Sponsorship Link
E!'s Nov. 28 premiere of "Kourtney and Kim Take New York" proves the Kim Kardashian boycott is not going to stick, especially when a steamy naked yoga session at the center of the episode gave viewers both a half-naked Kim (and a fully nude instructor) and plenty of drama with her husband Kris Humphries, who ended the episode already talking about a separation or divorce.
/
The series' return boasted 3.2 million viewers, beating January's series premiere of 3 million. The show also saw an impressive 8 percent boost in viewership between the ages of 18-49, a key demographic.
"Kourtney and Kim Take New York" was shot just after Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries' fairytale wedding extravaganza. Those who tuned in for the two-part wedding special already saw a lot of drama between the couple, exacerbated by Kourtney Kardashian.
Must Read
Naked yoga, however, may have been the tipping moment in the newlywed's marriage.
'There's a naked guy in my house!'
Follow us
At the beginning of the episode, Kourtney convinced Kim to take an at-home class called Hot Naked Yoga, featuring them in their underwear and the instructor completely nude. As the session unfolded, Kris Humphries (conveniently for producers) came home. When he saw the naked instructor, all hell broke loose.
Calling the yoga session "disgusting" and the naked instructor "a stripper," Humphries said he "almost threw up" when he stumbled upon the scene. Kim Kardashian, meanwhile, was furious with her husband for over-reacting. She called the basketball player out for being rude to her friends and the unfortunate yoga instructor.
Kris Humphries lashed back. "How rude is it that there's a naked guy in my house when I walk home?" he retorted. "I felt uncomfortable when I walked in."
Kim's response? "You're so immature," she told Humphries. "I can't take it."
Naked Yoga Sensual, Not Sexual
Hot Nude Yoga is fast becoming a viral phrase after the Kardashian-Humphries blowup, but creator Aaron Star points out that the practice is nothing new. The celebrity yogi founded Hot Naked Yoga (HNY) studios, which usually centers on an all-male tantric session, calling the practice "sensual, not sexual."
Star and his admittedly largely gay clientele put an emphasis on fitness and physical connection. Critics of HNY, however, say the practice defeats the purpose of yoga, which is to free the mind from distractions and illusion. Many would find that difficult with a naked man in front of them, and Kris Humphries would tend to agree.
'We're gonna live, like, separate?'
Even if a nude instructor had pushed Humphries to the edge, however, the Nov. 28 episode makes it clear that the naked yoga session was only the tip of the iceberg.
