'Temptation Island' recap: Ashley Goldson crushes Rick Fleur, Toneata Morgan tempts David Benavidez with steamy interaction

Temptation Island featured Rick Fleur getting "crushed" by Ashley Goldson but kissing Medinah Ali, Ashley G. dealing with immense guilt, and David Benavidez disrespecting Kate Griffith by having a steamy interaction with Toneata Morgan during Thursday night's Season 2 broadcast of the USA Network revival.


Temptation Island follows four dating couples at a pivotal time in their relationships in which they must decide whether to stay committed to each other for the rest of their lives or go their separate ways.

The couples -- who were at a crossroads in their relationships -- traveled together to a tropical paradise, where they were given the opportunity to live the "single life" in attempt to determine whether or not being single was exactly what they wanted.

The stakes were high and hearts were on the line, but each exclusive couple seemed pretty confident their bonds would outlast and conquer any temptation. However, everyone was taking a great risk.

Ashley G., a 30-year-old store manager from Boston, MA, and Rick, a 32-year-old model from Mattapan, MA, had been dating for four years on and off prior to the show.


Ashley Howland, a 25-year-old dental assistant, and Casey Starchak, a 25-year-old in online sales, lived in Deland, FL, and had been dating for a year-and-a-half prior to the show.

Kate, a 34-year-old sales consultant, and David, a 28-year-old software sales representative, lived in Hoboken, NJ, and had been dating for three years prior to the show.

And Esonica Veira, a 30-year-old former Miss Virgin Islands, and Gavin Rocker, a 26-year-old in private security, lived in Decatur, GA, and had been dating for a little over one year prior to going on the show.

The Temptation Island broadcast began where last week's episode had left off, with Rick at the first bonfire watching back the footage of Ashley G. appearing to be intimate with single Kalaan "KB" Brown, a 36-year-old realtor from Long Beach, CA, in her bed during Night 1 on the island.

Rick admitted it was "a lot to take in" and he was "definitely not expecting that."


"I don't think there's no coming back from that, to be honest," Rick said. "Like, first week, it's kind of crazy to see that she acted in the manner. She had her concerns about how I would act when she's not around, and maybe... she was projecting her insecurities on me."

Rick insisted he came to the island to work on himself and planned to continue doing so.

Rick hadn't put any rules or restrictions on Ashley G., and he confessed his heart was "broken" but he'd ultimately get through it.

Ashley H. was also "so sad" after watching Casey get a lapdance from two women at the same time.

And Ashley G. was hiding from her cast members because she was clearly dealing with a lot of guilt. KB tried to console her as she was lying on a chair outside with a blanket over her head.


"I know that I f-cked up and I was tempted and I begged him to come hear, and then ruining it on my own, like, I don't even know if he's doing anything stupid," Ashley G. vented in a confessional.

Both Ashleys appeared to cry themselves to sleep, and Ashley H. vented to Kate about how she didn't love anyone else.

"I'm going to hate him if he f-cks up. I really am," Ashley H. told Kate, who had taken on a big-sister type of role in the house.

Ashley G. was then shown admitting to KB she had "f-cked up" and just threw away her whole relationship. She also felt bad KB had to watch her go through this process because, although KB was a cool and fun guy, she wasn't over Rick.

Esonica was also upset Gavin told a single girl that he wasn't sure whether Esonica was The One for him. She couldn't believe that when Gavin finally opened up about his feelings, he said something "horrible."


Meanwhile, Casey was partying and having a blast, and he said he wasn't going to change anything that he said or did.

Medinah, a 30-year-old podcaster looking for her prince from Atlanta, GA, attempted to comfort and console Rick, and while he appreciated it, he just pushed her away and wanted space -- which is what he said he always does when he's hurting inside.

The next day, David was looking to get to know Toneata, a 23-year-old model and entrepreneur from Los Angeles, CA, better and deepen their connection. He thought she was a lot of fun and was enjoying himself.

David was a hot commodity on Temptation Island because multiple women were interested in him.

Samantha Hoffman, a 29-year-old flight attendant from Tampa, FL, seemed to like David as well and admitted there was competition to win his heart and she'd probably need to speed things up a bit in order to capture his attention.


