Move over The Bachelor, Joe Millionaire, and Mr. Personality. There’s a new kid on the block—and he’s gay. NBC’s acquisition of Bravo Network last year didn’t hinder the network’s interest in gay-themed entertainment. The producers of Gay Weddings on Bravo Network were asked to create a gay reality dating show and the result is Boy Meets Boy.
Openly gay creator Doug Ross pioneered the new series in which 15 male ‘suitors’vie for the attention of one ‘leading man.’ And they’re all gay. Well, not quite. The ‘twist,’ says Ross, is that several of the suitors are straight. ‘Our overall goal for the show is to break down stereotypes that exist,’ he told CNN. He’s not only talking about stereotypes straight people have of gay men, but also the stereotypes gay men may have about each other.
The audience is in on the twist from the beginning, but the leading man learns the secret midway through taping. The secret that the man he’s fallen for may be straight. NBC/Bravo says the addition of straight men to the mix makes the six-part program more appealing to straight audiences. Ross says he’s creating a gay world on TV where straight men are in the closet.
Whether viewers watch the program to ‘guess the straight guy’ or to see a gay (‘happy’) ending, the program promises to be entertaining. In the tradition of Gay Weddings, Ross says Boy Meets Boy will not feature gratuitous sex. Contestants, gay and straight, were warned that kissing is as far as they should go on camera. The program is shooting now and should run in July, along side Bravo’s other gay reality show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.