Naked Attraction contestant reveals what it’s really like to be on the Channel 4 show It’s 10am on a Tuesday morning and Gavin is standing in a rectangular box. Completely stark naked. Suddenly, one side of […]

It’s 10am on a Tuesday morning and Gavin is standing in a rectangular box. Completely stark naked.

Suddenly, one side of the box rises and his bottom half is exposed to two women, a studio of camera operators and producers, and a national audience of over a million viewers.

You’d be forgiven for thinking this is a description of a nightmare, but Gavin, a bar manager from Edinburgh, is here out of choice.

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The 24-year-old was one of six contestants vying for the chance to go on a date with Adele – one of the chief scrutinisers – as part of Channel 4 show Naked Attraction.

“I think it’s quite hard to get rejected – most people who apply get on”

A patriotic duty

So why did Gavin, who has asked to keep his surname anonymous, choose to bare all on television? Financial incentive?

“You don’t get paid if you’re on the show,” he explains. “If you’re on standby and you don’t appear on the show then you get paid £75 for being in the room.”

Instead, the Kenya-born Scot appeared on Naked Attraction out of a sense of patriotic duty.

“They put up an advert on Facebook and it said there was a lack of interest from Scottish people,” recalls Gavin.

“A few friends tagged me in it and said this would be perfect for you because half of Edinburgh has seen me naked at some point – I have a bit of a tendency to take my kit off – so I took them up on their offer.

“Then I applied and got invited for an audition.”

Gavin details the audition process.

“I went down to Newcastle, sat down and chatted with a camerawoman and a male interviewee.

“Then they said ‘can you take your clothes off now and pitch yourself to us?’ It lasted about 45 minutes.

“It wasn’t so awkward, they made me feel at ease,” he adds.

“You were sweating because there was a light shining on you, but there was a draft so it was a bit cold, so there was quite a lot of shaking going on”

The big day

Gavin impressed during his audition and was invited further south, to Manchester. “I got accepted. I think it’s quite hard to get rejected – most people who apply get on,” he says modestly.

But appearing on the show itself is a gruelling process. “It’s a long day,” he explains. “They start filming at seven o’clock and I went in really hungover to the studios down in Manchester.

“They do some hair and make-up and then you get to meet the people you’re up against.”

With six men about to bare all on national television, it’s reasonable to expect some tension, and perhaps even a dash of competitiveness backstage. Gavin, however, insists that interactions were all good-natured.

“It was all very good fun, good banter. It’s sort of what you get in a football dressing room, everyone taking the piss out of themselves. Most of the people who appear on the show are quite like-minded.”

Finally it was time to strip down and get acquainted with people pointing cameras at his private parts.

“You’ve got about two hours of standing in a box until it all starts. It ended up being from seven in the morning to three in the afternoon to film half an hour of television.

“They come round and take loads of pictures for the mash ups. It was quite a lengthy process, but enjoyable.”

“My sister wants to kill me and I don’t think my Mum and Dad are very happy.”

Two hours is a long time to be standing stark naked in a TV studio, but Gavin reveals how he adapted to the conditions.

“You were sweating because there was a light shining on you, but there was a draft so it was a bit cold, so there was quite a lot of shaking going on by the boys.

“Whenever the camera wasn’t on, everyone was shaking themselves to try and make themselves look bigger. I don’t feel like I put in a bad performance.”

Brimming with confidence – despite rejection

Unfortunately for Gavin his journey on Naked Attraction came to an end after two rounds, as Adele opted to give his naked rear the boot.

The body-confident 24-year-old took the rejection in his stride.

“It’s just the way it goes,” he reflects. “I didn’t fit the profile that she was looking for.

“She wanted a big guy, someone with tattoos and she didn’t like bodily hair, and I was the slimmest guy on the show and I’m pretty hairy, so I didn’t stand much of a chance.”

Gavin explains how the show affected his and his fellow contestants’ confidence. “It didn’t really effect me, but I think a lot of the other contestants were saying at the end about how they felt it really helped their confidence.

“There was a few people who did it last year and they came back to do it this year because it boosted their confidence so much.

“I think there was one guy who felt his confidence had been knocked, but that was it.”

As Gavin returns to bar work, and looking for love in more conventional ways, the Edinburgher reveals that his family are aware of his appearance on the unconventional dating show.

“I took a while to break that one. My sister wants to kill me and I don’t think my Mum and Dad are very happy.”

However, he insists that those considering stripping down in front of the nation shouldn’t be put off by what others think.

“I’d say to anyone it’s a good experience and if you don’t try it, you can’t knock it.”