'Temptation Island' recap: Corey's "worst fear" comes true, Kendal flirts with the "dangerous" Alexcys, and Erica cries about not being enough for Kendal

Temptation Island featured Corey Sobczyk's "worst fear" coming true, Kendal Kirkland flirting heavily with "the dangerous" Alexcys Homan, and Erica Washington comparing her relationship to "a business" and lamenting about how she had lost her individuality with Kendal during the USA revival's Season 3 episode Tuesday night.


Temptation Island follows four dating couples at a pivotal time in their relationship in which they must decide whether to stay committed to each other for the rest of their lives, go their separate ways as singles, or leave the island with a new partner.

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The four couples are New Jersey-based couple Kristen Ramos, a 26-year-old physical therapist and Julian Allen, a 26-year-old personal trainer; West Hollywood-based couple Chelsea Orcutt, a 29-year-old marketing coordinator, and Thomas Gipson, a 37-year-old investment trader; Los Angeles-based couple Erica Washington, a 24-year-old personal assistant, and Kendal Kirkland, a 26-year-old business owner; and San Diego-based couple Erin Smith, a 24-year-old behavioral therapist and Corey, a 25-year-old concierge manager.

Kristen and Julian were together for a whopping 11 years prior to Temptation Island, Chelsea and Thomas had dated for over a year before applying, Erica and Kendal dated for two years prior to the show, and Erin and Corey had been involved for one-and-a-half years.


The Temptation Island broadcast began with the four established couples saying goodbye to each other.

Erin said she was "scared and nervous" to leave her man and live with 12 single men, but at the same time, she had been "longing for answers" for a while in terms of whether to pursue a future with Corey.

That night, both villas partied with their respective group of singles. Julian hoped Kristen would learn to trust him, and Corey couldn't get Erin out of his head.

"My natural inclination is to be flirty, and I want to kind of be teasing and flirty, but I want to make sure that I'm also respecting Chelsea's feelings, and it's just weird," Thomas told the cameras.

Thomas told a group of girls that Chelsea didn't trust him. He then gave an example of how he and Chelsea were once in line for a drink at a networking event and he sparked up a conversation with a woman and "exchanged socials," which upset and angered Chelsea.


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Thomas said Chelsea had been cheated on in the past and so her past experiences were coming back to haunt her.

One of the singles told Thomas that he shouldn't stay in a relationship in which he feels consistently anxious.

"At the end of the day, you want to be with someone that makes you happy and not give you that, like, sick-to-your stomach feeling," Grace, a 25-year-old PR assistant from New York, NY, told Thomas.

Meanwhile, Chelsea struck up a conversation with Dr. Blake Eyres, a 34-year-old dentist from St. Louis, MO, and the pair bonded over their shared passion for snowboarding and scubadiving.


Chelsea said Thomas doesn't share her interests and it didn't matter, but Blake said his parents have a healthy marriage and it's because they're able to enjoy the same hobbies and activities.

And Erin was able to learn more about Griffin Libhart, a 25-year-old business owner from Baltimore, MD, who is a retired pro soccer player. Given the couple both player soccer before, they immediately got along.

Suddenly, a game of Flip Cup broke out in the girls' villa and Kristen was furious because she said she didn't move into a house with men so they could relive their frat days. Kristen thought these men would want to get to know her and talk like gentlemen.

Evan McFadden, a 29-year-old sales associate from Simi Valley, CA, told Kristen that she knew what this experience was all about and then came on the show only to be reserved and standoffish.

"If you give me respect, I'll give it back," Kristen said.


"But how did I disrespect you? I think there's animosity in the air we have to clear up soon," Evan explained.

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Kristen told the cameras that she didn't want to continue with drama, but Evan admitted he didn't like how she had sassed him. Once Evan walked away from the conversation, he called Kristen "a b-tch."

The next day, Kendal placed himself in a conversation with three blondes who all claimed to have appeared on the show looking for love.

Alexcys, a 23-year-old personal assistant from Van Nuys, CA, told Kendal that she once cheated on a guy and their relationship ended and so she had some walls up. Kendal said that was "interesting," but he could tell the single had some "fire and passion" in her.


