Playing It Straight
Playing It Straight is a 2004 American reality show in which one woman spent time on a ranch with a group of men in an attempt to discern which of them were gay and which of them were straight. All of the gay men pretended to be straight. The woman went on individual dates with the men, in addition to engaging in group activities with them. Over the course of the episodes, she voted to eliminate the men she believed to be gay.
| Playing It Straight | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Glenn Hugill |
| Presented by | Daphne Brogdon |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45–50 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | FOX |
| Original release | March 12 – April 2, 2004 |
At the end of the show, the woman had to choose one man. If he was straight, the man and woman would split the prize money, but if he was gay, then he would receive all the money and the woman would receive nothing.
Fox
The show was first broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network and premiered on March 12, 2004. The program was set on a Nevada ranch, and featured Jackie, a college student. Jackie spent time with 14 men (some gay, some straight) with a chance to win $1 million. If Jackie picked a straight man, they would both split the money, but if she picked a gay man, he would win the entire $1 million. Fox aired only three episodes before pulling the show from its schedule.[1]
Contestants
| Contestant | Occupation | Status | Sexual Orientation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gust | Real Estate Agent | Eliminated week 1 | Straight |
| Louis | Brokerage Firm Manager | Eliminated week 1 | Straight |
| Alex | Law Student | Eliminated week 2 | Gay |
| Ryan Etscin | Waiter | Eliminated week 2 | Straight |
| Eddie | School Teacher | Left the show week 3 | Gay |
| Chad | Corporate Communications | Eliminated week 3 | Gay |
| John | Bartender | Eliminated week 4 | Gay |
| Lee | Financial Consultant | Eliminated week 4 | Gay |
| Bradley | Bartender | Eliminated week 5 | Gay |
| Luciano Costa | Personal Trainer | Eliminated week 5 | Gay |
| Bill Bouvier | Event Promoter | Eliminated week 6 | Gay |
| Chris | Retired Entrepreneur | Eliminated week 8 | Gay |
| Sharif El-Mahdi | Musician | Eliminated week 8 | Straight |
| Banks | Software Consultant | Winner week 8 | Straight |
In 2005, nearly one year later after the show was recorded, Fox issued a press release stating that Jackie and Banks were still together. After the show, Jackie and Banks dated for about two years. For the first eight months, they had to keep their relationship quiet until the show aired. Banks went so far as to tell friends that he had to leave the show because he broke his arm, rather than reveal he won.
In 2007, Fox Reality reaired the series paired with "Reality Revealed" interviews of the contestants at each commercial break.
Seven Network (Australia)
An Australian version of the show aired on the Seven Network starting October 2004 hosted by Natalie Garonzi. Despite much of the hype surrounding it the shows ratings dwindled and it was moved to a later timeslot. After Rebecca eliminated Campbell (who was gay) Chad, Dane and Evan were left for one non-elimination round before appearing in the final episode. Rebecca chose Chad and he was revealed to be straight.
The Australian show has also aired in the US on FOX Reality. Rebecca and Chad are no longer together.
Contestants
| Contestant | Status | Sexual Orientation |
|---|---|---|
| Simon | Eliminated week 1 | Straight |
| Sam | Eliminated week 1 | Straight |
| John | Eliminated week 2 | Gay |
| Glenn | Left the show week 2 | Gay |
| N/A | Eliminated week 3 | N/A |
| N/A | Eliminated week 4 | N/A |
| N/A | Eliminated week 4 | N/A |
| Ben | Eliminated week 5 | Straight |
| Dean | Eliminated week 5 | Gay |
| Damon | Eliminated week 6 | Straight |
| Campbell | Eliminated week 7 | Gay |
| Evan | Eliminated week 8 | Gay |
| Dane | Eliminated week 8 | Gay |
| Chad | Winner | Straight |
UK version
| Playing It Straight UK | |
|---|---|
 Titlecard used for series 2 | |
| Presented by | June Sarpong (2005) Jameela Jamil (2012) |
| Narrated by | Alan Cumming (2005) Alan Carr (2012) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 14 (to 27 February 2012) |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Mexico (2005) Spain (2012) |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Lion TV |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 E4 |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Original release | 8 April 2005 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Playing It Straight |
Series 1 (2005)
The first UK version started on April 8, 2005, as part of their Twisted Dating Season. The series was set on a Mexican ranch and Zoe Hardman is spending time with 12 men. Ten men started the show and two more, Lee and Marco, were added in week 3 - it was revealed when they arrived that one was gay and one was straight. The prize money was £100,000 and the show was hosted by June Sarpong. The series has been repeated on Channel 4's sister channel, 4Music.