Kate accused David of being "calculated" because he was trying to look like a sincere, gentleman by supposedly asking a woman out whom he had no connection with for the first date, when in reality, he did feel a connection with her and had flat out lied.

"I think he was doing that to just make himself look a certain way," Kate said, adding that she wasn't sure when David was being genuine or authentic.

Aden Twer, a 27-year-old regional sales manager from Philadelphia, PA, appreciated Kate's wisdom and noble attitude, and he gushed about how she looks a lot younger than she is and deserves someone who will admire her and put her up on a pedestal.

Aden hoped Kate would eventually ask him out on a date.

Esonica was then shown chatting with Kareem Thomas, a 27-year-old financial consultant from Queens, NY. She told him that Gavin showed zero interest in her home of St. Thomas and where she came from.

Temptation Island host Mark Walberg interrupted all conversations and told the ladies and men in committed relationships they must each eliminate one person from the show.


Kate, Ashley G., Esonica, and Ashley H. decided to send Alex Angell, a 27-year-old operations coordinator from Fullerton, CA, packing because he had yet to make a connection with any of them. The girls didn't think Alex really wanted to be there.

As for the guys, Casey said he'd like to keep Payton Burgess, a 23-year-old bartender from Greenville, SC, and Rachel Hamel, a 25-year-old swimwear designer from New York, NY, around.

The men therefore agreed Sam Harb, a 26-year-old model agency owner from Henderson, NV, needed to go because no one had formed an emotional or physical connection with her.

That night, both villas partied hard. Rick said "the old Rick" was back and it was time to "turn it up," let loose and have some fun.

David found himself forming connections with three women: Samantha, Toneata and Kari Nesheim, a 29-year-old administration assistant from Collingswood, NJ, whom he had gone on a date with.

While Rick and Medinah were chatting in the pool, she was getting flirty and a little handsy, but Rick admitted he was apprehensive in the moment because Ashley G. was still on his mind.


Medina accused Rick of being afraid to make a move on her and kiss her, but he just didn't seem ready.

Ashley H. also let loose and had some fun, dancing around the kitchen and shaking her booty in a thong bikini. She was hitting it off with Deac Conti, a 25-year-old E-commerce entrepreneur from Naples, FL, and thought he was a lot of fun.

But she later confessed to Ben Knobloch, a 25-year-old site supervisor from Phoenix, AZ, Deac was just her "best friend" and reminded her of Casey.

Ashley H. said she needed Deac around to help her through this experience but she didn't want him to know it was just because she was missing Casey terribly. Ben promised his lips were sealed, but Ashley H. cried about the idea of leading Deac on.

Meanwhile, David and Toneata were vibing in the hot tub. Toneata said he was a sweet and caring guy who was easy to talk to, and she said she gravitated towards David.

Toneata pulled David's attention away from the other girls, and she tried to cuddle up to him in the hot tub. Toneata pulled out all the stops and nearly pressed her chest against David's face, which upset Kari because she had really enjoyed her date with David.


Gavin then asked Medinah to spend some time with him so he could get to know her better, but she was all wrapped up in Rick.

"I like you and I want to go on a date with you," Gavin said.

Medinah didn't see that coming and confessed to the cameras she really wasn't feeling Gavin.

Medinah therefore sought Rick out, who was chilling away from the party. Rick told Medinah that he felt her "from jump" but in this dating setting, he wanted to take other people out on dates as well "to just see what's up."

Medinah took that to mean Rick liked multiple women, but Rick said he was just letting his guard down and being transparent. Medinah complained that she didn't want to look stupid, but Rick assured her that everything was okay and she just needed to chill.

With that being said, Rick gave her a few short, sweet kisses, and she responded by saying, "You like me a lot!"


Medinah could tell Rick was trying to open up and so she just needed to relax a little bit. Medinah was struggling with the fact Rick still had a girlfriend, but she needed to accept that.

And Toneata was starting to connect with David more. He seemed impressed by her beauty-pageant history and the fact she had once won Miss Oregon.

Rachel was also pretty much praying Casey would ask her out on a date. She seemed really into him, and Casey appeared to enjoy her company.

"I am worried about what Casey might see at his bonfire. My best asset is my ass -- and a lot of people saw it yesterday! I just don't know where Casey's head might be at. It's a weird feeling," Ashley H. told the cameras.

