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Playing It Straight

When Ellen DeGeneres came out the closet on national TV, many hailed the event as the first step toward more -- and more "positive" -- portrayals of gays and lesbians in the media. That Ellen soon found her series cancelled and herself the center of a storm of controversy is another story; the fact remains that her gutsy move paved the way for popular gay-themed shows like Will & Grace and Queer As Folk.

Bravo has, over time, developed a reputation for presenting shows aimed directly at the burgeoning gay audience, airing the "Out of the Closet" film festival for several years, and reality-themed shows like last year's popular Gay Wedding. This summer, the network has struck gold with Queer Eye For The Straight Guy. And now it offers a gay dating game, Boy Meets Boy.

Using a concept cobbled from The Bachelor and Joe Millionaire, James, a single gay man (and Advocate cover boy), must choose from among 15 bachelors, eventually selecting one at the end of the show's six-episode run. What James doesn't know is that some of these bachelors aren't exactly "eligible," that is, some are straight (the show's producers are being coy on exactly how many, hinting that the number is more than one and maybe as many as half). If James picks a gay man, he wins $25,000 and the two head off to an all expenses paid vacation in New Zealand. If he picks a straight one, the straight guy gets the cash, but James gets the vacation, where he will presumably nurse his broken heart and damaged gaydar.

This may seem like a queer rehashing of standard reality TV fare, but Bravo's president Jeff Gaspin calls Boy Meets Boy a "social experiment" that will bridge the gap between gay and straight. As such, it poses questions: Can a straight man mix with gay men without being noticed? Are gay men savvy enough to tell the difference? "We have created a gay world where the straight guys are in the closet," series creator Doug Ross tells the AP. "We really wanted to attract the straight population. By adding in this twist, we thought it would bring in a larger audience and would challenge the notions of all of our viewers -- both gay and straight."

Ross' assertion that he seeks to "attract the straight population" may be uncomfortably on target. Already, some gay viewers have challenged the show's reliance on this straight "presence" and essentially mean-spirited premise, which they fear will be another example of gays being on the wrong end of a humiliating joke.

"While Boy Meets Boy does do something unique in television history by creating a closet for straight men, its decision to jump head-on into a deceptive Joe Millionaire-type set-up sends a message that an authentic gay dating show can't succeed on its own merits," said Scott Seomin, Entertainment Media Director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "The gay dating show concept in itself is bold, but deceptively adding straight men to the gay dating mix does seem to make it unfair and somewhat cruel to our first gay TV bachelor."

The show wants to be all things to all people, but that makes it dull. Though they're ensconced in great looking house in Palm Springs, the men don't do much other than sip cocktails and blather on about their quest for the "perfect love." Part of the problem is it lacks the type of bitchy fun that makes Queer Eye For The Straight Guy such a rollicking good time. Boy Meets Boy plays it, for want of a better term, straight. There's no Cher on the soundtrack.

Even the potential for Big Brother-ish hot tub hijinks is deflated because, contractually, intimacy beyond kissing isn't permitted. The men hug or give one another quick pecks on the cheek, and, at a hoedown in episode two, practice a little "dirty dancing." No one does or says anything that might be termed "suggestive," but, judging by the way some of the men are eying each other, perhaps those rejected by James can hook up with one another.

After meeting his potential suitors in the premiere episode, James marvels at the "amazing cross-section." But these contenders are all Abercrombie & Fitch types, each sporting the same sleeveless t-shirts wardrobes and heavily gelled hairdos. When they stand before him in neat rows, it's nearly impossible to tell one from the other. Indeed, the show's only black contestant, Chris, is booted from the house in the first episode, after James learns that he's only recently come out of the closet. Chris' departure -- and the absence of any Asian and Latino contestants -- not only panders to the stereotype of a gay world where everybody is white and affluent, but also relieves the show of the controversial potential for interracial romance.

Yet, despite their sameness, it's not hard to pick out the straight guys. Despite their "gay" posturing, their body language gives them away; one contestant does nothing to conceal his discomfort when James hugs him. Since the audience is in on the "twist" from the beginning and the show gives us precious little in terms of entertainment, its ostensible primary amusement lies in guessing which of the suitors are straight. (Viewers can cast their votes on the show's website.)

Ross is a veteran TV producer, and his Gay Weddings was an intelligent reality miniseries. So it's surprising that he would allow Boy Meets Boy's potential challenge to sexual perceptions to degenerate into typical reality show clichés. The effort to broaden its presumably "gay" appeal may draw straight viewers (apparently, straight women are especially drawn, and not only for James' outspoken best friend and confidant, Andra). But it's hard to imagine anyone staying interested for very long in a program that shows so little imagination or wit.