Rhiannon Elizabeth Irons
What happens Under the Covers doesn’t always stay under the covers. Never has this been truer than each Thursday evening when Richard Lovegrove (QUIZarenaLIVE) joins me in bed for the adult-only content show, Under the Covers.
I often get asked about Under the Covers and what the show entails. For those who may be curious, you can read all about what the show is here.
As Richard Lovegrove and I prepare to slide back under the covers for 2024, it got me thinking about the 40 episodes that have already been done and which ones I have truly enjoyed.
For the purposes of this article, I’m going to break down my Top 5 episodes of the show. This isn’t a ranking of what the best parodies are that we’ve covered, but rather which episodes I’ve found most entertaining, educational, and have the best standout moments.
5: Episode 4 – Grease XXX
Anyone who knows me well knows how much I have a love for the musical Grease. So, when Richard suggested that we watch the porn parody version of Grease, I was a little apprehensive to say the least.
But that certainly paid off in the realm of entertainment. I was traumatized by the film but sitting down and discussing the art of filmmaking with Richard, while simultaneously critiquing the film’s aesthetic, performances – acting, singing, and sexually speaking – and comparing it to the original 1978 movie certainly makes for a barrel of laughs. And if you ever want to know why Richard is constantly saying “Two syllables” on QUIZarenaLIVE, this is the reason why.
I won’t go into what we thought of the parody – you’ll just have to subscribe and watch the episode for yourself.
4: Episode 5 - Snow White: An Axel Braun Parody
After our Grease episode, I wanted to prove to Richard that a good porn parody could exist. Up until this point, we hadn’t really seen a movie that could deliver on story, believable acting performances, and engaging sexual conduct that enthralled us. Enter my suggestion of our first foray into the world of director, Axel Braun.
Now, I had seen this Snow White parody with my ex-partner and had quite enjoyed it. Watching it back with the sole purpose of reviewing it was quite a different experience for me, but one I still enjoyed. Enjoyed enough to blow a motor on my favourite toy.
This episode always means a lot to me because this was filmed during my first ever trip to Sydney. For the first time on Under the Covers, Richard and I were sitting side-by-side.
Our conversation during this episode did step outside hypothetical as we discussed our personal reactions to this film. And I do still hold a place of pride with this for showing Richard that a good porn parody did exist with an engaging storyline, credible acting (serious kudos to all involved, especially Riley Steele), and thoroughly enjoyable sexual escapades.
We breakdown everything that we would in a review for a mainstream film, including location, makeup, costuming, budget, directing, and cinematography. This was the beginning of our love for Axel Braun parodies.
3: Episode 7 – Suicide Squad XXX: An Axel Braun Parody
By this stage of the show, we were starting to actively hunt down Axel Braun parodies as we held them in quite high regard. This episode had a special guest join us in makeup artist, Cameron Dunn. Actually, technically speaking, there were 3 special guests, as I flexed my voice acting skills and brought both Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy under the covers with us.
This episode is far from polished, but it still makes me laugh. From Cameron getting completely loaded to discuss DC comics and the film, to watching both Richard and Cameron interact with Harley and Ivy, it’s cringe, but in the best way possible.
Like all episodes of Under the Covers, we dive down the rabbit hole of filmmaking and techniques, and with Cameron’s expertise in makeup, our discussion during this episode leant more towards the practical side of filmmaking, though naturally Richard did speak out about visual effects.
If you need a good laugh, line up this episode and enjoy watching Harley put Richard and Cameron in their place.
2: Episode 39 - Not Jersey Boys XXX : A Porn Musical
After being traumatized by Grease, and The Wizard of Oz a bit later on, I was hesitant to suggest we attempt another musical parody. But I had heard good things about Not Jersey Boys XXX: A Porn Musical and knew I had to check it out.
What I didn’t anticipate was a rocking good time and a fantastic parody tribute to Frankie Valli.
The episode begins showing that we haven’t had a good run with musicals, but as we start discussing the film’s story and mentioning those involved, we quickly warm up to the idea.
By this point of the show, we were well acquainted with stars Tommy Pistol and Kurt Lockwood, as well as director Will Ryder, who ironically had also directed the two musicals we had watched before.
Like with our previous steps into the world of porn musical parodies, we let the music speak for itself, loving the insertion of songs into the storyline. There is a great moment from this episode where Richard and I cannot contain ourselves and get into the spirit of the musical, singing and dancing along.
This is the epitome of a fun episode. Both Richard and I really let our hair down and just enjoy the show. Sure, we have our technical rambles and critiques just like every other episode, but for me, this is just pure, escapist fun.
1: Episode 10 – Top Guns
Without a doubt, this is the most fun I’ve had on Under the Covers so far.
I think my love of the Top Gun franchise is clear by this point in time. Richard and I braced ourselves for a rollercoaster ride but were pleasantly surprised by what this film had instore for us.
Richard uses his expertise in filmmaking to talk about the technical side of the film, including use of green screen and visual effects, where I dive into the story aspect, using my 30 years of experience as a writer, and my immense love of the original film. But together, we discuss the more adult side to this film and how it works into the story narrative well.
Our conversation went from simple critiques to overenthusiasm for the movie, and another personal admission that I really need to find more durable toys.
This was the first porn parody to get a perfect score from Richard for both the movie, as well as the sexual components. I too ranked it highly.
This is a nearly flawless episode of Under the Covers.
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