This is why people think Virgin Island is so controversial, and how cast members responded
The biggest debate was over Dave losing his virginity
Virgin Island on Channel 4 has probably become one of the most controversial reality TV shows out there. We’ve never seen anything like it, so it’s been a rather controversial moment for the late evening slot, especially as one guy, Dave, lost his virginity to a show expert.
There was loads of debate about whether the intimate moment should have even been shown on TV, with some arguing that it showed the level of progression he’d made in his confidence. Dave speaks highly of that particular scene in season one, and doesn’t regret it.
Even the producer of Virgin Island, Jonah Weston, admitted he was “terrified” that the entire cast of the show would quit within hours of filming having started, but decided to green light the show because hundreds of people applied, and so they felt demand was there.
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He said: “Duty of care is important to us at Channel 4 so it was a question of the brilliant casting team and psychologists getting the right mix of people who felt representative of what is going on in Britain, but also people the team felt were able to go through this.”
During season one, Dave felt comfortable enough with surrogate partner Kat Slade, one of the show’s experts, where his confidence grew so much that they became fully intimate. The show has been controversial ever since, with some cringing over how s*xual it all is.
Danielle said: “The proof is in the pudding. You see Dave now, he’s in a wonderful relationship, he has a girlfriend, you see how handsome and confident he is. You see what she helped him achieve, it’s unbelievable, I’m not sure there’s another way for that to happen.”
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Some think this level of intimacy being shown on TV is just a bit much, but others think it’s necessary. One person wrote: “The ethics are questionable at best. The therapists engage in physical contact (and willing to go all of the way to full penetrative s*x) with the clients.”
Kat said she was “holding a safe space for something that felt vulnerable,” and emphasising everything was built on consent, while Dave said: “It’s nice having a unique story of losing my virginity, it’s funny. So many have stories of their first time being atrocious.”
He added: “People put pressure on it to be perfect. It rarely is. It’s better to do it with someone who can let me know how to get better.” They’re not allowed to contact each other at all, while Kat only works with clients for a maximum of ten sessions, for three hours a time.
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