2007 reality television series
Gay, Straight or Taken?
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Genre
| Reality television
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Country of origin
| United States
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Original language
| English
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No.
of seasons
| 1
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No.
of episodes
| 18
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Executive producer
| Joe Livecchi
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Production locations
| Los Angeles
,
California
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Running time
| 30 minutes
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Production company
| Endemol USA
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Network
| Lifetime
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Release
| January 8
(
2007-01-08
)
?
March 12, 2007
(
2007-03-12
)
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Gay, Straight or Taken?
is an American
reality television
series broadcast by
Lifetime
. The series premiered on January 8, 2007, and its eighteenth and final episode aired on March 12, 2007. Filmed in
Los Angeles
,
California
, each episode depicted a straight single woman going on a group date with three men. Among the men, one is straight and single, one is straight and partnered, and the other is gay and partnered. At the end of the date, the woman was required to discern which of the men she believed to be straight and single. If she correctly chose the straight single man, the two would win an all-expenses-paid vacation together; if she chose one of the other two men, that man would receive the vacation with his own partner.
Gay, Straight or Taken?
was initially conceived in 2003 following a rising interest in
LGBT
-themed reality shows. The series was passed on by
ITV
, before being green-lit by Lifetime in 2006. The series garnered generally positive reviews from television critics. Many critics positively contrasted the series' portrayal of gay men from that of
Boy Meets Boy
and
Playing It Straight
, however, others deemed the series to be dull.
Gay, Straight or Taken?
premiered with decent television ratings for Lifetime, although its average viewers tapered over the course of the series, in which it averaged approximately one million viewers.
Format
[
edit
]
A female contestant goes on a group date at a spa or resort with three men.
[1]
[2]
Shortly after meeting the men, the contestant receives a cell phone call from a woman who advises her that one of the three men is her boyfriend. Moments later she receives a second call from a man informing her that another of the men is his boyfriend. Now she must try to figure out which man is gay, which one is straight but taken, and which one is straight and available.
During the course of the date, the contestant has the opportunity to spend "alone time" with each of the men, selecting activities which she believes will give her clues as to the sexuality and relationship status of each. At the end of the date, the contestant prepares to announce her decision, but before she can the girlfriend and boyfriend of the two involved men appear on the scene. The contestant then announces which man she believes is gay, which is taken, and which is available. If the contestant correctly chooses the straight and available man, the two of them win a vacation together. If she is wrong, the man she picks wins the trip with his partner.
[3]
[4]
Production
[
edit
]
Gay, Straight or Taken?
was initially conceived in 2003 by
Remy Blumenfeld
of
Brighter Pictures
as "the world's first
poly-sexual
dating show."
[5]
A
television pilot
was shot for
ITV
, with plans to move forward with a full series that fall if successful.
[5]
The pilot's announcement followed a rising interest in LGBT-themed dating shows, such as
Boy Meets Boy
.
[6]
Blumenfeld claimed that
Gay, Straight or Taken?
will "do for dating shows what
Will & Grace
did for sitcom," however, ITV chose not to move forward with the series.
[5]
In early 2006, the series was pitched to Lifetime under the
working title
Finding Mr. Right
.
[7]
On November 21, 2006, Lifetime
green-lit
Gay, Straight or Taken?
for an eighteen-episode run.
[8]
Lifetime Networks entertainment president
Susanne Daniels
expressed her excitement over the series' "new take" on the reality dating genre, in which she acknowledged the challenge of determining which contestants were gay, straight, and taken.
[8]
Endemol USA
president David Goldberg believed
Gay, Straight or Taken?
would provide "reliable programming" to viewers, and claimed that the series "really turns stereotypes on its head."
[8]
Filmed in
Los Angeles
,
California
, producers recruited contestants through a series of open calls and Internet database searches.
[9]
Each episode was filmed over the course of two days, in which contestants received a small stipend for their participation.
[9]
While all of the date activities were planned in advance, executive producer Joe Livecchi contended that all dialogue among contestants was unscripted.
[9]
Episodes
[
edit
]
Reception
[
edit
]
Ginia Bellafante
of
The New York Times
referred to the series as "dopey", in which she claimed that it "hardly dismantled stereotypes ... rather, it further bolstered them."
[11]
Troy Patterson of
Slate
believed the series was reductive yet entertaining. He stated that "[a]s pure nonsense goes,
Gay, Straight or Taken?
is briskly paced, invitingly shot, and painfully contemporary?a
Love Connection
for the conspiracy-minded."
[12]
Brian Lowry of
Variety
compared the series to the short-lived 2004
Fox
reality series
Playing It Straight
, stating, "Lifetime seems to have gotten the delicate sexual politics right simply by turning the whole thing into a 21st century
Dating Game
... What felt tawdry on Fox, however, has a more benign streak here, one apt to burst stereotypes as much as it promotes them."
[13]
Ray Richmond
of
The Hollywood Reporter
claimed that the series "is pretty dumb on its face", although "it held my interest clear through the momentous choice at the end."
[14]
In a critical review,
Tom Shales
of
NBC News
claimed that the series was "cringe-inducing" and "less entertaining than a bowl of oyster stew."
[15]
Ratings
[
edit
]
The series started off with decent television ratings by Lifetime's standards, averaging 1.3 and 1.6 million viewers for the first two episodes, respectively, which aired on the same night.
[10]
When averaged as a whole, the series' viewership slightly tapered, with an average of approximately one million.
[16]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Gay, Straight, or Taken? to premiere on Lifetime"
.
The Advocate
. November 22, 2006.
Archived
from the original on December 23, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Ramlow, Todd (January 14, 2007).
"Gay, Straight, or Taken?"
.
PopMatters
.
Archived
from the original on December 6, 2021
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Dehnart, Andy
(January 8, 2007).
"Lifetime debuts Gay, Straight, or Taken tonight"
.
Reality Blurred
.
Archived
from the original on September 8, 2015
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Rocchio, Christopher (November 21, 2006).
"Lifetime announces 'Gay, Straight or Taken?' to premiere January 8"
.
Reality TV World
.
Archived
from the original on May 25, 2015
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
Waller, Ed (August 19, 2003).
"Do not adjust your set"
.
The Independent
.
Archived
from the original on July 6, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Dehnart, Andy (August 20, 2003).
"Boy Meets Boy down to three, one is straight; ITV airs Gay, Straight or Taken"
.
Reality Blurred
.
Archived
from the original on September 8, 2015
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
"Lifetime Original Series"
.
The Futon Critic
. March 24, 2006
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
Andreeva, Nellie (November 21, 2006).
"
'Gay' has date with Lifetime"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on December 24, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
Berkowitz, Amy (March 2, 2007).
"The new dating game: 'Gay, Straight Or Taken?'
"
.
Times Herald-Record
.
Archived
from the original on December 24, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
Wilkes, Neil (January 12, 2007).
"1.6m for 'Gay, Straight or Taken'
"
.
Digital Spy
.
Archived
from the original on December 23, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Bellafante, Ginia
(January 8, 2007).
"For Today's Daters, Update on 'Which Twin Has the Toni?'
"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on July 12, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Patterson, Troy (January 8, 2007).
"Straight Eye for the Queer Guy"
.
Slate
.
Archived
from the original on June 14, 2021
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Lowry, Brian (January 7, 2007).
"Gay, Straight or Taken?"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on December 23, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Richmond, Ray
(January 8, 2007).
"Gay, Straight or Taken?"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on December 23, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Shales, Tom
(January 8, 2007).
"
'Fat Like Me,' 'Gay, Straight or Taken'
"
.
NBC News
.
Archived
from the original on December 23, 2022
. Retrieved
December 23,
2022
.
- ^
Becker, Anne (April 2, 2007).
"The Perils of Lifetime"
.
Next TV
.
Archived
from the original on May 20, 2022
. Retrieved
December 24,
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]
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