Swingers speaking about their lifestyle have issued a warning to couples after a woman was left in tears during a TV sex experiment.
The moment a woman was left in tears was the latest in a series of dramatic viral moments from Open House: The Great Sex Experiment. The Channel 4 reality show sees monogamous couples who want to open up their relationship go on a sex retreat filled with sexually liberated polyamorous people.
The newest season of the show, which has also gone viral for the graphic sexual detail it shows, has seen several controversial moments. This ranges from orgies gone wrong to a man throwing up after being told he should let his partner sleep with another guy.
A woman in the newest episode however was left in tears and seemingly became the first couple in the history of the show to just up and leave the experiment.
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Sharmayne and Jamie entered the experiment in the previous episode interested in the prospect of opening their relationship. Things got off to a poor start however, when Sharmayne was left in tears after finding the prospect of her man being with someone else ‘overwhelming’.
When speaking to veterans of the swinging lifestyle however, this is not surprising as even those who love it give warnings that it’s not as easy as many think.
Swinging is a form of polyamory, but differs from explicitly ‘open relationships’ in key ways.
Whilst definitions vary, the general idea is that swinging is purely physical and often involves pairs of partners hooking up together.
Men’s Health spoke to various swingers for a large piece on swingers and their lifestyles.
Blaine, one of the trio of swingers spoken to, gave a warning when asked about misconceptions of the lifestyle.
He said: “[Swinging] isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work to find compatible partners.
“Just when you think you’ve found one, they flake, or they’re not what they portrayed, so you start the search over.”
He also said when asked about the challenges with the lifestyle that it can be tricky to find people who genuinely just want to ‘play’ and that emotional connections can sometimes become an issue.
Another swinger interviewed, Aaron, raised a massive challenge that is faced by those within the lifestyle. He said: “Comparison is the biggest issue, mostly around body or moans made from me.
"Lots of pre-talk and post-care connection is the best way [to manage these issues]. We use a Red, Yellow, Green Light [model] to talk about what’s off the table, what's possible, and what we want.”
The show has numerous examples where non-monogamy and in some cases swinging can have a massive positive effect on people’s relationships.
In the cases of Sharmayne and Jamie however, it clearly is not one that works for them.
Despite Sharmayne being the person who suggested the lifestyle change, she struggled with the Channel 4 show.
An exclusive clip shared by the Daily Mail shows the pair leaving the retreat in tonight’s episode, though we’ve yet to see the full context to know if they end up sticking it out.
Open House: The Great Sex Experiment is available to watch on Channel 4 tonight at 10pm.
Topics: Channel 4, TV and Film, TV, Sex and Relationships
Michael Slavin