Playing It Straight ongoing thread (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

The premise:

Have 1 girl, 14 "hunky" guys together at a ranch. Some of the guys are gay, some are straight. The girl has to figure out which is which. If the girl picks the straight guy, they each get $500,000. If the girl picks the gay guy, the gay guy gets $1,000,000 and the girl gets nothing but heartbreak.

It started out funny enough when the guys got to the ranch first and the hostess told them that some of the guys were gay but no one was to tell anyone if they were. Then the guys had to figure out sleeping quarters arrangements, and supposedly some of the guys were a little distressed about sharing the same room with a possible gay guy, so the tension level was a bit amped up. I was like "whatever..."

Later the naive go-lucky girl, Jackie, shows up and for an entire day, the guys were told to keep her in the dark about the twist, and to try and be as appealing to her as possible so she'll keep them around. At dinner, the hostess finally drops the bomb on Jackie and she's all messed up about the game and her gaydar is horrible, and she realizes that she can't really trust any of the guys because of the monetary stakes.

Jackie got to pick 3 guys for a short one-on-one swing date. More talking ensued. Later it was time for eliminations, and Jackie had to send 2 guys home. When Jackie boots off the guys, they tell her if they are straight or gay. Well, Jackie has horrible gaydar and she booted 2 straight guys.

There's an ugly streak to this concept of the show. Jackie doesn't really come across as all that bright (bubbly and cute, yes) and there's no telling if she does finally pick the straight guy in the end, but I don't think the prognosis is good.

 

[phil-w]

I thought it was hilarious

I am going to enjoy wahching this show. Did anyone else recognize Eddie? Wasn't he on Average Joe 1 or 2?

 

[Richard Travale]

I found it amusing. I would love it if it turned out that every guy was gay and that the 2 last night lied.
I agree with the cute but not so bright statement...for the girl that is.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I'm thinking I'd rather see the converse of this show:

1 guy, 14 hot girls (some being lesbian) and have the guy try to figure out which are the lesbians...

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Patrick, the guy would end up booting all the straight women with hopes that the lesbians would take him in on some strange orgy thing... :rolleyes

 

[Mark-W]

Well-

Since we already had "Boy Meets Boy" where many of the contestants were pretending to be gay, I find this new one "just dues." I cannot make sense of the girl's choices for the first guys to kick off, because the ones that set off her less-than-decent gaydar, the hair dryer guy, and the guy blond guy who says, "I know I seem gay"," initially talked their way out of their affectations and I didn't believe either one of them.

Actually, I think this show, while being cruel to a few individuals (and anyone who goes on an "reality show" is pretty much asking for it), might do a micro bit of good for those ignorant viewers out there that presume all gay men are stereotypical and readily identifiable.

The funny thing is, Luciano looks like 50% of the gay porn stars out there, which, ironcially are often only "gay for pay."

Mark

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I hate reality shows but I tuned into to see the Men.
I found it interesting only that people make up opinions of people based on sterotypical things like manerisms and using a hair dryer. Because you take care of yourself and want to look good that automatically means you are gay? Because you cook or move your hand a certain way, people think you are...."One of them."
Pretty sad commentary on most straight people.

It was great to see that she was wrong on both accounts when she chose straight guys to oust when she thought they were gay.
Shows you how society is in general. Pointing the finger and saying, I think he is gay, no, I think he is gay.

I read somewere that the original and remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers was about, bigotry and never knowing who is who and that is exactly what is happening here. Paranoia is rearing it's ugly head.

It follows the assumption that most straight men always think that gay men are after them and eye balling them and want them which for the most part is wrong.

Yeah, I agree Luciano looked like most Circuit boys out there but then again, you never know...

Heres more info about what went on behind the scenes...

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|86854|1|,00.html

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Exactly mikel, the whole "I don't know if we should sleep in the same room..." kind of thing makes me go "WTF? If someone came onto you... that would pretty much OUT them, and the girl would eventually find out... and BAM, off the ranch."

 

[Patrick Sun]

Basically, metrosexuals aren't smelling like roses in that game.

 

[McPaul]

funny show.

ie. trainwreck funny.

I would have picked Gust and Bradley, and would have been wrong on at least 1 count.

you can't always tell a book by it's cover.

would I watch it again?

well... I watched both those midget bachelor episodes of "the littlest groom", so... yeah probably...

I'm a glutton for punishment!

 

[Mark-W]

Robert-

The thing with all of the "gay paranoia" on the show is that it both works as a reaction against being thought of as gay, (i.e. "If I don't mind sharing a bed with another guy, they'll think I'm gay.") and it works as an overly defensive reaction by the gay guys themselves. What better cover, unless overplayed, is complaining that you were going to have to share a bed with another bloke?

I am sure that scene would've played out differently if it had happened before the fellas were clued into the twist.

