Boy Meets Boy (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series was released on DVD on May 25, 2004, with six episodes and bonus features including a drag performance by Miss Coco Peru.
• In March 2006, the series was released for streaming on OutzoneTV.com, an LGBT-targeted channel created by Bravo and PlanetOut.
• Straight contestant Dan Wells was sought out by Bravo President Jeff Gaspin after winning the 2001 reality series Lost.

Format

Set in Palm Springs, California, the series followed James Getzlaff, a 32-year-old human resources manager, as he selected a partner from fifteen men who lived together. He went on one-on-one dates and participated in group activities, eliminating three men per episode with advice from his married straight friend Andra Stasko. In the fourth episode, Getzlaff learned that half the men were straight. If his final choice was gay, both won a New Zealand vacation and Getzlaff received $25,000; if straight, that man alone won $25,000 and Getzlaff got a very small cash reward. Dani Behr hosted.

Production

Executive producer Douglas Ross said the show was designed to challenge preconceptions about gay and straight identity and to explore sexual politics rather than sex. The twist of including straight contestants was intended to reach broader audiences. To protect identities, physical contact beyond kissing was forbidden. Over 500 men from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego were interviewed.

Gay contestants were told it was a gay dating show; straight contestants were told it was a reality game show. Producers sought straight men interested in confronting stereotypes, especially those with gay people in their lives. Straight contestants had to fabricate gay dating histories and be willing to kiss another man. Bravo President Jeff Gaspin said the show would treat the men no differently than women on The Bachelor.

Straight contestant Dan Wells, previously a winner on Lost, described acting gay as a deep Method acting experience. Getzlaff originally interviewed as a mate but was offered the lead role. He chose his friend Andra Stasko, a straight married woman, as his advisor. All mates were unpaid.

Reception

The series premiered to 1.6 million viewers, with about one million in the 25-54 demographic. The finale drew 1.62 million viewers, making it Bravo's second highest-rated show at the time. Critics gave mixed reviews; The Guardian called it fearfully dull. ABC News found the concept groundbreaking but criticized the twist as a ratings ploy.

Lawrence Donegan of The Guardian noted the significance of a respected network broadcasting a gay romance series. Steve Johnson of the Chicago Tribune said it proved a gay dating show could be as tedious as straight ones. Some compared it to an unaired Jenny Jones Show episode. The series was the first same-sex dating show and inspired later LGBT reality series like Playing It Straight and Gay, Straight or Taken?.

Time in 2022 called its only season one of the most influential reality seasons ever. Entertainment Weekly in 2015 ranked it among the worst reality series, calling it cruel, offensive, and boring. Getzlaff's career was launched, leading to off-Broadway and film roles. Contestant Jason Tiner was discharged from the Navy under don't ask, don't tell.

Potential second season

Creator Doug Ross hoped for a second season but acknowledged that the twist's popularity made a repeat impossible; he had another twist that Bravo executives found fun. In 2007, Bravo executive Frances Berwick noted that public knowledge of the twist and international press reports hindered a second season and overseas sales. She said Bravo's strength is doing things first and shaking up preconceptions, and that the network would accept many formats for a Boy Meets Boy-type show, but only if the perfect approach emerged. She also suggested that a gay-specific series might not fit Bravo's broader programming strategy. Supervising producer Kirk Marcolina expressed interest in a season focused on women. In 2004, producer Craig Zadan claimed a second season did not happen due to a lack of advertisers.