There are some couples on Temptation Island that fans think have a real shot at leaving the show with their relationships intact. But Erica Washington and Kendal Kirkland are not one of them. Their relationship seemed tenuous at best when the show began. Now, it’s impossible for fans to picture them staying together. Kendal looks to be treating the show as a free pass to cheat. After his behavior on a recent episode, Erica may be done with him for good.
Erica and Kendal went on the show as a last-ditch effort to salvage their relationship, because neither one was happy with where they were at. Kendal felt Erica lacked his ambition and motivation, and Erica felt she did a lot for Kendal in their relationship and wasn’t appreciated. Many fans think their relationship is emotionally abusive, and Erica is beginning to discover her self-worth and realize that Kendal does not value her. Kendal has already gotten physical with the island’s singles, but now he might have crossed the line.
Kendal has been cozying up with Alexcys for a few episodes, which Erica has seen first-hand during the show's bonfire ceremonies. But in a recent episode, Kendal shared a steamy threesome with Alexcys and Nickole. Erica has begun to see Kendal’s red flags more clearly, and when she watched Kendal’s tryst at the bonfire ceremony, she seemed to have hit her limit. She said watching Kendal cheat was her “new norm.” Host Mark Walberg asked if there was anything Kendal could do to win Erica back, and she replied, “absolutely not.”
From her answer, it seems like there is no chance that Erica and Kendal leave the island together. Erica comments that she spent their entire relationship “trying to paint this picture of [him] being some amazing, wise, intelligent man, and that’s almost the exact opposite.” Though watching her boyfriend cheat on her night after night is agonizing, the bonfire ceremonies are helping Erica. “I’m praying for clarity and I get it every single time,” she said. From what viewers have seen, Kendal’s threesome was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The couples on Temptation Island aren’t far into their journey on the show, but it seems like Erica and Kendal won’t make it through the process together. Kendal may be getting what he wants on the show, but with each bonfire, Erica gains more clarity about the true dynamics of their relationship. She hasn’t made much of a connection with the single men in the women’s villa, but at least she’s starting to realize that she deserves better than what she’s getting from Kendal.