What was once a random pandemic binge-watch has now become an international franchise of hot young singles trying to find genuine connections on various islands. Too Hot To Handle has skyrocketed each contestant to the heights of IG fame. (Hello Francesca Fargo’s 5.8 million IG followers). But with every season, a question comes to mind (trust us, it’s been 3 seasons, I wonder each year). Is Lana, our trusty AI and basically chaperone to these wildlings, a real AI? Or is she a real person just voicing the beloved device?
Netflix producers have chosen to keep a tight lip on whether the cone-shaped icon is actually artificial intelligence programmed to watch the singles make *bad decisions* for weeks. Or if she’s just an air freshener resembling speaker to scare contestants into good behaviour.
In a recent ‘interview’ with Lana and Netflix, we learn a little about her hypothetical origin story. The THTH ‘host’ started at McDonald’s taking drive-thru orders until one day, “a customer ordering a large No. 4 began, unprompted, to pour her heart out to me about being ghosted by a long-time love”. Prompting Lana to dive into a career of helping others “on their journey to find a healthy relationship.”
While this still doesn’t answer the question of whether or not this powerful AI has figured out a way to analyze human behaviour to a terrifying extent, it is a super cute backstory for her. A common phrase about the cone-shaped robot is that Lana is all-seeing and everywhere. But is that just because there are hidden cameras literally everywhere on the island? A Bustle investigation tells us that Lana is most likely the front face of a group of producers watching contestants’ every move and prompting Lana when to attack with “there has been a breach of rules.”
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Could this powerful AI possibly save the future of healthy communication in relationships or is it actually a bunch of producers sitting in a room? Either way, we have grown to love her over the past three seasons.
And no, you cannot buy her online.