Some Brain Vomiting About "Finding Prince Charming"
Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 9:00PM By Nathaniel R
Outside of talent-based competitions like Project Runway and RuPaul's Drag Race, I rarely watch reality television. Sure, I've seen an episode here and there of some of the big ones (mostly due to Emmy races or being around friends who were watching them) but I've never seen an episode of anything from the Housewives subgenre or Kardashians anything and never will. I've also never seen an episode of The Bachelor or Bachelorette.
This avoidance is less about artistic judgement than a lifelong aversion to famous people who are famous for no good reason. Celebrity that comes from talent or a contribution to society is easy to respect even if you don't personally admire that particular celebrity. Nevertheless after becoming obsessed with UNReal last season (have you finished S2?) its brilliant acting, disturbing psychology, and its evisceration of The Bachelor I suddenly had all these curiousities about this particular subgenre.
Enter Finding Prince Charming on Logo which bills itself as the 'first' all gay dating show and is basically The Bachelor with old school Shakespearean casting; men play all the roles...
the original shortlived gay dating show "Boy Meets Boy" (2003)
At first I was like "no, this show wasn't first. There was that show years ago called 'Boy Meets Boy'. Only then I remembered the horrified in-show reaction to that show's twist when it was revealed that some of the contestants were straight and faking it...
That's bullshit, James!
One night recently while bone tired I watched the first two episodes of Finding Prince Charming. It was exactly the garbage fire of gay humanity that I feared and expected (just as straight dating shows, I assume, make the notions of human beings and hanging out with them or *gasp* being in love with them an entirely vomitous proposition). These shows are straight up emotional pornography -- as if true love can be neatly packaged and bloom within brief "themed" dates with cameras and microphones poking about. I was especially offended by the storyline about the man whose fiance had died. As if something that private should be exploited for cameras and as if some random team of producers and showrunners out to make a buck can hand-pick a life partner replacement for you. The message: people are totally interchangeable.
My point is I hated EVERYONE on the show. Everyone but whatshisname, the super flaming guy who is clearly there just to rattle the fragile masculinity of all the muscle boys by calling them "Mary". I respect boys who embrace queerness and mock "masc4masc" silliness, what can I say? Is that its own dumb queer minstrel stereotype? Absolutely! But you have to find something to enjoy to keep the razor from your wrists in these situations.
Who would like to humiliate themselves on TV?
I'm not going to keep watching but I think I will keep reading about it, the rubber-necking a car crash impulse but with less commitment. I laughed quite a bit reading Towleroad's recap of the third episode, especially this part when the dimbulb protagonist (who is anything but Charming -- charm requires having an actual personality. Every single other man on the show has more of a personality, for better and worse) 'Prince Charming' takes a date to a horse stable.
Robert asks Justin what he would name his horse and Justin says, no lie, “Black Beauty.” But! Then! Justin asks Robert what he would name his horse, and Robert says BLACK BEAUTY AS WELL. I would’ve given anything for a stampede, honestly.
Reader Comments (15)
I saw the first episode of "Finding Prince Charming" and that was all I could bear. I knew this show would be a complete train wreck but was still shocked at how truly awful it was . Charming Robert is not. I didn't believe for one second any of these guys would seriously want to fight over this guy.
You should be watching Strut. The trans modeling agency show.
This show is so insipidity awful it's not even worth hate-watching. Small furry creatures have more personality than most of this cast. And you would think a houseful of gay men would be oozing drama -- mortuaries are more animated than this.
it is beyond terrible, and i fear i cannot stop watching.
#shamespiral
I can't stop watching, but I don't understand the lack of self-esteem that allows these guys to pretend they are attracted to the brain-dead prince. Robbie needs his own show though.
A friend of a friend was congratulating *his* friend on being chosen as one of the castmates. How embarrassing! This is not something I would entertain, let alone audition for, but apparently it's all the rage in some circles. Ironically, those circles tend to be the "straight-acting" guys who are as straight as a circle. No, thanks, I'll pass/watch Transparent instead.
"Dating naked" is the proof of the near end of civilization ...
Dan Savage had an interesting perspective: http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/09/02/24536351/renting-prince-charming
I watched the first episode because it came on after Drag Race and I was on a RuPaul high, but this certainly brought me down quick! It's not even really worth hate-watching... though it is impressive they centered a show around a man so devoid of personality he could've been a character in the Star Wars prequels.
The fact that Logo has this grey heteronormative shrug of a show following Drag Race- that candy-colored, personality-oozing celebration of the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent of unabashedly queer people- is just sad.
The first thought that came to my naughty mind was: Is Prince Charming a top and all the "candidates" bottoms or versatile? LOL... Will two or more of the candidates hook up and tell Prince Charming to, well... do that. How embarrassing!
The show looks awful (I won't watch it) but it's bringing out the best in witty Film Experience commenters! Loving these comments.
BD -- ooh thanks for that link. Dan Savage is always so smart. I would totally give the show he's describing a chance. even though it might still be wildly offensive.
From what I've seen, which admittedly is not much, the guys actually do look kind of interchangable. We're all just here looking for our next dead fiancé right? Wake me when it turns into a Treasure Island Media video.
Nathaniel, this essay is hilarious! I cannot believe Robert was an escort--who would pay for that.
I can't wait to binge watch this and not tell anybody.