Gigi Lamayne’s saucy comments get a salty clapback
STREAMING platforms are saturated with dating reality shows like Too Hot To Handle, Love is Blind: After the Altar, Are You The One and Back with the Ex.
While the formats may differ, the end goal is the same – everyone’s looking for love and “the one”. And audiences can’t seem to get enough of being a fly on the wall on their dating journey.
On the homegrown front, viewers delighted in watching the matchmaking efforts on The Bachelorette SA and Love Island SA.
Now Showmax has joined the bandwagon, with Temptation Island South Africa, a show based on the Banijay-owned hit reality format.
I wasn’t au fait with the series when I watched episode one. And, for the better part of the episode, I enjoyed what I saw. And as the host, Phat Joe had a firm grasp of things.
We got to meet the four couples at the heart of the show. They are Justin Fritz, 31, a close protection officer, and Estelle Langa, 30, a strategic HR manager; Musa Qubinkomo, 26, a software developer and actress, and Sifiso Ndlazi, 27, a model, personal trainer and actor; Grant Manuel, 27, a biokineticist, and Precious Khumalo, 25, a customer service agent; and MJ Maponya, 29, a personal fitness trainer, and Nthabiseng “Nthabi” Maphago, 26, a model and events promoter. Now for the backstories. Justin and Estelle have known each other for 13 years but have been dating exclusively for five months. They met in high school – she was dating his friend. He wants to make “an honest woman” out of her but she, being cheated on in the past, is hesitant to make that commitment. The irony being, she is a self-confessed flirt.
Musa and Sifiso have been dating for a year and five months. They met on the set of a movie. With him being a traditional Zulu man and her being Xhosa, they often find themselves at odds over their cultural differences.
She isn’t a “yes-woman”. And she has trust issues with Musa after finding out he was in contact with another woman while they were together.
Then there is Grant and Precious Khumalo. They have been dating for four-and-a-half years. While she’s ready to take their relationship to the next level, he’s resistant to marriage.
The couple are at a stalemate in their relationship. Although they love each other, she is feeling under-appreciated and he is feeling pressured into doing something he isn’t ready to do.
The most confident couple appear to be MJ and Nthabi. They have been dating for 18 months. She says she trusts her man and will be giving the single guys “church hugs”.
I suspect the two are about to get a rude awakening on the show, though.
At the end of the day, the couples agreed to put their love to the ultimate test but it remains to be seen if they are prepared for what that decision entails.
For those unfamiliar with the format, the show takes four couples at a turning point in their relationship and gives them options by placing them among 10 singles, who unashamedly vie for their attention.
The big reveal of the singles joining the guys and gals at their separate villas were pretty spicy.
Let’s just say some of the bombshells, including rapper Gigi Lamayne, served up some pretty saucy comments while baring their man-eating claws.
The single hunks took a different approach and tried to sweet-talk their way into the ladies’ hearts.
Some couples went into this with rules and others didn’t, so when they were away from their other half, a different side surfaced.
Seeking clarity when there is so much temptation proves to be a huge conundrum for some of them.
While Nthabi was lapping up the fact that it was “raining men” at their villa, Precious was an emotional wreck. And Nthabi’s efforts to get her to lighten up failed miserably.
On the flip side, MJ was not feeling a confrontational Angelique Samuels and moved on. And Grant revelled in the attention he was getting, as was Sifiso.
The road to love isn’t without trials and, in this show, it will be about how the couples choose to weather the storms. Will they call it quits or will they fight for what they want?
I guess we will have to wait and see in the next episode, more so with Phat Joe putting their love through its paces.
Overall, I was left intrigued. The editing is tight. The contestants have distinct personalities that make them stand out.
And you can spot the troublemakers in paradise, so you know s**t is gonna get real, real soon.
The first episode of Temptation
Island South Africa is streaming on Showmax.