A man stands in a neon tube wearing no clothes, while a woman examines every inch of his nude body. How does his stance look? Does his penis look to be a healthy size? Does he have tattoos? How round is his bum? The man says nothing. She judges everything about him based on nothing but his body.
What sounds like a grueling trip to the doctor’s office for an annual physical appointment is actually a reality dating show with newfound popularity. Meet Naked Attraction, a reversed version of Netflix’s Love Is Blind. While its frequent diagrams of birthing hips and uncircumcised vs. circumcised penises look like something straight out of a scientific diorama—and, perhaps a trip to the OB/GYN—it’s actually a long-running British dating series, which has recently skyrocketed in stateside fame after arriving on Max this month.
The premise is simple and, somewhat shockingly for the genre, unproblematic: Singles are brought into a room where six people stand in boxes, as if they were Barbie and Ken dolls. Their faces are hidden, and their bodies are unclothed. Gasp! Full-frontal nudity with not one, not two, but up to six penises and/or vulvas on screen at one time. The main contestant examines their potential matches, front and back, eliminating them along the way based on what they’ve gotten to see. With each elimination, they get to see more of their contestants’ bodies.
For example: The first episode follows Aina, a woman who likes a man with a powerful stance and a “willie” that’s just big enough. On her first go, she eliminates a man whose willie is a little too big for her liking. In the second round, we get to see the chests of the five remaining men, and she axes a man with a stance that she doesn’t find attractive. Then, we get to see their faces, and Aina sends one more home. In the penultimate round, the remaining contestants can speak for the first time, allowing Aina to judge their demeanor.
When there are only two potential matches remaining, the game switches: The main single must take his or her clothes off and impress the final two competitors, who shower their suitor in compliments to win them over. Aina struts out in her birthday suit, and one man wins a chance to go on a date with her. That man, by the way, has a tattoo of an elephant in his pelvic area. You can guess which part of his body makes up the elephant’s trunk.
The series has been running for seven seasons now, with the first six available to stream on Max. One might think that, with such a bonkers premise, Naked Attraction would be a raunchy R-rated show in the vein of a sex comedy—especially since the British press has treated the show in a similarly controversial fashion. But it’s the exact opposite: Naked Attraction is quiet, methodical, and deeply fascinating. Not only does host Anna Richardson walk singles through making every decision, but she also explains why contestants might have certain preferences, biologically.
For example, a lot of men—and women!—come into the show looking for a curvy bum. (Hearing the Brits say “bum” really adds a bit of pizzazz for us Americans.) The psychology here, Naked Attraction tells us, is that a larger bum indicates round birthing hips. This attracts suitors because it is a sign that the woman has better odds at procreating with no issues. Okay, now I feel like a cavewoman with carnal desire.
The series is also inclusive of all sexualities: In the second episode, a bisexual woman is offered a mixed array of private parts to choose from. The series has also featured one returning trans player, both pre and post-transition. Richardson herself is bisexual, which means she gives great, added insight, as she interviews contestants with different sexualities.
In every way possible, Naked Attraction is the opposite of the uber-popular Love Is Blind—which is for the better. While Naked Attraction bases love on pure looks, Love Is Blind only allows singles to chat, not see one another. And while Love Is Blind is consistently pure chaos, Naked Attraction feels simple and unpressured, all while destigmatizing the act of being naked around new sexual partners for both the participants and us viewers, too.
Watching Naked Attraction does take some getting used to. Close your blinds before neighbors peer in and see dozens of penises and vaginas on your television screen! But once you get past the initial shock of so much full-frontal nudity, it’s more honest than it is naughty. Even the guy with the elephant penis gets a charming love story.
