As winter creeps up on Canadians, wielding temperatures that would make the toughest Inuit shed a tear, there’s only one thing on Newfoundlander Eve Kelly’s mind.
Curling up in front of a fire? Nope. Hunkering down in a plush, down-filled comforter? Uh-uh. Zipping to Starbucks for an overpriced yet deviously delicious hot chocolate? Curiously, she’ll pass.
No, Kelly wants to head to the punishing climate of the Yukon, strip down and jump into some super-cold water. Yeah, I just turned up the thermostat a couple of degrees, too.
In the première of the six-part series Skinny Dip, Kelly puts on a parka and ski pants only to yank them – and everything else – off for a nude swim with five strangers.
The show, a follow-up to last year’s successful one-hour special on Travel + Escape, features Kelly dropping trou in some of the world’s most exotic swimming holes, grottos and hot springs.
I know what you’re thinking: it’s time for a sexy party, right? Wrong. Though you may spy a few bare bottoms, the series feels more carefree hippie than hard-core porn, and any wayward naughty bits are blurred.
After the 25-year-old adventurer finds a few willing companions in each episode, they trek to their remote nature basin of choice.
Forty spunky dogs lead the giggling group to their Yukon polar-dip, and upcoming locales include New Zealand’s volcanic geysers, the Costa Rican rainforest, the Australian Outback and the legendary Blue Hole in the Bahamas.
“Each place was different and beautiful in its own way,” Kelly enthuses. “My modes of transportation in each episode were a big part of it – in the Yukon I had a dogsled team, in Costa Rica I went zip-lining and I had a horse, in the Bahamas I was biking, and in B.C. I was white-water rafting, which I was terrified to do, but I did it.”
Me? I’m a little too bashful to throw my cares and clothes aside for a water-soaked romp with strangers. But Kelly’s recruits are surprisingly game, and span all ages (one’s a grandma!), genders and body types.
“[Getting volunteers] is not as hard as you would think. For some people it’s the opportunity for them to let go of the everyday and dive in the cool water. It’s kind of a cleansing of the spirit and a way to get loose,” she says.
“There was a girl in Australia who was extremely shy, but that was her way of saying, ‘I’m not going to be shy anymore. I’m going to break out of my shell.’ There may be some personality conflicts, as you’ll see. But it makes for good TV!”
Plus, it also makes for a memorable story, one you might want to break out at a party to make you seem that much more devil-may-care.
“You only live once. Don’t knock it till you try it, and the cold water won’t kill you,” says Kelly. “If you want to do a polar dip, don’t be afraid – it’s fun! But don’t do it alone. It’s one of those things where you get a band of people together, hold your breath and jump in.”
After watching the Skinny Dip debut, who knows? Maybe next time I meet a babbling brook speaking to me in a secluded forest, I’ll dip an inquisitive toe in. And if I’m feeling particularly daring, my ankles might just get a salacious thrill. Let the good times roll!
Skinny Dip premières Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 10 p.m. ET/11 p.m. PT on Travel + Escape
melissa@tvguide.ca
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