Very Tempting

On the series finale of ''Temptation Island,'' Fox's monogamy be damned reality show. (Feb. 28, 9 p.m.), viewers will finally find out which of the three couples stayed together and which strayed. EW.com brings you two singles' eye views into the sleaze in Belize: Meet Tom Ritchie, 28, the Ivy League grad and current University of Virginia law and business student who wooed Shannon on her overnight ''dream date.'' (He's also the founder and president of Luvv.com, an ''online dating lounge.'') And get acquainted with Alison Dietrich, 29, a family practitioner who once posed for Playboy's college issue -- and on last week's episode, hiked into the rainforest with Kaya. Here's what the two had to say about love, paradise, and bikini bottoms lost and found.

Why would a doctor and a lawyer to be agree to be ''tempters'' on a show like this?
TOMI've always had a natural interest in relationships. I'm really good at the 4 to 6 month relationships, but can't seem to excel past that, and that was certainly the focus of the show -- figuring out if a long term relationship was worth keeping. It was also an opportunity to experience something completely different, which is hard to resist.
ALISON Ever since I graduated from medical school and got board certified, I've just been hanging out, biding my time to see if there was something else I wanted to do. I love the entertainment industry and wanted to know if there's a place in it for me.

Which of the ''committed but unmarrieds'' were you most attracted to?
TOM Shannon [the blonde lawyer] is exactly the person I would want to meet in the real world. She's confident, warm, and thoughtful, not the kind of person I expected to come across on the show. There was definitely chemistry and a connection between us.
ALISONI was interested in Kaya [a model], and while the other men were nice, they just weren't my type. They looked vastly different. Kaya's 6'2'', tall dark and handsome, a creative sensitive person, while Billy, Andy, and Taheed were about 5'8''. I wasn't going to hit on them just because I was supposed to be a temptress.

What kind of gossip spread throughout the singles group?
TOMThe guys weren't coming back from their dates bragging, but at the same time, we all had a sense of what was going on physically and emotionally. There wasn't much you could hide from the cameras or everyone else.
ALISON There was LOTS of gossip. After I was picked, one of the girls came up to me and said, ''Kaya totally made out with Megan, and the only reason she's not going on the final date is that she told him she couldn't do it because she was a kindergarten teacher and it would look bad.'' I asked Kaya about that on our last date, and of course it wasn't true.

What did you think of the contestants who DIDN'T pick you?
TOM Ytossie's thoughts were really elsewhere. I think it was hard for any of us to feel a connection with her. When it became clear to Valerie that Kaya was the one for her, it became harder and harder to go through the days. Mandy is young and full of energy, but she's not the kind of woman I would ever date in real life.
ALISONTaheed was sweet, but I didn't hang out with him too much. Billy and I did shots together. He was always great to be around. We never knew what was up with Andy. He wanted people to say or do scandalous things, trying to get us riled up. I never got him.

How often did your ''dream dates'' talk about their significant others?
TOMShannon and I talked about Andy a great deal. Their relationship is a part of who Shannon is, and I wanted to know her. Because of that, we spent half our together time feeding our impulses, and the other half resisting them.
ALISON Kaya mentioned Valerie on our first date, especially when he thought he'd seen her. But he really didn't talk about her on our last date. He really focused on me.

Watching the show now, what are your impressions of Andy and Valerie?
TOM Since I had gotten to know him through Shannon's comments, the kind of experience he had didn't surprise me. Andy is the type of person who says things right away; he'll blurt something out and without thinking about it. They're opposites that way. Unfortunately, that doesn't play well in two weeks -- or on an hourlong show.
ALISON On the show, Valerie is so upset and just goes on her dates and thinks only about Kaya. That was surprising, because she doesn't seem to enjoy herself at all, and the single guys were all great. Kaya, on the other hand, wanted to have the ''full experience'' of exploring his relationship.

Meaning what? Tell us about those final dates -- did they, as host Mark L. Walberg says, ''get steamy''?
TOM A lot of what Shannon and I experienced happened the next day. There were still issues unresolved by the end of the [overnight date]. Everything that happened will be on display on the last episode, but that's all I can say.
ALISON Hmmm. I would have to agree with Mark that things got steamy, but I don't think I can tell you who and where.

What happened off screen that you thought would make it on the air?
TOM The downtime of all of us on the beach, partying and bonding. A lot of the relationships, including mine with Shannon, were stronger than they seemed on the show, because you don't see everything that happened when people weren't on official dates.
ALISON Me walking around poolside with no top on. Two of the guys and me were skinny dipping, but I don't think Fox could show any of that. There was another night when Andy lost his bathing suit and he took my swimming suit bottoms. That also didn't make it on. There was a little bit of nudity, but it was all in good fun.

Read EW.com's ''Temptation Island'' episode guide.

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