Cue the disappointment. And the outrage.
It turns out Clint Arlis and JJ Lane, the two straight Bachelorette contestants who claimed they’d fallen in love with each other while taping the ABC reality show, were only “doing it for the cameras” and that “nothing gay ever happened.”
Related: Two Straight “Bachelorette” Contestants Fall In Love, Confess To Hooking Up In The Shower
TMZ was the first to report that the whole thing was a publicity stunt cooked up by guys as a joke and then used by producers to boost publicity for the show.
We can’t say we’re totally surprised. The whole thing seemed a bit far-fetched. But doing it as a joke doesn’t exactly send the best message. After all, what’s so funny about two guys falling in love?
Related: Five Gay Hoaxes That Had Us Fooled
After the news went viral yesterday, Arlis sent out a string of tweets the ranged from apologizing to his dad for being gay, suggesting he’s transgender, and comparing himself to Health Ledger, the star of the gay romance Brokeback Mountain who died prematurely in 2008:
Whoops. Sorry, dad? #brokebackbachelor http://t.co/nN3SmPQDwF
— Clint Arlis (@ClintonArlis) May 27, 2015
Before I field any ?’s about #BrokebackBachelor rumors I would like 2 just say that I am a proud, 30 yr old woman and its 2015. You monsters
— Clint Arlis (@ClintonArlis) May 27, 2015
If you have to be a #BROKEBACKBACHELOR, Be Heath Ledger. Always be #HeathLedger. #thebachelorette @jjhlane21 pic.twitter.com/MxxlAUlln8 — Clint Arlis (@ClintonArlis) May 27, 2015
What do you think? Was this a funny joke or was it offensive? Let us know in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section.
AJ Sarabia
Some people need a great deal of attention.
Crystal Mace
Holly Bell Have you seen this story? Lmao
John S. Rait
As swipes.
Ron Fowler
Well all I can say is that they don’t have to worry about coming out….lol BEEN THERE DONE THAT~!
Will Glitzern
I knew it, too good to be true. Damn them!
Jeff Phillips
I’m just glad that shows like this help keep marriage sanctified
Glücklich
Jesus! Who gives a rat’s? I said on the previous story I’d fuck the shit outta JJ but the photo above…not flattering.
Now settle down everyone. These shenanigans are too stupid to dignify with outrage.
Ken VanArsdale
Ass holes.
Cesar Fortun
Whatever
Robert Wheeler
such bullshit. I hate people. 😎
Courtney George Preston
attention whores
Justinius Phoenix
The producers should force them to “secretly” make out for the rest of the season…. “if you are gunna light the fuse, you best be prepared t ostay for the fireworks”
Craig Webb
I knew it was something like this. Just a ratings ploy. Another reason I’ll never watch this show
John Lewis
Ron King
Who watches anyway..
Lee-Gwen Booth
I didn’t think it was possible for me to care less about this story when I first heard it. Turns out, I was wrong.
Olivier Lessard
wow, they really make a difference in this world… #emptymorons
Mark Pilsnik
Looking for a spin off?
George McSwain Jr
Its a TV show, there is a script somewhere saying they fall in love.
John P Farinhas
well the blonde is most likely deep in the closet!
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
It was homophobic. Boycott ABC and its advertisers. Don’t watch the show. It’s a shame it’s 2015 and sh!t like this still happens but for whatever reason homosexuality is seen as a joke and people still laugh. What a stupid show and stupid network.
BJ McFrisky
Lesson learned: If it sounds too good to be true . . .
Cam
Half the posters on Queerty said it was probably phony, it’s not as if they were fooling anybody.
I can’t believe this fake show is still on the air. The real surprise would be if one of these couples from the show actually became a real couple.
Rodney Church
Boo! Hiss 🙁
Dan Oliver
Douchebags
Kieran
Well after all, how many Hollywood movies did these boys grow up watching where being gay was the punch line?
Glücklich
@Cam:
I can’t believe it’s still on the air either, along with all of the other “reality” feces smeared across so many channels. I’m not above a couple of trashy guilty pleasures, the occasional Housewives as background braying, but the semi-respectable big networks ought to get out of the reality business and focus on their core unwatchable sitcoms and dramas.
