Too Hot To Handle Season 3: 5 Contestants Who Deserved To Win (& 5 That Didn’t)

Following a 10-episode run, the lovable couple Harry Johnson and Beaux Raymond emerged victoriously on Netflix’s popular dating show Too Hot To Handle season 3. While they certainly deserved to win by following the rules, remaining loyal to one another, and eventually becoming an official item outside of the villa, several other contestants did their best to end up in the winner’s circle.

By contrast, some of the contestants made very little effort to take Lana’s celibacy rules seriously, ending in a quick dismissal or obvious disqualification to win the contest and earn the prize money. Some contestants showed genuine growth while others were happy to stay in their ways.

Deserved To Win

Stevan

When Stevan entered the villa, he portrayed a brash, blunt, bad-boy image with his body full of tattoos and piercings. However, after failing to make meaningful bonds with both Georgia and Olga, Stevan was forced to look inward and make personal changes.

By the end of the drama-filled Netflix reality show, Stevan opened up to reveal a big soft heart who would often weep anytime a fellow housemate was evicted. What really made him worthy of winning though was his conscious decision to put the feelings other before his own, something he demonstrated during Georgia’s apologetic heart to heart.

Obi

If any of the later entrants deserved to win, it was the ever-polite and law-abiding Canadian charmer Obi Nnadi. With a big beaming smile, Obi entered the villa and acted like a true gentleman by asking Jaz on a date. When she deemed him too short, his advances with Brianna ended much better.

Once Obi and Brianna paired up, they never strayed from each other nor broke the rules at any point during the competition of the guilty-pleasure dating show. The two showed a decent amount of growth by openly communicating and expressing their kinship as being superior to any other of theirs in the villa. Alas, by the time the finale came around, Obi’s efforts were probably too little too late.

Patrick

Other than perhaps Harry, Patrick was the only male contestant who really understood the objective of Lana’s challenges. The spiritual Hawaiian insisted the other men leave their womanizing ways behind and grow on an emotional level, leading yoga and meditation sessions to help them achieve such.

Alas, Patrick never actually found a romantic partner to reciprocate what he preached. Still, from day one, Patrick never seemed to fit the Paradise Island mold, and when he finally realized the retreat had nothing left to teach him, he left on his own volition. If one woman was willing to give Patrick a chance, he would have proven how much more mature he was than the others.

Nathan

Controversial as it may be, Nathan did officially end up as a season 3 finalist. Despite breaking multiple rules along with Holly, Nathan’s ability to stave off Olga and Brianna’s advances proved his loyalty to Holly. Moreover, Nathan’s one-on-one retreat with the shaman proved to Lana that he had genuine feelings for Holly that went beyond the mere physical.

The biggest redemption for Nathan came when he was afforded the chance after the retreat to rejoin the villa. Upon doing so, Nathan and Holly managed to obey the rules in the overnight suite and replenished $90,000 into the prize pool.

Georgia

Along with Nathan and the ultimate winning couple Beaux and Harry, Georgia was the remaining finalist. She earned her spot in the finals by showing personal growth and never compromising in her desire to find a true match. While romances with Stevan and Gerrie fell by the wayside, Georgia remained true enough to herself to gain winning consideration.

As the most popular cast member on Instagram, Georgia was also the most sought-after single at the start of the show. Four boys showed interest in her from the jump, meaning she had to parse whose intentions were true and which were superficial.

Didn’t Deserve To Win

Holly

Despite never wavering for a single moment in her heated passion for Nathan, Holly simply broke way too many of Lana’s no-contact rules to warrant a winning campaign. Showing almost zero restraint, Holly and Nathan broke Lana’s rules to the tune of more than $100,000 in penalty fees, including going all the way in a sexual tryst in the penthouse suite.

While Nathan was just as complicit, he atoned for his transgressions by partaking in a grueling one-on-one retreat with a spiritual shaman. Holly had no such therapeutic growth and remained the biggest rule breaker of the season.

Jackson

The brazen lack of remorse Jackson showed upon entering the villa and immediately busting Lana’s celibacy rules demonstrated his disregard for the game. The British bloke narrowed his lust down to Olga and Izzy, ultimately choosing the latter and quickly taking his clothes off in bed.

In no time at all, Jackson and Izzy kissed several times and ended their bedroom tryst with a $22,000 encounter, the only of its kind all season. But it was the callous and half-hearted apology Jackson gave to the group as Lana confronted them that proved how unseriously he took the whole competition.

Jaz

Although Jaz’s steadfast insistence on never playing runner-up to Izzy was admirable, she simply never engaged enough in the spirit of the retreat to warrant a win. She wasn’t a craven rule-breaker by any means, but she showed very little interest in Lana’s workshop exercises during the popular reality dating show.

Throughout the season, several group therapy sessions and expressive exercises took place as a way to increase confidence and communication. Jaz failed to genuinely engage in such, especially the face painting event during which the others had a blast. Between that and her doomed romance with Truth, Jaz was forced to make an early exit.

Truth

The most brazen disregard for the rules of the show has never been more articulately voiced than by Truth, who told Harry “I don’t give a f*** about making a genuine connection.” Far more intent on hooking up on Paradise Island, Truth formed a love triangle with Izzy and Jaz and had zero qualms about lying and leading both of them on.

As such, the Texas basketball star completely bricked his chance of winning the competition. Instead, his mendacious efforts were rewarded with a swift dismissal from the island.

Izzy

As the youngest contestant in season 3, 22-year-old Izzy showed her immaturity too often to win the competition. The incorrigible single threw herself at Truth, only to lunge at Jackson as soon as he entered the villa. As such, Izzy broke Lana’s no-contact rules with two different boys. She was also the very first rule-breaker of the season after kissing Georgia.

Although Izzy did remain loyal to Jackson for the rest of the season, she went too far by kissing, stripping, and racking up a $22,000 bill. There’s just no way that this type of behavior could ever win Too Hot To Handle.