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'You Weren't Trustworthy': The Most Brutal Breakups On 'Temptation Island'
Not every couple who comes to "Temptation Island" ends up leaving together, which sometimes means a pretty harsh goodbye.
Every couple who comes to “Temptation Island” gets three choices when their journey is over. Some choose to leave with the person they came with. Many, however, choose to leave solo or, in particularly dramatic cases, with someone new they met during their journey.
As a result, the final bonfire where couples are reunited often acts as the stage for some of the most dramatic and brutal breakups in reality TV history. Whether it’s an awkward final goodbye, a rejected proposal, or some incredibly harsh words, there’s never a dull moment when doomed couples reach decision time.
Kaci Begs Evan Not To Leave Her
In the most dramatic breakup of Season 1, Kaci Campbell got dumped by her boyfriend of 10 years, Evan Smith, so that he could leave the island with Morgan Lolar.
Evan was supposed to spend his time on the island missing Kaci and realizing he needed to take a step toward commitment so he wouldn't lose her. Instead, he became infatuated with a different girl who wasn’t putting ultimatums about marriage on him. Kaci spent each bonfire watching (or in some cases refusing to watch) as Evan’s romance with Morgan got deeper and more intimate.
When they finally reunited, though, she was willing to work things out, but he’d already made up his mind. At first, she said her piece, calling him a scumbag for his behavior. However, she cried when he made it clear that her revelations about herself and their relationship came too late. Viewers watched as Kaci helplessly realized Evan not only doesn't want her anymore but he's moved on completely.
At one point she literally begged him to stay with her and not throw away what they had together. Unfortunately, he turned to host Mark L. Walberg to signal he was done talking. With that, the host informed Kaci that her time on the island was now done. She remained in shock that it’s actually happening to her she drove away.
Fortunately, after some months of heartache following Evan’s proposal to Morgan, Kaci discovered she dodged quite the bullet with him.
Kady Gets Too Real With John About Having Kids
John Thurmond came to “Temptation Island” in Season 1 with his longtime girlfriend, Kady Krambeer, to see if their relationship could withstand the test to determine if they should get married and have kids. He seemed prepared to take that next step with her, but she almost immediately paired up with Johnny Alexander in her villa.
They both spent the season exploring their feelings for other people and recognizing that they were growing apart. When they reunited, they were pretty sure the best thing for them to do was go their separate ways. However, even though they were on the same page about their future, it’s what Kady had to say about the idea of raising children with John that truly packed a punch.
“I can’t see myself having children with you, and it’s not that you’re not great with children, it’s just the type of man that I want for my household and the type of man that I want to have lead my children,” she said. “Sometimes I feel like I have to baby you a little, I kind of have to mother you a little, and I feel like I maybe have to pull ambition out of you a little.”
Scathingly, she added: “You make me not want to have kids.”
John mentioned later that the harsh dig hurt quite a bit given she has seen him be a loving uncle. In the end, they left the island as single people and went their separate ways.
David Digs His Own Grave
David Benavidez was one of the more poorly behaved men to go on “Temptation Island.” Not only did he routinely do things that his girlfriend, Kate Griffith, would not have approved of, he was involved in an infamous threesome with two women and also had sex on his overnight with a third.
When David reunited with Kate, he knew she was at least somewhat aware of his transgressions via the bonfires. However, he decided that the best strategy was to come clean about everything to her in one ill-conceived monologue.
“I don’t know what you saw or didn’t see at the bonfire but I’ll just be completely honest and own exactly anything and everything that I’ve done here,” he said. “At the beginning, I received lap dances from girls. I don’t know if you saw that.”
She hadn’t. Undeterred, David continued.
“We had a party that we called the blackout party. Everyone, including myself, we got extremely intoxicated and I took a shower with this girl Samantha. After the shower, this other girl Payton came into my room and we started making out in my bed.”
With that, Kate mercifully stopped him from making a televised list of all his errors even though he already made up his mind to leave with Toneata Morgan.
“You’re digging yourself a hole right now. I mean, Payton, this one, and now you have feelings and you’re falling in love with Toneata,” Kate said. “So, some girl sees you in that behavior and then falls for you? That’s really sad.”
She adds: “I mean, you don’t have to tell all of America that you just whored yourself out. I saw, they can see that.”
Still, David continued, informing Kate that he and Toneata had sex on their overnight date. He also tried to explain to her that Toneata is the one for him because she forgave him for all this behavior.
“What a girl, what a girl,” Kate responded sarcastically.
David said that Toneata trusting him is what he is lacking in his relationship with Kate.
“Babe, I get that, but you’re asking for trust from me because you wanted to come here and show that I can trust you and then you do all of that,” a fed-up Kate said. “So, what I should have trusted was my gut instinct that you weren’t trustworthy.”
Although David decided to leave with someone else, it was Kate who gave him a piece of her mind on her way out the door to a new life as a single person.
Kendal Goes Home With His Second Choice, Alexcys
Kendal Kirkland and Erica Washington came to “Temptation Island” together, but he quickly succumbed to the other women in his villa: especially one in particular, Alexcys Homan.
Meanwhile, Erica learned from both the women and singles in her villa that she deserved more than a guy who seemed so indifferent to her feelings. After seeing him get lap dances, have a threesome. and routinely hook up with Alexcys, she went into their final meeting ready to pull the plug on their relationship — which was somehow shocking to him.
When Erica said she was going to leave the island alone, Kendal got wide-eyed and called her choice “interesting." He kept asking if she was positive that’s what she wanted.
“I stand firm in that decision, so you don’t have to keep asking. I’ve got to love myself more. I’ve got to put myself first,” she said.
That’s when Kendal made one more attempt to make her jealous and convince her to stay.
“Might as well try something new. See what’s up. Might as well leave the island with Alexcys and see what’s good,” he said.
Fortunately, Erica is undeterred. After rejecting one more goodbye kiss from him, she left the island single and Kendal stuck around to leave with Alexcys, not letting her know that mere moments ago he was trying to leave with Erica.
Obviously, Alexcys eventually saw that she was used as a threat to convince Erica to stick around and, by the time she arrives at the reunion, her feelings for Kendal were long gone.
Ashley Rejects Casey’s Proposal
Ashely Howland had to watch as her longtime boyfriend Casey Starchak told other women in the villa that he would not be upset if his relationship ended. So, she thought nothing of exploring her options on the island and — after a brief love triangle — found herself falling hard for Ben Knobloch.
Still, in a last-ditch effort to keep his relationship going, Casey decided that the was going to propose to Ashley at their reunion. However, as soon as she came to the bonfire and wouldn’t make direct eye contact with him, he seemed to know something was up.
Blinded by love, Casey proposed anyway and … it didn’t go the way he’d hoped.
Before he even took a knee, she was shaking her head “no,” hoping that he’d bail on the idea.
He was not even finished with his pre-prepared speech before she was saying no to him. Still, he finished and popped the question. In one of the most awkward final bonfires in “Temptation Island” history, she rejected him and told him that she plans to leave the island with Ben.
“Not how it went down at all in my head,” he said as he left the bonfire in tears. “I cried from day one.”
“So did I,” Ashley responded.
"Temptation Island" airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network. Catch up now on USA Network.
