‘Naked Attraction’ and Other Shocking British Reality Shows

Things are a little different across the pond, especially when it comes to genitals. The Channel 4 dating show Naked Attraction, which has been around since 2016, has recently become popular in the U.S. after being added to Max, and its popularity makes sense. The concept is that one person, the picker, chooses who to date (or who not to date) based on completely naked bodies, penises and all.

The contestants stand in boxes behind colored screens, which slowly raise to reveal portions of their bodies. After critiquing everything from size to pubic hair, the picker picks someone to eliminate. In the end, the picker and their winner go on clothed date. It's fairly simple, yet so incredibly foreign to American audiences who simply aren't used to such casual nudity.

It's not like Naked Attraction isn't relatively shocking within the U.K., but it's also designed to normalize the idea of nudity and explain the science behind what people find attractive. It's also not alone in terms of wacky, questionable reality shows. This is a region with a show called Gogglebox about regular people watching other TV shows. They've found a way to televise literally anything, and it's impressive.

Here's a selection of other shocking British reality shows you might not have heard of.

'Sex Box'

Sex Box is a talk show where couples with marital problems go have sex in a box on a stage, then walk out of the box and talk about the sex they just had in front of a live studio audience. The idea was that they would be more open to discussing their relationship right after sex. WE tv aired an American version in 2015, but only five of the nine filmed episodes were broadcast. You can watch the U.K. version on Pluto TV.

'Just Tattoo Of Us'

In this MTV UK show, couples, friends and family get to design tattoos for one another, and the recipient doesn't get to see their tattoo until it's finished and they get to look in the mirror. The tattoos are often in extremely intimate places and range from sweet and sentimental to cruel and unusual. While the show's not available to stream in full in the U.S., there are enough clips on YouTube to entertain you for hours.

'Embarrassing Bodies'

Like Naked Attraction, this show was designed to take shame away from nakedness, but it focuses on ailments or aspects of bodies that people find embarrassing and seeks to help people understand or recover from those issues. The show first ran from 2007 to 2015, then returned in 2022 on Channel 4. It's currently not available to stream in the U.S., but you can check out clips on YouTube.

'Sex Tape'

The title says it all: Couples record themselves having sex and then watch it back with other people. Watch the trailer for this 2019 series below:

'The Sex Clinic'

The Sex Clinic is a sexual health education show that simply isn't afraid to bare it all as candidly as possible. No question is too sexy for The Sex Clinic.