Three 'Too Hot to Handle' Contestants Were Arrested After Season 3 Wrapped
Published Jan. 19 2022, 3:35 p.m. ET
It’s safe to say that a LOT happened in 2021 — the year began with the Capitol riots and ended with Betty White saying “au revoir,” but somewhere in the middle, three soon-to-be stars made headlines when they got arrested. Yes, three future stars of Too Hot to Handle Season 3 were arrested on their way back to the United Kingdom from Turks and Caicos in Feb. 2021.
One of those contestants has been named Matthew Mawhinney by all the major news outlets that reported on the event. However, he’s not in the first episode of Too Hot to Handle Season 3 … nor does anyone named Matthew appear in the season. As it turns out, Matthew goes by the name of Jackson, and Jackson definitely makes a splash.
Matthew Mawhinney goes by the name Jackson in ‘Too Hot to Handle’ Season 3.
Even though he’s not in the first episode of Too Hot to Handle Season 3, Jackson (aka Matthew Mawhinney) made quite an impression. Based on his Instagram, he appears to be a semi-professional boxer, model, and an avid traveler. But most importantly, at least for the purposes of Too Hot to Handle, he is incredibly physically appealing.
However, when it comes to law and order, he’s not too great at following the rules. He enters Too Hot to Handle in Episode 6, and makes quick work of winning the affections of both Izzy and Olga, another late addition to the season. Off the bat, he’s told that he’s not allowed to perform any sexual act (with someone else or alone), and this proves to be too difficult for most contestants.
Whether or not Jackson breaks the rules onscreen quickly becomes irrelevant when he breaks the law on his plane ride home along with fellow contestants Beaux and Harry. The incident made headlines midway through 2021 when the three Too Hot to Handle contestants were put on trial for their behavior.
Matthew Mawhinney invoked the ultimate line of privilege on his trip back to the U.K. after filming ‘Too Hot to Handle.’
When flying home from filming Season 3 of Too Hot to Handle, Matthew/Jackson, Beaux, and Harry, got noticeably intoxicated and were extremely rude — borderline verbally abusive — to airline crew and passengers. Most notably, Jackson invoked the ultimate line of privilege to the British Airways flight attendants when they tried to cut him and his friends off: “F--k you, b---h, don’t you know who my mum is?”
Yes, when the airline (rightly) wouldn’t serve Jackson and the two other contestants alcohol, Jackson tried to pull the “mum” card. Unfortunately for him, his mother didn’t approve of his behavior, and nor did his sober self. According to reports, he expressed major remorse for his belligerence while under the influence.
As it turns out, Jackson’s mother is a woman of importance in the United Kingdom, although that doesn’t excuse his behavior. Her name and title is Baroness Patricia Scotland, and she is currently the secretary-general of the Commonwealth, although she was previously the attorney general under Gordon Brown until 2010. A major political figure, it’s likely that Jackson had hopes this would let him off the hook.
He wasn’t entirely wrong — the sentence for the three contestants was simply a £2000 fine for each of them. As influencers, models, and people heading towards stardom, that’s likely not a major dent in the wallet.
Regardless, it’ll be intriguing to see how this post-filming experience for the contestants plays out for viewers who are watching the convicted attempt to fall in love, knowing this would happen after Season 3 wrapped.
