The ends almost always justify the means in reality television, a medium in which morals and ethics are ignored all in the name of ratings. Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew just may be the archetype of unprincipled viewing pleasure.

You may remember addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky from his claim to fame, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, or the subsequent series Sober House and Sex ... with Mom and Dad. Well, the good doctor is back again under the same guise of helping D-list celebrities publicly make fools of themselves for the right price, all in the name of trashy TV (or addiction recovery, depending on which way you look at it).

While successful entertainment industry professionals tend to shy away from the shame and critique of tabloids, unimportant nobodies among the ilk of Sex Rehab’s Nicole Narain, Kendra Jade Rossi, Amber Smith, Jennifer Ketchum, Phil Varone, Kari Ann Peniche, James Lovett and Duncan Roy revel in it. Dr. Drew and co. have capitalized on this group’s desire for a rise in their celebrity stocks, exploiting their histories of sexual abuse and misconduct.

“Very few of these people are very motivated for treatment,” explains Dr. Drew. “Most of them are motivated to make money and be on TV. In fact, with the sex addiction program, one of the most phenomenal cases was Jenny Ketcham, who literally came in to make money and to sabotage our production; those were her goals and she ended up having a life-transforming experience.”

Ketcham, better known as porn star Penny Flame, resisted treatment and illustrated lewd pictures throughout the facility before experiencing a breakthrough in treatment for what Dr. Drew considers an “incredible story.” So while the intentions of producers might not have been the purest, even the most problematic patients make progress in treatment and, according to Dr. Drew, “most of them end up wanting to be an inspiration to other people and sustain their recovery, which is remarkable.”

Chances are, if you caught the series première Nov. 15, you couldn’t look away. The interlacing of troubled pasts, self-destructive behaviours and hope for recovery encompassed all of the elements one would expect from a rehabilitation program aimed at helping sex addicts kick their compulsions. If you missed the debut, you’re probably still wondering what sex addiction really is and whether or not there’s such a thing as too much sex. But sexual addiction isn’t just a matter of doing the deed excessively, it can manifest through prostitution, using and starring in pornography, promiscuity, cheating and compulsive masturbation.

“Ultimately, it’s an intimacy disorder,” Dr. Drew says. “These are the people that can’t tolerate intimacy and develop a love addiction where they have these over-inflated fantasies about love. But when they actually get in a relationship it feels uncomfortable and smothering and then they act out.”

The intimacy issues associated with love and sex addictions are what make recovery so difficult for patients, who must address childhood trauma resulting in this behaviour, such as rape, molestation and other forms of sexual abuse. In treating sex addicts, Dr. Drew explains the same 12-step model associated with chemical addictions is employed with two basic variations.

“The trauma is explored deeply and early and there’s a lot more didactic material, a lot more evocative material and a lot more didactic therapy, which is stuff that drug addicts can’t tolerate. They just won’t sit through it.”

But chemical and sex addicts are often one and the same. Smith, who appeared in the second season of Celebrity Rehab for her opiates addiction, developed a sexual dependence after achieving sobriety. Meanwhile, Peniche proved to be a difficult patient for the team of therapists. “Of course, drug addicts lie and in this case she forgot to tell us something. And you’ll have to watch the show to see what that is.”

Admission to the recovery centre lasts only 21 days and Dr. Drew says those three weeks of treatment are only the beginning of the addicts’ battles, meaning relapse is common. “Sex addiction on average takes about three to five years to treat completely. Every treatment that’s intensive and in a hospital setting is just getting people going in the treatment process.”

In the end, Sex Rehab will have turned many of its addicts’ lives around and perhaps even raised the profile of a legitimate cause, albeit a skewed account of what the disease really is. Either way, the eight low-grade celebrities and Dr. Drew all get what they’re really after: publicity and paycheques.

Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew airs Sundays, 7 p.m. ET/PT, MuchMoreMusic.

Thoughts? szolis@tvguide.ca

 

 

Whether it’s reality or scripted TV, Stephanie firmly believes the most important element to any series is a sordid romantic story arc.— Grey’s Anatomy’s MerDer, Laguna Beach/The Hills’ Lauren and Jason, The Office’s PB & J, and General Hospital’s Spoily, to name a few. The more dysfunctional a couple is, the better.

A proud single gal with an obsession for everything New York, Stephanie is one relocation away from living out her dream as a Carrie Bradshaw impostor. In the meantime, her weekly column scrutinizes the most explosive couples, crushes and relationship catastrophes to unfold on the small screen.

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