Three years ago, Too Hot to Handle was probably Netflix’s most successful reality format. International branches followed, which implemented the original dating concept in Brazil, for example. This year it was Germany’s turn: Too Hot To Handle Germany has been running on the streaming service for a few days.
Like almost every reality show, Too Hot To Handle Germany has to deal with a Fake suspicion deal with. We spoke to ex-candidate Dennis Droemer about it.
Where does the fake suspicion of Too Hot to Handle come from?
The appearance of staging is inherently greater in Too Hot to Handle because the contestants have to resist an artificial ban: No sex, otherwise consequences will follow. The show flips the premise of other dating realities.
Like Love Island, Too Hot To Handle Germany relies on beautiful people in tropical surroundings. In the Netflix show, however, participants are rewarded for being celibate – despite all temptations. Kissing, sex, masturbation: Any remotely sexual act will be considered a violation. If a candidate cannot hold back, this is reflected in the prize money. With each violation, the profit of initially 200,000 euros melts away.
Too Hot to Handle creates a parallel reality with its own laws. And in order for the show to work, the contestants must be prone to extreme behavior where these laws are a stark, intolerable limitation. Emely, Kevin and Co. really don’t seem to have anything on their minds other than sex.
This results in a contradiction: the irrational, always instinct-driven appearance of the participants, which is explicitly desired by the production, often seems incomprehensible and exaggerated to the audience. Just fake. How hard can it be to go without sex for a few days despite the money incentive?
So, will Too Hot to Handle Germany be helped so that the concept of the show works at all?
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Is Too hot to Handle Germany real? What candidate Dennis Droemer says about it
Dennis Droemer left Too Hot to Handle Germany after two episodes, partly because he didn’t feel comfortable with the show’s concept. In an interview with Moviepilot, he gave an insight into the shooting. Is everything really real on the show? “We are a totally real format”he says. “But of course there are always situations where the production asks if you could do it again.”
An example of such a situation: “When we came in, you could see that Laura and Tobi got along relatively well. Then there were small door openers that made things happen faster. Sometimes too quickly, especially in the first two days.” The participants hardly notice it and of course neither do the spectators: “They see a situation and enable it without you noticing. In retrospect, you then think: ‘But they were clever.'”
“There were a few scenes that were set, of course”
Droemer’s statements are consistent with the accounts of a participant in the English-language version of Too Hot to Handle. “They don’t force you to say or do anything you don’t want to do. They just nudge you in the right direction.” So there is no script in the show, but rather crash barriers.
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But even a reality show follows an arc of suspense and is dependent on something new happening. Dennis Droemer describes it this way in the Too Hot to Handle case: “There were a few scenes that were set, of course, where it was said, ‘Please talk about it today or about it.’ Just so that other images emerge. But in and of itself it’s all real.”
The behavior of Fabio, Tobias and Emely in Too Hot To Handle Germany may sometimes seem unbelievable to you. However, there are probably no major interventions in the behavior and interactions between the participants.