“Naked Attraction”: an indecent TV show divided American viewers into two camps

Television dating shows have remained popular for decades. True, in order to attract viewers, their creators have to show remarkable resourcefulness and come up with new formats for the action. This is how the show “Naked Attraction” appeared. In it, participants choose their mate by judging their naked bodies. In the United States, the program caused a mixed reaction from viewers: some were delighted with it, while others called it disgusting and demanded that it be removed from the air.

The reality show “Naked Attraction” was first aired outside of the United States. Oddly enough, it became a product of the British Channel 4. Viewers saw the first episode in 2016. The essence of this program is very simple. A girl or guy is standing in a studio where there are six boxes. Inside them are candidates for acquaintance.

At first, the participant in the studio sees only bodies up to the waist from below, and with genitals. He chooses who will leave the show. Then the curtain rises higher and higher until, gradually, the face is revealed. Then the voice of the applicant for a date is heard from the box. A candidate may leave the studio because of unsightly legs, a small penis or a saggy belly. Moreover, each episode of the show is accompanied by a short sex education lesson.

To date, 6 seasons of Naked Attraction have been released. In 2023, it was first shown in the United States on HBO Max. The release of the reality show was not preceded by an advertising campaign, as is usually the case. Therefore, TV viewers, when they came across a new broadcast, were surprised, and some were shocked.

Guardian journalist Adrian Horton expressed her opinion about the show. She wrote that just recently she could not even imagine that something like this would appear on television:

TV viewers, not constrained by journalistic ethics, are more frank in their reviews:

There are also more harsh reviews, consisting of almost nothing but abuse. But at the same time, the reality show “Naked Attraction” also has many fans in the United States. ABC presenter Sunny Hostin described her impressions as follows:

The public also expressed their opinion. The Parents Television Council, which oversees media in the country, called the show pornographic and demanded it be removed. One of the organization’s arguments was that the parental control option on HBO Max does not work well. Because of this, indecent reality shows can be seen by children.

Real battles broke out online around “Naked Attraction”. Some users support the show, while others call it immoral and decadent. It is worth saying that after the show appeared in 2016 in the UK, it was also criticized. It has been called disgusting and "the dumbest dating show on television."

Regulators received more than 1,000 complaints about nudity in Naked Attraction in one year. But after assessing the show, experts said that the nudity was entirely justified in the context of the show. By the way, in puritanical Great Britain, oddly enough, shows with naked characters are viewed much more calmly than in the liberated States.

As for “Naked Attraction” on the American channel HBO Max, they are not going to close it yet. The reality show is in demand and even topped the top most viewed projects for two weeks. It's easy to find uncensored episodes on YouTube.