'Temptation Island' recap: Rick Fleur welcomes Medinah Ali into his bed, David cries with regret, and Kate Griffith sparks a connection

Temptation Island featured Rick Fleur welcoming Medinah Ali into his bed, David Benavidez crying over his mistakes with regret, and Kate Griffith sparking a real connection with a single man 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 Goldson, 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 with the end of David's threesome with Samantha Hoffman, a 29-year-old flight attendant from Tampa, FL, and Payton Burgess, a 23-year-old bartender from Greenville, SC.

Samantha said things got "crazy" and she got a little "frisky;" however, she said she was able to separate having fun from her feelings and emotions.


Samantha then asked Payton to leave the bed and go find Casey.

Meanwhile, Casey was talking to Medinah, a 30-year-old podcaster from Atlanta, GA, in the hot tub. Medinah accused Casey of putting all of the single ladies into the friend-zone, but he insisted he loved being free and talking to multiple women.

"Honestly, if Ashley broke up with me, I'd be okay. So, if she was giving me an issue, I'd just move on to where I'd go back to that lifestyle of just hooking up with anyone," Casey explained.

Medinah called Casey "an assh-le," but Casey missed doing "whatever the f-ck" he wanted to do.

"I feel like maybe when I told her I loved her, I was saying it from a place, like, 'I love you, but if you ever wanted to leave me, I would be fine,'" Casey explained.


Medinah told the cameras Casey wasn't making any sense because he wasn't even taking advantage of some women throwing themselves at him, such as Payton and Rachel Hamel, a 25-year-old swimwear designer from New York, NY.

Payton joined the conversation and became emotional, saying Casey would give her a piece of him and then just take it back or rip it away. She called him an "assh-le," just like Medinah had, but he said he had a girlfriend and that's all there was to it.

With that being said, Casey stormed off and left Payton in the hot tub.

"I'm done. I'm f-cking done," Casey vented.

Over at the girls' villa, Ashley G. asked Kalaan "KB" Brown, a 36-year-old realtor from Long Beach, CA, whether he genuinely liked her and had feelings for her, and he insisted they did have a connection.


Ashley G. was confused about just remaining friends with KB because they had been intimate already on the island and still had a playful, flirty dynamic. But she insisted she wasn't in love with him.

Ashley H. was also flattered two men on the island liked her: Deac Conti, a 25-year-old E-commerce entrepreneur from Naples, FL, and Ben Knobloch, a 25-year-old site supervisor from Phoenix, AZ. She wasn't used to all the attention.

In order to not piss off Casey by taking the same guy on two dates in a row, Ashley H. asked Deac out on a date.

At the guys' villa, Casey chased after Payton instead of going to bed to make her feel better. Payton said their connection was stronger than he wanted to admit and she still wanted to get to know him better. Casey, however, admitted he didn't know what the hell he was doing.

The morning after the wild party, Samantha noted she was doing "the walk of shame," and David immediately broke down into tears once he was alone in my room.


"I cheated on her. I left Kate down. I let myself down. This is going to mess her up for the rest of her life. It's all my fault," David cried. "I just can't believe I did that to her."

Toneata Morgan, a 23-year-old model and entrepreneur from Los Angeles, CA, really liked David but realized he might've just been trying to hook up with as many girls as possible. She wasn't sure whether to fight for him or just let him "do his thing."

Casey then asked Payton out on a date so they could explore what was between them, and Payton planned on "turning up the volume on the Casey train."

David noted he loved Kate but had connections with other women on the island that he wanted to see through. He was confused about how to navigate dating on the island going forward, but he decided to start with asking Samantha out on a date.

Samantha was starting to really like David, but she wanted to get to know him better to determine whether they'd be a good fit for each other.

Esonica then asked Kareem Thomas, a 27-year-old financial consultant from Queens, NY, out on a date, and he was just waiting for Gavin to mess up.


As for Kate, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to forgive David or move on.

"If you don't want to date me, then send me the f-ck home. I actually care and that's why my emotions get the best of me," Dominique Price, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Marina Del Rey, CA, told Kate.

Kate confessed Dominique made her heart pound a little bit, but she said she didn't want to take him out on a date in order to avoid disrespecting David and her relationship with him. Kate was attracted to Dominique, but she didn't want a physical relationship on the island.

Dominique told the cameras he was developing real feelings for Kate "for sure," but she had her guard up.

Kate then asked Aden Twer, a 27-year-old regional sales manager from Philadelphia, PA, out on a date, and Dominique angrily yelled in the background to just send him home.

Aden said some other men had shot themselves in the foot by being too aggressive with Kate and so now he got his chance.


Rick asked Medinah out on a jet-skiing date, and Gavin had some fun on a jetski with Mia Metcalf, a 26-year-old model and retail manager from West Allis, WI.

Medinah said Rick made her feel like he was her boyfriend, and she was really vibing on his energy.

Meanwhile, Ashley G. was enjoying a date with Jose Rodriguez, a 25-year-old restaurant owner from Sherman Oaks, CA. Jose made her feel comfortable and relaxed.

Kareem then brought up the point to Esonica that Gavin may not be okay with her going on three straight dates with him. Esonica, however, didn't seem to care because going on Temptation Island was Gavin's idea to begin with.

During Casey's date with Payton, he revealed that he really wanted to get married to Ashley H. one day. That hurt Payton's feelings, and she realized their relationship was more friend-level than she had originally thought.

And Ashley H. said she liked Deac but she was "in love" with Casey. Ashley H. had a lot of fun with Deac and found him funny and entertaining, but he was getting a little frustrated with her confusion.


