11 Shocking Gay Reality TV Moments

6. Danny Roberts' boyfriend is blurred on The Real World

The Real World has never shied away from any kind of sexuality, so it was unusual, to say the least, to see Real World: New Orleans cast member Danny Roberts making out in a hot tub with an unidentifiable blurred head atop a shirtless male body. That obscured face belonged to Danny's weeks-old boyfriend Paul, who appeared on the show starting with its second episode. In a first for the show, his identity was obscured because he was a captain in the Army and faced discharge if he revealed his sexual orientation on national television. Thus, he remained anonymous until 2003, when the couple appeared together on an MTV News special. (They broke up three years later.) Because of Paul's regular appearances on the show, and Danny's obvious attachment to him, the episode when Danny cheated on Paul during Mardi Gras – with a stranger in one of the house's closets – was also shocking, especially since all viewers saw was a closet door with audio of a belt unbuckling.

Why it's shocking: Paul gave a face to the lives of gay military personnel – and his literal lack of a face on the show helped illustrate the effects of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

6. Boy Meets Boy's James learns he's been deceived.

Viewers knew from the first episode that Bravo's Boy Meets Boy was not a gay version of The Bachelor, but the show's star did not. Instead, James Getzlaff and his best friend Andra Stasko, who advised him while befriending James' group of suitors, were told near the very end of the show that some of those men were straight and vying for a cash prize that they'd receive only if James picked one of them instead of a gay man. When James told her about the twist, Andra flipped out, crying and hyperventilating, perhaps a justifiable reaction but also odd as she seemed to feel more betrayed than James. He ultimately selected a gay suitor and won the prize, and the show's openly gay producer, Douglas Ross, defended the show's concept as just another reality TV twist.

Why it's shocking: Television's first opportunity to give gay men the chance to be humiliated on a reality dating show just like straight people had to throw in an extra dose of humiliation – one that gave the producers the meltdown they apparently wanted.

4. J.P. Calderon comes out on The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency

Dickinson (left) and Calderon

It's not exactly shocking to have a gay model on a cable reality series, but it is when that model was someone best known for being a sexist, apparently heterosexual jerk during his time on another series. When Survivor: Cook Islands aired, J.P. Calderon was perhaps best known for ordering female tribe members around and acting obnoxiously. That behavior led to his being the fourth person voted out, which caught him by surprise. Online rumors suggested cast member J.P. was dating castmate Brad Virata, although neither man's sexual orientation was discussed on the show. A month later, on Oxygen's The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, J.P. decided to come out in order to appear as an Instinct cover model. In an uncharacteristically real moment for Janice's show, J.P. said, "I hate hating myself. And I truly hate myself, I truly don't like who I am. Maybe this is my way of letting go and finding out who’s gonna accept and me and finding out who's not."

Why it's shocking: J.P.'s raw, emotional coming out showed viewers how difficult it can be to come out of the closet, and that even today it's still not easy for some to accept their own sexual orientation.