USA’s Temptation Island follows four committed couples who are sent to a gorgeous island, separated from one another, and left to their “single life” devices with 24 eligible men and women. Whether or not they can resist the temptation of the singles is a test to see if their relationship is the real deal, or if it’s time to move on. In the finale, the four couples are reunited, and must decide then and there if they want to leave together, alone, or with one of the singles. Executive producer David Goldberg said it best in a Deadline interview: “Temptation Island is sure to spark intrigue, debate, and conversation.”
The steamy reality show with a couple of seasons under its belt is actually a reboot of the 2001 original. The difference between the original and this new show? “A concerted effort was made to populate the island with singles genuinely looking for love whose personalities are appealing to the four couples who are questioning the long-term viability of their relationships,” Goldberg added.
So, did it work the first time? Did the couples split up or stay together? Here is what happened to the OG cast of Temptation Island.
Kaci Campbell from season 1 of Temptation Island is earning cash on the internet
Kaci Campbell came to Temptation Island as part of a couple. Though Campbell and her boyfriend, Evan Smith, dated on and off for 10 years, Smith was reluctant to take their relationship to the next level. The pair told Temptation Island producers that they were at a crossroads and were hoping to determine if they should get married or not. Smith was apparently on team “Not Getting Married.” He immediately felt a connection with single Morgan Lolar and, at the final bonfire, told Campbell that he wanted to break up with her for Lolar.
Poor Campbell didn’t do well with the loss. “At first [the breakup] was really hard, I was devastated,” she said in the show’s six-month check up episode. “But it’s such a blessing and I’m very glad he’s gone… He stole 10 years of my life, all of my twenties, and doesn’t even feel bad about it.”
But now, Campbell is living in Los Angeles and making a living off of the internet. She makes videos on Cameo, has an OnlyFans page, and, as she posted on Twitter, is “Genuinely happy and thriving”.
Temptation Island's Evan Smith is "so sorry" he cheated on his ex-fiancé
Evan Smith appeared on season 1 of Temptation Island to prove his commitment to his girlfriend, Kaci Campbell, but he quickly fell for Morgan Lolar. Smith and Lolar dated throughout the season and left the island as a couple. Smith then proposed to Lolar during the six-month check-in episode, and allegedly cheated on her shortly thereafter. Lolar tweeted her allegations in 2019, writing, “Is it ever okay for an ENGAGED man to leave his fiancé across the country to ‘work’ but actually has nightly sleepovers with 21yo Instagram models? Oh, and his phone happens to ‘die’ every night at the same time.”
It wasn’t all roses before Smith’s infidelity, either. “He didn’t work the entire time that he lived with me for almost a year and a half,” Lolar told the Watch with Us podcast. “I supported him financially and his excuse for abruptly leaving two days before we were supposed to move to L.A. was that he needed to go ‘work’ to be able to pay me back.”
Smith seems to be remorseful for his actions, tweeting, “I am so sorry, Morgan” in April of 2020.
Morgan Lolar from Temptation Island is "technically homeless"
Morgan Lolar was a real estate agent based in Virginia before she appeared as a single on season 1 of Temptation Island. She met and fell in love with Evan Smith on the show, and the two of them made plans to move to California together at the end of 2019. Even though Lolar and Smith broke up at the beginning of 2020 because of Smith’s infidelity, the reality star decided to move to California on her own. On February 4th, 2020 she announced on Twitter, “I AM IN CALIFORNIA”.
But suddenly, left without a fiancé in sunny Los Angeles, Lolar found herself in a tough spot. “I just gave money to a homeless man and then remembered that I’m homeless too” she tweeted on February 9, 2020. She replied to a comment on that tweet to assuage a fan’s worry saying that she was “staying with” Erica Steinhauer (a single from her season) but is “still technically homeless.” It’s unclear Lolar she has her own place yet, as she recently posted to Instagram, “Me, showing off someone else’s patio view of LA.”
Shari Ligons and Javen Butler from season 1 of Temptation island have a podcast together
It’s not all bad news for Temptation Island vets. Shari Ligons and Javen Butler had been dating since they were in their teens when they went on the show in season 1. Since Butler had cheated on Ligons when they were in college, he said he wanted to use the island to prove his commitment to her — and his plan worked! He proposed at the finale bonfire, and Ligons said yes. Butler later posted the moment on his Instagram page, writing, “Asking baby girl @shaaarrri to marry me was the highlight of my life”.
Butler and Ligons seem to be going strong. The couple now lives in Los Angeles and have a podcast, on which they, as Ligons tweeted, “get real and talk about relationships, pop culture, and #temptationisland.” Additionally, Butler recently posted a picture of the two of them on Instagram with the caption, “I’m not perfect. I’ll annoy you, piss you off, say stupid things, then take it all back. But put that all aside, and you’ll never find a person who cares or loves you more than me.”
