Hot Mess Summer Review: Is This Show Too Hot (Mess) to Handle?

Get ready for some serious summer antics with Hot Mess Summer, Amazon Prime’s newest guilty pleasure. This boozy reality show throws eight British twentysomethings into a setup sweeter than a poolside piña colada: six weeks of partying at a gorgeous Greek villa, free of responsibility. Or so they think. On day two, host Rylan Clark drops a bombshell—the gang of “players,” “princesses,” and “VIPs” will actually be slinging drinks and scrubbing toilets at a rowdy beach bar. Their friends back home nominated them for an attitude adjustment!

Cue the meltdowns. These babes and bros came for a vacation, not manual labor! But the punishments for rebellion are real, even if the “gameplay” seems half-baked. We’ll see hookups and blowups galore as this bunch of hot messes try to make it through a summer that’s not nearly as sweet as promised. For fans of Love Island and Geordie Shore, it promises to be one wild, possibly vomit-inducing ride.

Meet the Hot Messes

Hosting this chaos is reality TV darling Rylan Clark, bringing his trademark wit and one-liners. But not even his charm can rein in this wild bunch completely. Leading the charge is Jay, an unemployed “VIP” bankrolled by his parents. He spends more time slagging off the show than working behind the bar. Then there’s player Amin, who promises to have the ladies drooling like his spit does when he swaps it mouth-to-mouth with a customer. (Yes, you read that right).

The girls are equally, er, messy. There’s “Princess” Dani, who forgives Amin’s vulgar stunt because she’s already coupled up with the cheeky player. “I’m just a horny beast that needs to be locked up in a cage,” she giggles. Clearly this princess likes her beasts. Liv brings the most big mouths and F-bombs, dubbing manager Lee “Wayne Lineker from Aldi” for trying to enforce rules. But it seems not even a global streaming platform like Amazon Prime can get this bunch to behave.

Between hookups, catfights, and drinking on the job, the characters on Hot Mess Summer aren’t here to play nice. But watching their rebellion against bar manager Lee and subsequent punishment promises schadenfreude galore. Lazy, vulgar, entitled—yes, these hot messes live up to their name. Thankfully, an end-of-season redemption arc seems unlikely. Get ready to embrace the chaos!

Faking It for Fame

The big twist comes early when host Rylan reveals the true premise: this isn’t a free vacation, but a lesson in responsibility. The gang’s friends and family back home nominated them to work the bar, thinking an attitude adjustment would do them good. As player Amin says, “The only thing I want to be working is a girl’s behind.” Ha! Think again.

Despite the feigned shock, none of the hot messes can resist the sweet siren song of reality fame, so they stick around to cause more chaos. But the recovery is real. Boss Lee doles out punishments like cleaning toilets and stocking fridges for contestants caught smuggling drinks or disrespecting customers. One too many strikes means getting axed from the bar for good.

Yet the eliminations and challenges overall feel arbitrary, with cast members voting each other out based more on drama than poor performance. The few competitions allowing the group to earn extra cash have zero stakes either way. And the final week suggests redemption arcs for even the foulest troublemakers like player Amin.

So while the premise promises comeuppance for these entitled party animals, Hot Mess Summer lacks real jeopardy. The punishments seem mild and random, undercutting satisfaction. But for fans just in it for the hookups and blowups, this fakeout format still delivers the outlandish summer fun. Even if the pretty people facing consequences are just faking it for fame.

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Trashy Fun in the Sun

With its set up straight out of Love Island and hard-partying cast from Geordie Shore, Hot Mess Summer blends all the ingredients reality fans crave: hot bodies, hookups, and fights. The base entertainment value centers around watching eight gorgeous twentysomethings lounge by the pool, flirt, get sloppy drunk, argue over love triangles…then suffer the next morning cleaning toilets through their hangovers.

What the show lacks in authentic personal growth, it makes up for in delights like contestants disobeying their boss to shotgun drinks and spit-swapping with customers. For fans of other trashy guilty pleasures, this delivers the drama and laughs.

Yet at times, the manufactured conflicts feel more boring than shocking. “I never follow rules and they’re there to be broken,” the rule-breaking cast repeats on cue. UnlikeMESSier reality shows with actually unhinged stars, these folks seem to be acting out rather than letting loose their inner hot mess.

Still, between all the drink-smuggling, one night stands, and employee write-ups, there’s enough entertainment here for viewers seeking some brain-rotting indulgence. Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen even make cameos! For reality fans bored with the played-out formats of The Bachelor and Survivor, Hot Mess Summer promises a briefly refreshing, if ultra-cliché, summer fling.

Just don’t expect the tone to push boundaries or touch your heart. The focus stays firmly on surface-level fun. But for fans of bodies, boozing, and bad behavior, this show certainly delivers the hot mess goods.

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When Hot Messes Go Too Far

While fans live for the drunken hookups and catfights of shows like Love Island, even the most devoted reality viewers have their limits. And Hot Mess Summer’s vulgarity and toxic behavior frequently cross the line from entertainment into crude and disturbing.

Exhibit A: class clown Amin not only breaks the rules by swapping spit with a guest, he does it while coupled up with Dani. Romance redemption arcs are common on dating shows, but Dani forgives this blatantly disrespectful stunt with barely a fight.

Other moments range from laughably predictable to simply unfunny, like the female contestants’ constant sexist references to men as “birds” to be conquered. Then there’s jobless Jay’s unchecked privilege, ranting the manual labor is “not funny” while his parents bankroll his lifestyle.

Between all the body-shaming, dubiously consensual encounters, and endorsing of laziness and cheating, Hot Mess Summer leaves a grimy film. And not in an entertaining, guilty pleasure way. Compared to party girl icons like Snooki or even Miley Cyrus, this cast simply tries too hard to shock, forgetting likability along the way.

For fans of silly, superficial summer fun, the vulgarity and toxic relationships ruin the fantasy. The antics cross lines without enough comic relief or charisma to balance out the cringe. At its best, Hot Mess Summer could be frothy, forgettable fun. But at its frequent worst, it leaves viewers feeling slimy rather than smiling.

A Hot Mess Worth Your Time?

At the end of the day, does Hot Mess Summer deliver must-see TV? For fans obsessed with beautiful young things causing drama while intoxicated, absolutely. Between the hookups, rule-breaking bar antics, and slow-motion shots of washboard abs, you’ll get your fill of trashy indulgence.

Yet viewers who find shows like Love Island already push boundaries of good taste may want to steer clear. The scandals here cross lines without enough humor or heart to balance out the vulgarity. And compared to genuinely chaotic hot messes like Snooki or Miley, these fame-hungry kids simply try too hard.

The format itself also lacks stakes or originality to make it a reality classic. The challenges and eliminations feel arbitrary rather than tense. And you’ll look in vain for serious growth or insight beneath the superficial fun.

Still, if you can stomach some crass behavior for the sake of escapism, Hot Mess Summer will deliver a few wild weeks of summer fun. Just don’t expect the tone or contestants themselves to win your heart in the long run. This show stays firmly in “guilty pleasure” territory rather than achieving reality greatness. Its on-screen shenanigans may entertain temporarily, but you likely won’t feel great about yourself while watching.

So should you spend your viewing hours with these hot messes? Only if you crave a no-strings-attached summer fling with zero substance. For meaningful reality relationships, try a classier show. Hot Mess Summer will leave you feeling used—but at least you’ll have some crazy stories!

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