Sexy Beasts star reveals what it's really like to take part in Netflix dating show

We spoke to one of the contestants, Martha The Reindeer, who was picked by Kelechi, The Rooster, in the final episode of series one, and she revealed what it's really like to appear on the show.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Martha said she initially thought she was signing up for a show similar to Married at First Sight UK or Love is Blind.

"A girl I'd been in contact with before regarding a different show approached me again. Obviously she couldn't really tell me much about it. It was all very secretive, but all I got to know was that it was kind of dating in disguise with a massive twist and I was like, 'What the heck could this be?' I just assumed it would be something like Love is Blind or Married at First Sight, or like The Circle," she said.

"I didn't actually know until very last minute. I think we were like the first people to film during COVID, and so we filmed just as like COVID was kicking off and everything. Obviously everyone was tested all the time, and we didn't have one case all throughout the whole show. It was before I was in quarantined for a week and a half that I found out."

So, what was her initial reaction when she finally found out she was going to appear on Sexy Beasts?

"I was like, 'Oh my God. What have I let myself in for?' But, I couldn't wait. I was really excited," Martha said.

A big part of the show is being dressed up in a rather eccentric disguise. For Martha's episode she was made into a reindeer, and while she found the experience fun, she was relieved to remove her mask at the end of the day.

"We were all staying in different hotels and we went to get our prosthetics done. We all went at different times, so we didn't bump into each other - not that we would know what each other looks like. Honestly when they were doing the mask, it took about three and a half hours to do it. They were absolutely incredible like the guys are so talented. The amount of effort and time that goes into them is just ridiculous," she revealed.

"They had already mapped out like a basic face and done all the details, scales or furs for whatever creature they were and then glued that onto our face, and then essentially worked their way around all the skin parts."

Filming days for the Netflix series were pretty intense, Martha tells us, as participants filmed reveal scenes and dates at different times.

"It took three days to film," she revealed. "I was getting up at like half six in the morning and by the time I'd have my makeup taken off, we'd be finish around like eight-ish, maybe nine dependent. They were three long days, but worth it."

She continued: "Because obviously they were filmed in different sections, we did the big reveal at the end, which was on the third day, so we had all our glam make-up done. I remember when I did my reveal, I did all my glam shots in the mornings, so I had all of my hair makeup done nice in the morning, and then had it all taken off and my mask put back on for when he chose me or Lily. And then we had it all taken off and then my make-up put back on again, so my skin that day was like so sore. I was like, 'Oh my God like I need a breather!"

On ITV's The Masked Singer and The Masked Dancer where celebs dress up in equally bizarre costumes and have to perform to a panel of judges, including Davina McCall, there's often been complaints about the costumes and how difficult they can be to be to move in.

While this wasn't necessarily something Martha experienced, she tells us other participants definitely had issues with their costume on Sexy Beasts.

"Mine was quite open and I didn't have much around my mouth," she says. "But, I remember Kelechi's dangly bits - they were really heavy. At one point when we went for a drink in the bar, he was like resting it on the table. It did kind of restrict your speaking because my mask was stuck to my top lip, so I couldn't really move my top lip. We got used to it after a while, but it was really nice when they did take it off."

Martha and Kelechi didn't take their relationship further outside of the show, deciding to be friends instead, but Sexy Beasts did teach her some things.

"I mean personality has always been a big one for me and I've always gone for the typical sort of lad, but I think I've completely changed like who I would usually go for," she said.

"Obviously you've still got to be attracted to them and that element of dating is still extremely important, but I'm definitely more open to dating people I wouldn't usually. It's really interesting to be left with just your personality, and quite literally nothing else to help you along the way."

Sexy Beasts season two drops on Netflix on Thursday, 7th October at 8am. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide. Visit our hub for more Entertainment news.