Although reality shows don’t have a great track record when it comes to finding long-lasting romance, perhaps the participants just weren’t naked enough? Fortunately, cable network VH1 has picked up 10 episodes of Naked Dating (working title), a new series that will “explore the art of romance—free of preconceived notions, stereotypes and, yes, clothing,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Each closed-ended episode will feature a man and a woman and two respective dating partners, all unclothed. At the end of the episode, these prospective couples will discuss what they’ve discovered from all their nakedness (childhood scars and birthmarks, probably), then decide whether to move forward with the courtship.
The series is produced by Lighthearted Entertainment, the production company behind reality series like Extreme Makeover and Are You The One?. Lighthearted president Howard Schultz explains, “We created this show based on marrying a provocative idea with a back-to-basics philosophy. With all the dating options in the world, what happens if you take one man and woman and strip them of all their pretenses?” And clothing—though VH1 assures it will be “edited according to network standards.” The series will feature a to-be-named host and will be filmed in a “remote, exotic” (and hopefully warm) locale.
As THR helpfully points out, this is part of a growing trend in nude reality series: Naked Vegas on Syfy features body painting. In TLC’s Buying Naked, a real estate agent in one of the world's largest clothing-free communities (Florida, unsurprisingly) searches for properties for her nudist clients. And Discovery recently hosted two nude survival series: Naked Castaway, which featured a nude man walking the length of the Amazon River; and a show that follows pairs of survivalists who have one personal item but no food, water, or clothes, called Naked And Afraid, a title that probably reflects most people’s feelings about being naked on TV. Can a naked reality channel be far behind?