If you didn’t watch the season finale of The Glee Project, then what are you doing here? Did you somehow think we weren’t going to mention Blank Blake won?
Yep, we didn’t even spoiler-alert it: Handsome Floridian Blake Jenner won himself a seven-episode arc on Glee, and sending challengers Ali Stoker and Aylin Bayramoglu to the losers’ circle.
Jenner—he’s even got a name perfectly suited to reality TV—won the judges’ heart with his last-chance performance of Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be,” which apprently topped Stoker’s version of Wicked‘s “Popular” ( a show tune? what a shock!) and Bayramoglu’s take on “Rolling in the Deep.” (Adele, how original.)
It’s not a bad pick for executive producer Ryan Murphy, it’s just that choosing the cute white guy on a show where’s there’s been such diversity is kind of… annoying. Such a big deal was made about the inclusion of trans Tyler, gay Abraham, lesbian Dani and all the other contestants who embody the sense of otherness that Glee celebrates, that giving it to the guy who looks like he could get a part from Central Casting is a downer.
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But he sure is pretty ain’t he? (Plus, he has a gay brother!)
Photos: Oxygen
Atlas
He’s actually biracial, and Abraham claims to be straight. Great fact checking on Queerty, as always.
BartmanLA
Actually I think Abraham indicated on the show early on he wouldn’t “label” himself, then later he balked and claimed to be str8, Blake totally had a bromance with Michael. And yes he’s Cuban/American, if that makes him bi racial then okay but I would prefer to categorize him as bi-national. IMHO it was too safe a choice, sure there were many diverse individuals on the show this year, but going with the “pretty white boy” is kind of what Ryan did last year with Damian even though Samuel was named first, Damian was first to appear on the show and first to have his contract extended. Aylin would have been a more challenging (for Ryan to write for) choice, she had confidence and ability hands down. Even Ali rocked it in the final weeks. It’s just too bad that real talent isn’t the winner as much as the appeal to middle america turned out to be.
Scott
Who cares. I stopped watching The Glee Project after Nellie was voted off. I had hopes that the winner would make me want to actually start watching Glee again, but the choice of Blake didn’t do it for me. I lost faith in Glee mid-last season and really don’t want to put myself through anymore terrible plots, pathetic character development, and Katy Perry covers!