Too Hot to Handle: Why Kayla & Seb’s constant rule breaks aren’t as entertaining as they should be

Netflix’s season four of Too Hot To Handle brought yet another group of “horny” singles to a romantic resort and put them to the ultimate test: resisting their physical urges. In this season, one couple -- Kayla Richart and Sebastian Melrose -- was a bit too unapologetic about how many times they failed that test.

So much so, they’ve put me off the show entirely.

Like every season before it, the series begins with 10 “super-hot singles” arriving at a a luxury resort in Turks and Caicos for a dating show, where they are seemingly prepared to have as much casual sex as possible. Much to their surprise, an Alexa-type speaker named Lana appears and reveals to the contestants that they are actually on Too Hot to Handle.

They’re presented with new rules: If any two people get physically intimate with each other, it financially impacts the rest of the group and causes money to get deducted from the total prize fund. At the end of the season, the money left in the prize fund goes to one contestant or couple. Prices for physical acts vary, with one kiss costing $3,000, while the heavy petting and oral sex can go up to $6,000. The priciest rule break of them all is sex, which costs $25,000.

This season, the fund got a $100,000 boost from previous years and had a starting total of $200,000. The fund increase meant that the price of the rule breaks doubled. While this meant some were more encouraged to keep their hands to themselves, this was no barrier of entry for Kayla Richart and Sebastian Melrose.

From exchanging kisses to having sex in the shower, Richart and Melrose’s actions rightfully irritated the rest of the contestants. The pair personally caused everyone to lose over $65,000 dollars. And though part of the fun of watching reality TV is to be entertained by the absurd drama, I couldn’t find any enjoyment out of this couple.

Every time they broke a rule, it showed the lack of respect they had for everyone around them -- and they just kept doing it! Their whole situation, combined with their lack of remorse or empathy, felt scripted and even insulting to viewers. All of us reality TV fans can agree that we’re open to suspending our disbelief about producers getting involved or over-the-top things just randomly “happening,” but these two? They’re, perhaps, my breaking point.

In just episode three, the couple broke three rules. Two of which were kisses: one in their bed and one in their shower. To no one’s surprise, that third rule break also happened in that shower. Richart ultimately confessed to the group that she “only slightly” touched Melrose’s penis with a loofah and didn’t think that’d be a rule break. This set of rule breaks cost the group a total of $18,000, prompting justified anger and disappointment.

Despite gaining some of the group’s trust back after spending a night in a private suite without breaking the rules, Richart and Melrose later made it clear that they could never be trusted. Just two episodes later, they took yet another shower together and revealed they’d had sex. This cost the group $50,000.

Additionally, a factor that makes me question Richart and Melrose’s inability to keep away from one another is how long contestants are at the actual retreat. While the time frame is spotty, it appears that these singles were only in Turks and Caicos for about a month. (Back in 2020, Too Hot To Handle’s producer Louise Peet told People the filming for season one took about “21 to 25 days”.)

So, we’re meant to believe that season four’s biggest offenders couldn’t get through just 30 days of no sex? That’s a bit of a stretch.

When Richart and Melrose were called out for being selfish by having sex, it didn’t seem to phase them. Their apologies felt disingenuous, like they didn’t have any regrets about doing the deed. When you have to choose between 30 days of no sex or $200,000, it’s baffling to think that someone in the real world wouldn’t choose the latter. But, of course, this is Netflix and not the real world.

The couple’s lack of consideration for those around them was likely the whole point. Perhaps the show wanted a couple who took the retreat as a joke so they could make them out to be the problem. After all, good TV calls for a villain and nothing says great TV like two villains.

However, they weren’t necessarily the most interesting villians. The entire start of their relationship was centred on how they were the biggest rulebreakers, a recurring trend for the show that’s boring after three seasons. Their role as the show villains made it difficult for me to root for them and only perpetuated my doubts about the legitimacy of their connection.

Melrose and Richart calmed down towards the last three episodes of the season and were no longer causing problems with their rules breaks. They ended the show as boyfriend and girlfriend and were even one of the two couples up to win the grand prize of $89,000. Though, ultimately, the money went to couple Jawahir Khalifa and Nick Kici.

Following the premiere of the season finale last week, it remains unclear if Richart and Melrose are still together post-show. Neither of them have confirmed their relationships on Instagram, not that I particularly care.

After spending a week watching Melrose and Richart, I’ve decided I’m cold on Too Hot to Handle and won’t be tuning in next season.