Temptation island - Nicely done reality show | MDS2025#1

Like many others, the more I watch reality shows, the less big fan I become. Simply because of the similarity of repetitive content and the lack of quality over quantity, especially on love theme. However, I always give a chance (limited though) for everything to happen on its first try. I often tell myself that I would give it a try on the first episode, and if it isn’t good, I can stop watching at any moment, and there is nothing much to lose. Lately I watched Temptation island – season 9, and it’s worth my tears for it, in the end. Not only it touched my deep inner emotions, but also I see myself in the players’ journey, a growth as a person in love. After watching all 10 episodes,  I found a growth for myself just like theirs throughout experiences in the show.

The interest in writing this is that, probably you will see the same if you watch it. The show is really well done in the way that is balanced. With or without the intention of the production team, the audience can find the similarity of their love stories in the show story, and even more, life lessons. The casting team of 4 on-date couples is various enough in origins (Asian, European, African and American). There are 24 tempters and temptresses, and 16 of them, who stay till the last episodes, do not only do their challenger role but also supportive roles in the growth journey of the players. This is well done that we tend to think and expect all the drama and negative impacts from these tempters and temptresses, which is necessary for the show and rating, but in fact, the production team did such a good job on the casting selection and show organisation that embraces the personal growth, emotionally and mentally, of the players rather than discouraging or destroying them (like I was worried that whether the 4 couples as players they really understand what they want to do and what they expect to do in the show to avoid being the victim of the show bussiness). And again, each couple’s story contributes to the completeness of the show story. We see that men tend to cheat more easily than women, and we also see how differently each gender reacts on this scenario. There are mistakes that should be forgiven to keep growing together. There are also mistakes that shouldn’t be fixed but should be a turning point for both people to find their happiness elsewhere, without each other, no matter who hurts who. Not forget to mention that there is also a couple whose love is strong enough (not just that but it’s vital as the matter of fact) so that they can overcome the temptation and even end up moving to the next stage of happiness together, an engagement and a marriage. I like the open mindset here: marriage is not the final destination of happiness but it is a life stage worth achievement and celebration. Similar to separation, it’s not the end of the world full of sadness and hurts, but an end of a happy-at-that-time journey that opens up another new journey for both to move on and continue to pursue his or her own happiness, despite not a mutual journey anymore.

I like the open mindset here: marriage is not the final destination of happiness but it is a life stage worth achievement and celebration. Similar to separation, it’s not the end of the world full of sadness and hurts, but an end of a happy-at-that-time journey that opens up another new journey for both to move on and continue to pursue his or her own happiness, despite not a mutual journey anymore.

I also appreciate the host role by Mark L. Walberg. He did such a good job, not only with the given title but also with a heart. He is professional enough to be a good listener between the lovers. No judgement is essential in this context, and even more, he opens up ideas and deeper thoughts in making conversations with the couples so that they think for themselves the solutions and what to do next, for their own sakes. He is also kind hearted enough to interfere further when a player is put in a harsh overwhelming situation that he or she starts to lose his or her rational mind in a negative way, which, with or without the touch of the production team, is natural and realistic, yet the way that all the people involved in and react is beautifully done with human affection. Till this point, the show is no longer just an entertainment show. It brings added value to the society and its audience. This is the example of a show creation that could last forever.

At last, I want to give a shoutout to the cultural element that plays an important role in how we behave and process the love matter. Individualism and collectivism, each of them has pros and cons, as nothing is absolutely perfect. The subtle art of balancing them two in life would certainly lead us to a happy and peaceful mind in every possible life situation.

-- About My Daily Stories (MDS): a mini series of posts telling the life stories that I experience, often related to the moral aspect and I want to dedicate a place to honor nice gestures and kindness in life. A pretty flower can make a bright new day for one or more people in this crazy world. No one can teach anyone else about morality, but we always have the choice to be as kind as possible. I will also narrate in 3 languages to have multicultural perspectives because this is the environment I live in (a Vietnamese living in France loving to speak English 😁).