'Bachelor' Colton Unrwood shouldn't star a gay season. Here's why

Contents:

• IT’S TIME FOR AN ACTUALLY GAY SEASON OF THE BACHELOR ALREADY
• THE BACHELOR STAR COLTON UNRWOOD OUT AS GAY
• THERE’S ALREADY BEEN A GAY ‘BACHELOR’-TYPE SHOW, AND IT WAS ESRTED OFF AIR AFTER JT ONE SEASON
• ‘BACHELOR’ FANS MAND GAY SEASON AMID COLTON UNRWOOD’S G OUT
• COLTON UNRWOOD, ‘BACHELOR’ STAR, COM OUT AS GAY
• 'THE BACHELOR' HAS A TROUBLED HISTORY WHEN TO GAY ROMANCE. IT'S NOT ALONE
• HERE'S WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WAS A GAY VERSN OF 'THE BACHELOR'
• THE (GAY) BACHELOR; THE NAME OF THE GAME IS GUESS WHO’S STRAIGHT IN…
• LANCE BASS TO HOST ‘FDG PRCE CHARMG,’ A GAY VERSN OF ‘THE BACHELOR’
• FANS WANT A GAY 'BACHELOR' SEASON WH COLTON UNRWOOD, BUT 'S NOT THE RIGHT MOVE. HERE'S WHY
• COLTON UNRWOOD BEG THE 'FIRST GAY BACHELOR' WOULD BE A MAJOR MISTAKE FOR THE EMBATTLED ABC ANCHISE
• GAY BACHELOR TV SHOW HAS NASTY SURPRISE
• FORMER ‘BACHELOR’ STAR SAYS HE IS GAY
• A FORMER BACHELOR STAR ME OUT AS GAY. THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS AS MSY AS HIS SEASON.

IT’S TIME FOR AN ACTUALLY GAY SEASON OF THE BACHELOR ALREADY

I’m hant to ame Unrwood’s g out as some kd of signifint “gay first”, given how such narrativ often end up portrayg LGBTQ+ people as new, as if we haven’t been here the whole time.

“The media that make visible simultaneoly obscure our prence history by ntually amg trans people [and, this stance wh Unrwood, gay people] as new, as a morn, medilized phenomenon only now g to light, ” wrer and artist Man M Page wrote 2017. Other nttants have, siar to Unrwood, publicly e out after filmg all that md, feels like would be a real missed opportuny for the Bachelor powers that be to not rest Unrwood for the anchise’s first-ever Actually Gay season wh an Actually Gay would the first gay season of The Bachelor look like? That was one of the first major attempts at givg gay guys the gay versn of The Bachelor so many longed for, though greatly hred self by secretly addg a bunch of straight men to the st whout rmg s starrg bachelor first.

THE BACHELOR STAR COLTON UNRWOOD OUT AS GAY

Though for all the ways that Fdg Prce Charmg provid better reprentatn than s spirual precsor, was also borg – seemgly more ncerned about provg to viewers that gay men’s romantic aspiratns were every b as normal as their straight unterparts than wh pictg gay men on their own The Bachelor portrayed love eply heteropatriarchal terms (multiple women pete for the attentn of a sgle man, lookg for monogamy and, of urse, marriage), Fdg Prce Charmg simply gave the long-nng seri a h at of homosexual pat. Could the first gay season of The Bachelor offer somethg different om what the aforementned rivativ spired gave years past? ), I’d want s hypothetil first-ever gay season to look somethg like MTV’s sexually fluid 2019 season of Are You the One?

I’d love to see a Bachelor season do new thgs like acknowledge the probable sexual tensn between the nttants, and a gay season of The Bachelor seems as well poised as any to explore that terrory. Somethg tells me that we wouldn’t see that kd of sex-posive change of format on the first gay season of The Bachelor though. Ms Randolph then filed for a rtrag orr agast Mr Unrwood, accg him of stalkg her, but she later requted the police vtigatn be source, Getty ImagImage ptn, In The Bachelor, he chose nttant Cassie RandolphMr Unrwood said he cid to e out after the panmic h, addg that was a time which forced people to "look at themselv the mirror and figure out who they are and what they've been nng om or what they've been puttg off their liv" said he had been aware of his sexualy for a long time, knowg he "jt felt different" om the age of Unrwood said he "learned the Bible that gay is a s" Catholic school.

"I thk there's a lot of thgs, when I look back, I'm like, 'No wonr I held , '" he may also be terted : Media ptn, Kenh Felts has e out as gay at 90 years old...

