• reality shows
  • reality TV reviews
  • about
  • contact
  • reality TV schedule
  • best reality TV
  • send tips or feedback
  • support
  • subscribe
Lifetime

Lifetime debuts Gay, Straight, or Taken tonight

by Andy Dehnart 8 Jan. 2007 | 7:12 am

Lifetime follows the path forged by Bravo (Boy Meets Boy) and FOX (Playing it Straight) when it debuts its own is-he-or-isn’t-he-gay series Gay, Straight, or Taken? tonight at 8 p.m. ET. The network will air two back-to-back half-hour episodes every Monday night.

As the title suggests, every episode follows a woman who has to decide which of three men is gay, straight, and taken (e.g., in a relationship). If she guesses correctly, she wins “a luxurious dream getaway for her and this available bachelor,” according to Lifetime, as if she’d want to travel somewhere alone with the guy. However, “If she makes the wrong call, the man she incorrectly chooses gets her prize instead!” Oh, the drama.

The show’s web site introduces the six men who will be . Is the person with a “competitive streak” straight? Is the one who “has a sense of humor that’s lost on some people” gay? Or is the guy who cuts his own hair straight? Oh, the stereotypes.

Actually, in his review, Variety’s Brian Lowry says the show is “apt to burst stereotypes as much as it promotes them.” But he also points out that the show basically exists as “the perfect vehicle for out-of-work actors who can ham it up during a screening process that, in the pilot, includes touch football, massage and a dip in the pool.” But the New York Post’s Linda Stasi says they are “been-there-seen-them contestants” who inhabit a “mostly snore-bore of a show.”

Gay, Straight, or Taken? [Lifetime]

discuss this story

more great reality blurred stories

  • Recommended reality TV: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and America to Me
  • The best reality TV shows of 2018
  • The Survivor rule book and Survivor cast contract
  • Go behind-the-scenes at the Big Brother house
  • Behind the scenes of The Last Alaskans
  • Interviews with reality TV producers and cast members

most-popular stories on reality blurred

Jeff Probst, Survivor David vs. Goliath episode 10

Survivor Edge of Extinction: What we know so far about Survivor season 38

Survivor season 38 will feature returning players and a huge twist that could effect how the game is played and who wins.

The Lewis family, Last Alaskans

Why the Lewis family is no longer on The Last Alaskans, and where they are now

A definitive answer about why the Lewis Family—Ray and Cindy, and their daughters Sarah, Molly, and Emma—have been missing from The Last Alaskans.

Bob Harte, The Last Alaskans season 4

Bob Harte’s death arrives on The Last Alaskans. How the show handles it—and his legacy.

Watch a scene from "No Regrets," the episode of The Last Alaskans that deals with Bob Harte's death, and hear from a Discovery Channel executive about how the network and production company handled his loss.

Hunted, Emiley Cox, David Windecher

A few of Hunted’s absurd rules have been revealed

Hunted team David and Emiley revealed several of the show's rules on a radio show this morning—including one ridiculous rule that benefits the production.

Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition

The cast of Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition, and a preview of the season

Marriage Boot Camp season 14 is changing things up: instead of casting reality TV stars, the show has cast hip hop stars who've appeared on reality TV shows.

Are You The One season 5 cast

MTV’s Are You the One season 8 casting sexually fluid, non-binary people

AYTO's producers want the "usual hot singles" but also "sexually fluid individuals," and twins.

Salim, Gurki, Dating Around

Netflix’s Dating Around has romance, clever editing, and more than just straight white guys

One person has five first dates on Dating Around, which gives us multiple episodes with queer people of color dating other queer people of color. That shouldn't be remarkable, but it is.

The Last Alaskans, Ray Lewis, Cindy Lewis, family

The Last Alaskans is returning, but without one family

The Last Alaskans season three will be missing one of the core families when it returns to the Discovery Channel: Ray and Cindy Lewis and their daughters.

The Profit, Casery, Marcus Lemonis

A twist ending for The Profit at The Casery

There was a "to be continued" at the end of the episode about cell phone case company The Casery, whose founder was called "a smug prick" by Marcus Lemonis.

Winter 2019 reality TV show debut schedule and guide

Winter 2019 reality TV schedule and guide

This winter reality show 2019 schedule is a frequently updated list of premieres for broadcast, cable, and streaming reality TV shows, documentary series, game shows, and other prime-time nonfiction TV.

behind the scenes of reality TV

Big Brother 20, BB20

Big Brother finals casting process: how it works, rules finalists must follow

Big Brother debuts its 13th season this week, introducing us to eight new cast members and several returning cast members. All went through a process that we’ve often heard mentioned but that, until now, has never been revealed in detail: finals. That refers to the final stage in the casting process, when finalists are brought… continue reading

David Windecher on CBS' Hunted

Fact-checking a scene from CBS’ Hunted

How does CBS’ Hunted work? How do the hunters get access to private information? CBS wouldn’t grant an interview, so I dug into one scene to find out.

Big Brother 19 house, Summer of Temptation, living room

Big Brother 12 house: inside the soundstage

After touring Big Brother house Saturday, I was left with new respect for the people who both run it and live there. Although perhaps “respect” is a little much for the houseguests; actually, I just now appreciate how easy it is for already insane people to go crazy in there. Here are my observations from… continue reading

older

Carville and Matalin will advise high school president candidates on Lifetime show Election

newer >

American Gladiators, How to Look Good Naked draw big numbers for their debuts

more stories about Lifetime

reality TV news and reviews, in your inbox

One hand-crafted message sent every Friday. Free. Subscribe now:

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.

stay connected with reality TV

Get advice about what to watch and keep up with the latest in reality television with reality blurred's e-mail newsletter. Just enter your e-mail address:

about reality blurred

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.

explore

  • recent news
  • reviews of reality TV shows
  • behind the scenes reports
  • interviews with producers and reality stars
  • archives
  • send tips
  • search
  • advertise on reality blurred
  • about reality blurred
  • newsletter
  • RSS and social media
  • contact reality blurred
  • send tips & contribute
  • privacy policy
  • terms of service
Copyright © 2000 to 2019 Andy Dehnart and individual contributors.