Who took home the prize in Too Hot To Handle season 5? Details explored

Too Hot To Handle season 5 aired its final set of episodes on Friday, July 28, 2023. While the latest batch started with a lot of uncertainty and mixed signals, towards the end, the contestants became clear about themselves and their partners.

In the season finale of the show, Lana took into account the contestants’ personal growth and nominated the two finalists for season 5. Following this, it was up to the fellow contestants to vote for who they thought should take home the $100,000.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Too Hot To Handle season 5.

The cast privately voted and it was later revealed that one person had the majority of the votes and won the season. However, she only walked away with $50,000 as she decided to split the prize fund with Dre. She noted that the cast wouldn’t have as much money as they had left if it wasn’t for the “s*x detective.”

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Recapping Too Hot To Handle season 5 finale

During the second last episode of Too Hot To Handle, two contestants, Louis and Alex who had expressed their uncertainty about their partners were given an ultimatum. They were to either walk away with $25,000 each without their partners or stay in the game with their partners. However, the catch was that if they refused the money, they would take themselves out of the running for the $100,000.

The season finale started as the cast gathered in the cabana awaiting their decisions. Since Louis and Alex’s partners, Christine and Elys were extremely worried about what they might have chosen, they both decided to not take the $25,0000. They chose to continue to form connections with their Too Hot To Handle partners. Seeing that neither of them chose the money, Lana revealed that they were still eligible to win the show.

The cast went to bed happy and excited for the only two remaining couples on the show and woke up excited for the last day of the retreat. In the morning, Alex told the cameras that he was in love with Elys but wasn’t sure how to tell her.

On the last day of the retreat, showcased in episode 10, the cast went on their last workshop of the season during which they had to write vows to themselves. These vows were a reflection of who they wanted to be after they learned who and what they were.

Every Too Hot To Handle season 5 cast member poured their hearts out but the process proved to be tougher for some than the rest. Elys, who presented as one of the more guarded members of the cast throughout the season opened up about her time in the retreat and meeting Alex.

Later in a confessional, she admitted to not realizing how lonely she felt before she came on the show. The teary confessional concluded with Elys saying, “I’m not lonely anymore.”

For Dre, just reading his vows became difficult as he admitted to realizing that before the show, he used women to sustain his ego. He also apologized to Linzy for ghosting her after their date as he broke down in tears.

The rest of the cast noted how the finalists had grown as people and how different they were since they had been on the show. Lana then announced the finalists and the Too Hot To Handle season 5 contestants proceeded to vote.

While it was revealed that Elys was the winner and the recipient of the $100,000, she shocked everyone when she asked Dre if he would like to share the prize fund with her. Ultimately, both of them walked away with $50,000 and Dre stated that Elys “single-handedly” changed his life.

Episodes of Too Hot To Handle season 5 are available to stream on Netflix.