Kady Cannon from season 1 of Temptation Island has a new boyfriend and her own marketing company
Kady Cannon went on Temptation Island with her then-boyfriend John Thumond. They had been dating for nearly three years and Cannon wasn’t sure if Thumond was the man for her. She was right. Cannon left the island single and told The Sarah Scoop Show, “[Today] we are not together, we don’t talk…and I just had to cut off communication there.”
The former reality star seems to be doing well despite the heartache. In March of 2019, Cannon announced the start of her own marketing firm on Instagram. “As a lot of you know I’ve been doing freelance marketing for years on the side,” she penned in the caption. “But now I’m launching a full service umbrella marketing company @kannonmarketing for small business owners with a la carte services or monthly packages.” She added that she’s looking for referrals, and would appreciate any support.
Cannon lives in Dallas, and according to another Instagram post, appears to have a new man in her life. “I kinda like this guy,” she wrote in the caption. “He’s alright. Guess I’ll keep him around a little while longer.”
John Thurmond and Katheryn Golden from season 1 of Temptation Island are just friends
After meeting on the dating app Bumble and dating for three years, John Thurmond and Kady Cannon decided to test the strength of their relationship on season 1 of Temptation Island. Thurmond explained his hesitation about Cannon in an interview with PopCulture in 2019. “I think I was getting a lot of pressure from Kady about marriage,” Thurmond revealed, saying Cannon felt like her “biological clock” was ticking while he was wary of marriage after his parents divorced when he was young.
Thurmond and Cannon left the island alone and single, but then tried to make things work again after they got home to Texas. The pair eventually split up for good, however, giving fans hope that Thurmond would end up with Katheryn Goldyn (a single he met on the show). Goldyn and Thurmond did spend time together in Nashville in 2019, but Goldyn posted a Boomerang of the two of them on her Instagram that killed the rumors once and for all. “No, we are not together,” she wrote in the caption. “However, we remain close friends and will always care for and respect each other!”
Karl Collins and Nicole Tutewohl from season 1 of Temptation Island are back together
Karl Collins and Nicole Tutewohl appeared as a couple on season 1 of Temptation Island. “Karl and I had been dating for two-and-a-half years before going on the show. We had just moved in together,” Tutewolh told the Chicago Tribune. “I think we were at the point of figuring out if this was ‘the one’ for each of us.”
While Collins got the assurance he needed, as during the final bonfire he told Tutewohl that he wanted to leave the island as a couple. Tutewolh, however, disagreed. The pair broke things off then and there.
But Collins and Tutewohl are now back together. They’re both personal trainers, and have a workout program that they made together. Tutewohl celebrated their relationship with an Instagram post. “I didn’t know if we could come back from what we went through and if you would have asked me a year ago, I wouldn’t have imagined us coming back stronger than ever but here we are,” he gushed in the caption. “Keep holding onto your person strong, the hardships are always worth it.”
Kate Griffith and David Benavidez from season 2 of Temptation Island are back together
Kate Griffith and David Benavidez had dated for three years before they went on season 2 of Temptation Island, but Benavidez didn’t seem committed to the relationship. He almost immediately showered with one single, kissed another, and then pursued a third. Griffith wasn’t true to her man, either, as she also explored a new relationship. No one was surprised when they didn’t leave the island together.
However, people were surprised when they got back together. In a since-deleted Instagram post (via Us Weekly) showing the pair wearing matching pajamas, Griffith wrote, “After letting you into a small glimpse of my life in an unrealistic and inorganic environment on Temptation Island, I’ve decided I owe no one answers as to decisions that I’ve made AFTER cameras stopped rolling.” She added that she and Benavidez are living their best, authentic lives.
Benavidez also took to social media to defend their relationship and his actions on the show. “The ‘reality’ show does not accurately depict any of the cast members or any of the couples’ relationships,” he wrote. “We are all characters playing the ‘roles’ that go with the storyline.”
Ashely Goldson from season 2 of Temptation Island seems to be jumping back into television
Ashley Goldson and Rick Fleur had troubles during their four year relationship, leading them to go on season 2 of Temptation Island. “I’ve seen some things that made it very difficult for me to trust him,” Goldson told InStyle. “I’m…not really trusting what he’s doing.” Goldson also shared her hopes for the show: “That he leaves with me or he does something more than leaving with me!”
The couple did leave together, but it didn’t last. Goldson and Fleur had ended things by the reunion episode, with Fleur confirming the split in a January 2020 tweet. “For everyone wondering, I’m still single,” she shared.
