Netflix has premiered a brand-new season of Too Hot to Handle, a competitive dating reality series where sexy people try to forge meaningful connections, prioritizing them even over physical attraction. As one couple took the prize money for being able to keep their hands off each other, the winning duo almost broke up because of one hot bombshell — Valentina. So, where did she disappear to?
Valentina Rueda Velez was introduced in episode 4, “Clock Blocked,” and she chose Demari to go on a date with. The bombshell Latina managed to turn his head, kissing him during the date and almost breaking him and Bri up. Eventually, Demari and Bri were able to settle their differences and build a stronger connection, despite Valentina’s involvement.
While Valentina proved to be the controversial contestant we really needed, she suddenly disappeared and fans are all wondering: what happened?
Valentina left Too Hot to Handle too early
Valentina was one of the contestants who didn’t get to the season finale. However, she didn’t leave because she couldn’t find a hottie with whom to break the rules. Initially, Valentina posed a huge threat to the rest of the couples, and even threw unwarranted shade at Lucy and Charlie. However, she ended up settling to share the bed with the second “grenade,” Christian, and neither of them caused much drama overall.
Valentina didn’t say goodbye on camera, and Flavia briefly addressed her departure, with Desiree confirming she had to leave for “personal reasons.” The 23-year-old Colombian model didn’t publicly comment on her sudden departure. Valentina got a lot of questions about why she left, but she’s still keeping fans guessing.
Several fans online weighed in and noted that it might have been a family emergency that Valentina didn’t want to address. Princess_KittyMeow on Reddit wrote, “She had a family member pass away. She left to be there with her family,” but the information isn’t yet confirmed.
The Valentina effect still continues
Valentina was a huge bump in the road for Bri Balram and Demari Davis, the show’s winners. The two seemed to have a genuine connection and they are still working on their relationship, but Valentina continues to be a major sore spot for Bri. The winner explained that watching everything unfold on the small screen still hurts, even months after they filmed.
“I’m still upset watching it, hearing about it, seeing all the comments … and everything. It’s just actually seeing it in real life hurt more than knowing about it,” Bri told Us Weekly. “I think it’s just something that we’re just actively working on trying to get past it all, but it is very hard to watch on TV.”
“Me and Demari actually had a disagreement last night,” Bri explained. “It was more so, like, he was validating my feelings.” Although she and Demari are still working things out, her relationship with Valentina is still too cold to handle. “[We] do not get along in real life, I’ll just say that now,” Bri said. “She’s just not my cup of tea. We’ve had our disagreements and I’m cordial, that’s all.”
We’ll eventually learn why Valentina left, as fans keep hoping to see her on another dating show, like Love Island.