‘Ring by Spring Break’: A ‘Steamy’ New Christian Reality TV Show?
Hollywood is clearly targeting religious audiences. The poster for the third season of the raunchy HBO show Euphoria features a literal sign declaring “Jesus Saves” (though that same poster also contains a sign for a strip club, so don’t expect Euphoria to start streaming on Wonder or Angel any time soon). Now, religious representation is breaking into the reality TV space.
The latest season of American Idol included a “Songs of Faith” week, during which contestants performed classic hymns or contemporary Christian music. Faith frequently shows up in contestants’ backstories, as the church is arguably the most prolific training ground for up-and-coming singers in the nation. Yet the hit show’s decision to feature religious music so prominently is noteworthy.
Still, not all depictions of religious faith have been admirable. Shows like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which is currently engulfed in off-screen controversy, treat religion more as a fetish than as an authentic belief system.
Soon a new reality show will enter the chat. Set to debut on Hulu, Ring by Spring Break purports to be a “Christian” reality TV show. But believers may want to temper their enthusiasm. The official description states that the show “is a bold dating series that drops single Christian college students into a steamy spring break in Cabo, where finding ‘The One’ isn’t a dream . . . it’s a deadline. As faith battles temptations in paradise, will they leave engaged or graduate alone?”
The word “steamy” is not typically associated with Christian entertainment, and anyone familiar with the Bible knows that “temptations in paradise” rarely end well. The Hollywood-ification of love and marriage may lead Christians to say “thanks, but no thanks” to Christian reality TV.
Without much to go by, audiences will have to wait and see. Ring by Spring Break may prove to be harmless entertainment that pokes fun at stereotypical Christian dating culture. It might showcase Christians standing firm in the face of temptation rather than reveling as they succumb to carnal passions. But as the contestants will soon learn, first impressions matter. And the first impressions of Ring by Spring Break are less than promising.
Reality TV arguably embodies the worst qualities of today’s popular culture, reducing entertainment to an endless and unsatisfying sea of consumable “content.” Trivializing faith in the name of entertainment may prove to be a step too far for Christian viewers. Hollywood clearly wants religious audiences, but it remains to be seen whether religious audiences still want what Hollywood has to offer.
