Of late, I’ve been watching way too many whodunnits.
Although I love the thrill of the chase and the suspense, I needed a break from the intense action.
Then I latched onto Netflix’s “Selling Sunset” and, true to form, binged all four seasons within two days.
If you are wondering how I found the time to do so, I sacrificed my beauty sleep. Foolish in hindsight but patience isn’t my strong suit.
But the drama, the cattiness and the close-knit bonds forged by the cast left me envious as well as inspired. Talk about life goals!
After that, I found myself in a bit of a conundrum. What do I watch next? Do I default to my preferred comfort zone?
Even with the smorgasbord of options, I remained indecisive until I stumbled upon “The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals”.
With options limited when it comes to travel, especially with the third wave of the coronavirus in South Africa, I vicariously lived through the adventures of the three amazing hosts.
Seriously, if you haven’t watched it, set aside some time to do so.
Next, I was curious about season two of “Too Hot To Handle” after coming across a bit of talk about the show on social media.
Watching several hot single people trying to keep their libido in check at an idyllic retreat can’t be too taxing on my brain cells.
So I gave it a go.
Now I have to admit, the cast is hot. When they descend on paradise, they are all expecting to party up a storm and live out their wildest fantasies.
Let’s first check out the room-mates.
Melinda is a leggy 28 bombshell from New York City. She calls herself a firecracker. She loves to be showered with compliments.
“I’m a predator, I’m on the hunt,” she admitted with unmistakable pride.
Meanwhile, Carly, 24, seems to be a firm favourite among the guys at the villa. The self-confessed maneater hates rules, is commitment-phobic, and is only there to “have fun”. But life has other plans for this model from Toronto.
The ladies are then joined by Nathan, 27, a former stripper from Texas. Think “Magic Mike” material, here.
Emily, a ravishing tanned model from London, makes her way to the gathering. She doesn’t have to try too hard to turn heads.
While the early arrivals bond, two stallions join the party: Chase, 24, a professional footballer from Arizona, and Cam, 24, a model from Wales.
While Chase considers himself the alpha male, bragging about his six 15 shoes, Cam’s sexy nerd vibe gets Emily’s engine started.
Larrisa, 27, a lawyer from Auckland, New Zealand, is like a real-life Legally Blonde character. She claims to be funny but she hasn’t shown much of that side of her.
The other hotties joining the group include Peter, 24, a personal trainer from New York City and a Tik Tok influencer; Kayla, 26, who is a gorgeous Filipino and a part-time model, and lastly, Marvin, 26, a model, influencers, businessman as well as basketball player from Paris.
When Marvin walked into the villa, Melinda was left weak-kneed. She had her eyes set on sinking her claws into this tall, dark and disarming sex symbol.
While everyone undresses their options, Lana, their personal digital assistant, gives them a reality check by informing them that they are all on a celibacy retreat in a show called, “Too Hot To Handle”.
Jaws might have dropped but those libidos heightened.
Coupling started with some couples right from the outset. Chase moved in for the kill with Carly. Cam and Emily couldn’t keep their hands - or lips - off each other.
And Melinda marked her territory by hooking up with Marvin.
The sexual tension in the villa is palpable. But the cast is forced to play by Lana’s rules, which include: no kissing, no heavy petting, no sex and no self-gratification.
If there are any breaches, money will be deducted from the $100 000.
And the bigger the crime, the bigger the fine.
But not everyone is okay with cuddles and snuggles. Rules are broken and one couple is at the top of that list of sexual delinquents.
Of course, Lana sees and hears everything. Her attempt to encourage them to establish deeper connections gets derailed by raging hormones.
And it doesn’t help when Lana introduces two sexy guests: Robert, 29, who is a salesman from the UK, and Christina, 30, a drop-dead gorgeous pilot.
Christina, who is half-Italian and half-Portuguese, is from Cape Town, South Africa. And she isn’t afraid to go after what she wants.
Meanwhile, the guys are all smitten with this dark-haired beauty. And Cam has a tricky time juggling his attraction between Emily and Christina.
Egos are bruised, tempers flare and jealousy rears its ugly head as every cast member tries to fulfil their celibacy obligations.
“Too Hot to Handle” is dumbed down escapism. It’s mindless fun that’s good to look at but hard to critic!
“Too Hot To Handle” season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.