His Man and Merry Queer, Korea's first LGBT dating/reality programs

[sureyeahiguess]

Created this thread so we stop dominating the discussion in the "Which KPOP Idol is Gay Thread"

His Man - on Gagaoolala or IQiyi depending on location

Merry Queer - Available on Gagaoolala

 

The first episodes of each have been great, can't wait to follow along!

[sureyeahiguess]

I agree. The scene in Merry Queer at the swimming pool and leading up to it with the trans/bi couple was such a fantastic depiction of the lives trans people have to live everyday, and how such excitement and happiness can turn into such disappointment because of silly and uneducated policies. People just want to live their lives and be happy, that's it, there is no agenda!

[sureyeahiguess]

2 hours ago, Lim said:

i've only seen his man so far and it's super entertaining. i need @pokezuko to send me the link to the kissasian page so i don't have to wait for belated uploads (i'd watch it on iqiyi, but in my defense, i couldn't get the vpn to work)

here are some quick thoughts about the first episode under spoiler

  Hide contents

not to be a shipper, but fingers crossed for hyeokjun and seonyul, they're a match  i'm rooting for them (apparently, they'd call each other if they weren't in the same room, but the question is... would they even notice each other if they weren't?)

also seonyul calling out eunchan for looking for a long-term relationship on a dating show 

i find changyu absolutely adorable. he seems shy, but is surprisingly proactive. brave of him to call changmin of all people, which kinda put him in an unfavorable situation? he said he didn't want to have any regrets after all, the type who wears his heart on his sleeve, but he's losing this game to jeonghyeon, me thinks, who manifested this very situation for himself in his introduction when he said he always wins in love triangles. this one has already divided the viewers on twitter who take the show too seriously lol i'm just curious to see how it will unfold

i loved the idea of phone calls! what a cliffhanger

oh, and changmin is a bae. the main character syndrome

anyway, props to all these guys for their courage to appear on the show. i've heard some people have protested against this kind of content, so it's a good thing these shows have found a platform and an audience (?). it's certainly interesting to learn about the gay culture / dating scene in korea. if it aired on a mainstream platform, i'd hope it would would make the audience more accepting, but as for now, i hope it will pave the way for other shows of the nature, which will be more successful

Yeah, the producers are def setting up the love triangle in the triple room. Hence, the first date between Changyu and Jeonghyeon where it was established they had nothing in common and there was a bit of friction. I agree that at this point Changmin seems like he prefers jeonghyeon. When he was sitting in the beanbag room after Jeonghyeon made his call and kept asking if he'd made his call yet, it seemed like he was hoping that jeonghyeon was going to call him. I think Changmin's first call will be to Jeonghyeon, and it will be interesting to see how the triple room dynamic plays out.

I like Changyu, he seems sweet and quiet, I hope he connects with someone, Changmin or otherwise.

 

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by sureyeahiguess

[sureyeahiguess]

28 minutes ago, icedcoffee said:

How are you all watching His Man? It seems to only come out on GagaOOLala in two days. 

For Americans it is on IQiyi, I'm guessing you can probably find it on an "unofficial" streaming site as well if you google it.

 

Edit: check your PM

Edited July 20, 2022 by sureyeahiguess

[sureyeahiguess]

3 hours ago, oh my dora said:

changmin and eunchan hanging out together <33 (look on both of their instagram stories)

They were with jeonghyeon too!

[sureyeahiguess]

Just watched ep 2 & 3, honestly I ship Hyeon and Hyeokjun, it seemed like instant chemistry. That scene where Hyeokjun woke Hyeon up in the morning was so cute and it seemed like they were so comfortable with one another on their date. I feel bad for Eunchan, but I don't think Hyeokjun has any feelings for him, so I hope he can move past his "love at first sight"

 

I'm also interested to know who Eunchan was a trainee with, probably a lot of tea that could be spilled in the other thread about gay idols haha

[sureyeahiguess]

I'm super surprised they brought a 21 year old (Korean age so, like 20 international age) on the show. I'm 31 and the thought of dating a 20 year old is outlandish to me. His brain isn't even fully developed. The next closest in age to him is 26 and two of them are 35! Obviously they are all adults so nothing about it is that weird, but I feel like most 30 year olds have very little in common with most 20 year olds, so the chances of him finding a LTR on this show with a pool of 7 suitors is pretty low. He even mentioned the fact that he thought Changmin thinks he is too young, so he is insecure. At least he is self aware and seems pretty mature for a 20 year old.

Edited July 23, 2022 by sureyeahiguess

[sureyeahiguess]

1 hour ago, Dont mind me said:

Quick question, how many episodes have been aired? I only got to three and I haven't read what has been said above me, because I don't want to see spoilers? 

Also, I adore Eunchan, he is my favourite. 

Only 3 ep are out, so you are safe!

[sureyeahiguess]

God this show is so messy lol. I feel like no one is going to end up together. Even Changmin and Jeonghyeon, who I bet will be "together" by the end of the show, seem like they will probably just fuck and move on, maybe a FWB situation. It's probably because its like the 3rd day of them knowing each other and this show takes place over a week, but it doesn't seem like there's a real connection between any of them.

Also it seems like Changmin is the only top?? The fact that Hyeokjun and Seonyul both called him surprised me. The fact that its 7 bottoms and 1 top would explain the energy I'm feeling in the house.

 

P.S. - I feel bad for Changyu, he's such a sweetie I just want to give him a hug

[sureyeahiguess]

I would love an episode where they all get properly drunk and just hang out. I feel like that would really give this show the spark/drama it needs. Lord knows its been working for Western reality shows for generations, although I suppose putting all these gay men in a drunken debaucherous light would just feed into anti-gay stereotypes that they are trying to avoid.

