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Survivor Cook Islands

Brad may be dating fellow Survivor Cook Islands cast member J.P.

by Andy Dehnart 13 Nov. 2006 | 9:35 pm

Brad Virata, who was kicked off Survivor Cook Islands last week, may be dating another male contestant on the show, J.P.

In an interview with AfterElton.com, Brad responds to a question about rumors that he and J.P. are dating by laughing and then saying, “Um, it’s all about timing in life. I can’t answer that. JP is a great guy. You’ll have to wait for the finale.” That’s largely a non-answer answer, but if there was no truth to those rumors, or if J.P. was straight, Brad probably would have just said so.

J.P. Calderon, by the way, works part-time as a bartender at a gay bar, The Silver Fox, in Long Beach, according to the Long Beach Gazette. Working at a gay bar doesn’t make him gay, of course, but it’d be interesting if this diverse season had two openly gay male contestants who both left the show without any mention of their sexual orientation, especially if they had some sort of relationship during production.

Speaking of, Brad says he’s “surprised” that the series didn’t include conversations about his sexual orientation because “everyone knew” that he is gay. He says, “I’m surprised that CBS didn’t show my whole coming out story. We had a powwow, sort of a roundtable campfire discussion when we merged, and that’s when I told my story.” That story includes that “I grew up athletic, I grew up playing football, I grew up running track,” he says. “Over all, just from a physical standpoint, I kept up with them. I kicked some straight boy booty.”

As to Nate, his fellow cast member “apologized to me after the fact” for calling him a “nancy boy” in an interview, Brad says. “I don’t think he meant to call me nancy boy in a bad way. I think it was a stress factor, and it was pissing rain, you know? You take everything with a grain of salt. He apologized to me after the fact, and it is what it is, but I know a lot of people are pissed off about it.”

Interview with Survivor Brad Virata [AfterElton.com]

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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