Deac said one day she loved him, one day she loved Ben, and then one day she was crying about Casey.

On Kate's date, Aden told her that she hadn't been selfish enough in her relationship, and she said he was totally right. Kate hated, however, going on dates with other men when she just wanted to be with David and kiss him.

"But knowing what he did, it's never going to be the same for us," Kate told Ashley H. "I just don't want to feel this way anymore."

Once Casey returned to the guys' villa, both Payton and Rachel wanted to be more than his friend.

And David was trying to repair his romance with Toneata. David felt he looked like "a jackass" to everyone in the house, including Toneata, and that worried him.

"You and I really had a great connection. I would think I'd be the last person to do something like that," David explained.


Toneata told David he was a good guy who just made a mistake, and so she said she was still open to getting to know him and being there for him on the island. Toneata was happy that David felt safe enough to open up to her about his feelings, and she was really starting to like him.

Later on, Rick was in bed and Medinah woke him up, asking if she could sleep with him. Medinah then made a move and was shown going under the covers as Rick slapped his hands over his face in defeat.

"I really don't know what's going on. I can usually hold my composure, but I'm single at the same time. So I don't know what the f-ck -- I really don't know what to do!" Rick vented in a confessional.

The next day, Kate walked into her bedroom and found a heart on the bed made of Hershey's kisses. Dominique wrote her a letter apologizing for losing focus and promising to focus on only her going forward.

"I am still here for you and it will remain that way," Dominique added. "P.S. Would you accept my kisses? It's chocolate."

Kate acknowledged Dominique had been listening to her, and she said David never did romantic stuff like that. She was slowly letting Dominique in, allowing him to touch her and cuddle with her.


Meanwhile, Deac and Ben were competing over Ashley H. Both guys were hoping Casey was going to mess up so Ashley H. would be more available and need a shoulder to cry on.

It then became time for the men to attend a bonfire meeting, where they would see a glimpse of what their girlfriends were up to. David admitted he was on an emotional roller coaster and wished he could explain himself to Kate.

David told Temptation Island host Mark Walberg there was no emotion behind his threesome.

David watched Kate telling the men to finally invade her personal space and then lying on a couch with Dominique as he touched her shoulders. David, however, thought the clips were pretty innocent and could tell she wasn't getting physical with anyone.

"It just makes me feel that much more guilty. I let my girlfriend down and I let myself down by my actions this week. I cried twice, and I don't think I've ever really cried in my life," David announced.

Gavin saw Esonica venting to Kareem about how her boyfriend never complimented her and gave her words of affirmation, but Gavin argued he did in fact compliment Esonica often and it was just never enough.


Rick viewed a glimpse of Ashley G. flirting with KB while she was lying in bed. She joked about getting lipstick on his shirt so he would belong to her, and then Ashley G. appeared to ask KB if she could touch his private parts.

Rick appeared upset and disgusted. He didn't even want to look, but he said he wasn't surprised.

"Damn, that just messed me up seeing that, to be honest. Really," Rick admitted. "I'm learning more about myself. That's what I'm allocating all of my energy towards right now."

Ashley H. was then shown telling Deac that she liked him, which didn't worry Casey because he said it seemed like his girlfriend just liked Deac as a person and qualities that he had.

"But what if she finds a new and improved Casey, and it's not you?" Mark asked. "If she were to leave you here, how would you feel?"

"I don't know. Life would be a lot different. Life would be completely, completely different," Casey replied.


Casey said it sucked to see Ashley H. sharing space with a guy in a hammock, but he still envisioned himself going home with her because he felt confident in their relationship.

The ladies then headed to the bonfire meeting, and Kate told her friends that she was "expecting the worst." Ashley G. was also worried Rick was getting comfortable with someone.

While Ashley G. knew she had messed up, she said she still loved Rick.

Ashley G. then watched Rick made out with Medinah in the pool and end up in bed with her. Rick told Medinah that she had soft hands, and then he was shown spooning with her.

"I am not made for this sh-t," Ashley G. cried.

"KB and I have respectfully gone into the friend-zone specifically out of me trying to understand that I'm still emotionally tied to Rick, and he's over here loving on the same girl as if he's been with her forever."


Esonica watched Gavin sucking on a woman's toes in the hot tub. Esonica called that "disgusting" and "nasty as sh-t." She said she didn't want to kiss Gavin ever again.

"I guess I didn't think of, when we were making rules, 'Oh, by the way, don't put anyone's foot in your mouth.' Excuse me?" Esonica said.

The ladies laughed with Esonica and Ashley H. noted watching that clip was "cringeworthy."

Ashley H. subsequently viewed Casey venting to Medinah about how he'd be okay if Ashley broke up with him and he'd just move on. Casey said he'd go back to his lifestyle of hooking up with anyone and would be fine.

Ashley H. broke down into tears, and all the girls surrounded her and comforted her. Ashley G. said she deserved better because she's "a dope-ass girl."

Ashley H. wondered if Casey was just hurt from someone he had watched her do, but she gathered from that clip Casey would be fine if they weren't together and he wasn't even sure whether he was in love with her.


"I've been so into him and so in love with him that now I just feel like he's just been lying," Ashley H. cried.

And finally, Kate had to watch David shower with Samantha totally naked, and Kate asked herself, "It's a different f-cking girl?" Kate had remembered David clicking with Toneata in the last clip she had watched.

David was then shown having a threesome with two women in his bed.

"What the f-ck?!" Ashley H. yelled, before putting her hand over her mouth in shock.

Kate sat emotionless, seemingly in disbelief over what she had just witnessed.

Kate appeared to be on the verge of tears as she took a deep breath.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski