Fans of summer reality competition Big Brother have experienced their fair share of insufferable houseguests, ranging from the extremely racist to the extremely homophobic, but this year’s Big Brother 16 cast is a refreshing departure from that kind negativity.
It’s been less than two weeks since Big Brother‘s June premiere, and fans are already hailing it as the most gay-friendly and inclusive season yet. With as little fanfare as possible, gay houseguest Frankie Grande (the half-brother of pop star Ariana Grande) has managed to form incredibly intimate physical and emotional relationships with at least three straight male houseguests.
Sure, there have been hints of gay/straight showmances during previous seasons (remember Spandy last year?), but this is the first time a gay man has ignited a legit showmance that includes intimate physical interactions with a straight man.
Fans tuned into the 24-hour live feeds have already adopted the portmanteau “Zankie” for Frankie and Zach Rance, the 23-year-old straight houseguest that routinely romances and cuddles with Frankie. It’s worth noting that Caleb Reynolds, the alleged homophobic houseguest, and former underwear model Cody Calafiore also share close physical relationships with Frankie — they often cuddle with him, play with his ass (yes, they fondle, grope, and shove their hands between his cheeks), and spoon him throughout the night.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
In an episode that aired Sunday, the “Zankie” showmance was revealed to a national audience for the first time. “I am not gay, but the bond that Frankie and I have is so genuine and sincere that I truly feel like he is my boyfriend,” Zach confessed. “I like gay people. I’m straight and I only date women, but Frankie is just one of the greatest people I’ve ever met.”
Cody chimes in the same segment, telling houseguest Brittany Martinez that “they were cuddling in the bed last night, I was laying next to them, and I swear to god I thought they were going to make out.”
As an avid Big Brother superfan and dedicated live feed viewer, I can also reveal that there are currently three condoms missing from the house’s storage room. Rumors have begun swirling around the house that Zach and Frankie could have possibly used them for a passionate parting love session this week, as Zach is up on the block and eligible for eviction on Thursday.
Check out the segment in full below, as well as some highlights of Frankie’s same-sex relationships with the other male houseguests:
http://youtu.be/YeEg1IEop5g
….. Cody & Frankie photo booth moments….. ? pic.twitter.com/dWDUUhEYHO
— Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) July 7, 2014
only Frankie pic.twitter.com/PmOnCrEhHw
— Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) July 5, 2014
cuddliest pic.twitter.com/1WiYCuMBYa
— Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) July 5, 2014
is that what they call it "@BigBrotherLeak: Caleb teaching Franking self-defense techniques in the living room #BB16" pic.twitter.com/LNC2lRrIa5
— Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) July 5, 2014
Xzamilloh
Oh, hot gay-friendly straight guys are the absolute worst. They’re gorgeous, they’re that “type”, and they aren’t afraid to have intimate interaction with you… but they’re only attracted to women. I have plenty of tease friends like that, but it comes from knowing each other for a long time. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to see how far I could push it lol
I think it’s cute to see and a great testament to how far we have come in society.
Hillers
@Xzamilloh: Is it a testament to how far we’ve come as a society or just strategy?
Paco
I don’t know how much of what goes on in the Big Brother house is staged or encouraged by the producers (I suspect a great deal is), but I have had close, non sexual relationships with straight guys before. Nice to see that the flamboyant effeminate guy isn’t the scary evil to straights, that the macho man gays think they are. Beautiful things can happen when you are secure with yourself and don’t care what others think about you.
IanHunter
I have a best friend that is straight and we are very close and cuddly. We have never had sex and never will. We have a lot of fun together that is truly just innocent. Straight men and straight women have relationships like this all the time. It is just security with one’s self and learning to love someone no matter what their sexual orientation.
mz.sam
Truth be known: Showmance-Bromance….show competitors will do anything to unseat their best (worst) opponent and get them kicked out of the house. Whether its encouraged by producers or not, it certainly helps the dismal ratings…not withstanding all the uncensored nudity featured only in foreign country Big Brother shows. Gotta love the FCC!
Lovelife
I am actually wondering if all of this is genuine. A lot of straights don’t want to be seen as homophobic -even if they have these reservations and may not share them publicly.
The gay seems to be lavishing the attention but I think it would be wise for him to show some emotional distance. I sense he could get himself hurt if the “friend” was doing it all for show(up the ratings and increase his gay fan base etc)
James Hart
Those guys are 100% “straight?” Sure they are. And I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.
litper
It boasts very anti-gay pro-hetero stereotypes and celebrates closet! Sick, just sick!
litper
@Xzamilloh: @IanHunter: @IanHunter: a bunch of straight-worshippers from 1950s!
Xzamilloh
@Hillers: Think what you want, dude. Y’all are so damn paranoid, it’s a wonder some of you even have friends.
Xzamilloh
@litper: I’m 29, you asshat, and there is no worshiping on my end. Just because you can’t form friendships with straight dudes doesn’t mean the rest of us are so closed off from the rest of the world
Xzamilloh
@Lovelife: The “gay?” He has a name, you know.
litper
@Xzamilloh: your age doesn’t matter, it’s your 1950s self-hater mindset (gay=woman, straigh=man) which that show tries to force on us too. And I’ve been with a lot of “straight” men, who were pathetic closet cases…
Xzamilloh
@litper: What? I don’t know what kind of hangups you’re used to projecting on the guys on this site, but you got the wrong one here. I don’t give two country dumps what “straight” men you’ve been with. I was talking about my straight guy friends who I have never crossed the line with and never will. And FYI, I don’t watch Big Brother… but you seem to love it, so tell me all about the “self-hating image” they project… do you realize that before or after you climax?
