An island in paradise, a slew of beautiful singles, the potential to win thousands of dollars... what could go wrong? The unsuspecting cast of Too Hot to Handle Season 1 lands in hot people heaven, only to discover they can look — but not touch.

Too Hot to Handle gives your typical reality dating show a fun twist; the contestants compete for a pot of $100,000 that dramatically decreases each time one of them sneaks a kiss, a steamy make-out or, ahem, anything more than that. (Even self-pleasure is off the table.) The goal? Emotional and relational growth. Turns out that this group of twentysomethings was chosen because of their penchant for “meaningless flings” over real relationships. And the Alexa-esque AI robot Lana is watching and waiting for them to slip up on their way to “deeper and more meaningful connections.”

The inaugural cast of Too Hot to Handle featured a handful of familiar faces, and even more who went on to appear in future reality shows. As you delve into Lana’s celibate world, get to know the gorgeous guys and gals who attempt to learn the art of restraint, with varied results.

Francesca Farago

Age: 26
Hometown: Vancouver, Canada

Francesca acts like the main character from the moment she steps foot on the Too Hot to Handle beach, luring in crushes of all genders. Her confident energy is palpable as she makes her way through the series, amassing (some) friends and plenty of enemies. While she may be polarizing, she’s also unafraid to be exactly who she is. 

The British Columbia native was big on Instagram as a model and influencer before she arrived on Too Hot to Handle. This explains why she doesn’t seem to care too much about the group’s dwindling financial gains; she tells fellow competitor Kelz her job is “Instagram.” In 2015, however, she graduated from Carleton University, where she studied law. Just before the show came out, she launched a sustainable swimwear line called Farago the Label.

You can follow Francesca on Instagram and Twitter.

Harry Jowsey

Age: 22
Hometown: Queensland, Australia

Harry comes in to Too Hot to Handle with popular kid class clown energy; he’s wont to throw around phrases like “cheeky little minx” and “little butter chicken” — the latter is what he called Kendall Jenner, endearingly, after bragging about DM’ing with her and Kourtney Kardashian on Instagram. (Crucially, neither ever responded.)

A 6-foot-5 Gemini, Harry brings in all kinds of chaos to the house. He’s no novice to reality TV dating shows, either. He earned — OK, self-determined — the nickname “Heartbreak Harry” during his time on the New Zealand show Heartbreak Island in 2018, which he won with contestant Georgia Bryers. The pair broke up shortly after their time on the show.

You can follow Harry on Instagram and Twitter.

Chloe Veitch

Age: 21
Hometown: Essex

From the moment Chloe pops a bottle of champagne, you know you’re in for a good time and a wild ride. Chloe is all charisma and long limbs, describing herself as “quite ditzy,” addicted to her phone and looking for a “sexy boy” to hook up with. 

Chloe is from Essex — hence the extra fun accent — and prior to Too Hot to Handle, she was a model and real estate agent. She also acted in a short film called Muchh and has competed in beauty pageants such as Top Model UK and Miss Supertalent 2018.

You can follow Chloe on Instagram and Twitter.

Kelechi “Kelz” Dyke

Age: 27
Hometown: London

Listen, we all need a good accountant, and London-born Kelz comes through in Too Hot to Handle — even though he can’t quite control the behavior of the other houseguests. 

A self-described “alpha male” with a lion tattoo, Kelz claims he has his “own gravitational force,” and he has the 6-foot-6 stature to tower over the other men in the house. But underneath the bravado, Kelz has a tender heart and a romantic streak. Before coming on the show, Kelz was a senior recruitment consultant and played American football for the London Warriors. 

You can follow Kelz on Instagram and Twitter.

David Birtwistle

Age: 28
Hometown: London

David appears at first like a proper English gentleman who’d never be prone to emotionless hookups. “I just try to be a nice guy, someone who my mum would be proud of,” he says in his introduction. Soon, however, David gets candid about his love for sex and his fears about deeper relationships. As the show continues, he’s one of the men who’s most willing to explore his insecurities; he also deals with a fair bit of fruitless flirting.

David is a former rugby player who attended university at St. Mary’s and studied strength and fitness.

You can follow David on Instagram and Twitter.

Nicole O’Brien

Age: 20
Hometown: Cork, Ireland

Nicole is the closest thing to the house’s girl next door. Sweet and personable, she wins over friends like Chloe easily, though she has a more difficult time establishing real romantic connections, aside from one later in the season. She’s candid about her potential commitment issues, saying that she went to an all-girls school but is now a “party girl” who gives guys “the snip” after three dates.

A lifestyle influencer, Nicole got her degree in commerce from University College Cork. 

You can follow Nicole on Instagram.

Rhonda Paul

Age: 25
Hometown: Atlanta

“A woman should carry herself with confidence,” Georgia native Rhonda says proudly in her introduction. She prides herself on looking her best, acting classy and pursuing something healthier after a series of painful breakups. Her main qualifications for a partner are that he 1) has a job and 2) spoils her. 

