Entertainment
What We Hope To Learn From 'Ex Isle'
A deserted island, a relationship counselor, five former couples, and Carmen Electra — what could possibly go wrong? This is the premise for the new Carmen Electra dating series Ex Isle , a We TV reality show that the actress will host beginning next year. It situates several broken relationships on an island in the Dominican Republic, a secluded location that apparently "helps to focus on issues away from daily distractions," according to Variety. The five couples will work through their problems with advice from psychiatrist Ish Major and support from Electra herself.
But that's not all — once the couples have sufficiently gotten over their breakup, 10 new singles will be imported so that they can really sound the death knell on these relationships. It's a whole new kind of 10-step process. Though the network's director Marc Juris told Deadline that the show's concept is totally original in the realm of reality television, one commenter noted that it's reminiscent of MTV UK's similarly punny Ex on the Beach. But the MTV show simply sets eight singles and their exes loose at a beach resort, without the support to guide them through the breakup process. (Heathens, the lot of them.) Still, it's slightly tongue-in-cheek, with Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell playing what he describes as an "evil narrator," according to the Cork Independent.
Even with a psychiatrist on call, though, Ex Isle sure to be drama-ridden and explosive, as the best reality TV always is. In anticipation of the new show, here are the six revelations we're most excited to surface from the show.
What Advice Does Carmen Electra Give For A Bad Breakup?
Electra briefly dated Simon Cowell after a stint as a guest judge on Britain's Got Talent. The couple flew relatively under the radar, but rumors point to a pretty messy breakup in 2013. According to Ex Isle producers, Electra will share some of her own dark dating stories while helping coach the couples through their own breakups.
Does A Tropical Island Really Help Ease The Pain?
I'm all ears for this one. The show will be filmed at Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic, and I think if anything can make a bad breakup better, it's the look of that pool.
How Much Time Do The Couples Have Before Singles Start Showing Up?
Can you put a time limit on a rebound?
Will There Be Crazy Exes?
Essentially the plot of Ex on the Beach, the "crazy ex" trope is perhaps the best-known and most-reviled of relationship clichés. And yet somehow, reality television seems full of them. Ex Isle seems to be a toned-down version of Ex on the Beach (whose very premise is, yes, your former lover is a secret sociopath), and perhaps will really guide its participants towards an amicable breakup. Perhaps.
What Does An "Expert On Broken Relationships" Do, Exactly?
Dr. Ish Major, a psychiatrist who specializes in families and broken relationships, will provide therapy and advice for the couples as they go through their relationships. And according to his website, he also works through the issues that sometimes accompany the end of a relationship — substance abuse, anxiety, depression. It would be intriguing to see a reality show really try to tackle such deep-rooted issues as these in a sensitive, rather than sensational, way.
Will It Last?
Producer SallyAnn Salsano's company 495 Productions was also responsible for several other hit MTV shows, including Jersey Shore. But in a market totally flooded with this kind of content, will Ex Isle last longer than its 10-episode run? If, as it proposes, it really assists couples in forming new, healthy relationships after a bad breakup (though maybe with a few juicy excerpts along the way), it would be a refreshing, realistic addition to the genre.
"We all have exes and have been these people," Salsano said, according to Deadline. "You feel their pain and heartbreak like it’s your own; you root for them as they heal and find new love." It has potential (and Carmen Electra!), but in spite of the original concept, it will face a lot of competition when it debuts next year.