Kendal also appeared to like how Kendal looked him in the eye when they talk and seemingly really wanted to connect.

The men and women in established relationships then gathered together with all the singles to pick the people they'd be going on a first date with.

Erica tried to get Kendal's attention by flashing him a look and whispering, "I love you," but Kendal wouldn't even make eye contact with her and seemed laser-focused on pairing up with a single.

The men were able to pick the singles whom they'd like to go on dates with first, and Julian selected Amanda Spain-Butts, a 24-year-old operations coordinator from Austin, TX. Kristen noted Julian's decision was "interesting."

Corey picked Nickole Ciszak, a 22-year-old marketing manager from Oak Ridge, NJ, whom Erin admitted was "cute."

"I don't hate her," Erin said, although she confessed she felt a tad jealous.


Kendal asked Alexcys out on a date, and Erica wasn't pleased at the pair's interaction.

"The thing that rubbed me the wrong way is the fact that he didn't even get all the way to the girl; she just stepped out like she knew he was going to choose her. And then he goes up and grabs her by the hand. So it has me thinking, 'What has gone on with you guys within the last few days?" Erica explained in a confessional.

Erica told her friends that she hoped Kendal was going to sanitize his hands after that.

Thomas decided to ask Lauren "Tula" Poindexter, a 28-year-old digital content creator from Waldorf, MD, out.

The girls were up next, and Kristen selected Jesse Stephanos, a 25-year-old business owner from Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Kristen admitted she wasn't looking forward to going on a date because she'd probably be awkward.


Chelsea opted to go on a date with "Dr. Blake," and Thomas said he wasn't surprised because Chelsea likes men and not boys.

Erica selected Lex Lindquist, a 28-year-old event planner from Miami, FL, and Kendal murmured to himself, "Let the games begin."

Kendal said he didn't feel like he had anything to worry about because he was well aware of what he brings to the table in a relationship.

Erin chose to go on a date with Griffin, whom Erin called "a good looking guy" with "some soccer swag."

The first dates were set and were going to take place the following day.

"My worst fear came true in Erin picking Griffin. They connect with soccer and they're both athletic. It feels like Griffin is a little more compatible with Erin than me, and it sucks. I'm just scared of losing her," Corey cried in a confessional.


That night, the girls let loose a little bit at a pool party. Chelsea was twerking in front of the guys and Erica opened up to Lex, who promised Erica that he would listen to her.

Erica said she felt "free" because Kendal wasn't there for her "to cater to 24/7 and then leave absolutely no time for myself." Erica was excited to be selfish for once and put herself first.

Jesse thought there was a real possibility of connecting with Kristen, who liked Jesse's laid-back style. And Chelsea and Blake continued to talk about their love for adventure.

While Erin was having a blast partying -- despite missing and thinking about her man -- Corey found himself "overly emotional" in the process, and he apparently didn't understand why he was so upset because he still trusted Erin.

At the guys' villa, a devils and angels party broke out, and Alexcys wore a tiny school-girl skirt over a thong. Kendal took one look at Alexcys and said he couldn't look for too long because she was "dangerous."

Corey took a body shot off one woman, and Alexcys danced all up on Kendal and dubbed him "a bad boy." Kendal hoped Erica was having fun and doing the same type of things.


A game or Truth or Dare then broke out, and Alexcys and Katrina Koomen, a 22-year-old model from Novi, MI, made out in front of the group. Katrina said she was just being herself and had no desire to hold back.

Kendal was dared to give Alexcys a lapdance, and then she gave him a sexy lapdance right back. The single girls agreed that Kendal was "willing to risk it all" and Erica should probably be "a little concerned."

Thomas then announced to the group his plan was to leave Temptation Island better and stronger with Chelsea, whom he loved and wanted to be with.

"The point is to find someone who matches you," said Maya Morsi, a 32-year-old web developer from San Jose, CA.

"No, that's not my point. Don't tell me what my point is," Thomas snapped. "I know why I'm here."

Maya said she felt disrespected and Thomas had made the single women feel like none of them were worthy or deserving of his time. Maya reminded Thomas that she's a human being and Thomas should give everyone an opportunity.


"I didn't mean to make you feel like that. If you choose to feel like that, that's unfortunate," Thomas told Maya.

For the dates the next day, Erin and Griffin went ziplining, as did Kristen and Jesse. And a large group went out on a sailing boat for some swimming, sun and drinks.

Kendal admitted he's not a strong swimmer but Alexcys let him hold onto her and he really respected that. Thomas was also thankful Lauren could get himself out of his head and allow him to be himself.

Chelsea then talked to Blake about how Thomas had talked her into appearing on Temptation Island and she wanted to feel like she's good enough. Chelsea said Thomas said all the right things but his actions made her feel insecure.

And Erin liked what she learned from Griffin on their date. She said their dynamic wasn't awkward and they had a good date overall.

Kendal told Alexcys that he was used to being in control and planning things out in his relationship, and Eric opened up to Lex about how she took care of Kendal more than she focused on herself.


Erica said Kendal did a lot for her in his own way but sometimes their relationship made her feel like she was "operating in a business." Erica told Lex that a relationship requires two people, and she broke down into tears.

"When you're in a relationship with someone who's constantly telling you how to feel or what to do next, when you don't have that person anymore, now you really have to rely on yourself," Erica said, letting out her emotions.

It then became time for the first bonfire meeting, and Erica cried before the gathering because Kendal had ignored her advances when they saw each other at the date-selection meeting.

The girls met with Temptation Island host Mark L. Walberg at the bonfire first, and Mark explained they would be seeing glimpses of how their boyfriends were adapting to single life as well.

Mark warned the video clips would not provide context and would just be "a moment" of what their partners were experiencing on the island.

While maybe painful and hard to watch, Mark said the clips might give the women some perspective into their relationships and what they want out of life.


Erica admitted she had been in her head a lot but was getting to know herself.

"Today, for the first time, I was like, 'I love myself.' I am gaining this sense of self-love and I'm a giver. I want to do whatever makes the other person happy and I don't think twice about it," Erica shared.

"And that's the problem: I've now given all of myself to someone else, and I don't have anything left."

Chelsea first watched the scene of Thomas telling the girls about Chelsea's lack of trust in him and how that had been apparent at a social-networking event.

Chelsea scoffed at the advice Thomas had received from the singles, and Chelsea said the event Thomas was referring to is actually what sparked her insecurities to begin with.

Chelsea explained Thomas had been talking to a girl at the event and never even acknowledged that she was his girlfriend standing right there.


Chelsea said Thomas had made her feel insignificant at times and that was a trend in every relationship she had ever been in. Chelsea said she's a nice girl who wears her heart on her sleeve and so people tend to take advantage of her.

"I try so hard in all my relationships and I give everything, 100 percent, and it's like, that's where I need confidence and that's why I'm here... If you don't see what you have right in front of you, then you don't deserve me," Chelsea explained in tears.

Erica watched a clip of Kendal explaining how he's practical and she's emotional. Kendal said he was looking to see if there's a woman whom he can get along with better and who will understand him more.

Erica then watched Kendal and Alexcys grinding up on each other.

Erica said she felt like she was watching a different person in that video and she thought he understood how hard this experiment is for her.

"He's so mature and wise and advanced that he doesn't necessarily, like, things don't ever bother him," Erica said, adding that some parts of that make her feel insecure.


Erica confessed that she didn't see herself on Kendal's level "all the time" and Kendal had done that to her.

"I feel like I'm lost sometimes. I feel like I'm not an individual," Erica lamented.

Erica said she didn't know why she felt incapable or insufficient and she begged herself every day to let herself out of that cycle because it was draining and unbearable.

Erica cried about how she was surrounded by so many people but still felt like she was all by herself.

While Erica initially said she loved herself, Erica admitted that she no longer believed herself.

"Sometimes I feel like I just talk and I keep talking until I believe what I'm saying," Erica shared in tears. "I feel so confused."







About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski