The Ending of 'Too Hot to Handle' Season 2, Explained

Spoilers for Too Hot to Handle season two. By episode ten of Too Hot to Handle season two, much has fallen into place: Cam Holmes and Emily Miller are officially boyfriend and girlfriend, as are Marvin Anthony and Melinda Melrose. Carly Lawrence has worked through her issues with Chase DeMoore and has moved on with Joey Joy. Everyone's heart has grown three sizes bigger, and they've all gotten very tan. But only one player will win the $55,000 and walk away the winner. So what happens at the end of Too Hot to Handle—and what must we make of all of it? Let's break it down, shall we?

Well, in terms of growing as people and in relationships, all of them! Oh, that's not what you meant, I hear you say? Well, in episode ten, Lana hand-picks the players who have seen the most personal growth during their stay at the retreat—which feels a little unfair to contestants like Emily and Melinda, who had their shit together when they strutted in, but I digress!—and here's who Lana selects as the three contestants eligible for the $55,000 prize winnings:

From there, the remaining players are tasked with voting for the person they think is eligible for the $55,000. While Marvin, Carly, and Cam huddle on tiny bean bags, their friends and partners cast votes for who they think should win:

So that's three votes for Cam, four for Marvin—meaning Marvin is the winner of Too Hot to Handle and walks away with $55,000. Ultimately, the group decided, on the whole, that Marvin—who came in a French flirt and walked away in a committed relationship with Melinda—had experienced the most personal growth.

"I came in as a boy and I'm leaving as man," Marvin says.

Well, you know, there are more slow-motion shots on the beach. Then everyone puts on their best outfits—at least I think that's what's happening; Marvin is wearing a full suit, although a couple of the boys are in jeans—and clinks champagne as Lana announces that Marvin is the winner. She also announces that the group has broken the rules no less than 15 times (a strong season, I think we can all agree).

"I have observed you all commit to the process, acknowledge your failings, and show significant change," Lana says. She declares Marvin the winner. "I can't believe it!" gushes Marvin. "My baby Marvin is the winner!" celebrates Melinda.

"I'm literally so proud of Marvin and Carly and myself. It's the end of this crazy, emotional journey, and I've had the time of my life," Cam says. Emily backs him up: "Marvin is a true winner," she says. Marvin douses the group in champagne and tells Melinda, "We made it!" It's all kind of adorable, actually.

From there, the rules no longer apply. Everyone starts making out, and then there's a lot of slow motion-dancing, and then Cam says, "I think I love you," to Emily, who screams with happiness. We also learn in the last episode that they're talking about moving in together, which...I mean, I want to be cynical, but I'm so happy for them? I love them?

"It's a perfect happy ending," Melinda says. And that's it!

The second season was filmed in November and December in Turks and Caicos, and the cast has had to stay tight-lipped for most of the last six months. That all changed when the show began airing—but the couples who left the show hand-in-hand haven't yet said whether they're still together, probably because Netflix doesn't want them spoiling it for viewers. But the cast seem to have stayed close, at least if Instagram emojis are any indication, and many of them reunited for promotion for the show—although Marvin stayed in Paris, France, potentially due to COVID-19 restrictions.

We do have some hints about what's happened to our favorite couples over the last six months, however. Of Melinda, Marvin has said, "It's complicated," but has hinted that they're trying to make it work—and Melinda posted on her Instagram Story that she and Marvin had spent an hour on the phone together. Cam and Emily seem to be more stable, confirming that they're both in committed relationships (they wouldn't clarify whether those relationships were with each other, but it's a pretty safe bet) and even doing branded content together as a couple.