MTV announced earlier this this year that it plans to adapt the British TV experiment in schadenfreude “Just Tattoo of Us” this fall, but if Monday’s episode is any indication of what’s to come, the U.S. might not be ready.
The basic premise of the show is that two individuals — friends, couples, siblings, etc. — choose and design tattoos for one another, with the recipient only viewing the finished product. While that may seem innocent enough, reality TV’s inherent thirst for drama pushes that premise to wild extremes, with each couple attempting to one-up the last with ever more shocking and grotesque designs. People apparently have no qualms about permanently inking terrible images on their loved ones for a good laugh.
Monday’s episode, however, took the grotesque to a whole new level when one participant removed his blindfold to find shockingly realistic genital warts tattooed on his pubic region. Yikes.
“This is one of the worst tattoos we’ve ever had,” host Charlotte Crosby said somberly before congratulating its designer.
“As a tattoo artist, how could you possibly do that to someone…” wrote one commenter.
“Why would some one sign up for a bad tattoo what he heck is wrong with this world,” wrote another.
Past participants have been inked with “slut” brands, grossly NSFW sexual images, cruel homages to mental breakdowns and the like. Their sometimes-explosive reactions are basically the entire appeal of the show; entire compilation videos have been dedicated to the screaming, fighting and crying that comes after the reveal.
But the stunned silence from the guy with an STI permanently emblazoned on his body was far more chilling than any violent outburst the show’s seen in the past.
So good luck this fall, America. Be good to each other.