I’ve Changed My Mind, Spanish Temptation Island’s “Montoya, Por Favor!” Clip Proves Reality TV Needs To Be Messier

In a viral clip of epic proportions, Temptation Island’s Spanish counterpart La Isla de las Tentaciones has produced one of the most interesting reality TV moments of the year thus far and has changed my mind about just how messy reality TV should be. While the US version of Temptation Island has been in an on-again off-again relationship with viewers since the early 2000s, the show has produced several international counterparts that air all over the world. Spain’s version of the series is currently on the air, bringing couples on the brink of ending their relationships to a remote villa.

Much like the US version of Temptation Island, Spanish Temptation Island has a very simple premise. The couples who join the show together all separate into two villas, where the coupled men and coupled women are introduced to single men and single women in order to test their relationships. While some of the original couples wind up finding their way back to each other, most find scandalous connections with the singles in their villa. The coupled contestants are shown footage of what their partners have been up to, even if that means cheating, which created José Carlos Montoya’s viral moment.

Spanish Temptation Island’s “Montoya, Por Favor” Clip Has Gone Viral

José Carlos Montoya Is The Internet’s New Favorite Meme

Although many have already been exposed to the viral clip, the intense scene of Montoya seeing his estranged girlfriend Anita Williams sleeping with another man on La Isla de las Tentacionesis something any reality TV lover should verse themselves in. In the clip, Montoya stands in front of a TV screen on the beach and watches as Anita and a single guy in the villa get increasingly close to each other, kissing sensually before becoming more intimate. Montoya, growing increasingly distressed throughout the clip, finally finds himself unable to hold back and begins running down the beach in anguish.

When Montoya finally makes it down the beach, which is intercut in the clip with Anita getting closer and closer to the guy in the villa, it’s clear that he’s never been more distressed. With producers scrambling to keep up with Montoya’s pace as he sprints down the beach, he finally makes it to the villa after crashing out in the sand and screaming in complete and utter despair. While the clip ends before viewers can find out Montoya and Anita’s fate, the point is less about their relationship and more about Montoya’s frenetic energy intercut with Anita’s intimate tryst.

Viewers Love Seeing Authentic Stories On Screen, Even If They’re Invasive

Reality TV Boundaries Are A Rouse

Key art of José Carlos Montoya and Anita Williams on Spanish Temptation Island, the couple smiling in front of a tropical beach.

While some have found themselves confused about the intensity of the clip, others have been loving the raw emotion on display with Montoya’s breakdown on Spanish Temptation Island. It’s notable that reality TV from countries outside the US, especially TV from South America and most of Europe, has a far more raw, intense quality to the emotional moments seen on screen. Rather than overproduced or pieced-together narratives that may or may not be genuine, authentic stories are always going to resonate more strongly with viewers. While some are compelled to look for boundaries, they’re mostly non-existent on international reality TV.

While some shows do have a more polished feel, many reality TV shows that air internationally are meant to seem chaotic and overdramatic, which lends to the idea that the producers are filming actual reality. Though there are always exceptions to the rule, the majority of reality TV shows airing all over the world feel more invasive than the shows US viewers have become accustomed to. While I enjoy the produced feeling or stateside reality TV, there’s something intense and gritty about seeing something more invasive and private, almost allowing the viewer into a moment they’re not supposed to see.

Reality TV Producers In The US Care Less About Authenticity

Reality TV In The US Often Feels Over-Produced

José Carlos Montoya from Temptation Island Spain ripping his shirt off in anger in front of a tropical setting.

While boundaries are something that rarely exist on international shows, reality TV in the US feels like it’s all about boundaries and production, but rarely about authenticity. Seeing someone like Montoya break down after their partner cheated on them while they watched in the distance, even while knowing they’d also done some unceremonious cheating of his own, would never happen on a US reality show. Instead, reality TV in the US is consistently invested in telling stories that string together easily and make sense for the viewers, so when they see glimmers of genuine emotion, it can be somewhat confusing.

Reality TV producers in the US often care more about making sure that the story they’re telling is easy enough to distill into a news bite than intense or emotional. While there are some franchises, like the Real Housewives, that will veer into the intensity and emotion seen on a show like Spanish Temptation Island, most shows are less concerned with that level of drama and more concerned with creating a story that has understandable drama. The overproduction of reality TV comes with a loss that most viewers don’t really notice until something like “Montoya, por favor!” clicks into place.

Reality TV Should Be So Much Messier

Capturing Genuine Emotions Can Be More Impactful

Throughout the last several years, US reality TV shows have been called out for their overproduction and underwhelming drama, but a return to form with reality TV mess at the forefront could fix things for everyone. Shows like Married At First Sight or Below Deck Mediterranean could learn a thing or two from the viral Temptation IslandSpain clip, especially seeing how wide its reach was. While a lot was going on in the viral clip, the raw emotion and intensity brought viewers into a moment that felt overwhelming in a way that reality TV used to be known for.

Although most reality TV viewers are already aware that they’re looking for mess on their shows of choice, I think reality TV can always stand to be messier. While production has its rightful time and place, the best reality TV moments of all time have always been genuine, authentic moments that rarely have producers engineering in the background. Throughout the last decades, the most resonant reality TV shows have featured high-intensity moments like the viral Spanish Temptation Island clip, and I love the idea that reality TV could go back to its roots to find that drama and intensity again.

Source: La Isla de las Tentaciones/Instagram