Sveriges Television (SVT), Sweden’s tax-funded public service broadcaster, has recently launched Silent Attraction, which seems to be an exceptional reality show even by global standards. In the show, left-leaning women and manosphere-influenced men are brought together in a large house to find a potential partner without initially knowing anything about each other’s political views.

The premise is as simple as it is awkward: the sixteen participants are not allowed to speak to one another. Instead they are encouraged to observe each other, perform exercises in which they stare deeply into one another’s eyes, and attend pool parties where they use body language to get to know each other and signal whom they find attractive.

Those who make a match are eventually allowed to speak, beginning in the third and fourth episodes. But just as they do, they are shown prerecorded videos in which their match explains their views on gender, equality, LGBT+ rights, climate change, and other political questions. They are then asked to reflect on how these views affect their initial attraction and to continue exploring their attraction and the possibility of entering a relationship in their home settings.