A contestant on Logo TV’s dating competition “Finding Prince Charming” — casually called the “Gay Bachelor” by some fans — offered a long mea culpa after lashing out at a fellow contestant for acting too flamboyant.
“My mom always preached to my siblings and me growing up to ‘Never judge a book by its cover,'” contestant Sam wrote on Logo TV’s site NewNowNext. “Unfortunately, on tonight’s premiere episode, I did just that.”
Sam goes on to say that when he “first saw Robby walk into the house, I was definitely a bit caught off guard. Clearly, I don’t have the best ‘poker face,’ and you definitely saw that in my initial reaction.”
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In the first episode of “Finding Prince Charming,” which premiered Thursday, Sam confronted fellow contestant Robby over being a bit over the top. The mocking of Robby, a 26-year-old beauty expert, ignited a discussion about internalized homophobia.
In an interview with TheWrap earlier this week, show creator Brian Graden said: “I would never do anything that perpetuated stereotypes that I thought were destructive. What happened was the honest reaction and we thought it was important to explore.”
Sam writes that he initially thought Robby was “just putting on a show for the cameras and seeking attention,” adding that as “an outspoken Italian” he went “straight to the source” by asking Robby “if he was for real.”
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Robby, who has by far the sharpest tongue among the contestants, didn’t miss a beat, calling Sam “beige.”
Sam’s response? “Fix your dress!”
Sam stressed that this was not “an attack nor a war between Masculine and Feminine (as some outlets have reported). I was simply questioning Robby’s authenticity. Were his dramatic entrance and demeanor more for show?”
Sam ends his essay by saying:Â “As it turns out, what you see with Robby is what you get. He’s as real as it gets, and I think even he would admit that he loves the camera as much as I do! Hell, maybe I was even a tad jealous that he made a grand entrance.”
He says he “apologized to Robby and he accepted my apology.”
And you thought reality shows were nothing but trash…