That Viral “Montoya, Por Favor!” Moment Means a Lot More Than You Realize

In a social media landscape where new memes are introduced literally every second, it takes a truly shocking reality show to hold people’s attention. It takes even more to transcend cultural boundaries to have people from other countries become invested in your story, something that the Spanish version of Temptation Island has managed to do over the past few days. This international version of the controversial American hit created by Andrew Perry has taken pop culture by storm with the particularly messy situation one of its couples is going through.

This is a series built on infidelity, on people betraying those they care about the most, yet the particularly…vocal reactions of this pair have led to not only countless memes but a whole new slew of fans desperate to see what will happen to them next. It’s a trend that has introduced many American viewers to this hit series – and also highlights the issues with this country’s reality shows. A language barrier has kept many folks unaware of the truth behind the now infamous “Montoya, por favor!” meme, so let’s explain it and uncover not only what led to such a huge blowup, but how American reality TV can learn from the internet’s newest obsession.

Even for ‘Temptation Island,’ This Is Messy!

While every reality show is a platform for drama, few are as inherently messy as Temptation Island: Spain. The program sees a group of couples test their love by being split up into two villas on the same beach, with each side rooming with a group of sexy singles whose sole mission is to seduce them into cheating on their partner. This is a wild setup for any contestant, but one pair on the current season was used to wild reality TV; Anita Williams and José Carlos Montoya came to this show after being on another reality series that paired up couples at first sight. They’d fallen for one another on that series but were apparently still unsure if their love could stand against the hurdles of reality TV – so they decided to join Temptation Island. One delightfully dramatic aspect of this series is that the host, Sandra Barneda, shows contestants videos of what their partner is doing with the singles, leading to Montoya’s first huge blowup. When watching Anita flirt with another man, Montoya tore off his shirt and cried out in emotional anguish. He got angry and decided to kiss another girl in retaliation which, after Williams saw it, led to her making out with a man in the hot tub before taking him to bed – all while Montoya watched them on a live feed.

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Even in a genre filled with people crashing out over the wildest situations, it’s rare to see a spiral as explosively intriguing as Montoya’s. It was one that nobody on Temptation Island expected as, after he ran to the ocean and tore off his clothes while cursing about how much his girlfriend had wounded him, the lovelorn contestant took off down the long stretch of sand to confront her face-to-face (not knowing she was currently…preoccupied with another man). This is what led to the now iconic, “Montoya, por favor!” line, as it’s what Sandra yelled after him as she chased him – with a thunderstorm and the crashing waves creating a perfectly soapy backdrop – while he dashed across the sand toward the women’s villa. He began to shout about how Anita had betrayed him, interrupting the woman’s “activities” and making her disengage with her man before going out to yell back that he’d been the first to cheat. They got into a screaming match before Anita rushed to the defeated Montoya and held onto his unresponsive form tightly, begging for his forgiveness, while Sandra pulled them apart and told them both they’d be facing “consequences” for breaking the rules of the show.

We Were All Screaming “Montoya, Por Favor!”

Reality TV fans across the globe have become invested in the cinematic mess unfolding on Temptation Island: Spain. And learning more about their backstory not only helps inform people about how complex this meme is, but highlights how American reality television needs to improve. Fans have grumbled in recent years over how rare it is for producers on dating shows to really capitalize on drama, as while it’s great to see conflict evolve organically, refusing to tell individuals about what their partner is up to means the audience can only watch in frustration as people operate without the juicy knowledge the viewers have.

While certainly invasive, Temptation Island’s insistence on keeping their players informed of everything their partner is doing not only allows for riveting drama but utilizes every aspect of this concept’s potential. It’s what leads to jaw-dropping moments like, “Montoya, por favor!” and ensures that these people will be able to get all of their thoughts out there before the season ends. It’s a meme that not only has created one of reality television’s most intense, thrilling moments, but it has done the impossible by having people all over the globe unite to ask the same question: what the hell is going on?

Temptation Island

Release Date

January 15, 2019

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  Mark L. Walberg

  Self – Host