TV experiment sees five volunteers locked in solitary confinement for FIVE DAYS… but one quits after just FOUR HOURS
The volunteers were locked in a small room with just three non-electric personal items, enough food to survive, a bed and a toilet
WITH the internet, mobile phones and social media, it is rare for people today to have no contact with anybody.
And a new Channel 5 programme aimed to show exactly what would happen when five volunteers are locked in solitary confinement for five days straight.
The show, called In Solitary: The Anti-Social experiment saw TV presenter George Lamb and four others placed in their own small, locked room with three non-electronic personal items, enough food to survive, a bed and a toilet.
But the task proved too much for one volunteer who opted to leave the experiment after just four hours, while another could only stand 24 hours before having to admit defeat.
The show introduced the first three volunteers, who all had different reasons for going into solitary confinement.
Lloyd, 28, a scaffolder from Yorkshire, is a social media junkie and wanted time away from his smartphone.
Blogger Lucie had seen her marriage breakdown after just four months and it made her want to see if she was strong enough to hack the experiment.
While student nurse Charmayne, also 28, wanted to take part in the experiment to prove she wasn't high maintenance.
But just hours in, Charmayne began to struggle with the boredom of having nothing to do and began to sob about how lonely she was feeling.
She even opened a letter her husband had written to her even though, she was only meant to open when she was half way through her stint.
Charmayne wept: "I feel so panicky. I just can't do it. I just want to go home."
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And after agonising over the decision she pressed the panic button in her room after just four hours, which means she wants the experiment to end.
She added: "I think I just don't like my own company as much as I thought I would."
In her place, Sarah, 36, a single mother from Belfast entered solitary confinement, as she wanted to test how strong a person she was.
But it was TV presenter George who was next to struggle as he found it difficult to work out if it was night or day.
He began shouting at the bright lights in his room and said: "The prospect of sitting here for five days it will send me around the bend.
And after 24 hours, he too opted to leave the experiment.
It only left Lloyd, Lucie and Sarah, who then began to battle anxiety, which saw her become afraid of intruders and at one point she even began vomiting.
And producers became so concerned for her safety, they even thought about pulling her out of the experiment.
But she managed to overcome her fears and made it to the end of the five-day experiment.
Lloyd, who adopted a tactic of talking to the cameras, and Lucie, who became engrossed in her art work, also made it to day five.
And all three agreed that although it was a tough experience, it had changed them all for the better.
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