Non-committal daters practice third season of self-control in ‘Too Hot to Handle’
Winter heatwave: January just got hotter as one of Netflix’s most popular reality shows returns to the streamer. After a fan-favorite Season 2 wrapped up this past June, “Too Hot to Handle” now returns for a third season of (mostly) celibate attraction, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 19, on Netflix.
Similar to other popular reality series “Love Island,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and “Temptation Island,” all of which prominently feature physically attractive young people living together in a remote location, and based on “The Contest” episode from “Seinfeld’s” fourth season, “Too Hot to Handle” places 10 self-proclaimed non-committal, fling-oriented adults in the same house and films their interactions as they take part in a series of workshops and games without being allowed any physical intimacy with one another.
Given the contestants’ penchants for short relationships, meaningless flings and one-night stands, each “hottie” in the group is competing against the habits of the others — and themselves — in a vow of celibacy for the $100,000 grand prize.The catch (other than being unable to kiss, become physically intimate or practice any form of self-gratification) is that anytime one of the contestants breaks one of the show’s rules, the prize money diminishes in value.
While Season 1 ended with all 10 contestants splitting a $75,000 prize (losing just a quarter of the funds along the way), Season 2 saw a few more indiscretions as the final prize money fell to nearly half its original value, and the winners left with a combined $55,000.
Casting news has yet to be released as of writing, but given current COVID-19 protocols and filming restrictions, it seems likely that Seasons 2 and 3 were filmed back to back in the same location, the British overseas territory of Turks and Caicos Islands. This means fans should prepare themselves for some familiar views amid the brandnew drama.
So why not turn up the heat this month and tune in to the Season 3 premiere of “Too Hot to Handle”? It all begins Wednesday, Jan. 19, on Netflix.
Buying and selling: Discovery Inc.’s relatively new-on-the-scene streaming service, discovery+, has been building its library at warp speed since its 2021 launch (it arrived in the U.S. on Jan. 4 last year, and on Oct. 19 in Canada). With most of its content focused on Food Network, HGTV and Magnolia programming — and the occasional paranormal, reality or docuseries for good measure — the service’s newest addition might stop home-design lovers in their tracks. “Selling the Hamptons” lands on discovery+ on Thursday, Jan. 20.
Following in the footsteps of Netflix’s canceled series “Million Dollar Beach House,” “Selling the Hamptons” follows the real estate company Nest Seekers International, based in the Hamptons, as they take clients and viewers through the area’s most luxurious, high-end beach houses on the market. Featuring the work of realtor Bianca D’Alessio and colleagues Peggy Zabakolas, Kenny Arias, J.B. Andreassi, Mia Calabrese and Michael Fulfree, “Hamptons” showcases the agents’ involvement in the cutthroat house-sales industry just as much as it does on the houses being sold.
Season 1 of “Hamptons” focuses on the particularly interesting 2021 sales season, the bulk of which took place between Memorial Day (May 31) to Labor Day (Sept. 6) last year and which saw record-breaking sales due to the travel restrictions and desire for a change of scenery brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, the series begins with a decadent open house hosted by Andreassi “at an ultra-modern, all-glass property featuring VIP guests who sparkle in black-tie attire, a driveway flanked by high-end luxury cars and fountains of champagne” (per the official logline). The official synopsis also notes that Zabakolas tries “to land her biggest listing ever — one of the most exclusive properties in the area, boasting a $35,000,000 price tag,” while “New York power broker and team lead, Bianca [D’Alessio], will arrive on the scene to make sure that everyone on the team is levelling up their real estate game.”
Don’t miss the lavish premiere of “Selling the Hamptons” when it lands on discovery+ on Thursday, Jan. 20.
Hear ye, hear ye: When the longtenured, Emmy-winning series “Judge Judy” left the air last July, cable television saw the opportunity for another courtroom reality series. “Judge Steve Harvey” premiered Tuesday, Jan. 4, and has since been making waves on major network television in Judy’s absence. Catch Harvey presiding over his courtroom when the next episode of “Judge Steve Harvey” airs Tuesday, Jan. 25, on ABC.
Known primarily as a comedian, actor and the host of the ABC game show “Family Feud” and its star-studded spinoff “Celebrity Family Feud,” Harvey has kept audiences in stitches with his well-timed quips and quirky observations for years. It only makes sense, then, that the TV personality would be well suited to offer his hilarious observational skills and personal experience to solve disputes from the bench.
Based more in his own life advice than in the law, Harvey has spent the past three episodes dishing out “sentences” for each of the cases presented before him. Ranging from unpaid debts and family squabbles to small claims and petty differences, Harvey uses his unique brand of humor and straightforward, no-nonsense advice to guide the plaintiff and the defendant towards amicable peace.
Don’t miss the latest episode of “Judge Steve Harvey” when it airs Tuesday, Jan. 25, on ABC.