Boy Meets Boy (2003)

Genre

reality television, LGBT-related television series

Country

United States

Length

1 season, 6 episodes

Rated

TV-MA

Rating

5.4 of 10 from 5 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A human resources manager goes on a series of dates with fifteen men to find a partner. Half of the men are secretly straight, and the show follows the drama of the dating competition.

lightheartedplayfulsuspensefuldramaticromanticdeceptivecompetitiveoptimistic

What happens

Boy Meets Boy is an American reality television series broadcast by Bravo. The series ran for six episodes from July 29 to September 2, 2003. It starred human resources manager James Getzlaff, who searched for a partner among a group of fifteen men. Getzleff engaged in one-on-one dates and group activities with the men; however, it was revealed to him in the fourth episode that half of the men were actually straight. Getzlaff typically eliminated three men from the competition at the end of each episode. If the final man in the competition was gay, he and Getzlaff won a monetary reward and a vacation to New Zealand. Conversely, if the final man was straight, he alone won a monetary reward. The series was hosted by English television presenter Dani Behr. The series premiered to high ratings and became Bravo's second highest-rated show. It was paired with Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as part of the network's gay programming block. It received a mixed reception from television critics. Many critics believed it was dull, although some praised the then-innovative format of a same-sex dating show. The inclusion of covert straight contestants was heavily criticized by critics and audiences, in which many claimed it was cruel to Getzlaff and homophobic. The series was protested by several conservative Christian organizations for its perceived positive representation of LGBTQ people. It received a nomination in the Outstanding Reality Program category at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. Boy Meets Boy was the first same-sex dating show. Despite its brief run, the series inspired a wave of LGBTQ-related reality television shows throughout the 2000s. It bolstered the entertainment careers of Getzlaff and contestants such as Dan Wells. In the years that followed its conclusion, Bravo repeatedly expressed interest in producing a second season or spin-off. Numerous publications have cited it as either one of the worst or most controversial reality television series of all time due to the inclusion of covert straight contestants in a same-sex dating show. In 2022, Time regarded the series' first and only season as one of the most influential reality television seasons of all time. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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