What are the Too Hot to Handle rules? Plus how much contestants lose for breaking them
Would you risk three grand for a kiss?
Netflix's reality dating series Too Hot To Handle is scorching back onto our screens for a second season that sees a batch of singletons try – and usually fail – to live together for four weeks without any sexual activity.
Too Hot To Handle is quite possibly the only dating show that discourages any heavily flirty interactions, as any sexual contact at all (even kissing!) can result in thousands being deducted from the $100,000 prize pot.
The concept for the dating show certainly sounds out there, as does placing a monetary value on kissing, but as the Too Hot To Handle season two cast enter the brand-new luxury villa for a summer of (no-contact) love, here are all those pesky rules explained.
What are the rules of Too Hot To Handle?
Too Hot To Handle sees 10 commitment-phobic singletons gather at a tropical island for a reality dating show, with the no-sex twist not revealed until the contestants get there and the cameras are rolling.
The contestants are then encouraged to work on personal growth and build deeper connections with each other, with a prize of $100,000 up for grabs if the group can go four weeks together without any hanky-panky.
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Money will be deducted from the prize pot if any sexual activity takes place – which includes kissing, heavy petting, sex, or solo self-gratification.
Of course, several activities will be lined up to tempt the contestants, from massage classes to fancy dress parties and even a private suite for couples who build a deep enough connection.
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How much are contestants fined on Too Hot To Handle?
This is no $50 monopoly fine – each time the contestants get intimate it costs the villa thousands(!). From the antics that took place in season one, we know the fines for the following activities:
- Kissing - $3K
- Oral sex - $6K
- Sex - $20K
The news is revealed by the villa's Alexa-style virtual assistant called Lana, so all contestants are aware when money starts going down the drain.
The fines were decided by producers Viki Kolar and Jonno Richards, who told The Wrap how they chose the price tag of each offence.
“There were these sort of long discussions to work out what was the right amount to be a penalty when they got it but people could still work with that,” Richards said. “It wasn’t like there was a bar tab up on the wall saying, ‘This is what X costs, this is what Y costs.'"
Kolar added: "We wanted to make it acceptable to break the rules so that we would have a show but we also didn’t want to be too much about the money."
Are there any loopholes in the Too Hot To Handle rules?
Contestants still have to share a bed at night, so cuddling is permitted so long as no other funny business takes place. Showering together was also went unpunished last season.
THTH contestants were given a special watch which would light up green if Lana felt a couple had formed a genuine connection. The two would then be given free rein to break the rules but would have to stop when the watch returned to neutral.
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There was also an opportunity to gain money in season one; serial rule breakers Harry and Francesca were able to win back the $26,000 they had lost by spending a night together in the private villa without any touching.
It remains to be seen if season two will have a similar opportunity to rebuild the prize pot – or if there'll be any money left in it, which seems doubtful, judging by the Too Hot To Handle season two trailer.
Too Hot To Handle season two episodes one to four arrive on Netflix on 23rd June. Season one is available to stream now. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV Guide. Visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
