Temptation Island South Africa: Clashes and sparks from the very first moment!

The first episode of sizzling reality show Temptation Island South Africa premiered on Showmax, and we’re in for an epic ride!

Hosted by local TV and radio personality Phat Joe, the reality show follows four couples who’ve decided to put their romance to the test by dating other people. How does that work? Well, the men and women are separated into two villas where they’ll live with 10 attractive and seductive singles of the opposite sex, all of whom are out to entice the split-up couples.

By hooking up with these singles, the couples will determine whether there is someone out there better suited for them. In the end, they’ll each choose to either continue dating their partner, dump them to pursue a relationship with one of the singles, or leave the process alone.

In the first episode, there were tears, catty moments, and the battle lines were drawn between some of the couples and the singles. Grab a snack and a cold beverage because the heat is on.

It’s called paradise for a reason

The sun is out, the warm breeze is blowing, and the four couples arrive in picturesque Knysna, our own South African paradise. The men have rolled their pants above their ankles and one of them has their shirt unbuttoned. The women walk across the beach with their high heels in their hands, and they’re all excited to embark on the romantic journey. Before we get into the action, let’s meet the couples:

Justin (31) and Estelle (30)

Let’s get one thing straight and out of the way: Justin would rather be on his couch, eating crackers and Let’s get one thing straight right away: Justin would rather be on his couch, eating crackers and drinking wine than dating other women. He is ready to get down on one knee and pop the question. But before he makes the big move, Estelle wants to test their relationship. If he isn’t tempted by the singles, then she’ll be more than happy to be his Mrs.

Sifiso (27) and Musa (26)

Next, there’s Musa and Sifiso. They met two years ago on a movie set, and they’ve been inseparable since. The longest they’ve been apart was for two weeks after Musa discovered that Sifiso was involved with another woman, who is nicknamed “Beetroot” for the purposes of this reality show. They are on Temptation Island to mend the broken trust.

Grant (27) and Precious (25)

This couple is the most soft-spoken of the bunch and they’ve been together for four years. She persuaded him to take part in the show to reignite the spark in their romance. Precious constantly questions their relationship, and her insecurities soon catch up with her…

MJ (29) and Nthabi (26)

Then there’s MJ and Nthabi. They’ve been together for 18 months and they’re in paradise to prove that their relationship can weather any storm. With the two living apart, will they walk out of the experience holding hands? We’ll have to wait and see… Watch out for this pair because they aren’t afraid to step on any toes!

Meet the singles

Without wasting any time, we meet the competition. The lights are turned off and when they’re turned back on, 20 good-looking singles appear. This lot, ladies and gents, are tasked with seducing the couples. How will the four women resist fire-fighter-by-day and exotic-dancer-by-night Muggz? Or model Dain, who made it known that his “third leg holds him out”?

And for the four men, there’s endearing entrepreneur Bontle and musician Gigi Lamayne on the shortlist. Yes, THE Gigi Lamayne! She got off on the wrong foot with Nthabi, though, threatening to “f#%k (Nthabi) up, then f#%k her boyfriend”. Meow!

We picked our favourite pick-up lines »

The moments of episode 1 that stood out the most

MJ’s behaviour during the intros

MJ was pretty harsh with the singles, laughing at them while they were delivering their pick-lines. Talk about a buzz kill.

We’ll be watching out for this guy!

Dain’s focus on his “equipment”

Dain couldn’t stop talking about his private parts.

Later in the episode, Musa gave him a tour of the ladies’ villa. She innocently mentioned that she enjoys sunbathing and getting her fair share of Vitamin D. His reply: “I can provide that as well, but we’ll speak on it later.”

Musa was definitely intrigued …

Precious’s shaky moments

Call it separation anxiety or jitters, but Precious unravelled. She was completely overwhelmed with the attention she was receiving from the men.

Tears were streaming, she was shaking, and her mind was all over the place. But that didn’t stop any of the men from chasing after her.

Stream the first episode of Temptation Island South Africa now. New episodes arrive every Thursday from midnight, only on Showmax.