In a sea of mediocre Real Housewives shows, Temptation Island has been a welcome change. This season has had more twists and turns than anything else I’ve seen as of late. Right off the bat, major drama happened when Ashley Goldson hooked up with KB Brown because Rick Fleur said the cuffs were off. David Benavidez wanted Kate Griffith to trust him, but then he betrayed her by hooking up with multiple women and having a threesome.
Even Casey Starchak’s strategy to win back Ashley Howland from Ben Knobloch was next level. After comparing her to a rat in a box, and saying he didn’t care if Ashley broke up with him, he decided to manipulate her with a “sales pitch” and the diamond ring she had been wanting. So, how will it all end? Thankfully, we have a two part bonfire to wrap this all up!
Speaking of wrapping up, all of the overnight dates were officially over when the couples arrived back to their villas the next morning. At the girls’ villa, everyone was glowing and gave a nod to each other like did you hook up too? Ashley H. said she felt like she was in a fairytale.
Her fairy tale quickly ended though when Mark L. Walberg showed up to announce that it’s time for everyone to “say goodbye for now… or goodbye forever.” I love how extra he can be. The only one who wasn’t in tears was Ashley G. as she had no connection to Jose Rodriguez other than friendship. But Kate, Esonica Veira, and Ashley H. weren’t ready to move on from Dominique Price, Kareem Thomas and Ben.
The vibe at the guys’ villa was totally different. No one besides David was interested romantically in their overnight date. As Gavin Rocker bored the group with a story of putting a dolphin fin in his mouth, Casey swooped in and dazzled everyone with his engagement ring for Ashley H. Medinah Ali couldn’t believe he was going to propose to someone who had cheated on him. Yeah, probably not the best idea.
Then Mark told the group to say their goodbyes. Rick was very sweet with Medinah, and thanked her for helping him grow. Even though it didn’t work out between them, I’m sure they will be friends for a long time.
Rachel Hamel calmed down a nervous Casey and promised he would be ok no matter what the outcome. Casey said he couldn’t imagine going back to a life without Ashley. Might be time to expand that imagination!
David promised Toneata Morgan he would be there for her at the end, but only because he knows Kate probably isn’t taking his cheating ass back. Toneata blindly accepted his words and believed David was being “100% honest” with her. How she can fall for a guy who is there to prove he is trustworthy, and then immediately proved he is not trustworthy is beyond me.
Then there was a quick montage of Ashley G. and Rick, and Kate and David’s time on the island. Now we know whose fates will be sealed this bonfire! Can Ashley and Rick reconcile?Will Kate fold when she sees David?
Ashley G. and Rick go first. On her way to the bonfire, Ashley said she didn’t know if Rick loved her enough to forgive her the way she had forgiven him. Well, Ashley hasn’t had a taste of the new and improved Rick yet!
Mark then laid out the ground rules for them. He wanted Rick to discuss his time on the island, and asked Ashley to only listen. Rick talked about Medinah, and how he had fallen for her at one point. He confirmed they didn’t have sex, but they did cuddle which was more intimate to him. As Ashley teared up, Rick told her that Medinah is currently in the friend zone.
Mature Rick then stepped out from the shadows, and said he learned how to better handle conflict and expressing his feelings. He’s now a stand up, trustworthy guy, who has proved himself the face of temptation. Rick told Ashley he was disappointed in what he saw her do, but realized he needed to put her first. If anyone did a 180 from how they were at the beginning of the show, it’s definitley Rick.
Then Ashley got to tell her side. Ashley let him know that when he said the cuffs were off, it conveyed to everyone that he didn’t care about their relationship, and it made her feel insecure. She admitted she did something really stupid, and was holding herself accountable for that. But she still didn’t come clean about what she did with KB.
Ashley said she always thought that she was the victim in their relationship, but realized that wasn’t true. She also realized that Rick is a good guy, and she needed to focus on knowing her self-worth. Still, she didn’t know what was next for them.
Mark put the pressure on and asked Ashley if she wanted to leave with Rick, by herself, or with someone else. There was a long awkward silence until Ashley mumbled if Rick could go first. Rick couldn’t believe it. He pushed back that Mark asked her first. I think Ashley didn’t answer because she didn’t want to look like a fool if she said she wanted Rick back and he rejected her.
But Rick stepped in and saved her. He apologized for his handcuff comment, but he also wanted clarification if she slept with KB. Ashley couldn’t look at him, but nodded her head yes.
Rick called her out for being disrespectful when she said KB made it easier for her to move on. He said his emotional connection with Medinah helped to improve himself, but her sexual connection with KB reversed her growth. Mark jumped in and asked if Rick could forgive her like she had forgiven him in the past. Good question, Mark!
Rick answered that he felt hurt and embarrassed, but knows what he did in the past was wrong. Things got tense when Rick asked Ashley if she loved him. She again didn’t speak, but kept quiet and nodded her head yes. There was another long pause, and Rick finally said he forgave her and wanted to leave the island with her. Ashley responded with a kiss.
After they left bonfire, Rick said he passed with flying colors. And Ashley…not so much. But according to Rick, all is forgiven. He told Ashley that “real life stuff shouldn’t be so difficult.” As long as Rick and Ashley keep an open communication, I think they have a shot. Congrats on making it through Temptation Island!
Next up is Kate and David. Now, unlike Rick and Ashley, I am not hoping these two get together. In fact, I’m hoping that Kate kicks him to the curb real quick.
Kate walked in with a look like she meant business. She told Mark that she is strong, confident, and ready to face David. David on the other hand, looked scared when he sat down. With good reason too, because Kate let him have it. Yas queen!
First, she thanked him for bringing her to the island. It turned her into a stronger person who knows her self-worth, and what she deserves in a relationship. And David does not deserve her time. Mark even nodded in agreement.
Kate reminded David he brought her here to prove that she could trust him, but immediately cheated on her instead. She added that every word he said to her was BS, and she deserved someone whose words were followed up with actions. David responded by squeezing out some fake tears of guilt.
She then called him a coward for bringing her there and said he should have just told her their relationship wasn’t working. Kate then snapped at David and told him to look at her while she was talking. Daaang!
David responded with a half-hearted apology full of more BS. He said he didn’t mean to embarrass her, or bring her there to break up with her. He then tried to prove how much he’d grown by pointing out he just shed a tear like a real human being. Kate’s face read, “Boy, bye!”
David then dug the hole deeper when he started listing off every lewd act he did with another girl on the island. Because that would help how? Kate cut him off, she did’t even want to hear it.
Kate questioned how Toneata could fall for David after what he did with the other women. Exactly! Then she put him in his place again when she told him not to “tell all of America you just whored yourself out.” So…I’m pretty sure these two break up. But we’ll have to wait until next week to find out!
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT RICK AND ASHLEY GOT BACK TOGETHER? DO YOU THINK THEIR RELATIONSHIP WILL LAST? WHO DO YOU THINK KATE AND DAVID WILL LEAVE WITH?
[Photo Credit: Mario Perez/USA Network]