Behaving Like Children: Ytossie & Taheed of 'Temptation Island'

While most of the “couples” that have appeared on Temptation Island are deserving of scorn, and others may eventually find themselves inducted into the Reality TV Hall of Shame, there are two people who deserve it more than any of the others: Taheed Watson and Ytossie Patterson from the first series.

These two (I really hesitate to call them a “couple”) came to Temptation Island after having been together for five-and-a-half years. You might think that would be a long enough time to get a fairly decent idea whether or not this is the person with whom you want to spend the rest of your life. You might further think that the fact that they had a child together -- though they apparently neglected to mention this to the show's producers -- would have some effect on their behavior. In both cases, you would be wrong.

The two said that Taheed had cheated on Ytossie before going on the show. It’s a bit mystifying to figure out why she therefore decided to go to a place where he would specifically be tempted. I guess, if we can presume that she actually thought it through, she might have been thinking that if he could make it there, he could make it in real life. What she doesn't appear to have considered was that he might not be able to make it either on the island or real life. Indeed, his past should have been a good indication of that.

And, of course, this ignores the fact that, as noted above, they already had a child together! This poor 18-month-old was left behind while his parents went to frolic and fight on the beach while being shown on national TV. And when they were busted for having the child and told they could not continue on the show, did they run right home to take care of the child? Don’t be silly. The producers put them up in a private suite further down the beach to deal with their problems -- with a camera crew at the ready, of course.

I should add a note here that Ytossie and Taheed have claimed -- since after the show ended and they came off looking, well, like people who belong in the Hall of Shame -- that producers knew they had a child together, that they were never going to cheat on one another and it was all part of a scheme to boost their acting careers, etc. Yet Zap2it.com reported that a source close to the show said both answered “no” to several questions on applications asking whether they had a child together Taheed did at least admit to his two children from his earlier marriage, and Ytossie did list her son, but didn’t indicate that he also belonged to Taheed. Furthermore, the article noted that neither identified themselves as actors. The two actually went so far as to sue Fox and the show’s producer for defamation, claiming the producers had known all along about the child and they were made to look bad. Furthermore, Ytossie stated that she had been unable to get any acting roles because of the show’s fallout. Gosh, what a surprise.

But whatever went on afterwards, and whatever their claims, these two came off looking utterly shameful in their behavior on the show. It began even before the couples separated, with Ytossie trying to make Taheed jealous by telling him he should be worried about not having blocked a particular male single. Then she got upset when they started fighting about his past again, and she stormed out. From there, she told the camera that he really hurts her and that she still loves him no matter how many women he has sex with. Really? Then why were you trying to make him jealous? Why were you trying to start a fight?

From there, it only got worse. Taheed, was paired up in the first with LaWonna, and said it was the "best date" he's ever had -- including any of his dates with Ytossie. After the first dates, Taheed gave us a glimpse into the way he "thinks." He said that he can be faithful, unless, of course, a woman really throws herself at him. Oh, well, that should be okay, then. Obviously it would be the woman's fault at that point, right?

When it came to recording messages for each other, neither of them chose to do so as they were still angry with one another. But then each was equally upset at the other when no tape arrived for them. Ytossie complained to the camera that she knew Taheed wouldn't send one because he wanted her to wonder; Taheed said he didn't expect her to send one because she's vindictive. These folks obviously didn't realize how hypocritical they both looked by refusing to send a tape and then complaining that they hadn't gotten one.

For the second date, Ytossie picked Tom (the Ivy League grad), and Taheed got Lisa the bartender. As Lisa walked over to him, vindictive Ytossie yelled out, "I have a better looking blonde." Neither date was interesting enough to recount in any detail. The only amusing point was that Taheed said Lisa was comforting and caring, both of which were missing from his relationship with Ytossie. No, really?

The second time, Ytossie caved in and left a video message for Taheed, but he again refused. Thus, he was rather surprised when he found a tape waiting for him. Not that it exactly oozed kisses and hugs -- Ytossie said it was obvious that he was going to do what he had set out to do, and she would too. So there! Take that, Taheed.

In the “hypocrite” category, after all the guys saw clips of Mandy's date with Johnny, where she went a bit overboard in her physical affection, Taheed told Andy and Kaya that he felt like he wanted to go hunt down Johnny for what he'd done. This is Taheed, mind you, who has cheated before, would cheat if a woman threw herself at him, and will almost certainly cheat again. But if somebody else cheats, he's going to go after them. Huh?

Then, of course, everything came crashing down. Ytossie spilled the beans to Greg (the naval flight instructor) that she and Taheed had an 18-month-old child together. This caused somewhat of a problem for the show. As already noted, they were sent to their own private beach to work things out.

At the end of the show, we came back to them again to see if they’d worked out their problems. We got to see the two of them talking about who they kissed and whether tongue action was involved (they both seemed particularly preoccupied with the tongue issue). Both took turns blaming the other, though it was really hard to take Taheed seriously with the way he tried to turn everything on Ytossie and act like an innocent. Remember, this is the guy who succumbed to temptation before ever setting foot on the island! In the end, they said they would stay together and work things out. Awww. How sweet.

But sweet or not, these two made an already bad TV show even more sour. Their hypocrisy (especially Taheed’s) only compounded the situation they put themselves into by leaving their small child home while they frolicked in the sand. Frankly, whether they did it to test their relationship or further their acting careers doesn’t make a whole lot of difference to me -- it is still deserving of a place in the Reality TV Hall of Shame.

If you have a nomination for the Reality TV Hall of Shame, send it in and we’ll take a look at it. But remember, the participant or show has to be truly deserving to be inducted into the Hall.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of the Reality TV Hall of Shame.

Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/Reality TV Hall of Shame e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on these sites! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of the shows in the Hall of Shame listed here, all of the people who have been inducted can be found here, and click here for the Hall of Shame Moments.

For more news about reality TV, be sure to check out RealityNewsOnline, RealityTVFans.com and SirLinksALot!