Fox Stops Tempting the Kiddies

Fri., Jan. 19, 2001 11:10 AM PST by Emily Farache

Apparently, couples cheating on each other with lubed-up sex-hungry hard bodies doesn't qualify as family-friendly programming. Go figure.

In any case, bowing to complaints from shocked--shocked!--parents who went screaming to the Federal Communications Commission about Fox's hit reality series Temptation Island being advertised during prime youngster-watching time, the network has decided to shield the kiddies from the salacious shenanigans.

Fox has announced it will stop airing Temptation Island ads during shows like The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle.

In a letter to the FCC, Fox admitted it had shown spots for the controversial show during such programs. And, shocking though it may seem from the network that brought us Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire, that decision was made contrary to the Fox's policy not to accept advertising for R-rated films during any family-oriented shows, instituted in September.

"In the spirit of that policy and due to the unique nature of the promotions for Temptation Island, we have decided that such promotions should not air during shows we deem to be family-oriented," Robert Quicksilver, Fox's president of network distribution, said in the missive.

So score a minor victory for critics of the show, who have protested the idea of trying to split four committed but unmarried twosomes.

Of course, Fox can afford to cut back on the advertising. After two airings, Temptation Island has become a bona fide hit, even trumping NBC's highly rated The West Wing Wednesday. (To be fair, the White House drama was a rerun.)

"We did very well," a Fox rep said of the second episode, which averaged 17.6 million viewers for its hourlong run, up 10 percent over its first week to lead the network to a nightly ratings win. (Compare that to ABC's reality show The Mole, which in its second outing Tuesday, averaged 11.5 million--a 16 percent drop from its premiere.)

And that's even without people in Raleigh, North Carolina, tuning in. The local Fox affiliate there announced last week it was dropping the show after learning the liveliest couple--Ytossie and Taheed--had a child together. When Fox discovered the two were parents, it booted them off the island--a development that will actually be incorporated into an upcoming episode.