Ah, some good old trash television. We’ve all been there: You’ve had a long day, your self-esteem isn’t doing all that hot at the moment and you seriously need to compare yourself to others that are just… so much worse than you. That’s the appeal of shows like Temptation Island, a new show that’s been licensed by Showmax for South Africa. You think Mnet gets to have all the fun with Love Island South Africa? Nope, Showmax wants to make folks aware that they’re equally capable of offering up the heated drama that people so desperately crave in their day-to-day lives.
So what’s the premise of Temptation Island? It’s basically the same as all those other shows that see groups of hot twenty-somethings travel to an island and live in close proximity, except there’s a slight twist. Temptation Island sees a group of four couples do their best to stay together and prove their love while being surrounded by loads of equally hot single people.
Huzzah for taking the relationship struggles of people potentially in severe emotional distress turning into a piece of cheap, mass-consumable television! Isn’t capitalism great?
Showmax and the Art of Temptation
We can be as sarcastic as we want to be about this show but at the end of the day, it’s not like they’re forcing couples onto the show. In fact, the press release sent out included two YouTube videos, one dedicated to couples and the other to single folk, asking potential participants to send in CVs that focus on admirable personality traits such as “fun loving, out going and seriously hot”.
“Temptation Island South Africa is going to be must-watch and must-tweet TV,” says Candice Fangueiro, Showmax’s head of content. “South Africans love reality TV; The Real Housewives of Durban recently set the record for the most first-day views on Showmax ever. Our audience has already devoured the first two seasons of Temptation Island USA so we’re confident there’s an appetite for more, especially when we add some uniquely South African spice.”
Produced by Afrokaans Films and Television, who also made Survivor SA, Temptation Island is expected to premier in the first half of 2021 with twelve episodes. Maybe this is the extra push some people need to invest in the admittedly expensive Showmax Pro…