This show is going to exhibit "gay paranoia," because there is $500,000.00 at stake if anyone even thinks one of the guys is gay. I doubt in "the real world," that these guys would not (over)react in the manner in which they are on the show.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I know the gay men I hang out with might enjoy looking at a gorgeous straight fella, but none would persue them either sexually or romantically because, well, they're not masochists and don't (at least in that area of their lives) exhibit such blantant self-defeating behavior. For the show, no gay guy is going to risk even looking, much less touching, since we're taling about a blowing a million dollars.

As for the other stereotypical stuff talked about on the show, I cannot take it too seriously or be offended by it. The fact is, many gay men exhibit stereotypical behaviour and those are the ones that get noticed.

Honestly, I have dated a couple of guys who no one would know they are gay men. I had dated so many men that did exhibit some stereotypical behavior that I even had to jokingly ask one boyfriend, as we raced home because their was a football game on that he wanted to watch, "Are you sure you're gay?" (And no, he didn't even have a crush on any of the players, or at least did not seem to.) Other than being good-looking and fit, he didn't fit ANY of the stereotypes...which frankly kinda freaked me out a tad.

(Call me wierd, I actually like gay men who have some stereoptypical gay traits...some of those traits are pretty nice: a sense of style, an appreciation for the arts, etc...)


Mark

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

You figure the only gay men most straight people see on TV and in the movies are the stereotypical types. Most people think that gay men act like, say, Carson on Queer Eye or Nathan Lanes character in Birdcage. Not true.
It was that stereotype that kept me in the closet for so long. I thought all gay men were leather clad and acted like Woman. I found that that was not the case as I hope people who watch this show do.

 

[Lee L]

I was dumbfounded by the hair dryer thing myself, I have relatively short hair but I use a hair dryer if only for 30 seconds. If I were single and was going on a reality show to meet some woman and try to convince her to pick me, I would darn sure bring a hair dryer and if this person asked me for one I would certainly lend it to her. With the limited time to make a "connection" on these shows, you have to do what you can to be memorable, assuming he is gay because of it is stupid.

If you look at recent reality shows like Average Joe, etc the guys there are the type of guys who typically take good care of themselves physically, heck just the fact that this is a reality show skews the contestant pool toward part-time models and actors who might work out quite a bit or use skin care beyond ivory soap, which makes them fit a "gay stereotype."

 

[Richard Travale]

You really have to take into account that the girl is from small town Wisconsin. She wouldn't know a gay man unless he pranced up to her and started talking about shoes with her. (sorry for the horrible stereotype, I'm just trying to get a point across). To her, that is what gay is. Not an average guy who also happens to like dudes.
On the brighter side, I think she will becaome a much more open and embracing person by the end of the show.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Or horribly scarred emotionally...

 

[Mark-W]

Patrick, anyone who places themselves on a reality series at this point is pretty much asking for it: "Reality Shows" have surpassed Jerry Springer as the forefront of public humiliation.

And, as another general comment, this girl did show her ignorance when she said (on a commercial), "I don't think a gay man would kiss me."

Hunh?

Maybe at 36 I am too old, but, aside from Julianne Moore,
I am 100% a "blokes only" fella, and I had zero problems making out with women (and doing more) during my closeted days, and there was not a million dollars at stake.


Mark

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Mark, YUCK

Julianne Moore!? j/k

I was just going to say the same thing... what did she expect? "We took this single woman, and put her in a house with a cat and another single woman. Together, they'll talk a lot and drink tea while discussing men."

Everyone who signs up for a show like this is just asking for it.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Oh, I'm not saying she didn't ask for it, but it is still a possible fallout from undergoing something like this.

 

[Kenneth_C]

At least Jackie knows that some of the guys are gay, as opposed to James on Boy Meets Boy last year. He thought he was on a gay dating show, had no idea that half the guys were straight & only in it for the money, and wasn't informed of the twist until he was down to the final 3.

 

[Mark-W]

Kenneth-

NOT only that but James wasn't allowed to reveal that he knew about the twist. That show did surprise me as a few of the guys I was sure were gay turnned out to be straight, but the straight guy who made it to the finale had not fooled me from the get go, nor the artist with the bangs from hell.

The blonde buff guy, who was extremely flirtatious, was the one that I sure was gay and I when he "came out" as straight and talked about how hard it was to be in the closet and how tough he knew it must be for gay guys, I thought it was actually a bit touching.

For some reason, I don't think anyone on this version will be quite so interesting: it takes a lot more guts for a good looking straight man to go on a gay dating show and pretend he's gay, and certainly the straight guys willing to do that are bound to me much more open-minded than the cache of fellas on "Playing it Straight."

Since when in hiding your homoseuxality a "twist?"
Heck, that is what at least 5% of the top male celebrities in Hollywood are doing on a daily basis.