On Netflix’s reality show Too Hot to Handle, a group of self-proclaimed 10s are thrown together in a tropical paradise in order to make meaningful romantic connections. The catch is that sexual interactions (ranging from kissing to full-blown sex) will drain their pool of prize money. Contestants Rhonda Paul and Sharron Townsend, however, were able to form a deeper bond, allowing the reality show’s “artificial intelligence” system, LANA, to occasionally give them time to get physical, sans retribution.
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By the end of the season, Sharron sweetly asked Rhonda to be his girlfriend and met her son over FaceTime. They’re definitely the reality TV couple to root for — but did Rhonda and Sharron stay together after Too Hot to Handle?
In the Too Hot To Handle reunion, which dropped on Netflix on Friday, the cast was finally put back together in the same (virtual) room, where Sharron and Rhonda confirmed that they are no longer together. In fact, Rhonda got a little emotional about the whole thing.
“Watching the show back just kind of brought back up all the connections I had with everybody, especially Sharron," she said through tears. "The experience with me and Sharron is an amazing gone, so no one will ever take that away from us, whether we’re together or not. I wish I could go back and capture some of those moments again, but it’s like, I’m just going to make new ones from here.”
Rhonda previously told Refinery29 that things got a little more complicated after filming.
"We are still talking, we still FaceTime," she said. "We have not been able to see each other in person since show."
Once they were no longer at the retreat, Rhonda says some of their issues on the show got harder to handle.
"It was very challenging for [Sharron] because as much as he grew in the show, it was so hard to take all of that by himself and move away from me and then try to do it successfully without all the help we had," she continued.
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However, fans shouldn't despair. Rhonda says the door is still "definitely open."
"We're taking it a day at a time."
Rhonda and Sharron post regularly on Instagram, be it selfies or modeling shots or the occasional — wait, nope, it’s pretty much just selfies and modeling shots. Sharron liked the last four of Rhonda’s photos on her grid, which date back to February 2020. However, one of those was a promotional shot from Too Hot to Handle. Rhonda hasn’t thrown any Instagram likes Sharron’s way in recent pics.
Neither Rhonda nor Sharron appear to have commented on the other’s photos from their main Instagram account. Their Too Hot to Handle co-star Harry Jowsey, however, regularly shares love in the comments section of Sharron’s account (he’s a gem, truly). Other cast members have also occasionally slid into Rhonda and Sharron’s comment section, but these two are pretty comment-avoidant across the board.
While there hasn’t been much social media interaction between Rhonda and Sharron in recent months, Rhonda previously liked a lot of Sharron’s photos between February and May of 2019. The series was filmed in April of 2019. Sharron also liked a few photos that Rhonda posted in July and August of that year.
Regardless of whether she is still dating Sharron, Rhonda told Refinery29 that the show was a great experience.
“I have definitely seen a difference in my everyday life. A friend of mine, when I came back, the first thing he said to me was, ‘You different.’ He was like, ‘You're acting different, you're talking a little different, what's going on with you?’ I've grown as a person," she explained.
Could a reunion show make use of that aforementioned open door? Stay tuned.