Today's Top Stories 1 The Best Green Beauty of 2020 2 The Best Books of Summer 2020 3 Now That You're Alone, Try A Natural Deodorant 4 The Unexpected Things Keeping ELLE Editors Sane 5 12 Candles to Make You Forget You're Stuck at Home
Did Too Hot to Handle unexpectedly take over your life during quarantine? Did you spend all of last weekend—or maybe just all of last Friday—watching this show about horny people who aren't allowed to have sex? You're not alone. Too Hot to Handle, which was filmed last April and set in Punta Mita, Mexico, really does look like paradise compared to being locked inside our homes under a shelter-in-place order. The cast members are also in a league of their own as far as reality TV personalities go; when faced with a collective prize of $100,000 and the stipulation that they can't have sexual activity of any kind, it's amazing what kind of antics people will get up to. You'll meet contestants who don't know where Australia is, others who hear a list of rules and start planning ways to break them, and still others to whom the rules mean everything.
If you're missing life on the outside and want a taste of what normal, everyday life was like before a global pandemic hit, watching reality TV is probably not the way to go. But if you want more escapism in these troubled times, here's a bunch of other shows just as silly, pointless, and completely addictive as Too Hot to Handle. Oh, and a quick recommendation: Take breaks between episodes. Reality shows can suck you in, but add a few books in between and you'll be okay.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below 1 Love Is Blind 
This show premiered on Netflix the day before Valentine's Day 2020 (that is, a full lifetime ago). The premise: Men and women meet each other in "pods" where they are literally blind to each other's appearances. They can't see each other but instead go on "dates" where they only talk. By the end of the "blind" portion of the experiment, the objective is for these couples to get engaged, and by the time they walk down the aisle, they have to decide where or not love is blind. Oh, and Nick and Vanessa Lachey host this show, which is the cherry on top of this bonkers-town premise. The streaming service renewed the show for seasons 2 and 3, so we're set for a while, depending on how long this quarantine thing lasts.
2 The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart 
This one is happening right now, and it's yet another way the Bachelor franchise has attempted to create new content. And get this: It's a show inspired by the Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper film, . This is a dating show for musicians, and it's also a music competition show? Just…watch it. It's on ABC on Mondays at 8 p.m ET, or you can download on Amazon. And yes, every single date seems to involve an impromptu duet.
3 The Circle 
The cast of The Circle had this self-isolation thing down before any of us. This Netflix show puts people in their own private apartments and requires them to get to know each other through a social-network interface. But are they really who they say they are? The premise of this one is based on the theory that making genuine connections is a challenge with our screens in the way. Let's see if that theory is true, and see who wins the $100,000 prize. This one has also been renewed by Netflix for two more seasons.
4 Love Island
This show captured residents of the U.K. long before it swept Americans off their feet. Just a warning, this is basically an unedited account of people getting steamy in a private villa. There's. So. Much. Content: The series first hit in 2015 , and you can access seasons 1 through 6 on Hulu. The Australian version is on Hulu, too, and the U.S. show, which premiered in 2019, can be found on Amazon Prime and Hulu. Once you hop aboard Love Island, it's hard to hop off.
5 Bachelor in Paradise
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are the two universally known dating series on network TV, but Bachelor in Paradise is the one that shouldn't be missed. This show takes a bunch of former Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants, puts them together in a tropical locale like Mexico, and let's them have at it. There's far less structure on this show than on the others in the franchise, and that's what makes it such a blast. Cocktail with a side of summer fling, anyone? You can find all six seasons on Amazon Prime.
6 Are You the One?
Last year, MTV brought back the show that matched people by a mathematical algorithm and made the game of "who's my true love" even harder. The producers cast all sexually fluid people so that anyone living in the house could be a match. Queer representation and some relationship stats? This might actually be the one time math is fun. You can watch every season of this show on MTV.com with your cable login, or download it at Amazon Prime.
7 Bachelor Pad
This show only lasted three seasons, but there's plenty of action to keep you occupied. It's a twist on the Bachelor franchise; the contestants all vote who to eliminate at the end of each episode. The final prize is $250,000. You can watch all three seasons on Amazon Prime.
8 Temptation Island
On this USA series, 24 single contestants are sent in to test the relationships of four committed couples. The couples who voluntarily go on this show are already at a "crossroads" before they face the ultimate temptation. The couples live in separate homes and can't see each other until the end of the show. In the meantime, they spend plenty of time with the 24 singles living among them. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, which is perfect for reality TV—and for occupying your time in quarantine. Find it online at USA to watch through your cable provider, or download it from Amazon.
9 90 Day Fiancé
This TLC show follows couples who met their significant others—from other countries around the world—online. We follow along as they establish an in-person relationship and start the process of getting their K-1 marriage visas (they have 90 days to do it). You can watch five of the seasons on Hulu.
Hilary Weaver Hilary Weaver is a freelance writer based in New York who writes about politics, queer issues, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and every woman the Queen has ever made a dame. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below Ed Speleers on Stephen Bonnet's 'Outlander' Demise How Netflix Might Cast 'THTH' Season 2 Advertisement – Continue Reading Below Is Ariana Grande Joining 'AHS' Next Season? A Netflix Doc About Michelle Obama Is Coming Netflix's 'Hollywood' Rewrites the Past Meryl Streep's Bathrobe Happy Hour is a Big Mood Leaders Are Using COVID to Block Abortion Access Sandra Oh on Eve and Villanelle's Reunion Sophie Skelton on Finding Closure on 'Outlander' What Too Hot to Handle's Chloe Veitch Is Doing Now
