"We're bottoming out." What Britain's new naked dating show really reveals
A new British dating show is pushing the limits of what can and should be televised. Naked Attraction is a reality dating show that invites singles to get completely nude for shot at love.
Contestants are examined in near-medical detail before being accepted or rejected.
Stuart Heritage doesn't buy that. The writer and cultural critic joins guest host Jelena Adzic to argue that the show reveals something else altogether — and it's not pretty.
"It's so brutal," he says, adding that the show hits a horrible new low. "Where does civilization go from here? It's like we're bottoming out."
A brief history of naked dating on TV
If you think this is the first show to feature nude contestants, you'd be wrong. Dating Naked, Undressed, Unzipped and more are pushing the genre to uncomfortable new places.
For those who want to get under the layers of this phenomenon, here's a revealing reading list.
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Naked attraction: the apocalyptic rise of nude dating shows (The Guardian)
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Is nude dating show Naked Attraction a public service? (The Guardian)
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From Naked Attraction to Undressed: a global survey of reality TV nudity (The Telegraph)
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Naked attraction contestant reveals what it's really like to appear on the show (Mail Online)
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Uncovering TLC's Buying Naked (Real Screen)
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Italy unveils a hit formula with Undressed (Real Screen)
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Risque reality on the rise (Real Screen)
(And here's a bonus spoof of Naked and Afraid, starring Peter Dinklage and Leslie Jones.)