Netflix's new reality series Too Hot To Handle features a competition between ten hot singles at the beautiful Casa Tau resort in Punta Mita, Mexico. Its premise is to promote meaningful romantic connections between the contestants. The kicker is that sexual intercourse is strictly prohibited. If rules are broken, it results in a reduction of all of the contestants' $100,000 prize fund, which is awarded at the end of the show. The show's winner is decided by the couples that can build the most healthy relationships.
Throughout the first season it's safe to say there were more than a couple rule breaks between the contestants. Consequently by the end of the show, the group's prize fund dwindled. Initially, contestants Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago were the first couple to commit an infraction. The show's regulator, an Alexa-like air freshener named Lana, noted their rule break, and the contestants prize fund was reduced by $3,000. This came to the ire of many of the contestants and drama ensued. But fans could claim that Harry and Francesca's rule break paved the way for many more. Even more intriguing is how the producers came up with the cost of these fines.
In an interview with The Wrap, producer Jonno Richards said, "It wasn’t like there was a bar tab up on the wall saying, 'this is what x costs, this is what y costs'." Producer Vikki Kolar added, "We felt that $20,000 for sex was big enough, but it was those middle ground things that were a big debate. We eventually settled on $6,000 [for oral sex], but I think that was a bit cheap, as well."
Of course, despite the show's premise, the idea for the rules was to leave room for the contestants to break them. This explains why the cost of the fines were not too severe. Additionally, the show also gave the cast a mulligan after the pot meagerly remained at $55,000. At this point, they allowed contestants Harry and Francesca to earn $20,000 back for the group by not having sex for one night.
It's also interesting because much of the show is based upon this idea of psychological rehabilitation. The show employed reward conditioning systems through the utilization of the green watches. It facilitated an atmosphere where contestants like Sharron Townsend were able to reach catharsis. But at the same time, the show needed drama so it had to be made inevitable that the rules would be broken.
But perhaps the rules being broken was part of the show's experiment. Having the penalties relatively low for the individual but high for the collective proved to be an interesting test of the contestant's social psychologies. It also further tested the will power of the others as more people felt comfortable breaking the rules after others had committed infractions. This comfort level was evident in the scene where Sharron and Rhonda cost the prize fund $16,000 for a steamy bedroom encounter in the show's private suite. The cast didn't really react melodramatically compared to the first infraction, which had only cost them $3,000. The show's penalties do facilitate an ease of choice for the contestants; however, it also provides an interesting angle to the psychological aspect of the series.
Source: The Wrap