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USA Insider Temptation Island

"The Island Is Always Watching": How Temptation Island Couples Reacted to New "Temptation Light"

When Mark L. Walberg entered the Guys' and Girls' Villas to introduce Temptation Island's newest twist, he got some truly mixed reactions.

By Caitlin Busch
A round light that glows red in the living room of the Temptation Island house

When Temptation Island host Mark L. Walberg enters the villa, he's usually met with mixed reactions: Some contestants are thrilled to bask in that charming smile while others fear what news he may bring from another part of the island. But the reactions from the Season 5 couples were pretty uniform when Walberg introduced the latest twist to an already chaotic season in Episode 5: the Temptation Light.

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"I really just wanted to stop by and tell you a little bit about this new lighting fixture that you see," Walberg told the contestants, pointing to a seemingly innocuous white orb sitting on a wooden pedestal. "While it's pretty, it's here not only for aesthetics, it is actually called 'the Temptation Light.'"

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He went on to explain the concept: When the light goes on and bathes the villa in a menacing red glow, that means someone's partner in the other villa has "given into temptation." There's no way for anyone to know who has given in to temptation or what, exactly, it is they're doing to turn the light on — the couples seeing the light just have to play a guessing game.

Naturally, none of the couples were thrilled, with the women gasping, laughing in disbelief, or spiraling into self-doubt.

"It's just like you need a distraction," Vanessa said, voice wobbling with emotion. "Only for this to be in here and have that visual of like 'Nah, there is no distraction.' And then to not know what that temptation is. It's gut-wrenching. I'm going to sleep on this couch and watch that light all night long. I just — I won't be able to rest." 

Later in a confessional, she expanded: "[I'm] really upset. Because I think about just being hurt again. And I already have an inability to be vulnerable and to let my guard down and just be soft and just be gentle. So now I'm bracing, just bracing waiting for the pain to like finally hit me. And it's not a very good feeling."

RELATED: Watch: Temptation Island Season 5 Guys Show Off Their Villa in Video Tour

In the Guys' Villa, Walberg's announcement was met with concerned looks and stony silence from the men.

Single Makayla immediately turned to Great and suggested that his girlfriend, Paris, had really gone through with her statement that she would suck Tahjicc's d*** if she weren't on camera. 

"S***," Great said in a confessional right after. "When that light goes off, I'm going to be thinking it's Paris. All the time it's just going to be Paris doing something and I hate that for myself."