forbidden from getting frisky provided that diversion.
The show is only eight episodes and can easily be consumed in one day, so it’s no surprise the series soared to the top of the Netflix charts in the U.K., the U.S., and Canada. Fans of Love Island were likely drawn to the show because of the format: incredibly attractive people thrown together in a private villa to think about the next time they can bone. Too Hot to Handle removes the prospect of boning, yet we were hooked.
Netflix has had a good deal of success with reality TV lately. The Circle, the show that’s essentially about self-isolation, and Love Is Blind, a show about people getting engaged before they ever see each other, have both been renewed for two more seasons. Judging by its popularity, Too Hot to Handle will likely go the same way as the Netflix shows that premiered before it.
Looking to enter a career in reality TV? Here’s what you might need to know to get on board for Too Hot to Handle season 2.
You will need to wait—and probably for a while.
Netflix didn’t release a peep about the first season of THTH until the week before it premiered. Speaking as someone who did some social media research on all the contestants before the show, I know that most mentioned Too Hot to Handle at the top of their Instagram profiles days before the show was distributed to the masses. But before that, things seemed pretty hush-hush.
The Too Hot to Handle cast has been enjoying a steady rise in Instagram followers over the past two weeks, which means momentum from the first season is still going strong. Producers might want to ride this wave before getting a second season underway—so be patient.
You will need to be a commitment-phobe.
The one thing everyone on this show had in common when they were cast is that they were afraid of commitment. If you’re someone who rejects monogamy, then this show is for you—but be prepared to answer some intense questions about your dating life.
“When their casting tapes came to us…They were perfect,” producer Louise Peet told O Magazine. “They fit the bill in terms of their habits, in terms of their love lives, and their commitment phobia.”
There will be some serious competition
If you’re hoping to be one of the chosen few, do know that few is the operative word here. OK, “several,” is more like it. Per Digital Spy, 3,000 people auditioned for the first season of THTH, and only 14 cast members came out on top. The 10 contestants who made it to the end each got a cut of the remaining $75,000 pot, and all the cast members are Instagram influencers. Not a bad outcome for those slim odds.
The producers will have secrets and keep them as long as they can.
Production kept the no-sex rule close to the vest. Producer Laura Gibson told Vanity Fair that the contestants didn’t know about the no-touching rule until they were on the show. Those moments they were obliviously popping champagne bottles and celebrating their new lives in a sex palace truly depicted how they felt.
You might not know everything about the cash prize at first.
Gibson also told Vanity Fair that the folks in charge kept the potential contestants in the dark about whether they would get a cash prize. It was presented as a possibility, but all the prospective residents of the THTH villa knew they were in for the “hottest vacation ever.”