Temptation Island: Who Let The Sleaze Out?
by Andy Moseley - reprinted with permission from the February 2001 Mariners' Log
I'll be the first to admit it... I'm a sucker when it comes to reality shows. After all, I've dedicated a few articles right here in the Log to them in the last few months. I missed all but the finale of the original Survivor season, but I caught every episode in reruns. I have kept up with The Mole. Heck, I've even watched the last three seasons of MTV's The Real World and the last season of Road Rules. As stimulating as it is trying to figure out who "The Mole" is or who the tribe is voting off this time, the most intriguing of these shows is FOX Network's Temptation Island. Yes, it is majorly sleazy. Sure, it's full of cheap thrills. Yes, it has driven the morals of America down a few more notches. However, it sure has been fun to watch this season.
The format for Temptation Island is simple: four couples are put on an island for two weeks. It sounds easy enough, right? Well, these four couples have 26 snakes just waiting to feast on them. No, not the venom-filled snakes the gang of Survivor in Australia might have to confront, but 26 single people whose sole purpose in life is to cause a little chaos in the relationships. The four guys from the couples stay in a little hut on one side of the island, which coincidentally is the same side of the island that the 13 single women inhabit. The four women are on another side of the island with the 13 single men.
Each night, the eight "tempt-ees" go on a date with one of the single folk. Sometimes the temptee gets to choose his or her companion, sometimes the partner gets to choose, and sometimes it is just random luck. Later on, the temptees convene in the FOX-style tribal counsel area and are given the choice to view unedited video of their partner's date as well as the choice of sending a video message to their partner. Each day, the group of four guys gets to vote off one single girl, and the four women do the same with one single guy.
Just to bring all of this together in a neat little package, our faithful host is Mark L. Walberg. No, not the actor Mark Walberg formerly known as Marky Mark. THIS Mark Walberg is previously known from . . . let's just say that he is not uncomfortable in a sleazy format.
First, let's take a look at the four couples. Couple #1 is Andy (no relation) and Shannon, who have been together for five years and live in Malibu, CA. They are a pretty plain couple, Andy with short, dark hair and Shannon with blonde. Our second couple is Atlanta's Billy and Mandy, who are probably considered the most attractive of the couples and have been together for a year and a half. (Is that long enough to even consider doing something like this?) Anyway, Billy is the athletic-looking type while Mandy is the orange-haired "wild child" of sorts. Next is another couple that has been an item for a year and a half, Kaya and Valerie of Miami Beach, FL.
Without question, the most talked-about couple of the series is Taheed and Ytossie of Los Angeles. They've been together for five and a half years, and Taheed admits that he has stepped out on Ytossie before. Well, FOX apparently didn't learn from the Who Wants To Marry a Multi-Millionaire mistakes, because once again a minor fact was overlooked during auditions. During taping, it was found that the couple has a child. Oops. They were kicked off the show, and FOX is again looking mighty bad.
Okay, so the couples seem pretty normal (excluding a hidden child here and there). The 26 singles, however, are a totally different breed. Ladies first! The one that local viewers should probably keep an eye on is 25-year-old Patti, who just happens to be Miss Georgia 2000. Our state is so proud. There's also Yvonne, a 26-year-old advertising executive. They are joined by 26-year-old Heather, a backup singer/dancer for Jimmy Buffett, and Megan, a former Laker girl who is 25. Venus, who was probably chosen on name alone, is a 28-year-old triathlete, while Alison is a 28-year-old former Playboy model. Gee, I wonder why she was chosen; my guess is that producers loved her charming personality. The pink-haired Carla is a 22-year-old bass player in a rock band, and fellow 22-year-old Elizabeth is a real estate agent. Lawonna is a 25-year-old former college track star, which will be good when she's running from the girlfriends of the guys. Lisa is 25 and a bartender when not spending her time tempting guys in relationships. There is also 26-year-old Britt, an attorney, and Vanessa, 22, is proud of being a former cover girl for Perfect 10. Well, I don't know that being the cover girl of a magazine full of naked women works on many resumes, but I guess it does it well on Temptation Island. 26-year-old Lola is a model/actress best known for portraying a dancer in a strip club in Madonna's recent video of her hit song "Music."
The crop of 13 single guys contains the same amount of sleeze, and let me tell you . . . some of these guys are cheesy. Ace is a 25-year-old former college football player who apparently wasn't good enough for the NFL but was a perfect player in the Temptation Football League. (Hey, maybe he has a future in the XFL). There is also 29-year-old Maceo, a musician and the son of NFL great Mercury Morris. Keith is 26 and is a small business owner. Evan is a 28-year-old model/actor as well as a drummer. With an almost real job, there is 29-year-old Matt, who works in public relations. Jim, an artist, is the old guy on the island at 31. Charlie is a 29-year-old entertainment reporter (my hero, since at this rate, one day I will be able to say that I'm a 29-year-old entertainment reporter, still writing about reality shows and doing trivia). Johnny, 26, is a singer/poet who announces that he likes the ocean. (How original! How poetic!) Tom is a 27-year-old Ivy League graduate and is the founder of an online dating service. Yeah, he's a perfect fit. Greg, 29, is a naval flight instructor. Jon is 27, a special education teacher, normal, who apparently landed on the wrong island. Finally, we have Sean, a 23-year-old masseur, which pretty much made him a favorite of the four women.
Through press time, in the episodes that have aired, the sleaze and temptation have definitely been there. The raciest moment by far occured during Mandy's date with Maceo. Not only were the two treated to near-nude mudbaths, but they shared a nice, juicy kiss with a piece of fruit in the middle (passion fruit, if FOX played its cards right). When given the choice to watch the unedited clip of Billy's date later, Mandy chose yes, which automatically meant that Billy had to watch the clip of her date. As you would probably expect, FOX chose the clip of the kiss, and Billy was understandably upset. Abandoning any possibility of rational thinking, Billy sashayed into his cabin of his date for the night . . . and the week's episode ended there. Ooooh, cliffhanger! Viewers at home have also been treated to the single guys' putting on a show for the four temptee women, highlighted (or lowlighted) by such fashionable outfits as the classic leaf over the midsection.
As morally challenged as it may seem, Temptation Island has proven to be a popular show. It has kept pace with The West Wing in the ratings since it debuted a few weeks ago, and its audience is growing. There is no sign of slowing down, and as far as no further controversy appears, all signs say go for a second season. After all, with taping lasting only two weeks, it would be simple for FOX to crank out several editions a year.
Does Temptation Island deserve the attention it is getting? Probably not. Is it a blast to watch? Absolutely.
