I tested the UK-based naked dating show so you don’t have to. (But clearly, I think you should.)
Like many Americans, I spend most of my free time consuming reality television at a breakneck pace — which means, given the nonstop production cycles that reality shows adhere to these days, I do my best to keep up with the release schedule.
I’m usually drawn to dating shows; I’m a devoted viewer of the absolutely historic Bachelor franchise, as well as a recent convert to the burgeoning Love Is Blind empire, among other choice selections. I enjoy watching these shows, talking about these shows, and reading commentary related to these shows. Sure, the genre usually isn’t the highest quality content, but it’s infinitely interesting. In my opinion, reality dating shows, at their absolute best, can be fundamentally fascinating cultural and anthropological artifacts.
For these reasons among others, I was immediately compelled by news of the release of the UK-based dating show, Naked Attraction, on an American streaming platform.
The premise of the show is about as clicky and controversial as it gets: It’s a dating show, set up like a game show, and everyone involved is completely naked at some point in the episode. My prediction was that I would absolutely hate this show, and also that it would be highly interesting — making it a hate-watch beckoning to be binged.
Personal spoiler alert: I didn’t hate Naked Attraction. In fact, it might be my new favorite dating show. Here’s why this show surprised me so much, and how you can watch it — if you dare.
How Naked Attraction works
If your mind is already blown by the general premise of Naked Attraction, then the nitty-gritty details (perhaps questionable phrasing for a show about naked people) will shock you even further.
The show, hosted by Anna Richardson, debuted in the UK in 2016. And it’s basically a game of consensual objectification: Every episode is split into two rounds of “dating.” In each round, a contestant is presented with six naked bodies that match their sexual preferences.
At first, only the bottom half of the bodies are visible. Yes, that means the show literally starts with you looking at full-frontal nudity, in all its genitalia-focused glory.
From there, the contestant works alongside a host to figure out which bodies they’re attracted to. As they winnow down contestants, they’re able to see more and more of the bodies, until finally the faces of the finalists are revealed.
At this point, the finalists are able to speak to the contestant, sharing what parts of their body they’re proud of, and which parts they’re most insecure about. Then, once the decision is dialed down to two potential candidates, the contestant must now get naked, too.
(If you aren’t compelled by the show at this point, I won’t be able to change your mind — in the words of reality TV queen Meredith Marks: You can leave.)
The final stage of the round involves the finalists flipping the script on the contestant, and sharing what they like (or don’t like) about the contestant’s body. (Confidence and self-acceptance are clearly key on this show.) After this point, the contestant can choose who they want to date, and the two nudes skip off into the sunset.
Why I was hooked after one episode
OK, I’ve only seen a few episodes so far, but first impressions are everything, right?
As a lifelong devotee to reality dating shows, I expected that Naked Attraction would end up being at least as degrading, if not much more degrading, than the other shows I’ve watched.
Turns out I was completely wrong.
Yes, the initial few minutes of the show are extremely shocking. You’re staring at a half-dozen penises and vaginas with absolutely no context about who they belong to, and if you’re as fundamentally American as I am, then you’re probably trying to swallow a Puritanical lump in your throat at the sight of all those genitals.
But what I found was this: After a few minutes, I became totally desensitized to the bodies, and they seemed more and more natural to me the longer I watched. I was attracted to this show because of all the genital hullabaloo, but it became harder for me to realize what, exactly, the fuss had been about, to begin with — don’t we all have bodies? Aren’t physical and sexual attraction often part of the (sorry) package of dating and marriage?
The more I watched the show, the more I began to feel something close to empowered. I also surprisingly enjoyed the way the contestants addressed what they liked or didn’t like about their counterpart’s bodies. I had imagined that process would be dehumanizing, but it was actually extremely polite and respectful, and highlighted the fact that each person has different preferences —and that private preferences don’t always adhere to our culturally agreed-upon norms.
On a show like The Bachelor, there’s not a ton of body diversity. But on Naked Attraction, they featured all kinds of bodies, and the contestants often showed interest in ones other than the standard physiques we’ve been taught to believe are conventionally attractive. Clearly, this is courtesy of careful and considerate casting, which not all dating shows have caught up with quite yet.
Some of the participants validated my perception of this really weird experiment. One (fully naked) man said of the experience, “As it progressed, I started getting comfortable in my body. I would definitely try naked dating again, and I would definitely tell other people to try it as well.”
I should note that the man said this after being rejected by a woman based solely on his appearance. This moment of dating shows usually involves someone crying in a car, as they pack their bags, sit sadly in front of a camera, or storm off in wedding attire. Instead, the very moment that we might have expected to be degrading for this man was instead a form of empowerment for him.
Interestingly, that man wasn’t the exception, at least not in the episode I watched. Numerous people went on to say (again: after they were rejected) that the experience was a profoundly empowering one for them.
How to watch Naked Attraction online
Naked Attraction is now available to stream online via Max (which is, apparently, what we’re being forced to call HBO these days).
How many seasons and episodes of Naked Attraction are available to watch?
A whopping six seasons of the show just dropped on the platform, but beyond that, newer seasons are only available to watch in the UK. Since each episode offers two rounds of dating, and there are 53 episodes on Max in total, that means you get to see over 600 penises and vaginas of all shapes and sizes. Talk about a crash course in sex education.
