Boy Meets Boy (TV series)

Boy Meets Boy is an American reality television series broadcast by Bravo. The series premiered on July 29, 2003, and it concluded with its sixth episode on September 2, 2003. Filmed in Palm Springs, the series depicted leading man James Getzlaff selecting a partner among a group of fifteen men, referred to as mates. Getzlaff and the mates participated in one-on-one dates and group activities, with Getzlaff eliminating three mates from the competition in each episode. However, in the fourth episode, it was revealed to Getzlaff that the mates actually consisted of both gay and straight men. If the final mate in the competition was a gay man, he would win a $25,000 reward and a vacation to New Zealand with Getzlaff. Conversely, if the final mate was a straight man, then he alone would win the $25,000 reward. The series was hosted by English television presenter Dani Behr.

The series received mixed reception from television critics. Some critics praised the series for its portrayal of LGBT people, while others found it dull. However, the fourth episode's reveal was universally panned by critics and audiences alike, with most deeming it a cruel and homophobic twist against Getzlaff. The twist was defended by producers, who claimed that it was an attempt to appeal to audiences outside of the LGBT community. The series received further backlash from some conservative Christian organizations, such as the Traditional Values Coalition, for its perceived positive representation of LGBT people. Boy Meets Boy premiered to strong ratings for Bravo's standards, although it dwindled with subsequent episodes. The series 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 short-lived run, the series inspired a wave of LGBT-related reality television series throughout the 2000s. The series assisted in bolstering the entertainment careers of several contestants, including Getzlaff and Dan Wells. Due to the fourth episode's twist, several media outlets have cited Boy Meets Boy as one of the most controversial reality television series of all time. In 2022, Time deemed the first and only season of Boy Meets Boy as one of the most influential reality television seasons of all time.

Format
Set in Palm Springs, California, the series depicted James Getzlaff, a 32-year-old human resources manager, selecting a partner among a group of fifteen men (referred to as "mates"). The fifteen men were required to move into a house together, in which they went on one-on-one dates with Getzlaff and competed in a variety of group activities. At the end of each episode, Getzlaff eliminated three men from the competition. In determining which men to send home, Getzlaff consulted with his longtime friend Andra Stasko, a married straight woman. Toward the end of the series, Getzlaff was informed that the group of men actually consisted of both gay and straight men. If the man Getzlaff chose at the end of the competition was gay, the two would win a vacation to New Zealand and Getzlaff would receive a $25,000 reward. Conversely, if Getzlaff chose a straight man, the straight man alone would win the $25,000 reward while Getzlaff would receive a "very small" cash reward. English television personality Dani Behr served as the host of the series.

Conception and development
According to executive producer Douglas Ross, "[w]e very specifically designed this show to challenge the viewer's preconceived notions about what it means to be gay and straight. We really wanted it to be an exploration of sexual politics and not sex." While the producers were interested in exploring "sociological issues", the twist of some contestants being straight was implemented in an effort for the series to reach broader audiences. In order to protect the identities of which suitors were gay and straight, any physicality between Getzlaff and suitors beyond kissing was forbidden.

Casting
Over 500 men from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego were interviewed for a role in the series. Producers informed gay contestants that they were cast for a gay dating show, while straight contestants were told that it was a reality game show. Producers sought straight men who were interested in confronting stereotypes, specifically those who had "important people in their lives—a relative, a college roommate, etc.—who happened to be gay". According to executive producer Douglas Ross, producers additionally wanted straight contestants who could obscure their sexual orientation without relying on LGBT stereotypes. Straight contestants were required to fabricate gay dating histories and they had to be willing to kiss another man.

Straight contestant Dan Wells was sought out by Bravo President Jeff Gaspin, who knew of Wells due to his prior win in the 2001 reality television series Lost. Speaking on his casting in Boy Meets Boy, Wells explained: "it wasn’t tough to act gay . . . You learn as you go and you watch how the gay men were acting and behaving and so forth, and you roll with the vibe of the situation. It’s a deep Method acting experience."

