A new reality show, where audience members will see young people lose their virginity on-camera, is set to hit TV screens soon.
Yes, you read that correctly. Starting on Monday, May 12, Channel Four will follow the blueprint of Temptation Island and Love Island, by also having this show take place in a beautiful tropical escape — with the physical aspect obviously amped up a notch or two.
Highlights
- Channel 4’s new reality show 'Virgin Island' follows 12 young people losing their virginity on camera in a luxury Mediterranean retreat.
- The show sparks outrage for objectifying women and airing deeply personal moments, with critics calling it 'legal p*rn' and a moral decline.
- Sexologists on the show defend it, claiming realistic, connected portrayals of intimacy could positively influence viewers.
The project in question, titled Virgin Island, centers around those wanting to experience their first time, while still being afraid to take that monumental step. It’ll also go into the fascinating psychology on why fewer young people are having s–x now.
A new reality show showcasing young people losing their virginity will be hitting screens in just a few days
Image credits: Channel 4
Virgin Island will be located in a luxury Mediterranean retreat, following 12 different young people as they go down their own paths of intimacy and see if they can overcome any fears holding them back.
Unsurprisingly, the announcement of such a show garnered backlash. Many saw it as an objectification of women.
Image credits: Channel 4
Image credits: Channel 4
“Scraping the bottom of the barrel,” one person wrote.
“It’s terrible to see that the more contemporary minded people become, the more moral values are lost. Nothing is private and sacred anymore,” another criticized.
A third said, “The lengths that people will go to for a bit of airtime.”
Many people were upset at the upcoming show's premise
“Pretty sure that’s called ‘legal p–rn’,” someone else labeled.
A user chimed in, “What has society turned into. Honestly they will put anything on TV nowadays. Why create a show that showcases your most vulnerable and personal moments.”
“Morality continues to decline,” one person echoed.
Image credits: Channel 4
“Is this a Bonnie Blue thing?” a comment read, referring to the adult star who slept with 1,000 men in just 12 hours. “sounds like a show from the wild early 2000s that wouldn’t fly these days.”
However, s–xologists on the show have defended the idea and suggested that accurate visualization of intimacy could be beneficial for audience members.
Losing one's virginity is a vulnerable, sacred memory, and netizens thought video-taping that moment and broadcasting it on TV was a bad idea
Image credits: Channel 4
Image credits: Channel 4
Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirschman, along with their team, will be on the island to guide the virgins during the show, with both disagreeing that there is “too much s–x” on TV nowadays.
Celeste said to Daily Mail, “I don’t know if there’s too much, but the quality of s–x on television is abysmal. It’s like three kisses up against the wall, pulling off the pants, sticking it in, and then it’s over.
“So I feel like if they portrayed s–x that was more realistic, more connected, more at a pace that is like what people actually do, then it might be a boon to have that much s–x on television.”
S*xologists defended the show, saying realistic portrayals of intimacy could be beneficial
Image credits: Channel 4
She later emphasized that if what they were portraying was straying further from the truth, then “yeah, I think it’s not helpful at all,” even going so far as to label it “harmful” as it creates “ridiculous” expectations.
Danielle chimed in, agreeing, “And if you ask me, what’s better to see, so much violence on TV or s–x, I’ll choose s–x any minute, especially if it’s shown in a much more realistic and connected way.”
Image credits: Channel 4
Image credits: Channel 4
Other certified experts are assured to be there to help young people get over their fear of intimacy.
“It is really an authentic relationship,” Celeste concluded. “So one thing that can happen in a relationship is that someone has performance problems, and so they would just communicate about it and say, oh you know, something’s not working here. Let’s take a break. Let’s try again.”
In her view, that authenticity will better prepare others to have real relationships out in the world, without any unlikely expectations.
"Morality continues to decline" one person wrote
