Temptation Island's Thomas And Chelsea Get Real About His Flirtatious Date With Sophia
"Temptation Island" stars Thomas Gipson and Chelsea Orcutt are coming clean about Tom's flirty relationship with fellow cast member Sophia Perez.
"I was having fun with it," Tom said of his quickly formed bond with Sophia on Reality Steve's May 6 podcast. "This is me being I guess naive, though — I should have realized [Chelsea is] not going to enjoy watching this. It was stupid on my part," he admitted.
Tom and Chelsea entered the reality dating show as a couple on its third season, and while they set boundaries for each other going into the show, those limits were tested when Tom met Sophia. The Florida native entered "Temptation Island" hoping to spice things up (per TV Show Ace) and one date in particular she shared with Tom — which involved Tom giving her a sensual massage — definitely did.
While he confessed he should have had more foresight regarding the situation, Tom said the whole date was meant to have a "playful" nature. "I was kind of like, 'You know what, we're here.' You know the producers set up this date," he explained. "You know they were like, 'Yeah go ahead and have fun with it.' So I was like, 'You know what, let me embrace this' and show that you know it was coming from a playful place," he said.
Tom and Chelsea are still together following the show, but that does not mean all has been forgotten. Keep scrolling to learn how Chelsea felt about Tom's relationship with Sophia.
Chelsea had a hard time grappling with Tom and Sophia's date
During their appearance on Reality Steve's podcast, Thomas Gipson and Chelsea Orcutt sounded stronger than ever — but that doesn't mean they have forgotten the struggles they faced on "Temptation Island" or that steamy date with Sophia.
"When I saw that clip, I was like, 'This is what I was afraid of and I'm seeing it' and just because you're not having sex with someone or kissing someone, this is still cheating to me," Chelsea reflected. "So I was very angry and I had resentment building up and then right there is when I realized that I can't control anything, so I'm going to have to explore my options. So I considered that cheating and then today I still consider it cheating."
Despite their issues, Chelsea and Tom left the island together because they thought their relationship was worth fighting for. Chelsea even admitted to wishing she had a "little bit more understanding" regarding the whole scenario while speaking to Reality Steve. When it comes to Sophia, Tom says they are friendly, but don't have regular contact with each other.
In the end, Chelsea and Tom understand what they signed up for, and it clearly worked out in their favor. "You're drinking. You're in the sun. You're in the moment. You're going along with it," Tom said regarding his final thoughts on the matter. "That's what they bank on and it gets good TV."