Review of Virgin Island – the rest of the rest after their sex talk is very interesting | Television

Hthere are a few things the Virgin Islands are not. The Channel 4 series, in which 12 senior virgins travel to Croatia to take part in a three-week friendship rescue, isn’t flashy, transparent, cheesy or boring. For reality TV, it doesn’t feel like bullshit: unlike many other genres, you get the sense that everyone involved knows exactly what they’re here to do and how it’s going to end up on TV.

That’s what they are and here to do, however, that makes watching the Virgin Island so amazing. Whatever the reason for remaining a virgin, the remedy is the same. With the help of various sex therapists, participants are encouraged to follow their desires, show their bodies and be involved with “sexual partners” and professionals – support that can (and, in the first list,) go beyond sexual intercourse.

On paper, such methods may seem surprising. In fact, they understand a lot. These people are eager to change their lives but they have enough space in mind when it comes to intimate relationships – one, it seems, only real relationships can be removed.

What is not clear is that those involved seem to be fine with this being broadcast to millions (the first series was Channel 4’s most successful unscripted launch since documentaries began). There are people who are too afraid to have sex in private and there are people who are willing to have a stranger rub their private parts on national television. The fact that on the Virgin Island is this the same people he is the greatest of all.

When the second series arrives, the central paradox of the show continues – but there are several events. While the first group of people had similar reasons for avoiding sex – self-doubt, lack of knowledge, fear of being hurt or rejected – this group has many types. Bertie, 24, is autistic and finds socializing difficult. Alex, 28, believes he has erectile dysfunction; while Will, 30, drank prematurely. Callum, 21, has been spending 16 hours a day playing since his father died. Joy, 22 years old, cannot shake the relationship between sex and sin established by her Christian parents and, for some time, she believed that vaginismus was fighting her with a curse from God.

There is, in other words, much more to armchair-psychoanalysis here. However, the attraction of the Virgin Island is different from the actual experience. The contestants are different: there are no geeks or attention seekers, and while they may be a defensive tactic, their restraint makes them a much-loved group (and very British compared to the more genuinely liberal American supporters). Virgin Island is not a popular race, or a race of any kind. Instead, the emphasis is on kindness and acceptance at all times.

It’s admirable, but it also undermines a cornerstone of black TV’s appeal: this is a genre that asks us to make merciless judgments about the characters on screen. Here, you are specifically discouraged from doing this; showing A being a participator who was upset that he was not given permission to have full sex with his reproductive partner. Although he was briefly mocked by online viewers, the show showed him a lot of sympathy.

This leaves the Virgin Islands lacking in entertainment. Endless sessions of physical therapy – alternately grueling and boring – make for terrible TV. This edition is a little easier than the last one, but there is zero drama and less plot.

So what’s the point? Well, you can say that this list is just confusing and embarrassing. After all, as Alex informs his new friends, about one in eight 25-year-olds is still a virgin, “so there’s only one person in the room”. (“I think there could be 12 of them in this room,” returns his friend Jason, in a cheerful Virgin Island accent.)

However what makes this show worth watching is not its concept, but its entertaining nature. The overall pleasure is one of good pleasure – not what you would expect from the pictures of someone doing manual labor – and it is interesting to witness the relief of the participants after the session, having been assured that they are not physically active or unable to enjoy sex. It may break many of the rules of television, but by spreading positivity and peace of mind Virgin Island has managed to make this corner of TV a little less depressing.