This new rumor reported by the Daily Mail just turned everything I thought I knew about Too Hot To Handle on its head. Following the hit Netflix reality show, we learned that contestants Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago are not only still dating, but moving in together. In subsequent interviews and videos, the pair revealed that they did at one point break up in the year since filming, but now are back on track. But now the Daily Mail is reporting that for nine of those months, Jowsey wasn't dating Farago at all — he was dating other contestant Madison Wyborny.
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This is shocking for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that we never really saw them interact on the show. Wyborny arrived later in the season, and Farago and Jowsey exited the show as an item. However, an "insider" told the Daily Mail that Jowsey and Farago broke up shortly after filming. Jowsey then leaned on new friend Wyborny, who he DM-ed after filming. From there, a romantic relationship blossomed throughout the summer of 2019.
While there are no signs of their relationship on social media, the Mail has footage of the two taken at some point during their relationship, and Wyborny still has an Instagram photo taken in Queensland, Australia — Jowsey's hometown and the locations of an apparently disastrous visit. The Mail says Jowsey flirted with other women at a bar and ditched Wyborny when she went to the bathroom.
"He came back to their hotel and told Madison it was over and that she should go home [to LA] without him," the source told the outlet.
This was in late August. Fast forward to December when Jowsey, who now also lives in Los Angeles, apparently apologized and the two decided to give it another go — before he ended up getting back together with Farago in February.
"She found out Harry had got back with Francesca after they re-shared Instagram posts together — it was a bit of a shock!" the source added.
"Shock" is an understatement, and now it's the only thing I can think about going into Friday's reunion episode. Will Wyborny, who came on the show late and left early, be part of it? Will this rumored romance be addressed? Will the fact that, if this is true, Farago and Jowsey have only been truly dating for three months be mentioned? Feels like that changes a lot. It might genuinely be too hot to handle.
Refinery29 has reached out to Jowsey and Wyborny for comment.