LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMPTalk: Reality TV Goes Gay |
by Bill Sievert |
Some say it was Ellen's coming out that started the trend. Others cite Will & Grace, and some of us remember when Billy Crystal camped it up as gay Jodie on the long-running '70s sitcom Soap. But, most likely it was the success of conniving Richard Hatch in the first Survivor series that made it de rigueur for TV reality series to include a gay contestant. This year, gay guys have been competing for the hearts and minds of American viewers on almost every reality showand that's certainly no coincidence. It smacks of old-fashioned tokenism, as network brass choose contestants for each show from tens of thousands of applicants from all walks of life and demographics. Each hopeful covets the opportunity to eat a bug or get lost in a desert for a chance of winning big bucks, 15-minutes of fame, and possibly a career hawking such a product as Metamucil stool-softener. (That's what Survivor veteran Rodger Bingham has been doing this fall during a nationwide tour of malls). In the corporate boardrooms of the major networks, casting directors are outlining their quotas for their upcoming series: "Let's see, we'll need an African-American player [or team], one senior citizen, a college jock, three sexy young girls, one tough-looking tomboy, andmost importantsome gay guy." When I asked contestant Bill Bartek of The Amazing Race whether being gay helped him and his lover, Joe, beat out so many rivals for a spot on the show, he laughed agreeably. "Call our press liaison at CBS; I can't say anything until the show has completed its run." But it's clear that, if you're gay and want to be on a reality series, you don't have to compete with the masses of applicantsjust your fellow homosexuals. Being quirky helps. Bill and Joe, a smart middle-aged couple who lived in Paris for a time, successfully used the tried-and-true technique of wearing matching outfits to call attention to their Team Guido. The trick helped the guys stand out not only to producers but also to the viewing audience who could distinguish them from the ten other two-person teams who forgot to bring color-coordinated clothing on their global chase. "We wanted everyone to know we're a gay team and to root for us because we are gay," Bill admitted. Their goal was to make a political as well as a fashion statement. Bunky Miller, who was among the final four in the latest Big Brother series, queerly stood out from the rest of his crowd. In the show's early weeks, he annoyed many of us as he fretted about when to tell his housemates that he's gay. With his penchant for crying jags and his unusual first name, Bunky was found out by most of the others before he got around to his teary eyed confession. In later weeks, Bunky went on to become one of the more self-confident contestants and, taking a cue from the straight players, never failed to remind American viewers how much he missed his life-partner, Gregg. You go, Bunky. Currently, he is taking advantage of his shot at celebrity to organize a national "Bunkymania" speaking/ performance tour to raise money for charities. He even has his own semi-glamorous website, www.bunkymania.com. As was clearly the case with Richard Hatch, the first man to take his shorts off and win a million on Survivor, an obnoxious personality can help a gay contestant. On the fall series Lost, boastful graphic artist Joe has come across as an "Ugly American," even claiming it wouldn't be a challenge for him to find his way through Siberia because "there's a gay bar everywhere." Perhaps it's due to the fact that he never stops talking, but New York-born Joe's raspy voice sounds like a combination of Tallulah Bankhead and Harvey Fierstein. He has used that voice for his frequent flirtations with handsome straight-guy Courtland, with whom the show's producers paired him for the global trek. Even when the sound of Joe's voice becomes cloying, the homoerotic underpinnings of this odd-couple partnership has made forwell, "must-see tee-vee." The newest arrival to the ranks of queer contestant is Brandon Quinton on the current Survivor. A cute 25-year-old Dallas bartender, Brandon is proud to say that the treasured "luxury item" he chose to bring to Africa is Chapstick. His favorite actor is Keanu Reeves (no suggestion yet that they've been an item), and his favorite pastimes are "tennis, running and smoking." The list might not qualify him for the Miss America pageant, but he probably wouldn't be allowed to serve anyway. For gay Brandon was once marriedto an actual woman. CBS has been taunting audiences with the notion that this most-unusual, ever-so-special contestant is a "gay divorcee," as if that makes him even queerer than other folk. Certainly, an old cheer has taken on new meaning to the gay guys who have clamored to be caught in the spotlight of being themselves on "reality" TV. They can shout out with pride, "We're only here because we're queer." |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 14, October 19, 2001. |