Eddie Rioux
Lol not funny at all… won’t make me watch the crappy show even if they tried to intice me with other things that peak my curiosity!
AJAnders
It was blatantly obvious after the first commercial preview that it was BS. Queerbaiting as a common thing now but publicity stunts have been around since the beginning of time.
There’s nothing real about a reality show anyway. I’d hate to think people could really be outraged or get fooled over this whole thing. You must live under a rock and STILL not know how TV works.
Michael A. Hann
Stupid. I don’t watch the show never have or will. Rude and offensive. And shame on the producers for going a long. But those that protest so much or spread hate have something hiding in their closet
Adrian Lehman-Sizemore
you do understand the connection from homophobia to actual homosexuality? the biggest deniers are all power bottoms
Ryan Harris
“There are only two reasons why you would hate gay marriage: 1.) You’re an idiot, or 2.) you’re secretly terrified that dicks taste delicious.” If they’re homophobic, then they’re probably combating their gayest of desires.
Captain Obvious
More obvious than when they started scripting The Real World. So boring.
Deon Letsoalo
This is hilarious. You’re as smart as a bag of rocks if you believed this in the first place 😀
George Van Staden-Smart
Assholes.
BigG
what’s offensive is that people actually watch these stupid reality shows. so fake.
Jerry Roland
Never cared a rats ass
John Termine
Homophobes are usually the Gayest!
Rob Moore
@BigG: Agreed. I cannot say I’ve ever watched this programme or its reverse gender version. If I was looking for a romantic partner, I cannot imagine a less likely place to find one. I do occasionally watch The Amazing Race. Does that count as a reality show or a game show?
Michael Golojuch Jr
Well then they could be…
Guye Priaulx
ass-holes, and not, apparently, in the good way
Raymond Ranger-hough
This is no joke, Love should never be the subject of a joke. They should be ashamed of themselves.
F. Jay Ver
I wouldn’t say he was homophobic. Kind of a tool but, it is television.
Jay Coughlin
Queerty is not a smart site.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
Gay people are a punch line…again.
Abel Bonilla-Ayala
Who is actually to blame here?
a. the guys for coming up with such mockery?
b. the show producers for exploiting mockery and maintain ratings to not get a show cancelled due to low ratings?
c. the network for not only exploiting a mockery but by promoting homophobia?
d. all of the above
In my opinion: b and c…while the guys could come up with the stupidity; producers and network have a social responsibility that are neglecting.
dinard38
PULEEZE!!! Did anyone believe this bullshit? When I saw the commercial, I just rolled my eyes. Always HATED this show.
JetsetTX
Chill people! It hasn’t even air d yet and people are calling for boycotts of ABC? That’s the real joke
Shane Wix
Christy Pack I know it couldn’t be real one way or the other! Lol
Ron Parsons
Avery Alvarez
I think some people called it yesterday in the comments, that this is actually very homophobic, and we shouldn’t be praising it as, “OMG Da reality tv gonnna have sum gaayyyys on”
I guess they were right. It seems the contestants on this show are usually braindead country boys.
Corey Garlick
Chad Fink
Ken Ramsey
Not a funny joke guys kind of a slap in the face
Kangol
I love how so many people jumped on the bandwagon for these guys because they are young and attractive, only to have their hom0phobic stunt blow right up in their champions’ faces. Disgusting.
dubstepskater94
First off, these two are like nobodies… So I could see why they would make up a story like this to get publicity. Second, who watches this show anyway? Third… They aren’t even cute (that one guy’s face is kinda busted). And why in the world would he compare himself to a great actor like Heath Ledger… Once again, this is another case of straight guys showing that somewhere inside of them they know that gay men are superior to them!
George Hauersperger
What is “nothing gay ever happened” mean?
Dan Steele
Homophobic people havebeen proved, many times, to be bisexual , or in fact, gay themselves.
Jacob23
Gee, it’s so odd. Part of the joke was for one of these homophobic jerks to tweet “I’m a woman.” Now where do you suppose a homophobic jerk could have gotten the idea that falling in love with another man makes you a transsexual? Where could he have possibly picked up the notion that being gay is linked to gender confusion or transsexualism?