As for Ashley G., she wasn't done loving Rick. Ashley G. worried she was hurting Rick while he was working on really changing for her, and she said the whole experience was "f-cking with" her head.

Kate was afraid to make David a better man for the next woman, but she suddenly realized maybe he was making her a better woman for the next man. The trust issues she had with David were starting to surface again, but Kate acknowledged she should probably stop playing the victim.


"I very much still love Rick, but I've done wrong by Rick. I just feel like maybe it's not going to work out between Rick and I, but I don't know. Right now, everything is really so much up in the air, and I don't know what to do," Ashley G. said in a confessional.

The men and women in committed relationships later met with Mark for the season's second bonfire meeting.

Rick had been on a roller-coaster ride. He said he was "shocked and surprised" at the last bonfire and so Ashley G.'s behavior led him to reflect on himself and be more vulnerable and emotional.

"It just shows me how far I've come within the short period of time I've been here," Rick announced.

Gavin was up first and watched Esonica say he had dismissed her culture and didn't want to really get to know her and her roots. Gavin felt guilty because Esonica was clearly passionate about where she comes from, and he said he needed to read between the lines more.

David watched Ben tell Kate that she needed a man who would give her validation on a regular basis and put her up on a pedestal.


David said that was one of the underlying issues in his relationship, that Kate feared David didn't reciprocate the strong feelings she had for him.

"I'm not an emotional person, and I think that sometimes gets misconstrued in her mind as someone who actually just doesn't care," David explained, adding that he'd rather show Kate he loved her through his actions rather than his words.

Casey then watched Ashley H. receive a lapdance and dance around the house in a thong.

Casey's heart was beating really hard before that clip played, but he said it looked fun and Ashley H. seemed to be having fun, which was exactly what he was doing. Casey laughed about how Ashley H. was the female version of himself and they are "literally the same person."

But Mark slapped Casey back into reality.

"You're a real confident guy, and that's great. But do you guys get the level of risk that's going on here?" Mark asked.


"Rick does. Do you get that at any moment, someone could be falling?... You keep that wall right where it needs to be and you keep the women at bay, but I ask you, if she were to open up, do you think any of those guys are going to fall in love with her?"

Casey said thinking about that was "weird" and made his heart beat fast. Casey could of course imagine a guy falling for Ashley H. because she was special.

Afterward, Rick watched a clip of Ashley G. saying KB made it really easy for her to move on. KB and Ashley G. also joked about how he brought "bigger and better things" to her life both figuratively and literally. Ashley G. then asked KB for kisses.

Rick hung his head down and admitted he was "crushed a little bit" because it appeared Ashley G. had moved on and her mind was already made up. Since Ashley G. was with the same guy still, he predicted she had an emotional and physical connection with the guy.

"I'm just at a loss for words. I don't know what to say now. I'm sorry," KB declared.

Rick felt the bonfire had changed a lot of things for him. There was a part of Rick that wanted to say goodbye to Ashley G. and move on, but there was also a part of him that wanted to salvage their relationship -- if there was anything left to salvage.


The ladies then walked into the bonfire to catch a glimpse of how their men had been behaving on the island.

Ashley G. told Mark her experience was hard because she was dealing with guilt and she and Rick had "provoked each other." She still loved Rick, however.

Esonica first watched Gavin allowing a woman to grind up on him in the kitchen. Esonica joked about how she can dance better than that, but she didn't think dancing was that big of a deal.

Esonica said it would hurt worse if Gavin had established an intimate connection with someone, like holding hands or complaining about her to another woman.

Ashley G. then watched Rick kiss Medinah on the cheeks and lips several times.

"Maybe I'm just done, subconsciously I'm done, and maybe that's why I'm here," Ashley G. said before crying in Kate's arms.


Ashley G. hoped Rick would be willing to forgive her, but she wasn't sure whether she could forgive him in return.

And finally, Kate watched Toneata straddle David in a hot tub. A man could be heard saying in the background of the clip that David and Toneata were going to be "f-cking" that night because they were "so close."

Kate said she had made it clear to the men in the house they must respect her personal space at all times, but she pointed out David was not doing the same.

David hoped to prove he wouldn't be tempted and he respected their relationship, but Kate said he was doing everything but proving he was "all in" to their romance.

"That's not respect. That's not respect at all," Kate cried.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski