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News, Reviews & Commentary on Gay and Bisexual Men in Entertainment and the Media

Is there a limit to gay reality TV wins?

USA Today put together a look at the winners of popular and gay-fave professional reality competition shows — HGTV Design Star, Project Runway, Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star — asking how many have found success after winning. The recap also offers an interesting snapshot of these shows' histories.

One tidbit to catch my interest, as someone who pays attention to these things, is how Project Runway is the only one that didn't seem to say "That's enough" after crowning one GLBT winner. (I suspect media watchdogs who pay attention to racial minorities in the media would make a similar observation.)

That stands out to me because I sometimes check out the message boards for these shows and it's not uncommon to see viewers dismissing a gay competitor because someone gay already won. It's a perspective Christie Keith also noticed when she talked with the gay competitors on Design Star's second and third seasons.

Project Runway's two gay winners, Jay McCarroll and Christian Siriano

There are so many factors that go into determining a reality show winner — which starts with casting, includes the judges' subjective reactions to each challenge, potential storylines that pop up in filming and ends with the producer consultation we're warned about in the fine print — it's impossible to say if the shows have the same attitude. However, on a show like HGTV Design Star where (until recently) viewers determined the winner, the audience's "We already let a gay person win" attitude certainly plays a role.

Still, it raises the question — does it feel like a lost cause to cheer for Team Gay if there's already been a gay winner?

  • Lyle Masaki's blog
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  • Jonathan's picture

    If "1 in 10" is correct

    Call me after there have been 20 seasons and no other gay winner.

    Obviously, these professions are often considered the pervue of gay men and straight women, so more gay winners than are represented by population averages are probably warranted, but there's just too many variables going into the mix. I would also point out that Top Chef has had two out winners. One was a bisexual man, the other a lesbian.

    roni1133's picture

    Top Chef

    Top Chef has never had a lesbian winner (though there have been several lesbian contestants).  Stephanie has been the only female winner so far, and she's not gay.  Maybe you're thinking of Heather West, who won season two of Hell's Kitchen, though they never mentioned that she was gay on the show. 
    Lyle Masaki's picture

    Which wasn't the point...

    As I said, trying to argue fairness is too complicated with all the factors (including factors with plenty of unknowns like casting and footage left out). I'm more wondering if you see a competitor like Matt Locke on Design Star -- someone who displays all the qualifications of a winner -- if you look at how recent David Bromstad's win was and see cheering Matt as a lost cause.

    jb451 wrote:

    I would also point out that Top Chef has had two out winners. One was a bisexual man, the other a lesbian.

    As far as I've been able to find, Stephanie is not gay or, at least, out. There were three other out competitors, but Stephanie wasn't one of them.

    chub4bears's picture

    i always cheer for whio i like best

    the cream will rise to the  top...gay or not...even though i would like to see more poeple of color take the prize...i was very disappointed on runway 2 years ago when marcus didn.t win and they chose that tatooed biker ex drug-addict...while i admire his turning his life around, and probably would have dated him, i like marcus' designs better...i don;t pay much attention to american idol, but felt proud when ruben and fantasia won...maybe more people should be  e ncouraged to apply to these reality shows...but they have to have the chops
    dback's picture

    Personal experience...

    I was on a contest show on IFC (no title, sorry, I'm still abiding by the rules) a few years back, and won my West Coast division.  At the nationals, all other competitors were eliminated, until it was just me and one other guy and the guest judge.  The judge (who I'll also leave nameless) said he thought I was "poetic" but also said he thought I might be "too soft."  (?)  It didn't occur to me at the time that this might have been a slightly prejudicial remark.  Anyways, he picked the other guy to win.  (So I always empathize with runners-up, including Adam Lambert, David Archuleta, "Brokeback Mountain," etc.!)  And yes, I was "out" on the show, thanking my partner and mentioning that I'm not straight.

    Was that the deciding factor?  Who knows?  My age was also mentioned, and that my competitor was younger and just starting out, and possibly "hungrier."  These things are sometimes very hard to call.  But I still wanted to be publicly "out" on TV, and I have no regrets about it.  (Not that it's scored me any contacts or anything advantageous script-wise.)  Living "out loud" is worth it to me integrity-wise.  I'm old enough and intolerant enough that I'm not up for continuing to play closet games.  :) I can be discrete, but I'm not going to live a lie.

     

    Jon's picture

    Not sure if Project Runway is best example

    I thought they were almost absurd in some of their hostility towards gay designers in seasons 2 and 3, especially season 3, where they frequently trashed Kayne for the same aesthetic they loved in the vile, but mostly heterosexual, Jeffrey. They seemed desperate to have a straight man win that season, as they not only fawned over Jeffrey, but also the charming but talentless Michael Knight, who went on to dress women like rejects from a Pam Grier supermama movie.

    I thought the way the Food Network treated Dan and Steve was very unfortunate. I really liked their show. They were never even given a real chance.

    Morgan's picture

    Amazing Race

    The best reality show on TV has only had one gay couple win the show to my knowledge, but they frequently have gay/lesbian team-mates. I prefer shows like this where everyone could win and there aren't clear favorites or outside factors and judges holding contestants back or manipulating the game (hopefully).