My initial reaction on hearing about Netflix’s new reality series How to Build a Sex Room was full-body cringe. There was simply no way this show would be sexy. At best, it was going to be lightly embarrassing for everyone involved – from Mike, a confused contractor tasked with installing a red pleather saddle, to his blushing junior apprentice and son, who is forced to watch his dad gently flog Melanie Rose, the show’s daffy host.
At worst, the series was going to entice viewers with the promise of sex-positive voyeurism, then exploit couples’ kinkier fantasies for awkward laughs. Plus, the rooms themselves would be wildly tacky and, like most TV makeovers, shoddily executed.
