Dating Naked UK branded 'joyless' and 'attention-seeking' by critics
Dating Naked UK has arrived and it has been savaged by critics, who have called it “joyless” and “attention-seeking”.
Hosted by TV star Rylan, the series sees a group of singles living in a tropical paradise and trying to find love – totally nude. The show, which is on Paramount+, is the UK debut of a format that has already done well in the US and Germany. But early reactions are in and they are disappointing, with critics dishing out a few one star reviews.
Many have said that other than the nudity the programme treads well-worn paths in the world of dating shows - and not that well. Plus they say the nakedness quickly becomes normal and fails to add anything extra, beyond the odd giggle over things like watching the contestants try to hug without getting too close.
Some have also questioned whether it was a bad move for Rylan.
What do the critics think of Naked Dating UK?
The Guardian gave the show just one out of five stars, with writer Rebecca Nicholson admitting it wasn't the most entertaining series out there. She said the hygiene and “dignity protocols” were interesting, explaining: “Watching these strangers meet each other for the first time, ask if it’s OK to have a cuddle while trying to work out how far the butt has to go back to be polite, is like ballet. It’s almost beautiful.”
But she suggested that other than the nudity it was a fairly familiar set-up, saying it was “one heavily constructed reality show ding-dong after another, as partnerships are thrown together and discarded quicker than a cardigan at the door”. “In the great history of naked TV shows, it may say something about me that I prefer Naked and Afraid,” she said. “This, however, is a load of b*******.”
Vicky Jessop didn’t hold back in the Evening Standard, calling it a “ joyless flesh-fest that seems to drag on for eternity”. Like other critics, she suggested that nakedness aside, the show was just a "mash-up" of "better" programmes like Love Island and Naked Attraction.
She also pointed out that once you'd got used to the show's big gimmick, not a whole lot was left. "Save yourself the bother; even if there’s no actual underwear in sight, this show is still pants," she wrote.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Sarah Vine agreed that after the initial surprise of nobody wearing a stitch of clothing, the format is the same as any other dating reality show. She also said it failed to even shock, just coming across as a bid for attention.
“Far from injecting a new lease of life into the weary reality TV format, the nudity renders the whole thing strangely banal and mundane,” she said, serving up one star out of five.
“It's not really shocking, it's just a bit tedious and attention-seeking. It's not sexy, either – it's too anatomical for that. It's hard to have any sort of allure when it's all openly displayed on a platter. If less is more, this is definitely too much.”
The Telegraph also dished out a one star review, with critic Anita Singh dismissing it as “a full-frontal catastrophe”. Once again, it wasn’t the naked element, but the show itself that drew a lot of the criticism. “Dating Naked UK isn’t necessarily awful because the contestants are naked,” she wrote. “It’s awful and the contestants are naked. Once the novelty has worn off, it’s a dire, derivative reality contest with absolutely nothing to offer.”
However, The Sun's Felicity Cross didn't agree, insisting that the show brought something different to the table and that it showed the contestants "laid bare" - in all senses of the phrase.
"Reality TV formats work best when they turn the volume up on real life," she wrote. "If I wanted to watch normal people dating, I can do that down the Slug and Lettuce any night of the week. It’s why programmes such as Dating Naked are essential. I have seen two early episodes of the Paramount+ show and it is fascinating what the dynamic of being nude brings to conversation."
"Reality telly works best when its contributors are pushed to their limits, so that we see them entirely laid bare - such as when they are scared or angry," Cross insisted. "That is when they drop any act, quit any game plans and are at their most raw."
What did critics say about Rylan?
Despite some rather scathing reviews of the show itself there has been a better response to Rylan as host, with The Guardian’s Rebecca Nicholson saying that other than the hygiene protocols “the one other vaguely entertaining thing about Dating Naked is that it’s hosted by Rylan.
But critics have warned that Dating Naked UK might not have been his greatest pick. "Of course, thanks to all his great works elsewhere Rylan still has enough credit in the presenting bank," wrote Yahoo's Ian Hyland. "But you have to wonder how many more stinkers he’ll be allowed to collect before his agent has a word. Or he gets a new agent."
The Mail’s reviewer noted how “talented” Rylan was but questioned where he would go from Dating Naked UK. “Love Rylan, but I'm not sure this was the best career move for him,” Sarah Vine wrote. “I can't help feeling that, with this, he risks sliding straight back to the bottom of the TV snakes and ladders board,” she wrote. “But maybe the perks were just too hard to resist. At least he gets to keep his clothes on.”
Dating Naked UK starts on Friday 23 August on Paramount+.
Read more: Dating Naked UK
This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/dating-naked-uk-rylan-reviews-103715255.html
