On hearing about the new reality show called Dating Naked UK, most people’s first response is: ‘Isn’t that just Naked Attraction?’ The answer is not really, it’s better described as a version of Love Island where everyone is completely starkers.
Its host, Rylan Clark, gets asked that question a lot. ‘Things occur in this series that only occur because they’re all naked. It’s a social experiment as much as it’s a dating show,’ he explains. ‘We didn’t know what was going to happen when we put however many naked people in a house to date. It could have been an orgy from the first day!’
The Paramount+ series, which aired on 23 August, sees a group of male and female contestants spend a month living together in a beach house in Columbia. They flirt, date, partner up, play games and vote each other out in the name of love – all without so much as a tampon in. Yes, really.
Naturally, we had a lot of questions. What happens when the men get a bit excited? What do the women do when it’s that time of the month? Was it not really awkward living with strangers without any clothes on? ‘That’s what’s really messed up about this whole situation,’ Rylan jokes, ‘it just became normal. The first time I saw them all I went “I have to get this out the way” and I just did a sweep [of their bits and bobs] and they all burst out laughing and from that moment on it was fine.’
From the first episode alone, what’s striking is just how comfortable the daters all seem with each other. To answer the tampon query, the women were all offered modesty pants in the event of their period starting and none of them decided to wear any. ‘That’s a massive testament to the crew,’ Rylan boasts, ‘for making them feel so looked after. For me as the host, that’s probably one of the biggest things I’m proud of.’ As for the men, they were encouraged to take ten minutes ‘down time’ if they got an erection – something that happened quite a lot.
There is an added sense of immediate intimacy in this show because of the nudity. ‘Something just happened, and I think it’s the fact they were all naked and all different that made them feel confident in that group,’ the host adds. ‘They just became so comfortable with each other because they’re all in the same boat. But there is more drama in this show than I thought there would be. There’s one episode where I actually make this noise like I’m possessed because I was so shocked by a decision. It was like being hit round the face with a baseball bat.’
So, we know there’s drama. We know there’s romance. And we know there are lots of genitals. In the first two episodes alone, we see a naked horse-riding date, a male contestant doing naked press ups on the hot tiled floor, and plenty of people speaking earnestly about who they fancy while spread eagle in the diary room. ‘That’s sort of our human nature that prudishness that’s like “oh penis!”, “oh breasts!”, “she’s just sitting there with her legs open”. Breaking news: people have genitals and breasts.’
Rylan continues, ‘When you watch this series, it’s really warm, and the fact that they’re naked plays a big part in the conversations that happen in the house and relationships that result in the house.’
Of course, going on a show like this is not for the faint hearted. The production team made a conscious effort to include people with a diverse mix of body types; a positive shift from a lot of rival reality shows that seem to exclusively cast the same slim, toned figures time and time again. However, standing next to a group of naked people can obviously still lead to insecurity.
‘I know full well all the men were in the gym up until the point when we threw them into the house,’ says Rylan. ‘Put naked straight men together, they’re going to talk about their penises. It happens! If a new boy walked in, the first thing you’d hear is “his willy is bigger than mine”,’ he laughs. ‘What’s lovely is that no one was ever nasty about appearances to each other. They all look great and they’re all gorgeous. What you found is that within minutes of meeting each other they realised none of it really matters.’
Without giving too much away, it turns out dating naked works. There are people who got together on the show who are still together now. ‘We filmed back in February. If this was a showmance or for the money or the brand deals, well it’s been months and nobody even knows about them yet,’ Rylan says confidently. ‘We’re just really proud that it worked.’
And what about Rylan? Would he dare to bare all for love? ‘Yes, I would. I wouldn’t before watching this. I’d be like, “are you fucking mad?”’ He may have opted to keep his clothes on this time (though he admits it did feel strange being dressed while surrounded by naked bodies), but Rylan thinks modern dating needs a shake-up. ‘I’m bored of it,’ he admits, ‘but that’s probably why I’m single. You get ghosted and the next thing you know, they’re married to a woman. It’s too much drama. So I would do it if I wasn’t Rylan, but unfortunately I am.’
As for the series, he just hopes people find it. ‘It’s not on a linear channel, it’s obviously on Paramount+ so fingers crossed people find it. Even if for the curiosity factor of that first ten minutes where you think surely it’s all blurred out.’ Rylan promises, ‘You won’t want to turn it off, even if it’s for the wrong reasons.’
Dating Naked UK is streaming now on Paramount+.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, covering TV, celebrity interviews, news and features.