The valleys scandalous premiere met with criticism and disgust

MTV reality show The Valleys premiered last Tuesday...

14:38 30 September 2012

The premier episode of the MTV reality show The Valleys aired last Tuesday, and if its predecessor Geordie Shore horrified its viewers in Newcastle, The Valleys strived to top it.

 

And top Geordie Shore’s infamous reputation it did. Viewers, especially Welsh residents, were aghast to see how their country was being depicted by the show. While some still found the scandalous scenes on the show quite entertaining, majority of those who saw the premiere were simply disgusted. 

 

The Valleys is a show that features nine young people who relocated to Cardiff from the Valleys of Wales. They all share a luxury flat as the show zeroes in on how they handle their new lives. They are then guided by two mentors Anna Kelle and Jordan Reed. 

 

In the premiere, Nicola Morris shares a kiss with Lateysha Grace, who is in a long-term relationship. In another scene, Jenna Jonathon, who received a breast enhancement surgery as a birthday gift from her parents when she turned 18, was seen in a beach romp with Darren Chidgey. Carley Belmonte was also shown getting naked, but what attracted much contempt was when housemates Leeroy Reed, Darren, and Lateysha shared a group shower session with Nicola, who shockingly peed in front of them.

 

Showbiz correspondent Simon Thompson expressed his disgust in a tweet: “As a Welshman, I am appalled. Makes Mark Wright’s Hollywood Nights look like Downton Abbey. Ashamed.”

 

A Twitter user named Shannon Stevens also posted: “The Valleys made me so embarrassed I don’t want to live in this country anymore.”

 

Wales Online’s Chris Bryant also said: “It’s called The Valleys but it doesn’t happen in the Valleys; it happened in Cardiff. It’s all about people getting very drunk and being as deliberately outrageous as they possibly can be. That’s not what the Valleys are like.”

 

Charlotte Church, however, was not surprised, as she tweeted a warning even before the broadcast: “I won’t be watching as I think it will be exploitative and a horrific representation of the country that I love.”