All bondage but no sex (Chained)

Member Name: alirigby

Product:	Chained
Date:	23/05/02 (514 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not many

Disadvantages: Mel Hill, Boring Conversation

When the first series of Big Brother ended, and the hype had died down, I was relieved to know that I wouldn’t have to see flirty Melanie Hill on my telly again. Unfortunately this was not to be the case, for Mel now presents the game show ‘Chained’ on E4.
I have watched a couple of weeks of this series this year (the first series was broadcast last year), as I’m a fan of reality shows.

When’s it on?
It’s on Monday – Friday on E4, 22:30 to 23:05 (35 minutes long).

What’s it about?
Another show to latch onto the Big Brother format and a blatant attempt to get sex on TV (I don't think they have suceeded yet); Chained takes six contestants and literally chains them together 24hrs a day for up to five days. The contestants consist of one of one gender (the picker) and five of the other (the companions); last year there was also a week with bisexual contestants.
Every day the picker has to choose which of the five they want to unchain so that by the last day their one ‘ideal’ companion remains
.
The picker is given £5000 at the start of the week and can spend it as they wish (any money remaining at the end of the week he/she can decide to keep or share with the last remaining companion). They usually end up frittering the money away on food, booze, entertainers, clubbing, limos and other lavish things!

The contestants have chains on their hands and feet which are connected to the other people; they must remain chained together at all times. They stay in a modern flat, filled with cameras for the week although they are allowed out and about as they wish. There is a huge bed for them all, which was specially made to sleep 6 people and there are extensions on the chains to allow some privacy when using the loo, but they have no choice other than to bathe and shower communally!
According to the website, special clothes were made with Velcro fasteners so
they could dress and undress around the chains.

Cameras follow their every move and the nightly programme compiles the most interesting parts of the day combined with private chat with each contestant (whilst the others have headphones on to block out the noise). The days usually consist of going out so that everyone looks at them, talking about sex and drinking (at least on the episodes I’ve seen).

At the end of each day the picker has to choose who must go, they are then unchained and must leave the flat.

In the series I recently watched, the picker was a really chauvinist and expected the girls chained to him to want to please him and do as he said. This did not go down too well with everyone, however it was embarrassing to watch a couple of the girls trying to impress him. It turned out he was quite a prude and was very embarrassed when some of the girls talked explicitly about sex; ok so many people would be embarrassed, but don’t go on a show marketed as a bondage game show if you’re shy on the subject!

Overall:
I’m not a big fan of Chained, it’s ok if there’s nothing else on, but otherwise it’s pretty boring. Crude, banal conversation, flashes of breasts and a few pre-madonnas just isn’t really my cup of tea as well as the fact that Mel from BB is on, grrrr don’t get me back onto her……

For more info:

Visit the website http://www.e4chained.com/game.htm

Summary: