I’m a relationship expert – the TV shows that spell disaster for your romance & it’s bad news if you’re Love Island fan
SEX scenes, affairs and divorce, there’s a new wave of spicy shows that could make or break a relationship.
We give you the rundown.
OPEN HOUSE
THE GREAT SEX EXPERIMENT
SEXUAL fantasy surveys show threesomes come out on top for blokes, but not women.
This show puts those desires into action, with couples trying open relationships.
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They stay at a retreat hosted by Jess, 24, and Thom, 33, who see nothing wrong with having sex with others, saying it “strengthens their bond”.
Not on your bucket list? Then give it a miss.
KATE’S VERDICT – The great sex experiment: “The danger here is some viewers will start to feel monogamy is uncool.
“Let me tell you, it’s really not. Watch for fun, but don’t feel obliged to invite the neighbours round for a live season finale.”
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NAKED ATTRACTION
EYE-POPPING BODY PARTS
IT is probably the one of the most unusual shows on television – where single blokes and women pick potential dates based purely on how they look in their birthday suits.
The Channel 4 show, hosted by Anna Richardson, then follows them to see if their instincts served them well when they meet – fully clothed – for a date.
Of course, we all say size doesn’t matter, but we cannot pretend we haven’t choked on our cuppa when seeing some of the body parts on this show.
It is impossible not to compare what we see on screen – from perfectly preened privates to bouncy breasts and sizable penises – with what is at home.
Could your relationship handle it, or is your evening viewing likely to end in a flop?
KATE’S VERDICT – Eye-popping body parts: “Research found women enjoy looking at naked female bodies just as much as men do, even if they identify as straight.
“So the possibilities for jealousy here are doubled. Swerve this and put a mirror by your bed instead.”
CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS
AWKWARD SEX
REMEMBER Normal People? That raunchy bonkbuster that aired during lockdown and sparked an unofficial baby boom.
Well now BBC Three has launched Conversations With Friends, another novel-turned-series by Sally Rooney.
Watching the show’s raunchy sex scenes featuring moody twentysomethings who cannot control their insatiable appetites may prompt some uncomfortable soul-searching and make you ask yourselves, “Were we ever that hot for each other?”
Chances are, no you weren’t – no one was – but you cannot help putting your early days together under the microscope.
In Conversations With Friends, the lead characters are in a foursome with affairs and deceit aplenty.
Again, possibly not the best evening viewing for suspicious couples.
An awkward storyline with even more awkward sex scenes.
KATE’S VERDICT – Awkward sex scenes: “To last, relationships MUST move from unstable passion to predictable security.
“The further your sex life is from that of 20something students, the better it is. Turn this off and have an early night.”
LOVE ISLAND
PREPARE TO FALL OUT
TALL, tanned men with six packs, standing alongside curvaceous women, with never-ending legs and perky assets, it can only be Love Island.
The ITV reality show tasks a group of men and women with saucy challenges in the hope they will meet The One.
Take the annual Heart Racer challenge where half-naked islanders compete to perform the sexiest lap dance and see who raises their co-stars’ heart rates the most.
Cue your partner nagging you to strip to your stockings and suspenders for his own special show.
Then there are the debates that divide couples up and down the country every year.
From gaslighting and the rights and wrongs of flirting while “coupled up” to how soon is too soon for sex.
Just like the polarising issues on shows like Married At First Sight, it can be a minefield.
KATE’S VERDICT – Prepare to fall out: “Love Island could make waves in even the most committed couples. A 2019 survey found 39% of viewers fantasised about Islanders during sex with their actual partner.
“The fact that it’s reality TV makes us feel we’re only one dating-app swipe away from meeting our own Ovie or Maura in real life. Too close to home? Avoid.”
THE SPLIT
DIVORCE? NOT TONIGHT, THANKS
THIS is brilliant, but is it a show you should binge-watch while your other half is out?
Any couple that chooses to sit down together to watch a series about brutal break-ups and tangled webs of deceit needs a medal.
The BBC’s sex-packed legal drama follows divorce lawyers as they juggle work and their own dysfunctional relationships.
At the centre of it is Hannah, who is in a love triangle with husband Nathan and fellow lawyer Christie.
Series three, which aired last month and is available on iPlayer, will leave you in tears.
Avoid if your wedding vows are under strain.
KATE’S VERDICT – Divorce? Not tonight thanks: “Shows like this create the impression that every marriage will end. Not true! The UK divorce rate is falling.
“But, coupled with the recent introduction of no-fault, digital divorces, this show could inspire couples to break up.”
THE ULTIMATUM
COMMITMENTPHOBES BEWARE . . .
WONDERING if your other half will ever commit? This Netflix dating show could, or could not be, for you.
Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, it focuses on six long-term couples who have come to an impasse where one party issues an ultimatum – to get married, or move on.
The couples spend time apart, mingling with the other couples and test their will-power by sleeping in the same bed as someone else.
They have the green light to cheat and must decide if they like it or not. A great way to decide whether to get married, right?
Channel 4’s Open House: The Great Sex Experiment has similar vibes – couples have threesomes to see if they like it.
KATE’S VERDICT – Commitment-phobes beware: “Watch this too soon into a relationship and it’ll seem like a hint; watch it a few years later, it’ll seem like an even bigger hint.
“Only safe to watch on your own, where you can cheer as the taken-for-granted partners finally find their backbone.”
SEX/LIFE
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
STEAMY dreams can disturb the peace at home. Especially if the subject of the dreams is an ex!
Eight-part fantasy-charged Sex/Life on Netflix sees housewife Billie grapple between her perfect-but-boring marriage and the sexually fulfilling relationship with her player ex, Brad.
She has flashbacks of wild sex with her well-endowed ex-boyfriend and keeps a record in an erotic diary on her laptop, which husband Cooper reads. Uh oh!
Everyone has a past – an attractive ex or the one that got away – and this series could certainly make imaginations run wild.
But if it kicks you or your other half into upping your game in the bedroom, it could be for you.
KATE’S VERDICT – The one that got away: “If you’re ever in doubt, here’s the truth: NO, a secret sex blog about your well-hung ex is NOT an effective way to rescue a boring marriage.
“Stop wearing floor-length nighties to bed and start being honest about what you need. Done.”