Big Brother 16‘s token gay Frankie Grande may not have won the $500,000 prize on Wednesday’s finale, but according to him, he walked away from the season with something much more valuable: the love of a straight man.
Frankie first caught America’s attention as the brother of pop star Ariana Grande, and he first caught ours as one of the more insufferable houseguests we’ve ever seen. Thankfully, his time on the show changed —gasp — the way we thought about him.
With the help of straight-and-beautiful houseguests Cody Calafiore, Caleb Reynolds, and especially Zach Rance, Frankie helped Big Brother 16 become the most gay-friendly season in the franchise’s U.S. history, and in turn, one of the most unforgettable and entertaining.
His relationship with Zach received showmance status early on, and their physical intimacy captivated us until Zach’s premature departure from the house.
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“I’m not gay,” Zach famously once said, “but the bond that Frankie and I have is so genuine and sincere that I truly feel like he is my boyfriend.”
Now that the season is over and houseguests are free to interact with the public and the media, Frankie told People in an exit interview that he “fell in love” with Zach this summer, and that he’d say ‘yes’ if Zach ever proposed:
The Zankie reality show should happen as soon as possible. I am just now seeing some of the footage and there is no doubt that we love each other. I felt it in the house but I didn’t realize how ridiculous it looks to everyone else because [we look like] we are a couple. It’s very strange. It’s unbelievable. I love Zach so much. I’ve already told him the answer is “yes” if he proposes. [laughs]
Get it, Frankie. The show may be over, but we’ll forever be #TeamZankie.
this man is MY everything… ?? http://t.co/wKuPseFDWH pic.twitter.com/jPW56J6REO
— Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) September 26, 2014
Check out the rest of Frankie’s interview over at People, and check out the very best of Zankie below:
http://youtu.be/m1RZ4XsnpwU
AlexM
After leaving the house and Frankie realizing he is not as popular as he thought he was, he is now playing up “Zankie” because that is in fact popular. Such a fame whore that Frankie is.
DarkZephyr
@AlexM: I think at least half the world but probably more would be fame whores if they could be.
Billy Budd
Bull. They don’t have any feelings for each other. But at least they made a good show.
Spike
Oh dear gawd this BB fame whore is going to stretch he 15 mins into 2.5 hours.
Just once I’d like to see this show have a gay that isn’t a clown, but alas that doesn’t make for good TV.
money718
Who are these people?
Dawson
I dismissed Frankie when the season began as just another sterotypical gay man who plays to the market CBS is trying to sell to. CBS only believes that a gay man has to be more girl than boy.
My straight friends loved him. I couldn’t stand him as just another queen that CBS thinks of all gay men.
I realized I missed the point as the weeks went on. Frankie was EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to the gay rights movement. O.K. don’t think I am crazy, YET. Yes some could say he was the typical gay leech after all the straight men and kind of creepy at that.
What he did was provide a relations with Zach, a man who told us over and over that he was straight, that it is o.k. to be affectionate with straight men.
Zach told the world that I can love a gay man on national T.V. without sex. Zach as did Frankie showed the world that it is o.k. for a straight man to be in love, non sexually with a gay man.
Millions of Americans and other were watching this week after week. There is a power in T.V. that we forget. These are the small steps we forget. It is going to take time for many people to change their opinions about gay relationship.
Zach, a straight man, showed that he wasn’t afraid to love a gay man on national T.V. Yes, I am crazy but thank you Frankie and thank you Zach (and yes you are very pretty–for a straight man).
Whether you discount reality T.V. as something tripe millions of people watch these shows week after week. And you can find all the negitive you want.
For a gay man I am happy to see that yes, in America a gay man and a straight man can tell the world that they love each other. That is the message for me that is the most important.
Billy Budd
Dawson is right. Even if it was a fake thing and the boy was effeminate, it was really nice to portray a deep affection between a straight guy and a gay guy.
DarkZephyr
@Billy Budd: the “effeminacy” of the gay boy is irrelevant in my opinion.
Brendan
In other words, I didn’t win and nobody really likes me that much… I’m gonna try to milk this Zankie showmance as much as possible. Boy please. Zach was genuine about his feelings but you used him, lied to him and when he was on his way out, you were needlessly cruel behind his back. You let him take the blame for your Team America tasks, you toyed with his emotions while playing a major role in getting him kicked out of the house. You could have saved him in so many ways, but instead you made sure of his demise. Once he sees the things Frankie said and did behind his back, the showmance will be dead and buried for good.
michael mellor
Frankie Grande is an attention ho.
seaguy
@AlexM: Amen to that! The way he was talking about himself being such a big star, so well known was such BS. He is a youtuber not some big star. Glad he did not win.
seaguy
I think one other thing that was positive that came out of Frankie being on the show is he befriended Caleb and most of the other guys so that showed that straight men can be friends with gay men. Though Frankie was not the best example always making sexual remarks and then at the end it looks like him and Caleb were not friends anymore.
lykeitiz
@Dawson: @seaguy: Yes and Yes! People can argue about effeminate vs masculine all they want, but the bigger picture is the message that got out. The friendships made seemed genuine, whether they were or not, and I’d like to see all of the haters give a bigger example of gay/straight bromances anywhere ever in the history of prime time TV.
Blackceo
Ugh….So glad Frankie didnt make final 3, was so glad it was Cody who sent him packing, and was ecstatic to see his old man face lookin self get the reality check he needed about how little influence he does have and that he wasn’t even top 3 for Americas favorite houseguest. He was truly vile.
SportGuy
@Blackceo:
Couldn’t agree more! He is just a tired queen who lies about his age who is trying to milk his 15 minutes of fame and ride his almost famous sisters coat tails.
hephaestion
Frankie was over-the-top and in chat rooms he was almost universally despised. He had no boundaries and spent the whole show sleeping in the HOH Room, whoever the HOH was. He pushed himself on everyone and that was a good thing to an extent… but he WAAAAAAY over-did it. What was most remarkable to me was how non-homophobic the response of the entire house was. This was remarkable, and I hope it bodes well for the future.
Paco
@Billy Budd: A case of boy meets girl. I can’t help but wonder how the “showmance” would have developed, if at all, if Frankie had been butch and just one of the bros. It probably wouldn’t have worked at all. One would have been trying too hard to just be one of the bros and the affection much more muted. Zach is supposedly straight after all. It turned out great with him being himself even if you don’t approve of male effeminacy.
Ronbo
His picture is in the dictionary under “insincere”. Stick a fork in him.
musctop
Wow–and here I was thinking this brother of a one hit wonder was going to ride that fame train on home. NOT.
MarionPaige
I think it’s so “funny” that a guy managing a gay adult blog kept posting about this shit on his personal twitter. I mean, you have ready access to actual gay sex on video and yet you still manage to some how be obsessed with fucking Big Brother and a scripted bromance? A bromance featuring guys who aren’t even all that attractive? 20 somethings really have nothing beneficial to offer society.
As previously said, the only Big Brother I could sit through is the one in DeadSet – where there was a zombie outbreak during a Big Brother broadcast
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Frankie was borderline fingernails on the chalkboard at times……..
But he was able to show that a Gay person could compete in the physical and mental challanges and be one of the strongest and most sucessful people in the house….
I am sure a whole bunch ‘o straight folks were gobsmacked when Caleb refused to compete with Frankie and he won the NFL challenge all by himself whilst competing with two strong straight players……..
So as much as Frankie was waaaay over the top sometimes with his antics and actions he proved a Gay person could compete and exceed in tasks with uber straight masculine guys………..
As for Zack, he is more than a little hot, and never really made any attempt to have any intimate contact with anyone but Frankie. I think may be a case of “I’m not straight, but I play one on TV” :p
NJjoe
@Brendan:
You obviously don’t “get” the concept of BB. That is how you play the game which is why and how Derrick won. Sure, Frankie got on my nerves at times and tended to go over-the-top, but that’s how you play the game and that is who he is.
“I didn’t win and nobody really likes me that much… I’m gonna try to milk this Zankie showmance as much as possible,” you write. I don’t get that feeling at all.
The reason Frankie is so much in the press is because of his famous sister plus he had quite an impressive resume’ going into the game.
NJjoe
As far as eye candy this season on BB? There was plenty. Zach, Caleb (HOT!!) and Cody (Who reminds me of a young John Travolta) made this season a delight to my eyes. Though this season was slow and the same houseguests going on the block week after week, it was pleasant to see the gang get along so well especially after last season’s debacle of anti-this, anti-that comments. Frankie made the season fun (along with Zach’s roaring personality) with his flaming personality. And who knows regarding “Zankie?” Zach hasn’t had a gf in 7 years and came off gay curious as far as I’m concerned. My jury is still out on Zach. We’ll see if the two-some will make the trip to Africa together?