Rhonda, however, isn’t just looking out for herself — she has a young son, and she cares deeply about making sure any partner knows what that commitment entails. 

Before the show, Rhonda worked as a manager at NASCAR and graduated from college at Old Dominion with a degree in sociology.

You can follow Rhonda on Instagram and Twitter.

Sharron Townsend

Age: 25
Hometown: Camden, New Jersey

Sharron is a self-proclaimed feminist who says he studied women and gender studies in college, though he admits that miiiight have been a way to connect with women. But his big talk is balanced by some heavy relationship baggage that he’s game to work through in Too Hot to Handle. 

Sharron is from New Jersey, where he previously worked as a personal trainer. Though gender studies might have been part of his program, Sharron graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with a bachelor’s in economics.

You can follow Sharron on Instagram and Twitter.

Matthew Stephen Smith

Age: 29
Hometown: Denver

Too Hot to Handle’s very own Jesus: long-locked Matthew Stephen Smith, who questions monogamy and jokes (?) about spreading his seed around the world. He rapidly takes on the role of house guru, reiterating his spirituality and thoughtful nature — some houseguests don’t quite buy it. “Who is this Jesus character?” Francesca jokes at one point.

Matthew has seemingly already embarked on his journey of self-improvement by the time he gets to Too Hot to Handle. You might recognize him from America’s Next Top Model, where he finished sixth in cycle 21 back in 2014, as well as from guest roles on shows like New Girl. (He also literally played Jesus in a short film titled The Commissioning.) 

You can follow Matthew on Instagram.

Haley Cureton

Age: 22
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Every reality show needs a good villain, and former sorority girl Haley comes through in spades in Too Hot to Handle. The blonde gives a Zeta ladies cheer during her intro and admits that while she’s mainly into men, she loves a doppelgänger hookup when it comes to dating women. “I do mostly go for guys, but if a girl looks just like me I’m so into that,” she says. “Blond hair, big boobs, skinny — I love that in a girl.”

Francesca isn’t all of those things, but she does garner Haley’s attention early on. Haley is from Jacksonville, Florida, and was a college student at the University of North Florida. 

You can follow Haley on Instagram.

Bryce Hirschberg

Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles

Charming boatsman, mediocre singer-songwriter, expert flirt: Bryce arrives on the Too Hot to Handle island as a grenade in Episode 3, but wastes no time in flattering every woman on the show, especially Chloe. The LA native comes in braggadocious about sleeping with a different woman every night in his past; imagine his rude awakening when the contestants break the news about the consequences of acting on their desires.

Bryce’s endless desire to charm makes sense: Born in the City of Angels, he studied film production at Loyola Marymount University and has since pursued a career in Hollywood as a director, actor and musician. In 2017, he produced, wrote, directed and starred in his first feature film, Counterfeiters, about a young man who starts a fake money business to help his ailing mother. It was filmed entirely on a boat in Marina del Rey — no coincidence, since Bryce himself has lived on his boat in the area for years.

You can follow Bryce on Instagram and Twitter.

🤐 SPOILER ALERT 🤐

Lydia Clyma

Age: 22
Hometown: Portsmouth, UK

Brunette, “piercing” blue-eyed Lydia makes a splash in the house, immediately catching the eye of a certain Londoner as one of three grenades in Episode 6. She’s the only one of the three to truly fit in to the existing house dynamic, and she stands out because of her self-assured nature and blunt appreciation of sex and how powerful it makes her feel. 

Lydia describes her ideal type as: “Tall, nice teeth, and that’s probably about it.” An MMA fan and ring girl, Lydia is also familiar with the reality TV circuit, appearing on Weekender: Boat Party and The Sex Testers before Too Hot to Handle; on Weekender, she got engaged to a contestant named Jordan.

You can follow Lydia on Instagram and Twitter.

Kori Sampson

Age: 22
Hometown: Plymouth, UK

Model and fitness coach Kori’s time on Too Hot to Handle is short but sweet. He arrives on the scene in Episode 6, abs glistening in the hot sun, and immediately draws the attention of two women in particular. 

Kori grew up in Plymouth, a city in Devon, UK, and has a degree in nutrition; prior to the show, he worked as a personal trainer at a PureGym. 

You can follow Kori on Instagram and Twitter.

Madison Wyborny

Age: 20
Hometown: Los Angeles

Like Kori and Lydia, Madison enters the house as a grenade in Episode 6. She has big Jessa-from-Girls vibes and rocks many unique bathing suits in contrast with the other contestants’ more garden-variety bikinis. At first, it seems like she might hit it off with a certain resident prophet, but fairly quickly she realizes his proselytizing often lacks depth.

Originally from Florida, the blonde played volleyball in high school and began her modeling career as a teen. 

You can follow Madison on Instagram and Twitter.