Geschatte leestijd: 3 minutenTwo muscle bundles in the last season of Temptation Island portray two completely different, yet equally sad stereotypes of ’empty wardrobe’. From “macho as long as I’m the biggest” to “I am god’s gift to women”.
Pee alert
It’s been over a month since I wrote a pee-article. But fear not. The reason for my latest tirade is mostly based on something I find more laughable than annoying. No hateful tone here. Just head-shaking amazement. Although I can’t promise anything.
Temptation Island 2017
No sensible person would, of course, watch a flat, vulgar show where everything is done to induce couples to commit adultery.
I’ve been watching since the first season, together with my wife. I could argue that I’m intrigued by the social dynamics under such extreme circumstances. However, ‘relational disaster tourism’ is the true reason. Setting up your folding chair on the roadside with a bowl of popcorn in your lap to watch the victims of an accident being taken away.
After so many seasons, you can’t really be surprised anymore by the behavior of certain participants. However, this year I have an excuse to write about it here. It’s related to muscles, yay!
Temptation Muscle
This year, I’ve laughed the most at, or ‘appropriately disgusted’ by, the behavior of two participants with ‘more-than-average’ muscle mass.
First, we have Niels who participates with his girlfriend Rosanna as a couple. At first glance, you might see Niels as a tough guy. However, soon the image develops of someone who is very insecure. The image of a boy who was bullied in the past and then started training hard to feel a bit more like a man. The top part, then (never skip leg day, Niels).
For many people, this can be a fine way to build self-confidence. Confidence that can then be built upon in other areas. Niels doesn’t seem to have done that. His whole image and self-confidence seem to be based on his physique. The problem with that is that there’s always someone bigger. There’s always a bigger dog…
“I am the jackpot”
Niels painfully realized that when he saw Alex. Single Alex who is completely focused on taking Niels’ girlfriend away. You see Niels shrinking before your eyes. The tough man is gone. “Damn, there’s a bigger guy”. Quite sad if your self-worth is so strongly dependent on your physique and that of others.
Alex is the opposite case of insufferable. Alex considers himself the jackpot for any woman who is lucky enough to have the honor of being in his presence. Alex thinks he’s fantastic, god’s gift to women. He also has no problem proclaiming this to the world. I sometimes have to remind myself that I’m watching a real person and not a character from a comedy about Narcissus.
Alex is a personal trainer. Personally, I wouldn’t like it if my clients thought I saw it as my mission to satisfy every woman on earth. On the other hand, he may now only have the customers he desires left. Women who are specifically looking for a sex toy that you can silence by placing it in front of a mirror.
In defense of Alex: experience with other TV programs teaches us that people can sometimes exhibit rather strange behavior when followed by cameras. Perhaps he’s a bit less full of himself in real life.
“I lift things up and put them down”
In defense of muscular men all over the world: we’re not all confident as long as we’re the biggest. We don’t all see ourselves as Casanova in the body of Tarzan. Sometimes we even have a bit of substance.
