This week’s super-sized episode of Temptation Island was quite the emotional rollercoaster. Every one of the couples, minus Kendal Kirkland who is already perfect in his mind, had a breakthrough or revelation about themselves and their current relationship. Luckily for them, they are on the show with the best host therapist combo, Mark L. Walberg, to work them through it.
The episode started where we ended last week, with Kristen Ramos opening up about of the tragic death of her brother. Kristen confirmed to Mark that she stayed with Julian Allen after he cheated because he provided emotional support after her brother passed. Kristen added she hoped she could finally open up now that she had shared this information. It’s definitely one step closer towards her healing. Next up was the guy’s bonfire, and the foreshadowing of some serious trouble between Thomas Gipson and Chelsea Orcutt’s relationship.
For now though, Thomas was still care-free as he watched Chelsea get closer to Blake Eyres, because he was getting closer to Sophia Perez. But by next bonfire, Thomas wouldn’t be smiling. Julian saw Kristen talk about how she didn’t know if she could ever trust him. Julian admitted he cheated because he was an, “ignorant, arrogant, a**hole.” Nice cut to Kendal’s face during that remark by the way. Julian shared something was missing within himself during that time, but he didn’t feel that way now. Mark concluded Julian should tell Kristen that information so she might be relieved.
Corey Sobczyk watched as Shaquille Urie gave a bunch of insincere compliments to Erin Smith. I don’t know what happened, but Shaquille was more fun during the first few episodes, and then got kind of weird after the whole Blake the fake drama. Corey said he wasn’t upset like he would have been in the past because he was feeling more self-confident. Go, Corey!
Kendal saw a clip of Erica Washington confess she felt humiliated by his actions. Kendal acted befuddled as to why she was upset since they had agreed to “no rules.” Mark called him out and said he thought Kendal would be relieved if Erica cheated on him as it would give him another excuse to justify his cheating behavior. Kendal denied that, but we all know it’s true.
When the girls got back to the villa, Erica and Chelsea unloaded to Blake and Jesse Stephanos on their experiences at bonfire. Erica was exhausted, and bluntly told Jesse she watched a clip of Kendal having a threesome. Jesse vowed to be there to support Erica, and said that Erica’s relationship should have been over a long time ago. Amen! Chelsea pulled Blake aside and said that Thomas saw her open up, and now he’s going to use that as an excuse to go back to his bachelor lifestyle. As far as I’ve seen, Thomas hasn’t done anything worse than what she has done, but Chelsea doesn’t seem to want to recognize that.
The next morning on Chelsea and Blake’s date, Blake continued to be Blake the fake as he told Chelsea his mom would love her, and how great her eyes looked. Blake may have it together career wise, but he’s about as trustworthy as Tom Triola who was kicked off the island for causing drama. Meanwhile, Sophia told Thomas she was planning to move to Los Angeles to be with him because what they have is “so real.” Hey, it’s always a good idea to move across the country for a man you’ve only known for a few days and who is still in a committed relationship, right? Thomas responded to Sophia’s declaration by writing his name on her backside using exfoliator. And one wonders why this man has never been in a committed relationship before Chelsea.
Things were going well with Erin and Griffin Libhart until Griffin asked Erin how bonfire went. Erin ran off crying and admitted she felt angry and pushed people away when they got close to her. We get more information as to why Erin feels this way later at bonfire, but for now Erin realized she needed to stop suppressing her feelings. Amanda Spain-Butts and Corey had a heart to heart. Corey shared he thought that Erin was the best he could do and Amanda let Corey know he shouldn’t be in a relationship that didn’t “fill his cup up.”
Erica had a sweet date with Jesse. They talked about how much they cared about their families and how they would stay in touch after the show. Jesse reiterated his concerns to Erica about her going back to Kendal when Erica mentioned Kendal said she spent too much time with her family instead of working on herself. AKA, Kendal’s mad she’s not at home fawning all over him and taking care of his needs. Because it’s all about Kendal, you know.
Speaking of, Kendal and Alexcys Homan also talked about family and how they wanted a ton of kids. Can anyone picture Kendal being a responsible parent? However, Alexcys daydream of having ten of his kids were crushed when Kendal admitted he didn’t know where things stood with her or Erica. Which was BS, he knows exactly what he wants…to keep hooking up with Alexcys, and then tell Erica to sweep it under the rug and go home with him.
Julian took Maya Morsi out for his date. He informed Maya he has a hard time connecting with Kristen because she bottles up her emotions, and that the reason they are still together is because they each suffered major losses in the family. At the same time, Kristen was having a similar conversation with Juwan Haynes. She informed him of the loss of her brother, and Juwan shared he also lost someone to an over-dose. It was a touching moment between the two of them. Kristen then dropped the bomb she was afraid of was unexpected loss and Julian leaving her. Both Kristen and Julian had major breakthroughs this episode, which more than likely will bring them back together in the end.
At the guys villa, things lightened up with a masquerade party. Nickole Ciszak pulled Alexcys and Kendal aside to know her part in their “throuple” because she didn’t want to get hurt. They better watch out, all Corey did was ask another girl on a date and Nickole lost her sh*t. But the way things are going, I highly doubt Kendal has any plans on giving Nickole the boot.
Sophia put the moves on Thomas by kissing every part of his face but his lips. Thomas behaved though and didn’t give in. But over at the girls villa, Chelsea was practically on top of Blake in the pool. Earlier, Chelsea told the girls she was scared because she didn’t think about Thomas during her date with Blake. Chelsea and Thomas seem to be going their separate ways, but is it for the better?
