The ad for the programme said that E4 was looking for "10 hot-blooded males to battle it out as 40 lapdancers do everything in their power to make it hard for them".
All candidates had to fill out an application form and one of the questions on the form earnestly asked: "What is it about a tropical island inhabited by lapdancers that appeals to you?"
The men were under the impression that they would be asked to complete a series of tasks while they were "harassed" by girls in bikinis.
Some of the men even turned up for auditions where they were tested on their general knowledge while a lapdancer gyrated in front of them.
What they did not realise was that Channel 4 was secretly filming the men for a new comedy show called 'The Pilot Show', which will run on Four's digital entertainment channel E4.
The contestants were told that they would have to "endure" 24-hour attention from the women, but, as with real lapdancers, the men were not allowed to touch the girls.
A spokesman for Channel Four said: "It was unbelievable. We had thousands of applications from eager blokes."
It was not just ordinary punters who were conned. Viewers will also get to see showbusiness personalities, who fell for other hoaxes that will be shown on 'The Pilot Show'.
These include former 'EastEnders' soap star Dean Gaffney being filmed agreeing to star in a programme called 'Soul Searching', the premise of which is that he has to find former 'Starsky and Hutch' star David Soul -- who is, er, hiding.
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