Article contains spoilers for “Too Hot to Handle” season 6.

“Too Hot to Handle” is a reality show on Netflix where 16 hot singles find themselves in a tropical villa trying to abstain from any physical connections. The purpose of this show is to support the formation of deeper and more meaningful relationships to prove that even the craziest people can be “tamed;” however, this is oftentimes not the result.

In season six, which premiered on July 19 2024, the producers took us for a ride with all the new twists and turns after the same bland, monotone formula we’ve seen the previous five seasons. One of the more notable changes was the prize pot being increased from $100,000 to $250,000, a shocking 150% increase.

Another wild change was that contestants knew they were being casted for Too Hot to Handle. In the previous seasons, the contestants would sign up for a false dating show and receive an unpleasant surprise upon finding out the show they were really on, however, this season, that was changed and contestants were either nominated by friends, family or even themselves.

The final important addition was the introduction of “Bad Lana.” For those of you who haven’t seen the show before, Lana is a robotic cone, similar to an Echo or Alexa, that acts as the host while watching over the contestants for any rule breaking. She is disliked among many and widely known as a nuisance, constantly trying to force more meaningful connections while restricting physical ones. Bad Lana is Lana’s “alter-ego” and encourages contestants to pursue their physical connections while tempting them with unique offers, oftentimes with lack of punishment.

Now that you’re caught up with the newest additions to the villa, I’m going to be introducing and ranking the contestants of the season! There are 10 contestants to begin with in episode one; however, throughout the season, an additional six contestants join. I will be ranking all 16, working my way up from my least favorite to most favorite.

15: Valentina Rueda Valez
Valentina was a late addition to the group, joining on the fourth episode. She honestly irritated me and many of the other contestants as she carelessly flirted with everyone, having such a strong lack of respect for the preexisting couples. She didn’t make an effort for anyone to like her, and, other than her annoying antics, remained mostly a background character I wish hadn’t joined in the first place. I will admit she got slightly more likeable as the season progressed but overall didn’t make a great impression.

14: Jordan Frank
While Jordan certainly caught many contestants’ eyes upon entering the villa with his positive energy and blonde surfer demeanor, he definitely came on too quickly with his hippie “good vibes” attitude and often came across as confused. I found myself cringing at him on many occasions as he attempted to find love, and I additionally found his decision to leave the show after his first rejection odd. That choice displayed how uncommitted he was to the process, making him even less likeable.

13: Kylisha Jag
I really wanted to like Kylisha, but I found that she remained a follower in a show where boldness is emphasized. I saw her as a bit of a basic character, going after the same guys as both Lucy and Katherine in a much more muted fashion. She just didn’t really add much to the show for me and honestly I didn’t think she was enough of a “rule-breaker” to fit in with the rest of the group. Additionally, her lack of any connection and shutdown of Christian further reinforced her uncommitted personality.

12: Christian Lager
After Christian joined, I assumed he would be popular since he had a confident air and seemed to be appealing to most of the girls. However, I immediately forgot he had joined since he completely disappeared with zero camera time immediately after his introductory date. I am not quite sure why they completely erased him, but it’s honestly a little concerning.

11: Sabrina Zima
Sabrina came in with Jalen and made an instant connection with Chris which was kind of cute; however, she again follows the trend of the new people being rapidly forgotten. I also found it a little weird how she was such a similar replica of Katherine, which honestly made things even more awkward and made her a less likeable character to watch and get attached to since we’ve followed the real Katherine from the beginning.

10: Jalen Olomu-Brown
Jalen joined quite late into the season and didn’t leave a lasting impression. He was interesting at first with Bri; however, he quickly became irrelevant and ended up like Christian, tossed aside with no connection. It almost felt as if the producers only included him in an attempt to come between Bri and Demari and simply threw him aside upon failure.

9: Christian Alli
Chris really tried to put himself out there and definitely was a charmer, immediately going for Bri and nearly winning her over many times. He almost acted as the “police” of the group, trying to restrict the amount of rule breaks; however, he didn’t succeed at that. I didn’t quite dislike him, but I didn’t feel like he added to the group and think the show would have been quite the same with or without him there.

8: Louis Russell
Louis truly is a charmer and whenever I watched him I felt like he was putting on a show. I did find him to be too flirtatious many times though, and it annoyed me how he couldn’t follow the rules despite being here for a second time. His entertainer personality is what gave him some points on this list, however clearly not many. I just think he could have held back a little bit, yet he did make the series quite entertaining to watch.

7: Flavia Laos
I really wanted to like Flavia however she honestly didn’t do much. After she joined with Louis in episode two as two memorable contestants who had returned from previous seasons, I expected a lot from the hype she was receiving. However, I found her personality a bit boring and don’t really find much about her very memorable. I will give her credit for remaining true to her purpose and remaining “good,” but I think she could have been much more fun.

6: Charlie Jeer
Charlie came into the show strong and maintained his relevance throughout the episodes as his relationship with Lucy and then Katherine progressed. He was funny and a great entertainer and I found myself rooting for him and his relationships throughout the show, despite his slight downfall when Louis joined. I thought he overall was a great addition and couldn’t really find many downsides.

5: Joao Coronel
Joao was really funny and gave off almost an immature energy. He reminded me of a teenager in a way and I thought he was honestly genuine and had good intentions throughout the show, bringing the morale of the group up and making viewers laugh. I think his positive energy in the show and his wholesome relationship with Flavia made him one of the more likeable characters.

4: Katherine Laprell
Katherine was a worthy addition to the cast, bringing her extroverted personality and enthusiasm about the retreat with her. She made for a lot of fun drama and interesting situations throughout her relationship with Louis, date with Chris and relationship with Charlie. Although she did break one too many rules for me to put her any higher, she was a worthy addition and her progression was a great one to watch.

3: Demari Davis
Demari came into the retreat first and definitely caught the attention of many first. He charmed Bri immediately and I found their relationship to be the one I was rooting for throughout the show. He did struggle with his loyalty at times, especially after his rule-break with Valentina, but quickly realized he was wrong and made things right with Bri which impressed me. I think he carried a positive attitude that brought up the morale of the group while remaining mature and interesting to watch.

2: Gianna Pettus
Gianna was a standout character for me, but honestly had pretty much no action throughout the show so it’s surprising that she’s so high on my list. But I found that her down to earth attitude and positive outlook really inspired many, and her lack of rule breaking showed how simple this “challenge” really is. I enjoyed her commentary and watching her support her fellow castmates throughout the series, and she remained a loyal and true friend to many and a prominent role model for others.

1: Bri Balram
Bri was hands down my favorite character of the season. She completely embodied the purpose of the show, from the very beginning where all she wanted to do was break the rules to the very end where she was in a happy relationship with Demari up until they won together. I feel like Bri faced many challenges that built her character: for example,getting sent to banishment twice as well as Demari kissing Valentina, but she persevered and watching her grow was truly inspiring.

Overall, I’d say this was the best season that has debuted yet, and I was totally engrossed while watching it (and rewatching it)! The producers did a great job of capturing the audience’s attention and retaining that attention throughout the 10 eventful episodes. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of any dating shows, especially Love Island, because I see a lot of parallels between the two. “Too Hot to Handle” is available to watch on Netflix, and you can expect new seasons annually; the next one most likely to be released summer 2025.