Take a dozen girls, put them in itsy-bitsy bikinis and whisk in a sizeable dose of bitching, cat-fighting and eyelash-batting.

Oh, and do not forget tight camera close-ups on fleshy body parts for that extra oomph.

Does that sound like a recipe for a hit television show?

The producers of MediaCorp's latest reality series, The S Factor, seem to think so.

The show aims to find the 'ideal' woman who is 'everything a guy wants', but it has sparked howls of protest from viewers who have branded it 'bimbotic'.

The 12 contestants whose ages range from 18 to 27 - and who include a university graduate and an English teacher - compete in tasks involving jello-wrestling, flirting, deportment classes and figuring out a periodic table.

First prize is a cover shoot for men's magazine FHM and $10,000 in cash.

However, since its first episode screened last Sunday, outraged viewers say it makes the girls look 'cheap' and 'slutty', prancing around in bikinis and doing demeaning activities such as wrestling for a rugby ball in a game of dog-and-bone.

In the first episode, the camera lingered on the blank looks of contestants who could not answer questions - to a soundtrack of chirping crickets.

Others fumed about the judging process - which had three half-naked men holding up panels which read 'Hell Yeah', 'You'll Do' or 'No Thanks' - saying that it was degrading.

Student Nur Fatin, 19, said: 'Local television is stooping to a new low. The girls are probably portrayed that badly because of editing, which just enhances their badness.'

Two Straits Times readers got so worked up about the show that they wrote in to the paper.

Dr Karen Chong, 32, said: 'I was watching this with my husband and we were squirming in our chairs. It's very badly done, in poor taste and very sad for these women. In a way it's their fault since they signed up for the show. But they don't need to be degraded like this."

The researcher, who is married with no children, added: 'I was tuning in to a show to watch women make a fool out of themselves. It's not worthwhile TV. The show needs a reality check. The point about national TV is that you have to cater to all sorts of tastes.

'In beauty pageants such as Miss Singapore or Miss Universe, women are also put in bikinis and encouraged to flaunt their physical attributes. But you don't see Miss Singapore chasing Miss Australia around in a dog-and-bone game."

Lawyer Jason Toh, 39, agreed. 'I'm as hot-blooded as the next guy and guys would usually appreciate ladies in bikinis, but this show just did not work for me. Seeing how they bitch at each other was very unbecoming.

'It is ill-conceived, in poor taste and insulting to Singaporean women.'

He had hoped to see a show that was more evenly balanced, with segments which took in factors such as the contestants' intelligence or articulation.

When told that future episodes would include debates, babysitting and personality tests, Mr Toh, who is married with two children aged nine and five, said: 'I am not hopeful. It's quite telling from how the girls express themselves that they were chosen for a certain quality.'

Some may be surprised that the director of The S Factor is a woman. Gillian Tan, 29, who owns the production house, Munky Superstar, is also the brains behind saucy reality shows such as Girl On Girl and Eye For A Guy.

Tan, who is married with no children, said: 'When you look at it from a serious point of view, I can see how people would feel that we are reinforcing negative stereotypes.

'But look at it from a light-hearted point of view, it's all in the name of fun and entertainment.'

Over 80 to 100 women auditioned to be on the show, and none had any trouble baring skin for the camera during the audition, segments of which were shown during the first episode.

Tan added: 'We don't deliberately try to make the girls seem bimbotic, but if they happen to say something silly and it's funny, we'll put it in.

'It's not an inaccurate portrayal, it may be a little exaggerated but we don't feed them lines or tell them how to act or what to say.'

When LifeStyle spoke to four of the contestants, a thirst for fame seemed to be their main motivation for joining the competition.

Model Yan Kay Kay, 26, who hopes the show will get her more exposure, said: 'I graduated from university and went to a top girls' high school. Everyone is always asking me why I chose this career path and appear in men's magazines not wearing very much.

'But I'm taking the path less chosen and I don't see anything wrong with it. It's my choice and it's my life. No one can say it's demeaning for me unless I think so or I feel so.'

She was formerly at Raffles Girls' School and graduated in communications and new media from the National University of Singapore. The model, who has posed for magazines such as FHM and Playeur, added that she has the full support of her family and her boyfriend, though her peers may view her in a different light now.

Added fellow contestant Michelle Ng, 21, who is a student of New Media at Republic Polytechnic and hopes to be a television actress: 'I really don't care about the criticisms. Who are they to judge? I know who I am and I don't think being on this show cheapens me.'

But psychologist Daniel Koh from Insights Mind Centre, pointed out: 'There is a thin line between being liberal and being demeaning. In the rush to take over what is considered to be traditionally male roles, women tend to compensate using other behaviour or using ways to get there faster.'

Others such as Ms Linda Locke, 55, who is chief executive officer and creative director of brand consultancy Godmother, have no qualms about such a show.

She said: 'It is very sassy and pushes the envelope in risqueness in conservative Singapore. It's a case of 'if you've got it, flaunt it'.'

Others, such as stage actress Pam Oei, 37, harbour a 'live and let live' mentality - unless it involves their loved ones.

'Hypothetically, if my sister or daughter wanted to take part, I'd make them wrestle with me first at home. If they get past me, then they have my blessing.'

Former television producer Andrea Teo, who was behind hit television sitcoms such as Under One Roof, suggests an eye-for-an-eye type of truce in the battle of the sexes.

Ms Teo, who is now the vice-president of entertainment for Resorts World at Sentosa, said: 'As long as there's equal opportunity for men to be able to do the same. In swimming trunks, too, may I add.'