“Temptation Island’s” ninth season released on March 12, 2025, and caught new reality TV audiences by storm.
Hosted by Mark L. Walberg, four couples are split into two villas, a men’s and a women’s, to see if they are meant to be or if an attractive single can tempt them away from their partner.
Every week, the contestants go on dates with singles they have connected with. They then attend bonfires, where Walberg shows clips of what their partner is doing or saying in the other villa.
Although some are just discovering this show because of its Netflix debut, it has been around since 2001. The first three seasons, which originally aired on Fox, drew backlash because of the controversial premise of the show.
The show then took a break, but in 2018, the USA network announced that they were going to revive the show. Seasons four through eight came out in five years; the final season aired in August of 2023.
When Netflix announced it had taken over the show, fans of the original anticipated the release. Netflix is known for its iconic reality shows such as “Too Hot to Handle” and “Love Is Blind.” Adding the Netflix reality flair to an already iconic reality show sparked excitement.
The newest “Temptation Island” season has 10 episodes full of scandal, lust and heartbreak. Four main couples are featured, and they each have issues or problems in their relationships that they have come on the show to solve.
The first couple is Ashley and Grant. When they first appeared on the show, they had been dating for a year and a half. Grant cheated on Ashley one month into their relationship, and it had never been the same. Grant wanted to prove that he could be loyal to Ashley by going through the “Temptation Island” experience.
Throughout the experience, Ashley gains clarity, and Grant finds a new woman he wants to leave with, named Natalie. After the show, Grant and Ashley do get back together, but only for a short period, as Ashley realizes she deserves better.
The second couple is Tayler and Tyler, who were dating for two and a half years before going on “Temptation Island.” Tyler finds another woman to leave with, and Tayler decides to be on her own by the final bonfire.
The drama does not stop with the show, though, because, according to Daily Mail, Tyler is now dating a completely different girl and being disrespectful towards Tayler online by playing the victim.
“I definitely felt clowned, and I feel like now I can sit here with a clear head,” Tyler said on social media after the show.
The third couple is Shante and Brion, who were together for a little over a year. Similar to the other couples, Shante had trust issues, and Brion had desires that Shante could not fulfill for him.
Although Shante stayed loyal throughout the entire experiment, Brion was disrespectful and had affairs with many women. Ultimately, Brion decides to try and win Shante back, which proves easy for him. They left the island together and dated, but Shante recently posted on Instagram that they are no longer together.
The fourth and final couple is Alexa and Lino, who were together for three and a half years before the show. They set no boundaries for each other and genuinely wanted to work on trust and being secure in their relationship.
At the final bonfire, both stayed loyal to one another throughout the whole show, and Lino proposed. According to Cosmopolitan, they are still engaged, planning their wedding and even have a date set.
A Vox article states that there is no money to be won, just the opportunity for a free vacation, a hall pass and possible social media fame. Audiences are interested because contestants’ actions are outlandish and bring out emotions in many people.
KU freshman Maddie Torres started watching “Temptation Island” on Peacock during the fall semester with her roommate.
Torres said that it is popular because people love drama, and it brings out so much emotion.
“There are so many emotions when watching this show,” Torres said. “I get so angry and mostly really angry at men.”
Although the previous seasons are the same show, Torres said that the Netflix takeover is clear to see.
“You can tell with the budget change and everything, I think that it amplified it,” Torres said.
Torres also said that in the earlier seasons, you could tell people were doing it for the better of their relationship. As the seasons go on, it is obvious that people want more fame and also an excuse to cheat on their partner.
“I think in such an interesting time in our country, people now more than ever just want a distraction,” Torres said. “Who doesn’t love some trashy reality television?”
Not only does the show bring out emotion, but if someone is in a toxic relationship, they may see red flags in their partner that are also seen on the contestants of “Temptation Island.”
There is no official word or announcement about the tenth season, but if it were to be filmed and released, it would be on Netflix.
There is also no planned reunion to discuss the status of everyone's relationships and see each other again, unlike the previous seasons. However, there has been an unofficial reunion with three of the couples, Tayler and Tyler, Ashley and Grant and Alexa and Lino on The Viall Files, a podcast hosted by Nick Viall, a former Bachelor.
“Temptation Island” is available for streaming on Peacock, Netflix and is available to buy on Apple TV or Prime Video.
This article was edited by Arts & Culture Associate Editor Elyea Soileau. If the information in this article needs to be corrected, please contact elyeasoileau@ku.edu. We want to hear from you!
