Too Hot Handle is part of the Netflix reality TV universe and gained popularity back in 2020. Due to its exciting plot twists, dramatic cast members, and juicy entertainment, the dating show became a hit in a pretty short amount of time while introducing viewers to a group of contestants residing in the “guest retreat” every season.
Additionally, this retreat or villa is under Lana’s control, an AI assistant who has established a set of rules for the residents. If anyone plans on going against Lana and not following what she says, that person is fined an amount from the grand prize. So, the main task involves making sure no money is deducted from the prize fund.
For the first time ever in the show’s history, the winner will receive a quarter of a million dollars. However, for the amount to remain as it is, participants have to do what Lana asks them to. The main purpose of the contestants residing in this retreat is to make them work on improving their personalities and finding deeper meaningful connections by avoiding physical intimacy.
But not everyone is ready to listen to an AI assistant as they want instant gratification. Throughout the first seven episodes of Too Hot Handle season 6, viewers noticed how selfishly each contestant was playing this game. Lana also could sense that her warnings were not working so she announced that the prize fund was decreased to half the total amount due to the irresponsible behavior.
What’s new on Too Hot Handle season 6?
This season, Lana is testing the players by letting her clone Bad Lana take control of the retreat. Previously Lana used to plan these tasks and challenges for couples to test their loyalty. It helped them get some clarity on their situationships and love triangles.
However this time, contestants have to keep their eye on the prize fund as well as practice self-restraint. Bad Lana’s job is to tempt and persuade the couples into breaking rules and giving them information at the expense of a large fine. She also hides secrets and attracts the cast to take money from the fund to end their curiosity. In episode 1, Bad Lana introduced herself as Lana’s other personality.
“You are guests at this retreat, as you all have a very bad side to your personalities. Well, guess what? Lana has a bad side too. And I am it. Bad Lana.”
Lana also explained the reason why the new addition to season 6 was important — she wanted to test players and see how easily they could fall into Bad Lana’s traps. This will also help them focus on practicing self-control and thinking from their minds, not their hearts. The purpose of this experiment is to teach contestants that a strong connection is formed through patience and heart-to-heart conversations.
“Before I can help my guests evolve into the best versions of themselves, I need to see them at their worst. That’s why I have created Bad Lana, a machine-learning system, with a singular mission to encourage humans to succumb to their baser instincts.”
Lana has also planned punishments for people who have broken the rules and are considered a “threat” to her prize fund. Before elimination, the players who betrayed Lana will be sent to banishment quarters, a prison-like place away from the retreat. There they will stay for a limited time to think their actions through and regret their mistakes. In episode 2, Bri and Charlie are evicted from the retreat as they are not making an effort to find their one true love. Both of them pursued a physical connection with two other people which was against the rules. Their nonserious attitude and lack of true intentions to form an emotional connection led to their banishment.
A major twist was when Bad Lana entered the banishment quarters and spilled tea on what was going on in the retreat. She encouraged Bri and Charli to take $5000 to spy on their current partners through the villa cameras. As the Too Hot Handle cast members thought they had enough money in the pot and deducting a few thousand dollars wouldn’t impact the total amount that much, they were easily lured by Bad Lana’s tactics.
Bri and Charlie got so caught up in the thrill of getting exclusive information from the retreat that they ended up taking out $15,000 from a quarter of a million dollars.
What Lana did next was introduce new retreat guests to the show and plan blind dates for players who were already taken. This was done to test each couple’s connection and bond by presenting a new cast member who one of them would be interested in. For example for Demari’s blind date, Lana sent Valentina who “ticked all his boxes” and was exactly his type.
Demari had to remind himself that he was committed to Bri in the villa and that the blind date was just a test for him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t resist the temptation and broke the rule by kissing Valentina. This season is full of surprises and as the show format has now changed, viewers are hoping to see more plot twists in the show.
The temptation to explore connections with new people, risk deducting money from the fund, and refusing to listen to Bad Lana has made the show format more competitive. Let’s see if Lana gives the players a second chance to increase the prize fund through a team challenge or individual task. Or will she send more people to the banishment quarters? Stay tuned and stream Too Hot to Handle episodes 1 to 7 which are available on Netflix.
Fans can stream Too Hot to Handle season 6 exclusively on Netflix every Friday. The new episodes 8, 9, and 10 will be released on August 2, 2024. There might be a reunion episode as well, but it is not yet confirmed whether it has been filmed or not.