I have been watching reality tv dating shows for as long as I can remember and no matter how much other people found it refreshing and true, I always felt every moment of it was scripted. Whether it is about their interaction, connections, fight or arguments, for me everything felt fake and too much formulaic.

Surprisingly, “Boys like Boys” was like a new refreshing introduction to me to Taiwan’s first LGBTQ reality dating series. While observing the episodes, I saw how realistic it felt to watch a relationship as it progresses from friendship to dating in real life. For me, It was as pragmatic as a reality tv show can get. The most positive thing about it was that the show focused on the contestants getting to know each other, developing a good friendship before getting into a relationship, which is what ideal relationships come close to. The way every contestant was not afraid of speaking out about their feelings and what they want without being too dramatic felt good to watch. Personally for me, I felt a lot closer to Eri, as I found him to be a genuine and real person; well he has a very kind and good heart. The show had a total of six contestants named Bobo, Shih-Feng, Nio, Gino, Guan- Yu and Eri. The introductory scenes were nice and everyone seemed unique, kind; they respected each other so much that they made sure to ask each other pronouns so as not to offend anyone and make them uncomfortable. Gino and Guan-Yu were one of the couples who I thought had a wonderful chemistry. Eri’s friendship with everyone was my favorite part about the show, especially with Bobo, who was also one of the contestants. As the show kept moving two more contestants, Jiang- Han and Susu were introduced. Personally, I felt more connected to Eri, Bobo and Gino.

The contestants were emotional, friendly, socially and emotionally available and most importantly were genuine. Everyone was friendly; they were mature and strong enough to show their true feelings and vulnerability in front of the world via a television show. Unconsciously, they taught the viewers to love themselves and be-proud of who they are. You will learn about how it is alright to take your time to understand the other person and it’s okay to not choose the person if you are not compatible enough. What I loved the most was the instead of watching a reality show, if felt more like observing the daily life story of these people, being aware of their growth, watching them fall in love, getting heartbroken in just ten episodes. Now, this is my first LGBTQ dating show; I was hooked and liked everything about it. It felt real and heart touching on so many levels that I binged it in almost one day. Yes, their were some unnecessary misunderstandings but isn’t it like that in real life too. I am pretty sure almost everyone has these petty misunderstanding and differences with their partners. So I think that it is a genuine thing that happens. The production, camera action and cinematography everything was good and even if it wasn’t I don’t think you would have noticed much over these people’s stories emotions, thoughts, conversation and interactions.

Rating- 4 out of 5

Streaming on- Gagaoolala