Monica Geuze on Temptation Island
Monica Geuze also presents the second season of Temptation Island: Love or Leave. Not her best friend Kaj Gorgels, but the Flemish presenter Viktor Verhulst can be seen next to the influencer this time. In conversation with Afrilatest, the presenter talks about how she experienced this change and what we can expect from the new season.
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It didn’t take 26-year-old Geuze long to get used to her new cohost. “Viktor and I didn’t know each other at all when we started this project. We were also not on the same flight to Spain, where the shooting took place. But really: within an hour the ice was broken.”
“The Dutch are known to be direct, but so is Viktor,” the presenter explains. “And we were completely on the same page in terms of humour. Then everything that could possibly be problematic is already tackled. Normally you can be happy if you already have a click with a cohost, but Viktor and I are really friends now.”
“I also realize that I was spoiled when I presented the first season with Kaj,” says Geuze. “When do you work with your best friend, which is of course unique.”
The first season of the original Temptation Island was broadcast in 2002 by the Flemish channel VT4 and Veronica. Geuze was, in his own words, “an equal megafan”. “If people asked me: what are you staying at home for? Then my answer was standard: Temptation Island. Presenting this program was a big dream.” So big, that she’s back in front of the television this season. “Absolutely, I remain a fan. Although it will feel weird, because you’ve been there yourself.”
MonMonica Geuze on Temptation Island
‘Unique characters carry the program’
According to the influencer, this season is extra special. “There are two couples with relationships of eight and ten years. And the singles play a more important role than ever.” In any case, Geuze finds the Dutch edition of Temptation Island very different from, for example, the American version.
“The Dutch are a people of their own. The Dutch candidates, for example, are very direct. In America, everything is packed just a little more beautifully. The unique characters of both the Flemish and the Dutch candidates really carry the program. They are all strong personalities.”
Presenting the second series of Temptation Island: Love or Leave is a lot easier for Geuze than the first. “Sometimes one of the partners wants to continue with the relationship, while the other thinks differently. That’s painful. I can deal with that better now. The more seasons I present, the more I grow and can assist candidates.”
‘Really had a connection with those women’
When asked if the participants were really there for love or more for fame, the presenter is certain. “I think that’s a bit short-sighted. All the couples have really opened up. You see: they have been through a lot together and wonder: do I want to share my life with him or her? Is there anyone who’s a better fit for me?”
These kinds of questions created emotional moments for the participants. “At one point I really had a bond with especially the women, who I just saw more often. Then you see someone go very deep, while you’re really becoming friends with them.”
“That made it very special for me, because I think: if I already have such a bond with the participants, then hopefully the people at home will get that too.”
The new season of Temptation Island can be seen at Videoland since 26 August