I feel like Jeongho and Changkyu are just the friend type. Honestly they changed Changkyu's styling on the show (his hairstyle mainly) and I think they are trying to convince us he is giving off top energy now? I feel like they did they because the producers want to pair him up with Jeongho and Changkyu was the easier of the two to "butch" up lol.

I think Changmin and Jeonghyeon will be the only "couple" to come out of the show. It seems pretty clear from all the trailers and clips that they go on a date next week and I think the whole bedroom thing will be "worked out".

The rest of the cast just seems so uninterested in one another. Poor Eun Chan. And for Seonyul it seems like he is just closed off and apprehensive, which makes sense given him talking about him still being in the closet while being on the show. It's crazy there are multiple closeted people willing to be on this show, that takes a ton of courage in and of itself. I am glad that they all have each other now to at least be friends and provide support.

I will say, when Jeongho talked about his father telling him that he wished he had never met his mother or married his first love so that Jeongho would not have been born, that is one of the most vicious things I have ever heard a parent tell their gay kid. I get the usual "you're going to hell" religious bullshit, but that was so brutal. It seemed like his dad actually sat and thought about it before he said it and it wasn't out of anger, which makes it so much worse. It hit me hard.

Edited August 18, 2022 by sureyeahiguess

[sureyeahiguess]

Hmmmmmm I read on twitter that the PD stated that there was one successful couple coming out of the show. I thought it would be Changmin/JH, but looking at Jeongho's insta story today, he confirmed that him and Hyeokjun are dating. He just posted a screenshot of a text conversation where he tells his social media manager he is in love with a man and hopes that the wedding day comes soon. (The earlier part of the convo is him having to deny it because the finale hadn't aired and his manager kept teasing him that everything he was posting for him seemed like he was in a relationship)

 

Changmin and JH are posting couple photos too, though, but haven't explicitly confirmed anything? Their age difference did make me think that if they did date for a bit it wouldn't be a LTR. Hell, JH is only like 20 in international age I believe, he is too damn young and fun to be tied down to Changmin for the rest of his life lol. Whereas I do think Jeongho and Hyeokjun are both in their 30s and ready to build a long lasting relationship. I thought their chemistry in the tent on the last night was super cute. Also Jeongho is the one who got mad at the Youtuber Namgyu when Namgyu said on his livestream that the show was just for TV and that they couples weren't real, which makes way more sense if he felt like he had to defend the authenticity of his relationship.

[sureyeahiguess]

The rest of Jeongho's insta story from today with translations. They are so cute. I loved how shy Hyeokjun became around him towards the end. 

[sureyeahiguess]

Welp apparently I was very wrong about Jeongho and Hyeokjun. Seems like it’s coming out that Hyeokjun had a BF coming into the show? 
 

MESSY!!!! Seems like Jeongho wanted to expose the fact that he and Hyeokjun did date for a bit after the show even though Hyeokjun had a bf the entire time. In other news, Changmin seems to have confirmed him and JH are together:

 

[sureyeahiguess]

6 hours ago, sureyeahiguess said:

Welp apparently I was very wrong about Jeongho and Hyeokjun. Seems like it’s coming out that Hyeokjun had a BF coming into the show? 
 

MESSY!!!! Seems like Jeongho wanted to expose the fact that he and Hyeokjun did date for a bit after the show even though Hyeokjun had a bf the entire time. In other news, Changmin seems to have confirmed him and JH are together:

 

Follow-up from Heyokjun (the first point says "girlfriend" but its mistranslating the gender-neutral word for "lover"):

Edited August 27, 2022 by sureyeahiguess

[sureyeahiguess]

The drama comes to an end? Hyeokjun has apologized for hurting Jeongo, who accepted his apology and apologized to the crew and others for the shitstorm on IG, and also is dating someone else. Lol what a wild ride

 

[sureyeahiguess]

1 hour ago, Shaandenigma said:

I think people need to stop projecting their own feelings and disappointment as "fans" onto Changmin and Jeonghyeon and how they are making their own decisions about how to proceed or not with their own relationship. It also bothers me how their shippers act as though Jeonghyeon has zero agency and no responsibility for his own feelings and default to make him the victim to "Bug Bad Changmin." Maybe Jeonghyeon doesn't feel "used" because he isn't being used? Anyone who goes on dating show is doing it in part for the exposure and not because it's the most successful way to find true love (they fail way more often than they succeed on that front). The show only stopped airing 4 days ago. With how quick their shippers are to flip on them, I don’t blame them on delaying the fury and not immediately being like "hey y'all we aren't in a committed relationship." 

It was clear to me in this last SIX hour live they did where they were drinking and talking about sex, that they still have feelings for each other and are in a situationship. And even if they were over each other, we as viewers aren't owed the resolution we want and don't have a right to feel "deceived" about how they decide to lead their personal lives. We saw edited footage from a week they spent in a bubble four months ago. These aren't characters in a real life BL. As a 31 year old gay man I found the show very relatable and an accurate portrayal of the reality of gay dating which is what the producers set out to do.  

Truth. The fans on twitter are talking foolishness today. These people only lived together for a WEEK. They barely had time to become friendly, let alone develop a serious romantic relationship. It's insane to become so invested in any "couple" we saw form on the show.

I'm guessing Changmin and Jeonghyeon are FWB, I got those vibes from them during the live. Like I said previously, I think Changmin finds Jeonghyeon young and probably immature (not in a negative way), which makes sense because he is 19!!! There is definitely sexual chemistry there, and Jeonghyeon definitely seems like he has a crush on him, but I don't think Changmin is interested at all in a romantic, long-term relationship with him. 

Also, all the people yelling about using the show for clout....uhhhhh ya think??? And they will continue to create content with one another, and good for them. They should try and build off the show and get paid while they still can.

Edited August 31, 2022 by sureyeahiguess