Channel 4's Virgin Island has got us all talking since it started on Monday 12th May, but not all for the same reasons.
While some have praised the show for the rare experience it offers, some viewers have called the show - which sees 12 adult virgins learning about sex - "creepy", "disturbing" and "excruciating".
Well, two of the show's experts, Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirscham, "can understand" why viewers might be feeling that way.
Asked about the recent comments, Harel told Cosmopolitan UK exclusively: "I just feel like people are not used to seeing intimacy in front of them. It's kind of like not something people are comfortable with."
Harel - who is the co-founder of the sex and relationship coaching organistation, Somatica Institute - feels viewers need shows like Virgin Island to get "comfortable" with intimacy.
She continued: "I think in order to kind of get better around sexuality, that's part of the things that you want to kind of learn how to handle in your nervous system. Like, 'Wow. That's how it feels like to feel this erotic energy in my body. I'm watching people doing it, and I'm learning something from it.' So I feel it takes some learning in the process to be able to handle this kind of [show]."
Episode one and two aired on Monday 12th May and introduced viewers to the 12 adult virgins, including a 30-year-old civil servant named Ben and 23-year-old food worker called Emma, who has been called the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) within her friendship group.
For the first workshop, they learned about desire, breathing techniques and the importance of setting boundaries by saying "no". They were also offered the option of working with a surrogate partner - a trained professional who could engage in intimacy with them, if they chose to explore that step.
Harel continued: "I feel like the contributors in first couple of episodes are just getting used to the approach and they've never had those kinds of experiences before, so they're feeling kind of awkward and uncomfortable. So I can understand why the viewers would feel that way [as well].
"As they start to have more of these experiences, they start to feel more comfortable in their body and more confident, and then they feel much more relaxed. So we hope that the viewers will have that same trajectory."
Following Monday's launch, viewers flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the new show.
"That was an absolutely excruciating watch - see you all tomorrow #virginisland" one viewer wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"There’s something creepy about the teachers/instructors.. #virginisland" another said.
Virgin Island airs on Channel 4 on Mondays and Tuesdays.
