'Montoya, por favor!': The viral Temptation Island cheating meme, explained

Reality TV and drama go together like peanut butter and jelly. So, while fans of the genre go into their favorite shows expecting all kinds of fights, crying, and tension, there are some moments in which a dramatic scene from a reality TV show goes viral and leaves its original audience, turning into a meme without needing the context of the show.

Such is the fate of the internet's latest viral clip from the Spanish version of Temptation Island, La Isla de las tentaciones. The post on X (formerly Twitter) that brought the show to the attention of an international audience now has over 200 million views and people from all corners of the internet have been quoting the clip's iconic line: "Montoya, por favor!"

Temptation Island is a long-running reality TV series in which couples are taken to a tropical location and then split up and sent to stay with a group of attractive singles that try to tempt them away from their partners to test the strength of their relationships.

In the clip, La isla de las tentaciones contestant Jose Carlos Montoya is shown a clip of his girlfriend's loyalty being tested by one of the singles on the island as she kisses him and gets into bed with him. This is, understandably, a heart wrenching moment for Montoya, but the reaction that he gave made for reality TV gold.

As the clips of Montoya's girlfriend kissing and getting intimate with two different men at two different times during their time filming in the Dominican Republic airs, Montoya screams, kicks the tablet that he's watching the clip on, and tugs at his swim trunks out of frustration. When he leaves the set to run down the dark beach to try to go confront his girlfriend, the host yells the iconic line that has taken over the internet: "Montoya, por favor!"

How to watch Spanish Temptation Island

Unfortunately for people who saw the clip of Montoya's breakdown and instantly knew they needed to see more, La isla de las tentaciones isn't available to watch anywhere outside of Spain. For viewers in Spain, the show is available on the Telecino website, but international fans of the viral clip are out of luck.

Luckily, one social media user took the time to post a version of the clip dubbed in English, so non-Spanish speakers can experience the full context of what had Montoya so upset and what he was saying during his tropical tantrum.

And for fans that want more Temptation Island drama, the original American version of the reality series announced that it was moving to Netflix in 2024 and the next season of the series will be premiering on the streaming service in March 2025.