'Sex Box': Inside TV's Most Controversial New Show
By Raphael Chestang 3:56 PM PST, February 20, 2015
Producers say WE tv's Sex Box helps couples with their relationships, but is it really just sex-ploitation?
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In the series, troubled couples speak candidly with a panel of "sexperts," looking to reignite their connection. In the course of each episode the couples eventually spend time alone in a soundproof box with no cameras.
"Whatever you need is in the box," Dr. Fran Walfish, a leading Beverly Hills psychotherapist, told ET. "There's a bed and there are other things to excite people, but everything's done within taste and class."
While some people think the show is just a gimmick, producers say the format is based in science. Couples in crisis could be more successful working things out if they deal with their issues right after sex, Dr. Walfish said.
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"Oxytocin levels, which is the bonding hormone, is highest right after intercourse," she explained. "That's why people are more open to dealing with their emotions."
The show doesn't premiere until next Friday, but already the Parents Television Council is irate, firing off a petition to remove WE tv from cable bundles.
"Maybe next time the box won't be soundproof, or maybe they'll have night-vision cameras inside the box," Parents Television Council's Director of Communications and Public Education Melissa Henson said. "It's this constant effort to push the envelope."
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One of the couples featured on the show, Chris and Alexia, stopped by the ET stage, raving about their experience. Before appearing on the show, Chris shared that the couple's sex life had slowed down. He told the panel's "sexperts" that they had gone from sex "three or four times a day to sex about once a week." Today, the couple credits the show for making them happier in their relationship.
"We have sex a lot more," Chris said. "We got a bun in the oven right now."
WE tv has responded to Parents Television Council, encouraging people to make up their own minds about the show. They're asking viewers to watch the show and if they decide they don't like it, WE tv has offered to provide a link to PTC's petition.
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