Assessing Alcohol and Sexual Content on Reality Dating Programs

The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and type of alcohol and sexual messages portrayed on reality dating TV programs, as well as the extent to which these 2 content areas overlapped within a scene. Reality dating programs were chosen because they are unique in their portrayal of "unscripted" dating and sexual encounters among "real-life" people, set in a competitive context. A total of 45 episodes from 9 reality dating programs were coded for visual and verbal references to alcohol and sexuality. Results indicate that visual references to alcohol consumption, especially portrayals of light drinking, were the most the common type of content, appearing in 58% of all scenes. The majority of verbal references to alcohol were positive in slant, except when specific reasons for or consequences of using alcohol were mentioned, which were more often negative. Visual or verbal references to sexuality occurred in 37% of all scenes, with most depicting physical flirtation and general sexual interest, and few portraying consequences of sexual behavior. Alcohol and sexual content were depicted concurrently in 25% of all scenes, indicating that alcohol is an integral component of dating and sexual scripts portrayed in this genre. This overlap largely reflected the visual depiction of light alcohol consumption in scenes with sexual talk or sexual behavior. Findings are discussed in light of the possibility that reality TV may serve as a source of young people's alcohol and sexual expectancies.