Thomas Hammond
Maybe it’s time to boycott the network lets see how they like it
Edwn Szto
that means they are gay
Celtic
ANYONE who believed this b/s to begin with needs a brain check. Geezus, are you so shallow and needy you’d really believe this crap?
Pax
“It was totally passe (sic) and offensive.”
passé: out-of-date, past the prime of one’s life, faded, old-fashioned, quaint
What meaning did Queerty wish to convey?
Zachary Watson
Sarah Carlson this is why the bachelorette is a fucking joke
Jake Lara
I was one of the most homophobic people you would have ever met. Turns out I’m a homoooo. They are gay, it’s obvious. Case closed.
SportGuy
LOL, this is hilarious!
Kyle Richard
Oh good. They are just a-holes
Jean Philippe Laplagne
That possibly means they are gay!
Louis
Duh! I said this much myself yesterday I believe.
These men have enjoyed the reactions as well.
This is not one of those cases of one of them being gay either.
ABC had and has no shame to have pulled such a childish juvenile and mocking and belittling stunt such as this one.
The guys involved think and thought this whole thing was” funny”.
Irony of that is I’ve always looked at uneducated and insecure men like these 2 men as total jokes.
You really have to wonder if these men ever actually fully evolved.
It’s obvious they didn’t intellectually.
Louis
@Baba Booey Fafa Fooey: exactly correct .
Paco
I guess gays are still a joke for Hollywood. At least the fem gays weren’t the butt of the joke this time. Progress I suppose.
Greg
They probably did hook up in the shower, but want to continue being closet queens. They’re the kind of guys who suck dick and take it up the ass, but they say they are straight. Hey, straight guys like ass play too. They’ll say “labels are for canned food”. They’re “hetero-flexible”. That’s the new sexuality. Denial. Guys don’t want to have to admit to themselves they are gay, so they come up with all kinds of bullshit. But they love women. Right.
Craig Bankert
They look like a couple of douche nozzles to me.
enfilmigult
@Jacob23: He picked that up from clichéd homophobic bullshit, of course.
Queer_Curtis
Pricks. Plain and simple.
jjose712
This is the kind of idiotic trick that ends blowing in their face. The show executives must be really stupid if they think this is going to work and they will avoid backlash
David Chachki
Fags.
IvanPH
When i first read about this, i already knew that it was nothing but a publicity stunt. Did anyone really think that a straight man looking for a woman to love would just suddenly fall in love with another man? Puhlease, Give us a break.
Celtic
Yes, but if you read some of the comments posted here some guys actually DID buy into this scam.
midraf
Is anybody really surprised!!
Chris Saggio
If this is true they are SUPREME DOUCHEBAGS!
dunwoodyjoey
Insulting gays, transgendered, women, AND TV viewers. Is Ted Cruz behind (giggle) this?
Bigboaster
Did anyone actually believe this was real? That I consider the bigger injustice here. As for the 2 asswipes who would even pretend to be gay lovers on a TV show broadcast to millions just for some notoriety… they’re not even worth any outrage. Their antic already reveal the type of people they are SMH
queenrosered
@midraf: Not surprised in the least here, lol.
Brandon Culps
I call bullshit.
Merv
The only thing surprising is that the truth came out so soon. I was about 90% sure that they made up as a publicity stunt. I thought there was a 10% chance it was two gay guys who had gone on the show for career reasons and happened to run into each other. There was a 0% chance that it was, as they claimed, a case of two straight guys who fell in love romantically. That just doesn’t happen.
Nizz de Silva
Sheryll girl this
tricky ricky
they realized they outed themselves on television as c*cksuckers and are just backtracking.
Chookey43
What a pathetic stunt. They got Europe 15 minutes now forget them.
norodeocowboy
@AJ Sarabia: Including both gays who clearly believe that all straight men secretly want to know the love that can no longer shut the hell up and the straights who are convinced that there exist magic beans which can blast the gay clear out of those colons. One should always embrace the opportunity to point at them and laugh, in the hope that they’ll get over their damn selves.
Eye of the Beholder
Offensive.
silveroracle
Such sad little men.
No wonder they haven’t got anyone.