THERE’S ALREADY BEEN A GAY ‘BACHELOR’-TYPE SHOW, AND IT WAS ESRTED OFF AIR AFTER JT ONE SEASON

”Thirteen gay men moved to a mansn to try to w the affectns of a handsome eligible bachelor, terr signer Robert Sepuvelda Jr. Former ‘NSYNCer Lance Bass played the Chris Harrison-que Read: Billy Eichner to Colton Unrwood 2019: 'Maybe You're the First Gay Bachelor and We Don't Even Know' (Vio)In the end, Sepulveda chose hairstylist Eric Leonardos as his guy. “Fdg Prce Charmg” was not whout ntroversy, though, but not for s gay filmg and jt prr to s premiere, reports emerged that Sepulveda had prevly been a sex worker.

‘BACHELOR’ FANS MAND GAY SEASON AMID COLTON UNRWOOD’S G OUT

” Unrwood has been filmg a realy TV seri for Netflix about his journey g out as a gay origal story There’s Already Been a Gay ‘Bachelor’-Type Show, and It Was Esrted Off Air After Jt One Season At TheWrap. To everyone sayg he should get another season and be the first gay bachelor- are you fettg how he treated Cassie?? But at least one supporter saw the news g — and suggted there’s already been a season of “Gay Bachelor.

” In a clip rurfaced Wednday, “Billy on the Street” host Billy Eichner suggted that Unrwood was the first gay Bachelor whout even knowg .

COLTON UNRWOOD, ‘BACHELOR’ STAR, COM OUT AS GAY

The outlet reported that the rtrag orr was dropped that later, April 2021, Unrwood me out as gay durg an terview on "Good Morng Ameri.

"This mak him the first former lead to be part of the LGBTQ+ muny, and the first gay man volved wh the May 2023, Unrwood married polil strategist Jordan C.

'THE BACHELOR' HAS A TROUBLED HISTORY WHEN TO GAY ROMANCE. IT'S NOT ALONE

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe 29-year-old former football player had wrten about qutng his sexualy a memoir, published Shotwell/Invisn, via Richard Shotwell, via Invisn, via Associated PrsColton Unrwood, a star of “The Bachelor” and a former football player, me out as gay an terview wh Rob Roberts that aired Wednday on “Good Morng Ameri. “‘You know, Colt, we’d still love you and support you if you were gay, ’” he relled his mother tellg father was more nontatnal.

HERE'S WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WAS A GAY VERSN OF 'THE BACHELOR'

“He’d pulled up the history of recent Google search, which clud gay porn s and a variety of qutns: ‘Am I gay? (Craig Sjod / ABC; Gregg DeGuire / WireImage)“The Bachelor’s” Colton Unrwood on Wednday revealed that he's gay an emotnal terview wh Rob Roberts on “Good Morng Ameri.

” Compared wh the anchise's past handlg of the subject of gay romance, was a major step forward. “And for me, I’ve ran om myself for a long time and I’ve hated myself for a long time, and I’m gay. (Na Prommer / EPA-EFE / Rex / Shutterstock)In fact, “The Bachelor” has prevly e unr fire for ments that proment personali om the anchise have ma regardg LGBTQ people and relatnships tryg to protect that 2014, Season 18 “Bachelor” Juan Pablo Galavis was lled out for sayg a potential “Bachelor” stallment built around same-sex romance would not be “a good example for kids” and ed the word "pervert" reference to gay people.

In a 2014 terview wh New York Tim Magaze, Harrison si-stepped a qutn about whether there should be a gay “Bachelor” by tryg to make a qutn about bs cisns and parg love to pizzas and hamburgers.

THE (GAY) BACHELOR; THE NAME OF THE GAME IS GUESS WHO’S STRAIGHT IN…

But stead of lettg the foc of the show be one man’s search for love, "Boy Meets Boy" clud a twist: some of the nttants were straight 's 2003 gay datg seri "Boy Meets Boy. " (Glenn Campbell / Bravo)The twist was ially a secret to Jam, the lead, as well as the gay nttants, which meant the gimmick was purely for the dience to try to figure out each nttant’s sexual orientatn. Given the homophobic stereotyp that exist around ceful gay men, this cel twist meant creatg a game out of straight men tryg to trick a gay man for a sh prize.

Featurg a gay lead durg the first season ma the show particularly signifint bee there is still a noticeable lack of LGBTQ rom-s durg the holiday TV season.

LANCE BASS TO HOST ‘FDG PRCE CHARMG,’ A GAY VERSN OF ‘THE BACHELOR’

This is the last time a gay datg show worth mentng was on year was 2006 and the show was MTV’s ‘Next.

FANS WANT A GAY 'BACHELOR' SEASON WH COLTON UNRWOOD, BUT 'S NOT THE RIGHT MOVE. HERE'S WHY

Tonight’s premier of the Bachelor got me thkg…what would a gay versn of the show look like? Gay men don’t do sober dat and if they do ’s bee one of them has a problem and who wants to date a guy wh that kd of baggage?

THE NBC-owned ble channel Bravo is gog “The Bachelor” one better -lnchg a gay-versn of the datg show. “This is gog to blur the boundari of what is thought to be straight and what is thought to be gay this untry, ” said, Stt Seom, a spokman for The Gay & Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn. “Only realy televisn uld create a closet for straight men, ” The revelatn will “challenge prenceived notns of what is nsired gay and straight behavr, ” acrdg to work officials.

And the send is followg the straight man’s journey and what ’s like to live the gay world for a week – for them to walk a e a gay man’s sho. ” The show, touted as the first of s kd, will feature a st of all gay men lookg to pture the heart of an eligible bachelor.

COLTON UNRWOOD BEG THE 'FIRST GAY BACHELOR' WOULD BE A MAJOR MISTAKE FOR THE EMBATTLED ABC ANCHISE

” Hosted by openly gay and notable sger Lance Bass — of NSYNC fame — will feature 13 “charmg and geo suors” petg for the attentn of one guy. Former "Bachelor" Colton Unrwood – you might remember him as the one who jumped the fence – me out as gay Wednday morng on ABC's "Good Morng Ameri. "Unrwood's revelatn has renewed lls for a gay versn of "The Bachelor, " which may sound like a great ia: After all, fans have long lled for the show to feature an LGBTQ lead.

"But a gay season of "The Bachelor, " given the seri' lacklter track rerd when to reprentatn, would likely the full story:Former 'Bachelor' star Colton Unrwood out as gayWhy?

But for a gay season of the show to succeed om a reprentatn standpot, would need to spend signifint amount of time tg the dience about gay datg.

GAY BACHELOR TV SHOW HAS NASTY SURPRISE

We've been down this road before Calls for a gay versn of "The Bachelor" are nothg new – and the ncept has been tried before. Former "Bachelor" Juan Pablo Galavis ma flammatory homophobic remarks (though he later apologized) at a Televisn Crics Associatn event 2014.

And that same year, then-host Chris Harrison qutned whether havg a gay "Bachelor" would be a "good bs cisn" an terview wh The New York Tim Magaze.

Attus toward acceptance have certaly shifted for the better sce then, and the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage and prohibed employment discrimatn for gay and transgenr dividuals. And as for whether Unrwood should star a new "Bachelor" season: A newly out person g to terms wh their sexual orientatn may not be the ndidate to fall love on natnal said, every gay person's g out journey is their own – and Unrwood's tth uld change hearts and GLAAD's head of talent, Anthony Allen Ramos, said a statement: "Given the large and loyal fandom who know Colton om 'The Bachelor, ' his g out and discsn of his fah will hopefully open ey to the lns of out and proud LGBTQ people.

FORMER ‘BACHELOR’ STAR SAYS HE IS GAY

Thirteen gay men moved to a mansn to try to w the affectns of a handsome eligible bachelor, terr signer Robert Sepuvelda Jr. “I’ll jt say , ” Unrwood reveals on a recent afternoon, still adjtg to his new life as an openly gay man. Acrdg to him, last year, while livg Los Angel, he secretly vised a spa known for terg to gay clientele.

At one time, g out of the closet was emed a reer killer, but shows like “The Real World, ” “Survivor” and the origal “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, ” now rebooted on Netflix, led to a profound, posive transformatn how gay people are perceived, and helped brg about progrsive chang to LGBTQ civil rights. As new generatns of lennials and Gen Zers have grown up wh LGBTQ iends and role mols, gay Amerins have attaed the right to marry, and queerns has bee more mastream media, as proven shows like HBO’s high school h “Euphoria” and sentially half of the characters the Ryan Murphy universe. His announcement that he was gay cid wh news that he was filmg a Netflix realy show about his new life.

A FORMER BACHELOR STAR ME OUT AS GAY. THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS AS MSY AS HIS SEASON.

And others legimately argued that as a hunky whe gay man, he was benefg om privilege, takg a platform that other members of the queer muny served more than he did. “I had never seen a football player that had ma to the NFL that had been gay, growg up Catholic. “I’ve had hundreds of gay Christian men and women who are nfed their walk wh J say, ‘I felt closer to God when I me out.

“I never want people to thk that I’m g out to change the narrative, or to bsh over and not take rponsibily for my actns, and now that I have this gay life that I don’t have to addrs my past as a straight man, ” Unrwood says. Cled to ment for this story, or answer qutns about whether there have been discsns about velopg a gay season of “The Bachelor. Realy TV has the power to change mds, showsg unrreprented muni to sectns of the untry who might not e across gay, bisexual or transgenr people their everyday liv.

The number of high-profile gay love stori at the movi — among them, the Hulu romantic edy “Happit Season” and 2017 Sundance darlg “Call Me by Your Name” — remas small.