When contestants exit the Too Hot to Handle villa prematurely, it’s typically due to Lana’s laser beam and a rule break. However, Valentina Rueda Velez’s departure in Season 6 was different. The Colombian model, who quickly became a memorable figure after her mid-season entrance, vanished from the final episodes, leaving viewers wondering. While the show vaguely cited “personal reasons,” the specifics remained undisclosed, fueling speculation about why Valentina left Too Hot to Handle. Valentina has since clarified the actual reason behind her unexpected exit.
Valentina made a significant impact on Season 6 of the popular Netflix series. She stirred things up by catching Demari Davis’s eye, creating tension with Bri Balram, and contributing to some of the season’s most dramatic moments. It seemed Valentina was poised to become a central figure in Lana’s experiment. However, her time on the show was abruptly cut short. In the initial moments of the season’s final episodes, a narrator briefly announced Valentina’s departure from the villa, leaving the reason ambiguous.
Days after the season finale aired, Valentina took to TikTok to share the heartbreaking truth behind her exit. In a TikTok video, she explained, “I didn’t get to say goodbye or anything like that. It’s not because of anything that happened on the show or with anyone or anything like that. That day I had someone in production tell me someone in my family passed away. And I obviously had to leave. I didn’t even pack. I just had to fly away that day and be there for my family.”
Understandably, Valentina chose not to delve further into the specifics of such a sensitive personal tragedy.
Despite her premature departure from Too Hot to Handle, Valentina appears to have formed genuine bonds with some of her fellow cast members. Since the show, she has shared social media posts with Flavia Laos Urbina and Katherine LaPrell. Therefore, while Valentina’s journey on Too Hot to Handle was shorter than anticipated, and didn’t lead to romantic love or prize fund winnings, she seemingly left with valuable friendships.
