• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, December 1, 2017

If and when commercial-supported TV (i.e., broadcast and basic cable networks) really does die, astute media historians will hopefully note how certain shows such as this one called “Stripped” on Bravo contributed to TV’s demise.

This show premiering next Tuesday night (December 5) at 10 Eastern is one of those shows (one of many I’ve seen over the years) that seems destined to actually repel viewership rather than attract it.

It’s a phenomenon I have noted occasionally over the years in columns and blogs. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why the makers of some TV shows insist on showing us certain things that we are all better off not gazing upon.

And one of these things is the bare, naked rear ends of regular people. The showing of this particular body part, sans pixelation, is something that was once taboo on advertiser-supported TV but is now widespread.

The naked derrieres of reality-show participants are shown most famously on the Discovery series called “Naked and Afraid,” in which ordinary people agree to try to survive in a rainforest (or some kind of jungle) without clothes and other necessities.

It’s the kind of show that makes sane viewers at home ask a familiar question: What on earth possessed these people to participate in this stupid show in which all they seem to get out of it are terrible rashes, bug bites and worse? And then comes the answer: They’re probably idiots.

Enter Bravo’s “Stripped,” which is kind of like “Naked and Afraid” except that these participants are challenged to survive without clothing and other everyday items such as toothpaste and beds in their own homes. So unless their house is infested with mosquitos or bedbugs, they won’t suffer from bug bites, just bad breath.

In the premiere episode that Bravo provided for preview, a 30-ish couple in southern California agree to have their entire house (it looks like a small post-war ranch home) stripped of their material possessions to see if they can find happiness without their stuff for a total of 21 days. (The photo above is from a future episode in which the participants are seen sleeping on the floor of their empty house.)

Their “stuff” includes every stitch of clothing they have on, which seems like a contrivance devised by the producers of this show so that they can show some skin. 

But therein lies the rub: The showing of skin -- i.e., nudity pixelated in the front and fully bare in the back -- emerges in this context as something few of us should want to see.

In the premiere episode of “Stripped,” one nude scene even consists of the man of the house sleepily rubbing one of his own butt cheeks as he gazes out a sliding door to the backyard shortly after waking up one morning.

In the annals of “entertainment” television, this scene ranks at or near the bottom (no pun intended).

The thing that strikes me most about a show like this one is the notion that a network -- in this case, Bravo -- actually expects people to spend an hour (yes, this thing is an HOUR) watching it. 

Everywhere in the media today where people write about, or report on, modern lifestyles, one of the recurring themes is how busy we all are. People are working more hours in an average week than they used to, the stories and commentaries all say. And the portability of our communications devices means we’re always on call during every waking hour.

So when it comes to choosing TV shows to watch, nobody really has time to sit there and watch something as valueless as “Stripped” for an hour.

Honestly, I’ll be surprised if three people watch this thing. And two of them will be the couple who appeared on it.

“Stripped” premieres Tuesday (December 5) at 10 p.m. Eastern on Bravo.