Getzlaff originally interviewed for the role of a mate; however, producers ultimately offered him the leading role instead. As leading man, Getzlaff was required to have a "best female friend" to offer him guidance as he eliminated mates. Getzlaff selected his friend Andra Stasko, a straight married woman; Stasko claimed that she participated in the series to be supportive of Getzlaff coming out.

Filming
The series was filmed in Palm Springs, California, over a period of ten days in May 2003. During the filming process, Getzlaff and Behr and the mates remained at separate houses in Rancho Mirage, California.

Contestants
{{Legend|lightgreen|The contestant was safe from elimination.}} {{Legend|salmon|The contestant was eliminated from the competition.}} {{Legend|#FFEBCD|The contestant was not up for elimination.}}

Broadcast history and release
Boy Meets Boy premiered on July 29, 2003, in the United States on Bravo at 9:00   pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). The series aired alongside Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as part of the network's gay programming block.

The series was released on DVD on May 25, 2004. The three-disc release featured all six episodes of Boy Meets Boy in addition to cast interviews, behind-the-scene featurettes, casting reels, a drag performance by Miss Coco Peru, an unaired opening sequence, cast biographies, and a "Where Are They Now?" segment about the contestants. In March 2006, the series was released for streaming on OutzoneTV.com, an LGBT-targeted broadband channel created by Bravo and PlanetOut.

Television viewership and ratings
The series premiered to 1.6 million viewers, with approximately one million viewers in the 25-54 demographic.

The series finale drew in 1.62 million viewers, which, at the time, was Bravo's second highest-rated show ever.

Critical response
A staff writer for ABC News believed the concept of Boy Meets Boy was "groundbreaking", although they criticized the fourth episode's twist as a ploy by producers to increase the series' ratings. Lawrence Donegan of The Guardian believed it was noteworthy "that a respected network such as Bravo is willing to broadcast a series focused entirely on the theme of gay romance".

Some critics compared the series to the unaired 1995 The Jenny Jones Show episode "Revealing Same Sex Secret Crush".

Boy Meets Boy received a nomination in the Outstanding Reality Program category at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards; however, it ultimately lost to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Following his appearance on the show, contestant Jason Tiner was discharged from the United States Navy for violating the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Potential second season
Boy Meets Boy creator Doug Ross held out hope for a second season. He acknowledged that the popularity of season one would make it practically impossible for another season with the same twist but also said that he has come up with another twist which Bravo executives thought was fun. Speaking in 2007, Bravo executive Frances Berwick pointed to public knowledge of the twist as a stumbling block to a second season, noting the difficulty Bravo had selling the series overseas because of international press reports on the twist. On the possibility of a season two with a new twist, Berwick said, "What Bravo does best is to do things first and to really sort of shake up people's preconceptions and notions about things. And we would accept many different formats [for a Boy Meets Boy-type show]. I'm not saying that they wouldn't be as good, because you can always come up with something else. [But] until we find the perfect way to do it..." Berwick also suggested that at the time a series as gay-specific as Boy Meets Boy might not have fit into Bravo's overall programming strategy. "It has to feel like it's broad enough, and multidimensional enough to work for our incredibly smart audience."

Supervising producer Kirk Marcolina expressed interest in producing another season focused on women.

Legacy
Boy Meets Boy was the first same-sex dating show. Despite its short-lived run, the series was responsible for a wave of LGBT-related reality television series in the mid-2000s, including Playing It Straight, Gay, Straight or Taken?, and Straight Dates by Gay Mates. In 2022, Time cited the first and only season of Boy Meets Boy as one of the most influential reality television seasons of all time. In 2015, Entertainment Weekly cited Boy Meets Boy as one of the worst reality television series of all time; a staff writer for the publication claimed that the series was "[c]ruel, offensive, and worst of all, boring."

The series launched the entertainment career of Getzlaff, who subsequently starred in the off-Broadway production My Big Gay Italian Wedding and the comedy film Another Gay Movie.