Too Hot To Handle: Who Is Still Together From Season 1 (& Who Isn’t)

Some new couples were spurred from the most recent season of Too Hot To Handle, but if the longevity of relationships from season 1 are any indication, those romances may be short-lived. The Netflix original series challenged young singles to put aside their physical desires with no kissing or sex during a one month retreat at a tropical villa in order to form deeper connections, and that test did result in some successful couplings for the original cast. Yet outside the bubble of the villa, those relationships got put to the real test.

At the end of the first season, three couples left the villa together: Francesca Farago and Harry Jowsey, Lydia Clyma and David Birtwistle, and fan-favorite “SharRhonda,” the couple name dubbed for Rhonda Paul and Sharron Townsend. Nicole O’Brien and Bryce Hirschberg didn’t have many sparks during filming, but the two kindled a romance during a stay at a hotel Mexico with the entire cast shortly after the season wrapped.

A few of the other original cast members had flings both on and off screen, but none that developed into full-on relationships. The debut season of Too Hot To Handle definitely reached its goal of inciting romance between its cast, but when faced against the real world, those romances mainly became, fittingly, too much to handle.

Francesca Farago and Harry Jowsey

These two always kept fans guessing. The frequent flirtations between Farago and Jowsey during the season were a big will-they-won’t-they pull for viewers, as well as a cause for hefty deductions from the cast’s prize money. After filming wrapped, the pair dated for several months, got matching tattoos, and Jowsey even proposed to Farago during the show’s virtual reunion, albeit with a Ring Pop. It looked like they might be the new reality TV it couple. However, with COVID-19 travel restrictions keeping the two apart, the distance began to take a toll on their relationship. After breaking their engagement, then dating on-and-off for several months, Jowsey and Farago broke up for good.

Farago released an emotional YouTube video explaining the circumstances of their parting, and the distance, which Jowsey claims was the sole factor, doesn’t seem to be the only reason for the split. In the video, Farago talked about how the reality of their relationship was much different than what was portrayed to the public. “I don’t think anyone should be put in a situation where you are extremely unhappy and aren’t being treated the way you should be treated,” she said. In response to the backlash from Farago’s video, Jowsey told his side of the story, explaining that he simply fell out of love. The two traded quips on social media for a few months, which escalated to Jowsey threatening to sue Farago for causing a steep loss of followers and damaging his brand. Despite everything, at least one thing has stayed consistent about their relationship: it’s certainly the most talked about of the season.

Lydia Clyma and David Birtwistle

As a late-comer to the season, Clyma caught Birtwistle’s eye quickly when she arrived in the sixth episode. The two spent less time together during the retreat than others, but still formed a bond that seemed as if it could really go somewhere. And unlike their long-distance counterparts, both Clyma and Birtwistle hail from the U.K. But alas, much like the cast abiding by the no sex rules on the show, it was not meant to be. Birtwistle told O, The Oprah Magazine that they had decided to part ways, but that he and Clyma still have a great fondness for each other.

Nicole O’Brien and Bryce Hirschberg

While the main focus of the series was forging emotional connections, some of the strongest bonds of the first season’s cast developed off screen. Nicole and Bryce got to know each other better outside of the constraints of the show and kept their dating a secret until the season was released. Unfortunately, like a few their other cast mates, long-distance stresses started to tear apart their relationship. Hirschberg is based out of California while O’Brien splits her time between London and Ireland, and after 13 months together, the distance became too much. “After the many failed attempts to reunite due to quarantine and border restrictions, we decided that moving on and remaining friends would be our best option for the time being,” Hirschberg said in an interview with People. Supposedly the decision to end the relationship was mutual, though O’Brien hasn’t publicly addressed their break-up and has removed photos of the two of them from her Instagram.

Rhonda Paul and Sharron Townsend

After Townsend asked Paul to be his girlfriend during the season, fans were charmed by the new beau getting to meet Paul’s son over FaceTime. It was one of the few moments in the show that brought real sincerity to the budding relationships. Though even that level of connection couldn’t topple the obstacles that living far apart from each other brings. Paul and Townsend announced they weren’t together in an emotional revelation during the cast reunion, explaining that their communication had lapsed after filming ended. Of the break-ups of season 1, this split seemed to be the most amicable. Paul claimed in an Instagram post that they were “cordial and happy” with their decision to separate, and that the pair has stayed friends. Or maybe something more than friends, as fellow cast mate Nicole O’Brien said to Heart that Townsend wants to give the relationship another go. While Paul has begun a new relationship and wants to focus on her son for the time being, there may still be hope for SharRhonda.

It’s safe to say that Too Hot To Handle offers its sexy singles plenty of opportunities for connection (even when it’s against the rules) but for the couples who left season 1 together, that connection fizzled out quickly once the cameras were off. The second season is now on Netflix, with the third already having wrapped filming. Does the same fate lie in store for all of the show’s couples? Maybe in addition to the prize money, contestants should get their own version of virtual host Lana to help provide rules to staying together.

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