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In April 2020, “Too Hot to Handle” premiered on Netflix and was an instant hit. The premise was simple: a group of attractive singles living together on a beach would win $100,000 as long as they avoided all sexual activity. If they broke the rules, the virtual host named “Lana” would announce deductions.
In the end, 10 contestants were left standing to split the remaining $75,000. A few couples emerged from the season, deciding to continue their romances off-screen.
According to People, filming actually wrapped in April 2019, leaving fans to wonder what happened after the cameras stopped rolling. Here’s what you need to know:
Bryce Hirschberg
Bryce Hirschberg was a late addition to the season but stuck around long enough to split the winnings. He describes himself on his website as a producer, director, writer, actor and singer who is working on his “debut album as a solo artist.” Singing under the name, “Bryc,” his most recent single is “Body.”
The 31-year-old did not find love while the cameras rolled, but connected with castmate Nicole O’Brien after a group trip to Mexico, according to Oprah Magazine.
They started dating in April 2019 but called it quits in May 2020. It seems the COVID-19 pandemic played a part in their breakup. According to People, Hirschberg is based in Los Angeles while O’Brien is based in London.
“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 told People. “Nicole is so lovely and if under less unusual circumstances I’m sure that we could’ve had an amazing relationship! I wish her the best because she deserves it.”
Nicole O’Brien
Hirschberg’s ex-girlfriend is also in the music industry, performing under the name Kole. She released her debut single, “Irish Eyes” in March, which she announced on Instagram hit number one on the iTunes charts in Ireland. As she wrote, “I’m blown away! I’ve spent the day thinking I’m in a dream.”
Her new song, “Call it Love,” is set to be released on July 1.
The “Too Hot to Handle” winner told RSVP Live that she signed a record deal and hopes to relocate to Los Angeles.
“I just came back from the recording studio in Manchester, I am working with an amazing producer who has collaborated with Craig David and Sigala,” she told the outlet. “I just signed a record deal with I Saw it First, they only take on one artist at a time and their last artist was Emeli Sandé, so I have big shoes to fill.”
O’Brien is not done with reality television.
“Love Island doesn’t accept people that have been in other shows but I am filming a celebrity version of a dating show in July and August, that is all I can at the minute,” she told RSVP Live. She added, “I will be filming abroad and it will be shown in the UK and America in September or October.”
Chloe Veitch
Chloe Veitch did not find love on “Too Hot to Handle,” but may have during her stint on Netflix’s second season of “The Circle.” The British star finished in second place but ended the season flirting with fellow competitor Mitchell Eason.
“We speak all the time, and the conversations we have aren’t just normal conversations—they’re about the future, and we talk about me going to L.A. to see him,” Veitch said of their relationship in a May interview with Cosmopolitan. “We shared a kiss just after the cameras were turned off at the finale. Because of the distance, it hasn’t got a label. But we get on really, really well and it is romantic. It’s not just a friendship, but we’ll see.”
While on the social media-themed competition, Veitch opened up about her father’s struggle with alcoholism. She has continued to speak on the issue, promoting her dad’s charity Stand Recovery Centre.
In May, she wrote on Instagram, “I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to be able to use my platform for a good cause, this is something so close to my heart. As you already know I said I would help my dads addiction recovery charity & try and help people suffering with addiction.”
Veitch now hosts Netflix’s “Too Hot to Handle,” spinoff, “Extra Hot.”
David Birtwistle
David Birtwistle left “Too Hot to Handle” as a winner. While he ended the season dating Lydia Clyma, Newsweek reported the couple did not last long.
“Lydia and I have got such a beautiful relationship,” the outlet quoted an Oprah Magazine interview with Birtwistle. “She holds a special place in my heart.”
Birtwistle continues to work as a trainer, having founded Endeavour online coaching shortly before his season aired. According to the company’s website, they offer a personalized program based around food, movement and mindset.
“I’m confident I’ve created the simplest & most efficient way for you to radically improve the quality of your life in multiple areas in the shortest time,” he wrote on Instagram in February 2020.
He most recently appeared on the premiere of “Extra Hot.”
Lydia Clyma
While Clyma’s relationship with Birtwistle did not last, she was another latecomer who won a part of the $75,000.
Since the show aired, fans learned that Clyma is mother to son Isiah. According to a DailyMail source, “Lydia wanted to go on the show without having to think or worry about telling the other contestants that she’s a mum.”
She provided some insight to OK!, saying she is very protective of her son, welcoming him when she was 18 years old. She told the outlet, “He’s my personal life. With reality you have the thing where everyone sees and then you want to be able to go home to your personal life, which you can protect and enjoy in private.”
While the star told the publication she is unsure if she wants more children, she has been open about becoming an egg donor.
