A new reality TV show is arousing the emotions of the participants, ISU students and some parents. The racy show “Temptation Island” combines a little bit of “Baywatch,” MTV’s “Spring Break,” “Divorce Court” and “Gilligan’s Island” into one revealing hour of drama every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on FOX. Controversy over the titillating show has risen with its ratings, and some ISU students and professors are loving every minute of it.”We have a lot of research showing that Americans are very interested in the kind of sex lives that others are having,” said Gary Gute, human sexuality instructor. He says people are often not content with their own sex lives and feel others are having better, more interesting experiences.The show takes four committed but unmarried couples to an island near Belize for a two week stay. Once the couples are on the island, they are separated from their partners; women go to one part of the island and men go to another. Awaiting each group are 13 dangerously sexy singles, there to entice the couples into rating-building, relationship-breaking affairs.”People have been doing that forever,” Gute said. “Romans used to go and watch plays, drama, for the same reason.”The beautiful singles include a “Playboy” model, and all are more revealing than Mary Ann or Ginger ever were. Host of “Shop ‘Til You Drop” Mark Walberg (not to be confused with Marky Mark) serves as commentator for the show. For the next two weeks, the couples only communicate by 60-second video messages as they date and watch clips of their partners’ dates. The couples aren’t roughing it “Survivor”-style, however. They have beds, showers, pools and bartenders to mix their drinks. All this is designed to test the couples’ commitments to their relationships. “This sort of television reinforces Americans’ faulty assumption that other people are having exotic, wild, exciting sex lives,” Gute said. He also predicts that some viewers may be watching to see beautiful people in exotic places. They may also want to experience the couples’ lives vicariously, he explained, although no sexual acts have actually been shown on the program.”It’s entertaining,” Tracy Lemons, senior in sociology, said. “You kind of get addicted to it.”Tracy and seven other ISU students watch “Temptation Island” together every week in her apartment. She says it’s kind of a party where they watch, laugh about and discuss the events. Last week the couples gave Lemons and her friends plenty to talk about with their body shots, naked mud baths, tears and skin, skin, skin.”It’s pretty fun to watch as a group, but I would never watch it alone,” Lemons said.Students aren’t the only ones tempted by the show.”I’ve been frankly intrigued by the concept,” said Tom Beell, professor of journalism and mass communication, adding that the program may be valuable if people are watching the show as a group and talking about it. “CBS would never put anything that extraordinary on,” Beell said. The FOX station airs a lot of programming aimed at college age people, he added.”FOX is pushing the envelope as far as they can push it in America right now,” Gute said. “The content of U.S. television is tame and prude compared especially to Scandinavian countries.”Although the content may not send people into a frenzy overseas, the show has raised quite a bit of controversy in the United States.The Federal Communications Commission, along with many parental complaints, urged News Corp. Ltd., the company that owns FOX, to stop running the advertisements for the show during youth or family oriented programs. News. Corp. Ltd. complied by not running the hard-bodied, bikini-filled commercial during shows targeted at youth.Beell said that Michael Powell, who was designated FCC chairman by President Bush last week, will be more relaxed with regulations on television content. Beell pointed out that programs are often condemned because of the possibility of children watching them, while they may be appropriate for adults. One of the couples wasn’t worried about their child watching them date around. After taping for the show had started, it was discovered that one of the couples had a child. The couple had lied during background checks, saying they didn’t have any offspring. After discovering the news, the show booted the couple, although the details have yet to be aired.”[Background checks] suggest that the network is trying to hold some ethical standard,” Beell said. “The fact that the television networks have this says more about the public than the broadcasters.”It is an issue of supply and demand. Beell said the networks are focused on profit and will air whatever kind of programming will make them money. Viewing for the show jumped from 16.1 to 17.6 million in the first week. Reality television has been increasingly popular, inspiring shows like “The Real World,” “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “The Mole” and “Road Rules.”Beell recalls how 12 years ago western shows were all the rage and predicts that the reality TV fad will “run its course” and return to traditional or variety shows.”I’m not surprised a program like this exists,” Gute said. “A lot more titillating, risque and voyeuristic programming is on its way from Europe.”