Goldson seems to be doing well despite the breakup. She appears to be doing more work in TV, as she posted a photo of herself in front of a greenscreen to her Instagram story (via Bustle). “How I look reading comments from haters, then [carrying] on to sign a new contract,” she penned in the caption. Though Goldson didn’t say what the contract was for, she did make another Instagram post hinting at something good.
Ashley Howland from season 2 of Temptation Island dumped both Casey Starchak and Ben Knobloch
Ashley Howland and Casey Starchak appeared on season 2 of Temptation Island to make their relationship work. “We were just delving into our issues in our relationship when I got an email about casting couples for the show,” Howland told Instyle. “We didn’t even know what our issues were at the time; just that there was an issue and that we would get into arguments.” She added that they hoped to evolve as a couple while on the show.
Starchak did propose to Howland during the finale bonfire, but she said no, instead choosing to leave the island with single Ben Knobloch. But, then she and Knobloch broke up as well. Howland claimed the split was because Knobloch changed. “It took like a 360. I’m not even kidding,” she told Bustle. “We’re not together. And he is a completely different person.”
Howland is spending time alone since both breakups, telling Bustle in that same interview she’s “single now for sure.”
Casey Starchak from season 2 of Temptation Island isn't pleased with the show
Casey Starchak did not attend the Temptation Island season 2 reunion after proposing to his girlfriend Ashley Howland and getting turned down. “[I’m] chilling back watching all the reunion drama unfold knowing I stayed out of it,” he posted to his Instagram in December 2019.
Starchak is clearly not a fan of Temptation Island. After trashing it on social media and getting trolled by the son of one of the show’s producers, he took to Twitter yet again. “When Jude Jeffress, the executive producer’s son has to make a backup account to talk sh*t to you! Temptation Island is made by scumbags.”
Why does Starchak hate Temptation Island? He alleges that his words were edited together in post-production to tell a false story and make him look bad. He also posted a photo to Instagram with a caption detailing the tough lesson he learned. “Each day you get the opportunity to shape the type of person you will become,” he explained. “Choose your actions wisely and take note of who you are becoming!”
Ben Knobloch from season 2 of Temptation Island has a new girlfriend
Ben Knobloch went on season 2 of Temptation Island as a single. It didn’t take long for him to find romance with Ashley Howland, who came to the island with her then-boyfriend Casey Starchak. Knobloch liked Howland right from the start. “Obviously the physical attraction is what draws you to someone initially,” he told Floor 8. “I realized she wasn’t just a pretty face. I had no way of knowing how she would react to my advances or feelings.” Still, Knobloch took a chance, and it paid off, as he and Howland left the island as a couple.
However, after the show’s reunion special, their relationship fell apart. According to Knobloch, Howland cheated on him with Starchak (via Floor 8). In the end, Knobloch and Howland broke up, even though she denies the cheating allegations.
Kobloch doesn’t seem too hurt by the break-up, though, as he has a new lady in his life. He posted a photo on Instagram with his new girl, tagging it with the hashtag, “#powercouple”.
Esonica Veira and Kareem Thomas from season 2 of Temptation Island seem to be dating
Esonica Veira and Gavin Rocker were a couple when they went on Temptation Island season 2. When asked about her biggest fear going into the show, Veira told InStyle, “The fear of the unknown. Not knowing the connections he’s having and how he’s gonna feel four weeks from now.”
But it ended up being Veira’s unknown that ended her and Rocker’s relationship, as she made a connection with single Kareem Thomas right from the start. “There was not a defining moment for me when I realized that there could be a possibility of leaving the island with Kareem,” she told Floor 8. “I am a very emotional person that reacts situationally and in that time and space anything could happen.”
Though Veira and Thomas haven’t officially announced that they’re dating since the show wrapped, Thomas did drop a big hint on The Tylt in 2019. Interviewer Keydra Manns asked him directly, “What is it like for y’all now to be in love and like, as a couple?” Thomas responded with a laugh, saying, “You guys keep watching. You guys are gonna love what happens.”
Gavin Rocker from season 2 of Temptation Island is breaking into acting
Gavin Rocker appeared on season 2 of Temptation Island with then-girlfriend Esconica Veria. When interviewed by InStyle before filming began, Rocker listed his show “deal-breakers” that would definitely end the relationship. “Hooking up with someone or having someone in your room,” he revealed. “Also just a strong emotional connection. Sometimes the physical is a lot more shallow than the emotional.” He added that if his partner is falling out of love with him on national television, he’s not sticking around.
Sadly, that’s just what Veira did, hooking up with single Kareem Thomas and leaving the island as a couple with him. But Rocker seems to be doing just fine without Viera. He posts Instagram videos of himself working out and partying with his “boys” in NYC. Rocker is also breaking into acting; he’s appearing as “Spice” in the movie Scott Free that will be released in 2021.
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