The title of Temptation Island’s second episode, “He’s Been a Bad Boy,” couldn’t have been more fitting to describe the behavior of Kendal Kirkland. Since the premiere episode, it was obvious Kendal was going to be trouble. Case in point, while sitting next to his girlfriend, Erica Washington, Kendal could barely keep his jaw off the floor as the single ladies paraded around introducing themselves. He also left Erica in the dust to throw himself at the other women as soon as they were separated. Poor Erica will be in for a rude awakening this season!
Before we jump ahead to Kendal’s shenanigans, the episode starts off with the couples officially separating from one another. As soon as the boyfriends are out of the picture, all of the single men burst through the door to the girls villa ready to party. None of the women seem particularly thrilled however, especially Erica and Kristen Ramos. On the flip side, as the single ladies swarm the guys villa, all of the guys, minus Corey Sobcyzk, are ready to party. Let the games begin!
The drinks flowed and a mini dance-off happened when Kendal did the splits and Julian Allen dipped down low. Thomas Gipson practiced his “flirty” smile with the women while he threw his girlfriend Chelsea Orcutt under the bus. Thomas proclaimed his innocence as he shared Chelsea was upset he goes to networking events. He claimed he just so happens to connect with other women in a business capacity. He conveniently left out a huge plot point that Chelsea dished on later at bonfire…
Meanwhile, Chelsea is getting some one on one time with doctor Blake Eyres. Has Chelsea already met her match? The vibes between the two of them are off the charts as Chelsea and Blake connect on their sense of adventure. Kristen also had strong vibes with someone, but not in a good way. Evan Mcfadden got a little too crazy and sprayed champagne all over the kitchen. So, Kristen yelled at him in front of the group to clean it up. Evan tried to clear the air, but Kristen blew him off. This prompted Evan to stomp off and call Kristen a “bitch.” Classy.
The next morning, Mark L. Walberg brought the couples together to pick which single to take out on their first date. The ladies are nervous, especially Kristen, who hasn’t been on a first date in eleven years. As the boyfriends walk to their seats, they all say hi to their girlfriends, except for Kendal. Erica is understandably upset that Kendal won’t even make eye contact with her. Does that mean he is feeling some remorse for being all over Alexcys Homan? Naw.
The boys get to go first. Julian selected Amanda Spain-Butts, and Corey picked Nickole Ciszak. Thomas goes with Lauryn Stewart, and Alexcys was halfway into Kendal’s arms before he could even say her name. The ladies get to go next. Kristen picked Jesse Stephanos, and unsurprisingly, Chelsea picked Blake.
Kendal finally showed interest in Erica and decided her selection of Lex Lindquist wasn’t a threat to him. When Erin walked back with Griffin Libhart, Corey practically had a meltdown. Corey’s worst fears were coming true; Erin was connecting with another athlete. In Corey’s mind, this automatically makes Griffin more compatible with Erin than him. I’m hoping by the end of the season Corey realizes he is a catch, whether Erin thinks so or not.
Later that evening, the ladies decide they need to loosen up and have a good time. Chelsea kept her word and spent the whole party twerking, and Erin schooled Shaquille Urie on how to play beer pong. Unless things go super well with Griffin, I see Erin and Shaquille definitely going on a date together. Erica also opened up to Lex, and shared that she needed to start putting herself first. Yes, please!
At the guys villa, it gets a bit more wild as the girls dressed up as devils and angels for their party. Nickole brought over a crown for Corey, and the group dubbed him king for the evening. This effort finally brought a smile to Corey’s face and he decided he’s ready to have a good time.
But it’s Kendal who had the best time. In a group game of truth or dare, Kendal gets dared to give Alexcys a lap dance. Everyone’s mouths are agape as Kendal does his best Chippendale’s moves, and then Alexcys does the same. Some of the single girls proclaim that Kendal is ready to risk his entire relationship and that Erica should be worried.
The next morning the couples go on their dates. The guys get a big boat and go snorkeling in the ocean. Kendal says he’s not too fond of water, so he holds onto his pool noodles and Alexcys for safety as everyone else swims around in the ocean. Corey kept talking about Erin to Nickole, but wised up and told Nickole he was looking forward to getting to know her.
For the girls dates, they went zip lining and then had heart to heart conversations with the boys. Chelsea explained to Blake she doesn’t feel like she’s good enough in her relationship. Blake reassured her that’s not the truth, and she is good enough. This affirmation gave Chelsea the boost of confidence she needed, and seemed to further her connection with Blake.
Erin and Griffin bonded over their shared experience as former soccer players. So far I don’t see Griffin being a big threat for Corey, at least not yet. Erica teared up as she explained to Lex she felt like her relationship was more like a business than a partnership. Lex was pretty understanding and just listened, which is what Erica needed.
After a long day, Mark then ramped up the stress factor with their first bonfire. Now the real drama begins! It’s ladies first as Mark informed them of the rules. They will be shown a clip of their boyfriends. However, they don’t see the context of what led up to the clip or what happened afterwards. Basically, it’s where the producers of the show get to manipulate the cast and provide reality TV gold.
Chelsea got the honor of going first, and is shown a clip of Thomas throwing her under the bus to the other women with his “I’m just networking” story. Chelsea shared that Thomas conveniently left out that she was right next to him at that event, and Thomas did not introduce her as his girlfriend, or at all. Time to kick Thomas to the curb, Chelsea!
Then it’s Erica’s turn. Oh, boy. Erica gets shown several clips of Kendal, and none are good. In the first clip, Kendal tells a couple of the girls that Erica is too emotional, and he wants to see if he can find someone who understands him better. The second clip is the lap dance with him and Alexcys, as the singles shout that Kendal’s been “a bad boy.”
Erica is shocked and says that Kendal seemed like a different person. She thought he was going to talk about how he needed to work on himself, not find someone else who he can communicate better with. Erica then befuddled Mark when she said that Kendal was more “mature” and “advanced,” which made her feel like she was not on the same level as him. Erica shared she thought Kendal made her feel that way because nothing she does is good enough. Mark reminded Erica she said she was learning to love herself. After that, Erica broke down and said sometimes she just says things until she believes them.
Now we have to wait until next week to finish up the bonfire! I don’t know about you, but I was not expecting such an emotional confession from Erica. It was truly heartbreaking. Let’s hope that Erica pulls through and finds her inner strength as the season goes on.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK KENDAL WAS A “BAD BOY” THIS EPISODE? DO YOU THINK CHELSEA IS BETTER OFF WITH THOMAS OR DOCTOR BLAKE? DO YOU THINK COREY WILL BE ABLE TO LET GO OF ERIN AND HAVE A GOOD TIME?
[Photo Credit: USA Network]
