Hear that? No, it’s not waves crashing ashore. It’s the sound of brand-new singles crashing out over their exes succumbing to seduction on the beaches of Temptation Island.
This season, four couples struggling to overcome relationship distress put their fidelity to the test by splitting up, living separately among eligible members of the opposite sex, and attempting to withstand temptation. By the end of Season 2, only one of the original couples leaves the island together, while the three others go their separate ways. Plus, one participant sails off into the sunset with a fresh romantic connection that just might go the distance.
Keep reading for a recap of what happened this season — from new “I love yous” to big-time boo-hoos — and where the initial couples stand after those final heated bonfires. Plus, below, host Mark L. Walberg shares his exclusive takes on each couple’s journey through temptation.
Kaylee and Summit
STATUS: STILL TOGETHER
It’s no secret that Summit has commitment issues — and it’s why he’s stuck in a toxic cycle of breaking up and making up with Kaylee.
On the island, the two attempt to better understand themselves and their patterns to see if their personalities could work together long-term. Outgoing and up for new experiences, Summit adjusts easily and shares his concerns about his girlfriend being so much more reserved. Kaylee, meanwhile, also starts to open up and expresses that Summit doesn’t make her feel like she’s enough. As Summit sees Kaylee discuss these issues at the bonfires, he comes to understand that he hasn’t always supported her in the way she needs. In turn, Kaylee begins to understand that there’s work to do on her own inner confidence.
When the two reunite over their final bonfire, Kaylee admits that because she was unhappy in her own life, she often depended on Summit to make her feel complete, which isn’t fair. But she also shares that he hasn’t exactly made her feel worthy of his love. Summit understands his missteps and acknowledges that his comments make her feel like she isn’t enough — and that, too, isn’t fair. Seeing eye to eye for the first time, the two not only decide to leave the island together, but Summit, who previously believed he’d be a bachelor forever, declares that he’s ready for a greater commitment. Offering her a collar and a key as symbols of the next steps he wants to take, Summit asks Kaylee if she’d like to get a dog and move in together, and she excitedly accepts.
MARK’S TAKE:
At the first bonfire, when Kaylee shares the comments Summit makes about her body, Mark’s gut instinct was to support her. “It’s not a healthy thing to shame someone or tell them that their physical features are not up to par,” he tells Tudum. In discussing the issue with Summit, the host also sure to put judgment to the side. “It’s important that viewers realize that Summit is a work in progress,” he says. “The fact that he acknowledged how toxic that behavior can be and that this came up in a previous relationship [allowed me] to say to him, ‘OK, well, knowing that [it’s an issue] is the hardest part of becoming a better dude.’
Mark says he felt like Kaylee and Summit had “found a way to meet in the middle.” For Kaylee, the experience was about developing her self-worth, and she did just that: “She made great progress in realizing that she is, as I called her, a gem.” Summit, on the other hand, was able to better understand his fear of commitment is “as important as the person you’re with, and that only comes with time.”
Sydney and Mikey
STATUS: NOT TOGETHER
Sydney hopes that Mikey will learn how to stop hiding his emotions behind humor. And in fact, it doesn’t take too long for Mikey’s LOLs to turn into tears on the island. Mikey quickly builds strong bonds with temptresses India, Christelle, and Jesenia, whom he dubs the three amigos — much to Sydney’s understandable annoyance. Things take a turn for the worse when she’s shown a clip at the first bonfire of Mikey playfully warning his new besties that he just might fall for them, and saying he intends to “shoot his shot” with India.
The video evidence of Mikey’s wandering eye is enough for Sydney to decide their relationship is over. At the same time, he’s watching her open up to Xzavier. Mikey tries to brush off his jealous feelings, but he eventually taps into the pain of watching the woman he loves getting close to someone else. From there, Mikey’s emotional state seesaws as he attempts to mask his hurt, only to dissolve into (completely justified) sobbing sessions over the near certain end of his relationship. Sydney continues to explore the romantic spark she shares with Xzavier, who woos her with an acoustic guitar and an open heart. The two eventually share a kiss, while Mikey never crosses physical boundaries with any of the singles women.
At their final bonfire, Sydney says she’s realized her self-worth, and Mikey insists he’s no longer afraid of his own emotions. Both have evolved, but while he, according to Mark, has “grown into a man,” she’s outgrown their relationship. As rain pours down, Mikey decides to leave the island alone, understanding that it’s too late for them to make it work. Then, Sydney departs with Xzavier, to whom she confesses, “I genuinely have fallen in love with you.”
MARK’S TAKE:
Mikey — the perennial life of the party, who also works professionally as a host — is someone Mark related to. “Right off the bat, I said, ‘Mikey, there’s a lot about you that’s like me.’ He’ has this skill set that is easy to use to mask how you’re feeling,” Mark says. “When we finally got to, ‘I make everybody happy around me,’ and I could ask, ‘But are you happy?’ — that was the first moment of Mikey becoming a real person.” The “man-to-man intimacy” that happened at the bonfires and back at their villa played an important role in Mikey finally embracing vulnerability. “That access to the real guy I saw happen in real time with him,” he says.“I’m really proud.”
