Yeah, we couldn't find an appropriate image for this post. Sorry. And a Google image search for 'censored' eventually turns up some pretty disgusting stuff.
These days, it’s no surprise to find out that a cast member on one of your favorite reality shows has dabbled in naked photoshoots or gay porn — and if you haven’t caught on yet, pardon me for being the bearer of bad news, or thank your lucky stars, depending on how you feel about X-rated material.
Most recently, six masturbating men who starred in Tool Academy (refrain from obvious joke here) made their debut on the pornographic website Straight College Men … somewhat of a misnomer, if you know what I mean.
They’re far from trailblazers. Here’s a rudimentary list of reality shows whose stars have been filmed in other, namely naked, circumstances: For the Love of Ray J, Double Shot at Love, I Love New York and the upcoming Conveyor Belt of Love; Design Star and Chef Academy; Survivor and Big Brother; So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol.
Phew! That’s a lotta porn. And that’s not even counting those shows that combine the two, like HBO’s Cathouse, a series about a real life brothel.
What does it say about the world we live in that reality shows and pornography so often intersect these days? The Daily Beast’s Andy Dehnart notes that both mediums require highly exhibitionist stars to “expose themselves in intimate ways”:The space between what reality TV offers and just watching people have sex has collapsed over time, which was perhaps inevitable for two genres that blur fantasy and documentary, asking subjects to expose what are usually secret parts of themselves in artificial contexts. Our attraction to reality TV stars’ private lives has led to the inevitable, as reality TV begins to embrace porn and porn embraces reality TV.
Brian Moylan of Gawker puts it a little more simply:
So, yes, it’s mildly entertaining to find out someone on television has been getting naked for money before a camera, but it’s not really news anymore. What we have instead is porn and reality TV sealed in a marriage of convenience as the two things that America loves more than anything, but doesn’t want anyone to know they watch.