Adam zoekt Eva is a Dutch television programme wherein a naked Adam is landed on a pacific island and then introduced to a naked Eve and, as far as I can see, it becomes an essay in seeing if the two can hit it off, romantically speaking. In order to spice things up a bit, another Adam (or another Eve) will be added to the mix.

Quite obviously it ‘works’ on the age-old cynical televisual equation of nudity = audience.

I believe that a German equivalent has also been made, and videos of full episodes are easily found online via the main video sharing platforms (along with hundreds of photographs). I watched a couple of the shows and I have to say that it’s quite possibly some of the dreariest time I’ve ever spent in front of a computer monitor because the premise of the show is flimsy, to say the least. It’s simply an exercise in getting naked people on TV. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just that there doesn’t seem to be much point to it other than young, ‘attractive’ (it’s in the eye of the beholder) people who may not be naturist get to play at being naturist for a Dutch (and given the nature of the digital age, global, by extension) TV audience.

Why isn’t Adam 50+ years of age? Why isn’t Eva and larger-sized lady of more mature age? Because it’s not what the audience want, and therein lies the cynical nature of the programme’s pretext. Gimme the perky boobs, the audience practically shout.

OK, normalising nudity on TV isn’t bad in itself, but can’t we have something that maybe reflects real life a bit more? No, we can’t. This is ‘reality’ TV, which to me is an exercise in the vanity of the vacuous. I can’t follow the dialogue (it being Dutch speaking) so it’s hard to know if there’s any depth to the people involved, or if they’re just another bunch of airheads shouting, in a manner of speaking, ‘look at me!!!!’

I suspect that’s the case. I’ve never seen a ‘reality’ TV show yet where it isn’t the case. ‘TV programme seeks vain circus freaks’ appears to be the standard advertisement for reality TV programme makers.

Also worthy of mention in the ‘dumb reality TV nudity’ pantheon must be ‘Buying Naked’ and ‘Naked and Afraid’, shows with equally flimsy reasons for existing, made worse by the fact that they’re utilising the naked angle….and then pixelating it! What? Could there be anything as daft as that? (although in their defence I’d say that the ‘Buying Naked’ show at least reflects the fact that people over 30 still have naked bodies underneath their clothes).

So, you get that I don’t care much for these type of shows, and there are those who would disagree with me.

Naked on TV is fine by me, as long as these involved aren’t pointlessly naked and pointedly one dimensional.

Ella