As for Sydney, Mark says he pushed her to examine why she reacted “so viscerally” to Mikey’s now-infamous “shoot my shot” clip. “What I suggested is maybe there was a small part of her that needed an excuse to move on,” he says. “Maybe part of her was like, ‘I think I want more than what Mikey’s providing in general.”
Scarlett and Cole
STATUS: NOT TOGETHER
At the start of their journey, Scarlett and Cole aren’t on the same page. He thinks their relationship is stable, but she feels their inability to effectively communicate has them on shaky ground. Plus, Cole keeps lying to avoid conflict and confrontation — despite Scarlett being clear that transparency is the key to her heart.
On the island, Cole is determined to resist all temptation to demonstrate to Scarlett that he can be trusted. But she easily connects with the tempters, especially Bradley. He’s similarly spiritual and easy to talk to, making Scarlett wonder if she may actually be settling in her relationship. While she doesn’t doubt that Cole loves her and can provide stability, she feels they may be missing a fiery connection. Mark encourages Cole to open up to the other women, whose perspectives could help him discover how to build deeper intimacy. As he watches Scarlett explore a relationship with Bradley, Cole attempts to let go of his fear of losing her, which has been holding him back from being honest in their relationship.
When the two reunite at their final bonfire, he demonstrates that by sharing that he violated her trust and read her journal on his visit to the women’s villa. His admission is hard for Scarlett to hear, and she’s left with major doubts about their future. Through this experiment, she realized pieces were missing in their relationship that now she can no longer compromise on. While Cole insists he’s been able to access a deeper side of himself, Scarlett ultimately decides he hasn’t shown her that he’s done enough internal work. Cole says he’d like to leave the island with Scarlett, but she opts to leave alone. “There’s no way things would be drastically different,” she explains. “We both deserve to feel safe.”
MARK’S TAKE:
Mark asked Cole to consider whether the strict boundaries he set for himself on the island were serving him or holding him back. “It doesn’t mean you have to flirt and hook up and kiss. But when a clip shows that you’re having a breakdown with another woman who’s helping you learn things about yourself, that might be what Scarlett was hoping to see,” Mark says. “It’s not breaking a boundary to be intimate and connected with somebody if it serves your purpose.’
Though Scarlett ultimately decided that she hadn’t seen Cole put in the work to examine the issues in their relationship, Mark believes there’s a path forward for continued growth. “When you get back home, the blizzard calms down and either you realize [the two of you] never had anything at all, or you find each other again.” However, Mark emphasizes, truly finding each other again can only happen if they’re committed to “creating a new definition of what the relationship will be.”
Shyanne and Jack
STATUS: NOT TOGETHER
Jack brought Shyanne to Temptation Island to prove once and for all that he’s committed to her … and monogamy.
At the start of the experiment, Shyanne struggles riding solo, but begins to realize she’s become overly dependent on Jack. However, he wastes no time connecting with the single women, forming an immediate bond with Carter and making a sexually explicit comment that brings to mind the hit “I Want Candy” — specifically, Aaron Carter’s 2000 version, of course.
At the very first bonfire, Shyanne witnesses Jack’s behavior, and she’s crushed, but the hurt goes both ways. Jack is shown a clip of Shyanne talking about the lack of romance in their relationship, which only deepens the growing fracture between them. The following bonfire continues to stoke the flames of distrust. Jack opens up about feeling judged and “walked all over” by Shyanne, and she’s shown a few very intimate moments he shared with Carter. That’s exactly what she needs to start focusing on herself, so immediately upon returning to the women’s villa, Shyanne invites Preston into the Temptation Haven. Jack continues to embrace singledom, nurturing a new budding attraction to Jesenia and making a few trips to the Temptation Haven himself.
At their final bonfire, Jack acknowledges that the experience must have been painful for Shyanne. But he emphasizes how unhappy both of them were in their relationship and insists that they were just too afraid to walk away. Even with all the hurt, Shyanne says she knows that she has grown into a better version of herself while on the island. Despite the deep connections they made while here, both believe they need to focus on themselves moving forward and leave the experiment alone.
MARK’S TAKE:
Determining the root of the couple’s issues was “tricky” for Mark, as both Jack and Shyanne didn’t reveal that they’d both been unfaithful. “If you’re not brutally honest about things, I can’t help you.” But paying close attention to their criticisms of each other unlocked something. “When she would get pissed, Shyanne wouldn’t say, ‘He broke my heart, he cheated.’ She would say, ‘He’s a loser, he’s never going to amount to anything,’ ” Mark points out. “You think you’re feeling one way, but the words coming out of your mouth let me know there’s something bigger that’s bothering you. There’s something in the relationship that’s not working for you beyond fidelity.”
At their final bonfire, Mark tapped into his “dad vibe” to make sure things didn’t go off the rails. He felt it was especially important for these two to try and keep things somewhat civil because they got together when they were teenagers. “You don’t get a first love again,” Mark explains. “I had to say, ‘Hey, kids, you need to know who you are to one another. When the toxicity fades, when the pain fades, when you’re married and have kids years from now, you will think fondly of one another. It will be a special place in your heart that nothing can touch, so it’s important to acknowledge that now.”
Watch the Season 2 Couples Before They Entered Temptation Island
