Last night gay history was made when Zeus Network premiered the first episode of Bobby I Love You, a reality television competitive dating show. It’s the first of its kind to feature a black, gay socialite looking for love with one of fifteen competitors. This further proves to the LGBT community that there’s a home for all your television needs if you’re brave enough to look for it and that love can transcend all boundaries.
How did the first episode go? In one word, chaos.
Hailing from a famous family, Bobby Lytes is the show’s bachelor. He’s a model, rapper, and has a reality show under his belt already with VH1’s Love & Hip Hop. Browsing Spotify really quick, his most popular song appears to be 2018’s ‘Way Up.’ He had been infamous for his feud with social media personality Rolling Ray. After years of verbal slayage, the duo finally made amends in an episode of The Conversation, another Zeus Network show, and thus the idea for Bobby, I Love You was born.
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While Bobby Lytes serves as the show’s prize, Rolling Ray serves as a judge of sorts along with gossip blogger Jason Lee. According to the pilot episode, which became available for streaming last night, Rolling Ray and Jason Lee were tasked with picking Bobby’s suitors. And boy did they find some lookers and some wild personalities.
The first episode, titled ‘Welcome to Miami,’ starts off the same as any dating competition does – by introducing its bachelor, their team of helpers, and spotlights the guys competing for the heart of Mr. Lytes. However, before Bobby can even meet the men trying to take him home to mom, MULTIPLE altercations sideline filming all because of one man – Dimitri Costas.
Dimitri isn’t promoting his adventure on social media, and I can see why. Throughout the final moments of pre-production, Dimitri became verbal abusive with almost the entire cast. The criticisms varied in intensity, but once alcohol and fatigue were added to the mix, all hell broke loose! Dimitri ended up trading blows with FIVE cast members during the premiere episode.
While it makes for “great” reality television, it failed to impress Bobby Lytes, who called off the rest of the night’s activities due to his displeasure with the antics from the cast. When episode two resumes on Sunday, it’s unclear who will be left standing.
I understand trying to make a show that’s going to captivate viewers, and I understand that the men who gave up their lives for a moment to go film want to get their camera time in. But as only the second ever gay dating show and the first of its kind to feature a black bachelor, I’d wish there weren’t as many problems. For one, let’s not be the drama queens society already makes us out to be, shall we?
But then again, gay or straight, black or white, NBC or CW or Bravo, any dating, reality, scripted, non-scripted show is going to want to come out of the gates with something memorable so people tune in for more. And then there are the people that see the stardom that can be had from these shows. Are they adding fuel to the mix to come out on top? Did it work for the ratings? Did it work for the contestants?
I’m actually low key excited to see episode two, but I’m also excited to see this stud on my screen again. He’s my favorite competitor based on, well, the content that I found on his OnlyFans page. Sorry, not sorry.
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He’s actually pretty fine if he wore less makeup. This gay dating show looks crazy lol.