“I thought the process was so easy and you have thousands of eggs that you don’t need,” she told OK! “People happily donate blood but people don’t really think about donating eggs. It’s not really spoken about or advertised.”
Since the show, Clyma has embraced the influencer life. Per her Instagram account, her most prominent brand partnership is with Fashion Nova.
Rhonda Paul
The other parent on the show and a fellow winner, Rhonda Paul left the show dating Sharron Townsend. However, the pair could not make the relationship work once they returned to their homes.
“With everything that’s going on now, we actually haven’t even had the time to meet since the show. It’s been very difficult with that space between us, so we kind of just agreed to be friends for now,” Paul explained to Women’s Health.
Paul is based in Atlanta with her son Amari.
Describing herself as an “entrepreneur,” on Instagram, she also owns PureluXX. She also partners with companies such as Fashion Nova, the BLK dating app and Zaxby’s.
Sharron Townsend
Paul’s ex-boyfriend, Sharron Townsend, lives in New Jersey. Their relationship faltered when they were forced apart amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Metro, he is a personal trainer turned model since leaving the show.
He also formed the “Today I Smiled Project,” which he describes on the website as “a reminder to perform acts of kindness and encourage others to pay it forward to someone else using the iSmiled cards.”
Kelechi “Kelz” Dyke
After jokingly being referred to as the season one “accountant,” Kelechi “Kelz” Dyke did end up a winner.
Since the show, he has continued to be a professional athlete playing football for the London Warriors. He also branched into influencer work, also serving as a male partner for Fashion Nova.
Dyke is rumored to be headed to “The Challenge,” as a rookie, according to Monster and Critics.
Francesca Farago
One half of the most controversial couple on “Too Hot to Handle,” Farago did leave a winner. Not only did she get the cash, but she now has more than five million followers.
As for her romance, she and Harry Jowsey broke up before getting back together and eventually engaged. Then they split for a second time. As she said in a YouTube video, “I genuinely thought we were going through a rocky period and that we were going to figure it out. I thought we were going to end up together. I thought we were going to get married.”
Since then, Screen Rant reported she has been linked to Casey Boonstra, Tana Mongeau, Jef Holm and Vinny Guadagnino. She most recently dated a star of “The Only Way is Essex,” Demi Sims.
Aside from life as an influencer, Farago also owns the swimsuit line, Farago The Label. According to the website, the line is “a reflection of Francesca’s love for fashion, travel and veganism,” noting she is vegan herself.
Harry Jowsey
Farago’s ex-boyfriend may be back in her life. DailyMail reported rumors of a possible reconciliation of the former couple. A recent birthday tribute to his ex, where the two appear rather cozy, seems to be the catalyst.
Joswey was also previously linked to Larsa Pippen, according to ScreenRant.
Since winning a slice of $75,000, Jowsey has an Instagram following of 3.6 million. In that time, he moved away from his home country of Australia for California where he works mostly as an Influencer.
Jowsey recently launched his YouTube channel, Just Harry Now, and his podcast, Tap In w/ Harry Jowsey.
Matthew Smith
Jokingly referred to as “Jesus” and a “sex cop,” Matthew Smith was the only contestant to walk away from the competition.
He has no regrets. “I was kind of holding on to the last bit [of hope]. Where someone would be coming in that I found attractive and I could test myself more in that way, and there just wasn’t,” Smith told Entertainment Tonight. “So I could selfishly decide to stay or I could make the mature decision to leave.”
In the April 2020 interview, he remained coy about his relationship status.
“The relationship status part I’m going to keep private. This can turn around and bite me in the a**,” he told the outlet. But he did acknowledge, “Yes, I have hooked up with people in the past year. I’ll say that.”
Smith has continued to model, but also heads the Dream Katchers Enterprise, described by ScreenRant as a multimedia company. He also released a children’s book, “Windy.”
Kori Sampson, Madison Wyborny & Haley Cureton
Three contestants were eliminated on “Too Hot to Handle.” Kori Sampson and Madison Wyborny were eliminated for not showing personal growth, while Haley Cureton refused to participate.
According to ScreenRant, Sampson returned to modeling and working as a personal trainer. Sampson even published an e-book, “My Lean Lifestyle.”
As Wyborny put on Instagram, she works as a stylist, model and globetrotter. Screenrant is also reporting she is working on her acting skills in hopes of one day working on a movie.
Since leaving the show, Cureton’s relationship with her castmates seems to have crumbled. Contestants Farago and Jowsey accused her of lying and Townsend accused her of attempted blackmail, using doctored content for her OnlyFans account, according to ScreenRant.
Season two of “Too Hot to Handle” is now streaming on Netflix.
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