Having wandered through some of the world’s most exotic environments, observing the persuasions and peccadilloes of some of the world’s most unusual people, you’d think Ashley Hames would have seen it all by now.
But, as the opening moments of Sin Cities - A Life Less Ordinary prove in unforgettable style, this just isn’t the case. Ashley’s immersed in new experiences from the very start, staring goggle-eyed with wonder as he watches a man inflate his scrotum to incredible size with saline solution. With an ear-to-ear grin and a talent for finding some of the most outlandish people and practices in existence, Hames is off on another eye-opening journey through some weird and wonderful subcultures.
Where this series differs from its predecessors is in Ashley’s level of involvement with his subjects; no longer content with detached observation, the intrepid explorer spends more time with the people he meets, getting to know them in their daily lives to better understand their outrageous tastes.
Apart from the man with the enormous scrotum, Ashley meets a eunuch, a married couple who are both adult entertainers, and some bondage enthusiasts who are happiest when trussed up as human hood ornaments or chandeliers. He’ll also be working with the gonzo schlock-horror director Todd Tjersland.
However questionable they might find the people he chooses to spend time with, viewers have to give Hames credit for his commitment to being immersed in his subject matter - especially when he’s having an electric current passed through his new piercing, or having a corset sewn into his back.
Bold, eye-watering and uproariously funny, New Sin Cities is on majestic form.