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
The bro-cuddle phenomenon (if such it be) is cute as fuck and not before time; but THIS clingy, emotionally needy, camara-ready, bitchassness is nauseaus-making in the extreme, especially considering the age disparity — this over-pampered, infantilised, peroxided airhead in his 30s!
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Okay disregard my last comment. It’s clear to me now I was momentarily possessed by my intermittent anti-fem demon (should have realised with the whole head spinning rainbow glitter vomit thing). Must. Remain. Vigilant. :/
Billy Budd
They are doing it for the show, for the audience, and for not getting evicted.
asa1973
Regardless of the authenticity of this bro/showmance, QUEEERTY, could you please write “Spoiler Alert” like any other worthy blog would do?? I am not going to get into this ridiculous debate, but I do watch the show. Those of us who don’t have access to the live feed had NO idea that Zach was going on the freaking block, and you spoiled it before the show even aired. $#@@+!! There’s nothing worse than cruising along in your reading and then stumbling upon important shit we’re not even supposed to know about yet.
Here are a few suggestions when writing your “pre-caps”: Don’t reveal who wins HOH, who gets put on the block in the first round, whose HOH nominees get themselves off the block, who wins POV, or who gets taken off or put up on the block after the POV. Just put the freaking words SPOILER and ALERT (in that order) in your subject title or at least before the sentence in which you include the spoiler.
Kind Regards. Ugh.
Thomathy
asa1973, your two paragraph diatribe about how much you care about not finding out what happens in a faux-reality tv show belies your assertion that you are ‘not going to get into this ridiculous debate.’
_____
I don’t watch the show and I don’t even know what a ‘freaking block’ is, but since it’s supposed to be so amazingly progressive that three self-identifying straight dudes can be decent people, good for them, I guess.
asa1973
@Thomathy: Touche. And kudos to you for taking a moment to descend to my level and let it be known (however implicitly) that you are far too intelligent to watch such a pointless show. Congrats on not understanding the “freaking block” reference. I’m well aware of the “faux-reality” nature of these types of shows. It is a guilty pleasure. RETRACTION: It is a proud pleasure. I just don’t want to be told what happens before I get there. You probably read books, so I’ll provide an analogy. It’s sort of like when you’re in the middle of a great work of fiction, and someone who’s already read the book tells you the end. Understand now?
Aranos
@litper: Sounds like YOU are the bitter and twisted one here. Maybe a bit of cuddling would help you to relax. I does not matter wether your friends are straight or bi or closeted – they are friends, you love them, so it’s a beautiful thing when you cuddle. And especially when gay and straight men cuddle against all those homophobic principles who were made to isolate gay people. Both of them grew up in a world where they were told “Straights and gays do not touch or have friendships”. Seems as if you still abide by this homophobic principle. So get over it and cuddle!
Thomathy
@asa1973: Oh, I know exactly what the spoiler alert thing is for and what it’s about. Frankly, I appreciate them too. I wasn’t saying that you were wrong for asking for a spoiler alert, and while I definitely have a hard time believing that it could be necessary for this kind of tv shit, I was more amused that you weren’t going to wade into a debate that you were definitely wading into. I’m with you on the matter of spoiler alerts. They’re easy to do and they save grief for ‘fans’, no matter the nature of the content.
And yeah, I read books instead of watch tv. It’s not better, just different. In fact, my problem with ‘reality’ tv shows is that from what I have seen, they showcase perfectly awful people being perfectly awful and I don’t need to watch people be awful on tv, real life is enough awful for me.
On second thought, though, you have me thinking that maybe it is amazing that three self-identified straight guys on such a show can be decent people.
SteveDenver
I’ve had a couple of straight guys who liked to play around, kiss, cuddle, and they made it clear that if I went for sexual contact, it would be over. I saw it happen with another of their friends and he said without reservation: “He’s a great kisser, but I can’t trust him.
Why are there so many comments accusing such guys of being teasers? That makes it sound like they get nothing out of it. I have one friend who likes me to run my fingers through his hair. I’M FINE WITH THAT! In college my friend John asked me to flog his bare ass, because his girlfriend wouldn’t. She finally found out I would wind him up before he showed up at her door and fu©ked her in half, and she was fine with it: she just wanted warning that he had been “warmed up.”
Now if only I could find the guy who wants oral and ass play because his girlfriend objects…
robho3
I cant even believe this show is still on.
enlightenone
31? nauseating after 2 minutes in! 16 Seasons and this is where we are with “gay”/fem,”straight” relations, really?
offbeatoh86
Caught in a bad bromance
ShowMeGuy
@offbeatoh86: lolrofwmp
ShowMeGuy
Big Brother is my favorite GAME SHOW. It is NOT “reality” television. The real Housewives of where-ever-the-fuck…..is a reality show. The Amazing Race is a game show. Trading Spouses is a reality show. Wheel of Fortune is a game show.
Big Brother is a game show.