If you watched The Circle earlier this year and then recently started your Too Hot To Handle binge, you probably wondered...is that narrator the same woman from The Circle? The voice sounds similar and the style of jokes are almost identical.
In both The Circle and Too Hot To Handle, the narrator plays an important role. She is there to play the role of both host and audience, a generally faceless voice providing context and hilarity in one fell swoop. In foreign iterations of The Circle, the host's visage is never revealed to the audience. In the U.S. version of The Circle, we saw Michelle Buteau at the very beginning and during The Circle reunion in the last episode. Her constant commentary throughout the episode was needed, since the contestants were isolated in their own rooms - wouldn't that be terrible? - and forced to communicate with one another through technology. That is not the case with Too Hot To Handle. The contestants in the latest Netflix hit dating show are all over each other, to a certain extent of course. Still, the adaptation of the faceless host persists.
So is the host of Too Hot To Handle Michelle Buteau? No. It's another comedian, Desiree Burch. This is the job for a comedian, rather than a typical TV host who may be more of a household name. You can hear a comedian's writing in many of her one-liners. Burch loves poking fun at Haley for her romantic feelings for Francesca. She expresses contempt for the men and women who act in unsavory ways and applauds the women who stand their ground against the men whose sole purpose is to have sex.
As is often the case with a new show, the host is hardly the most prominent character in the story. But by being invisible, Burch has become one of the most relatable hosts on television. She is us, watching at home, cringing at the things that come out of Harry's mouth and cheering for Chloe for not succumbing to physical temptation. She interjects often because we are too, behind our computers, questioning many of the actions we witness on screen.
While Burch and Buteau are different and incredible at their jobs in their own way, they represent a potential path forward for reality shows looking to break through into the mainstream. Someone as straight as Chris Harrison wouldn't cut it on a show like Too Hot To Handle, because part of the fun is laughing in the ridiculousness of it all. That's what makes hosts like Buteau and Burch so successful in their respective roles. No matter what happens, they're always in on the joke.