Early reporting revealed Ben Harris to be Mr Gay UK and also said: "Ben Harris, a builder, looks to be one of the favourites to win the show after the first episode in which he played to the builder stereotype."[2]
Contestants
- The Girl: Zoe Hardman
| Contestant | Status | Sexual Orientation |
|---|---|---|
| Raphael | Eliminated week 1 | Straight |
| Pritesh | Eliminated week 1 | Straight |
| Demetrius | Eliminated week 2 | Gay |
| George | Eliminated week 2 | Straight |
| Lee | Eliminated week 3 | Gay |
| Peter | Eliminated week 3 | Gay |
| Jonny | Eliminated week 4 | Gay |
| Alex | Eliminated week 5 | Gay |
| Daniel K. | Eliminated week 5 | Straight |
| Marco | Eliminated week 6 | Straight |
| Danny B. | Eliminated week 6 | Straight |
| Ben | Winner | Gay |
Notes
- In week three, Lee was not allowed to reveal his sexuality on being voted off, in order that Marco's sexual orientation stayed secret.
- In week five, Alex won the contest to dress Zoe and received a dinner date with her. On their date, Alex decided to confess to Zoe that he was gay, as a result of which she eliminated him that week.
- Zoe picked Ben and it was then revealed that he was gay. Ben offered Zoe the prize money, and she decided to split it evenly with him.[2] She stated that even though he was gay she was still glad she chose him.
Series 2 (2012)
In October 2011, it was announced that Channel 4 had ordered a full second series. This time the location was set in Spain and the new series was hosted by T4 presenter, Jameela Jamil and comedian Alan Carr provided the narration. The prize fund was decreased 50% to £50,000 (£25,000 each).[3][4] The second series made its debut on 9 January 2012 at 9pm on E4.[5] The series was set at a Spanish hacienda - Hacienda de los Hombres. The series was also aired on Channel 4's teen-strand, T4 on Saturdays.
Contestants
- The Girl: Cara
| Contestant | Status | Sexual Orientation |
|---|---|---|
| Fletcher | Left week 1 | Straight |
| Filippo | Eliminated week 1 | Straight |
| Kyle | Eliminated week 1 | Gay |
| Leroy | Eliminated week 2 | Gay |
| Andrei | Eliminated week 3 | Straight |
| David | Eliminated week 4 | Gay |
| Mitch | Eliminated week 5 | Gay |
| Levi | Eliminated week 6 | Straight |
| Jordan | Eliminated week 7 | Straight |
| Ben | Eliminated week 7 | Gay |
| Danny | Eliminated week 8 | Gay |
| Sam | Eliminated week 8 | Gay |
| Sven | Eliminated week 8 | Gay |
| Dean | Winner | Straight |
Notes
- Contestants Jordan and Mitch were introduced in Week 4.
- Dean was chosen as the winner. As he was straight, both he and Cara won £25,000 each.
Transmissions
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 April 2005 | 13 May 2005 | 6 |
| 2 | 9 January 2012 | 27 February 2012 | 8 |
Herken De Homo (The Netherlands)
The original FOX version was a surprise hit on Dutch television, prompting RTL Nederland to create its own version in 2005, it aired on RTL 5 at the time.
In Herken de Homo (Recognize the Gay) hosted by Fiona Hering, 23 year old Nathalie Biermanns was sent to Mexico. She had to choose between 14 men. At the end, only Marcel remained who turned out to be straight. Both won 50,000 Euro each.
Similar TV shows
- Boy Meets Boy - a 2003 program on Bravo in which a gay man successfully chose another gay man from a mixed group of gay and heterosexual men.
- Gay, Straight or Taken? - a 2007 program on Lifetime Television in which during each episode a female has to determine which of three men is gay, straight, or already in a relationship.
- Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay - another gay-themed Fox reality program.
- I'm Not Gay - a Russian TV show. The show is about people guessing who is gay among a group of straight-acting men. The show has been called "homophobic"[6]
References
- "FOX pulls Playing it Straight". 31 March 2004.
- "theVoiceofReason.co.uk, Ben Harris Was Mr Gay UK 1998". Archived from the original on 16 December 2005. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- "'Playing It Straight' to return to E4 - TV News". Digital Spy. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- "E4 brings back 'Playing It Straight' - Channel 4 - Info - Press". Channel 4. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- "Playing It Straight - Playing It Straight". Channel 4. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
- https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-politician-fronts-guess-whos-gay-reality-tv-show-v09378hm7