The next morning Erin played therapist to Chelsea and Erica. First up was Chelsea, who told Erin about her feelings for Blake. Luckily for Erin, she was busy painting her toe nails so she could easily tune out Chelsea and her constant flip-flopping feelings about Blake. Next up was Erica, and they discussed what Kendal might say when this was over. Erica nailed it when she said Kendal was going to say that they had no rules. She added the point of no rules was for him to show his true character, and boy did he ever.
At guys villa, Tula Poindexter and Amanda grilled Sophia as to when she was going to kiss Thomas. Sophia said she tried, but even when she’s drunk she still respected that he’s in a relationship. With the way Chelsea’s been acting around Blake, I don’t see Thomas holding off on kissing Sophia much longer.
Tula then asked Kendal if he was going to leave the island with Erica. Kendal said that Erica knew what he brought to the table, but Tula wasn’t buying it. In her confessional, Tula said if it was her man making her cry she would be coming for his throat. We need more Tula, y’all! Then an eerie evil villain type music started to play in the background as Kendal told Tula if Erica was cheating on him, she couldn’t handle it like he could. Then Kendal did his favorite thing, which was to look into the mirror to admire himself.
And now we’re already back to bonfire! Erica watched a clip of Kendal and Alexcys talking about having a family. Erica wished she could warn Alexcys that Kendal wasn’t showing his true colors. I would argue that Kendal showed exactly who he was, and it’s not pretty. Kristen watched as Julian told the guys he changed who he was to make her happy, but that’s not making him happy. Kristen had another breakthrough and admitted it wasn’t always Julian’s fault, but her trying to control a bad outcome. It took opening up about her brother for her to realize she was afraid of being heart broken. Mark was sweet and said he was proud of her.
Then it was Erin’s turn to drop a bomb. Erin saw a clip of Amanda and Corey discussing his vulnerability. Erin was upset at their closeness, and said that she had trust issues and was angry at Corey. She confessed to Mark these feelings came from losing her best friend, and being physically abused in a past relationship, which she had never shared to anyone. Mark reminded Erin it’s not her fault, and feeling shamed was possibly sabotaging her relationship. Hopefully Mark’s good advice will help Erin sort through her emotions.
Chelsea watched Thomas and Sophia flirt as he exfoliated her bootie. Chelsea said she felt nothing when she saw that, but then contradicted herself when she said she’s not ok with her man touching someone else. Chelsea said Thomas was making a connection with Sophia, but she was also making a connection with Blake. Chelsea snipped that Thomas was doing whatever he wanted without regard for her, and Blake would never act like that because he respected women. Hope everyone didn’t laugh too hard at that statement.
As the guys drove up to bonfire, they asked Kendal if he wanted to be with Erica. Without hesitation, Kendal answered yes, so Corey asked Kendal if he was leading on Alexcys or Erica. Kendal’s excuse was that it was complex. In a hilarious moment, Corey and Julian gave each other side eye in response.
Corey went first and saw a clip of Erin upset she had made Corey feel bad about himself. Corey said she wasn’t solely responsible for his lack of confidence, but he was as well. The new and improved Corey then shared he was a catch and pretty darn good looking too. Mark reminded him he still needed to figure out who was going to value him at that level. Julian watched as Kristen told Juwan she lost her brother due drug addiction and she was heading in the same direction by struggling behind closed doors. Julian observed they were going through the same journey, and agreed with Mark when Mark wondered if this could be the path back to them finding each other once again.
Kendal saw Jesse tell Erica she deserved better and he wanted to come and visit her. Mark then asked Kendal if he thought Erica could forgive him, and without a beat Kendal said yes. Mark raised his eyebrows pretty high in return and didn’t quite believe Kendal. Thomas went last and watched Chelsea tell Blake he should be nervous around her as they got super close in the pool. For the first time, Thomas looked upset. He told Mark it looked like they were going to lose each other and that it was weird seeing her in someone else’s arms. Thomas added he didn’t want to be a hypocrite because he was having a similar experience, but he never thought she would actually find someone.
Mark asked Thomas what Chelsea was lacking in their relationship, and he said that she didn’t feel valued by him. Hint to Thomas, taking your signifiant other to Temptation Island won’t help improve that feeling. Thomas added he really liked Sophia because he could be himself, and Mark noted that Thomas was at a real crossroads.
As Mark said goodbye to the guys, he threw a wrench in the game and let them know they will be able to send their girlfriends a thirty second video message if they choose to. Does anyone think Kendal will send Erica anything? He’s the only one I could see chickening out.
During the ride back, Thomas was still in shock at witnessing Chelsea fall for another man. He felt betrayed and said he was wrong to put that much trust into his partner. Julian tried to comfort Thomas and told him that they would be there for him. Kendal being Kendal, reminded Thomas at least he could lean into someone at the house. But the guys friendship, or the promise of Sophia waiting for him when he got home, still couldn’t shake Thomas’ feeling that his relationship might be over.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK KRISTEN AND JULIAN WILL STAY TOGETHER NOW THAT THEY BOTH OPENED UP ABOUT THEIR LOSSES? DO YOU AGREE WITH KENDAL THAT ERICA WILL STAY WITH HIM IF HE CHOOSES TO GO HOME WITH HER? SHOULD COREY STAY WITH ERIN OR FIND SOMEONE ELSE? DO YOU THINK CHELSEA AND THOMAS ARE BETTER OFF TOGETHER OR WITH SOPHIA AND BLAKE?
[Photo Credit: USA Network]
