American television producers pride themselves in bursting through reality barriers: They will supply a washed-up rock star with the closest thing to a legally-permitted harem, capture each devastating phase of addiction for viewers' pleasure, and enlist overweight contestants to starve themselves for a cash prize. Basically, you name a shame-laden activity, and American producers are quick to capitalize on it....which is why it was so surprising to hear today that our home of the free is not responsible for a new reality television show that auctions off the virginity of a few fame-hungry contestants.
Still, though the reality show is being produced for Australian TV, it will shoot in Las Vegas after the Victoria government threatened the filmmaker behind this project, Justin Sisely, with prostitution charges. After all, by casting virgins (each of whom will be paid $20,000, plus 90 percent of their "sale price") and then auctioning them off to the highest bidder, isn't Sisely literally pimping out his fame-whoring contestants?
"Technically I'm selling my virginity for money...but it's not going to be a regular thing," enterprising virgin Veronica Peach told Australia's Daily Telegraph. "So in my head I can justify that I'm not going to be a prostitute."
Sisely agreed to pay 10 percent of his virgins' sale price to the Nevada brothel hosting the event, and you, lucky worldwide audience, have the chance to watch. According to the show's website, fameandfortune.com.au, Sisely plans to eventually make the series into a film project: "Our camera follows the principal cast ... as they shed their virginity to a complete stranger in front of a worldwide audience," says the site, calling the film "A Documentary for the 21st Century."
Oh, but it gets skeevier. In the casting section of his website, Sisely lists the requirements for his "stars": they must be over the age of 16, must be virgins (duh), and if chosen, they must undertake "a series of tests for the purposes of obtaining irrefutable proof that the applicants' virginity remains intact at and during the time of filming. The nature of the specific tests will be disclosed in full upon successful selection."
Maybe More to Love doesn't seem so bad now after all?
ยท Aussie virgins selling precious gift to highest bidder [Daily Telegraph]