The sexual life of teens and young adults is the focus of a new MTV reality show, and it’s already stirring up controversy before a single episode has been aired.
According to the Daily Mail, Virgin Territory follows a group of 15 virgins, aged between 18 and 23, who are either saving themselves for marriage, or are actively looking to lose their virginity.
In a trailer for the show, each of the show’s participants explains the reasons why they have not had sex.
“The first relationship is the most important, and that's my relationship with God,” says Luke, raised by his father - a pastor - in a small town.
“The toughest part about being a virgin is not being able to have sex,” he laughs, then adds: “Sex is something that you want to save for your wife.”
Another boy says: “I'm waiting for that special someone”, a sentiment shared by many of the show’s budding stars.
Virgin Territory, however, also includes a few 20-somethings desperate to get to fourth base. One young lady, named Mikaela, states on her bio that she is “a virgin on the prowl for a nice tattooed, alternative hipster to lose her virginity to”.
The MTV website describes Virgin Territory as: “Messy love lives, awkward parental sex talks, sexually active friends, and the pressure to give in to their temptations - all can make for a very tumultuous journey for these abstinent adolescents”. In each hour long episode, the show will focus on four of the cast and the complications in their love lives.
“MTV has a legacy of documenting the lives of young adults and openly talking about sex with thought-provoking programming,” said senior vice president of series development Lauren Dolgen.
“Through our ongoing partnership with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, MTV will continue this tradition by elevating the discussion of responsible sexual health to include the topic of virginity in a way that our audience might find surprising.”
Not everyone, however, is convinced.
“Based on the way it's being advertised – and, let's face it, based on MTV's history with their programming – we're not anticipating that they are going to treat the subject respectfully,' said Melissa Henson, who works on the Parent's Television Council, in an interview with Fox News.
The reaction on Twitter was equally sceptical of MTV’s intentions.
“Wow... they have no taste left!” remarked one user, while another added: “Virgin territory comes on after teen mom 2. What happened to television?” – Tonight Reporter