Whether the television equivalent of junk food or not, reality TV shows have long been a mainstay of our cultural diet. We love getting an inside look at the lives of housewives, pop singers, and amateur survivalists. And, even if we understand the artificiality of the medium, we're still willing to play along for an episode (or five).
A new arrival to the crowded playing field of reality TV competition may also be the raciest yet: The Sex Factor will pit sixteen aspiring porn stars against one another in an onscreen battle for $1 million and adult entertainment fame.
In the show, eight men and eight women who have no prior experience performing in porn will "advance through increasingly complex and explicit sexual situations" under the guidance of seasoned industry professionals. Performers Tori Black, Keiran Lee, Lexi Belle, and Remy LaCroix will serve as judges, with Belle Knox as "Special Correspondent" and Asa Akira as the host. Viewers will vote for their favorite porn-star-hopefuls (à la American Idol and The Voice) to crown the heir apparent to the throne. The show is set to film in San Francisco and air online next year. (Perhaps it goes without saying that The Sex Factor is decidedly not network television fare, since the challenges will be X-rated.)
We've got our fingers crossed that the show humanizes rather than exoticizes the porn industry and its actors. Despite growing increasingly comfortable copping to the role of porn in our lives, our society continues to shame the people who make it possible — as Belle Knox can attest. Hopefully, any shaming will be centered on the contestants' interpersonal dramas rather than their career ambitions. With a stellar lineup of industry professionals at the show's helm, signs are good. (Also, if you'd like to join the cast, The X Factor is now accepting contestant applications — newbies only.)