I had hoped to enjoy this series. I really did. But the plain truth is, it is awful. It had so much going for it but it ended up being a semi-hot mess. It had its moments to be sure but there were not enough of them to save it from itself. Too bad because the subject matter was one that was unique and interesting. It was about the world of male pageantry. If it had only focused on that, this could have been a really great series. Instead, it went into the sensationalism and sleaziness of the industry. While I do not doubt that some of that does exist, the world of male pageantry would have been quite entertaining in and of itself to see. The world around the pageant became secondary to individual stories of some of the contestants, which for the most part was either dull and boring or titillating. The plots to these sub-stories were insipid and vapid and/or the surrounding characters became caricatures rather than examples of real people.

The story essentially centers around several participants in the Aces Of Kings male beauty pageant. Therefore, there were a lot of characters. However, the story primarily centered on two main couples with a cadre of minor characters around them that for the most part are quite cringy or creepy or nefarious, or plain silly. While I know doubt believe that the inner workings of this world might be seedy at times, this over concentration on the cutthroat and deceitful behaviors made it feel that hardly anyone was trustworthy. Plus, the substories of the main characters were right out of the trite playbook of dramas and thus unoriginal.

One main couple is Jack (Ivan Cojunagco) who wins Mr. Royale Universe Philippines, and his companion Thomas (Ethan Aguilar) who eventually wins the Aces of Kings Philippines contest. I never could figure out what the criteria were for being a contestant or how they actually got to be a contestant besides of course the obvious. Very little of the inner workings of these pageantries was made clear. While these two initially start out as the focus, they soon fade into the background, and it really begins to focus on Jack’s dastardly manager Lemuel (Gio Empress). The relationship between Jack and Thomas was lukewarm at best since it started out as Thomas sabotaging Jack’s chances of winning Mr. Royale Universe Philippines. While it does improve over time, it cannot even be described as a slow-burn. They made overtures that they ‘liked’ each other but honestly their priorities were winning and money. That though I understood.

The more interesting relationship was between Jared (Larence Brenches) and Gin (Mac Alonzo). To say that these two are hot would be an understatement. They are stunningly handsome as well as the rest of the contestants in the Aces of Kings pageant. It is a feast for the eyes here. But all of that is limited, however, to a few scenes, almost voyeuristic in content. While their relationship begins as a transactional one since Gin’s mother pays Jared to keep her son from going too far down the path of drinking by keeping him busy. It soon gets intense and before long the raging male hormones kick in.

While their relationship develops, Gin begins to shed his anger at the world and turns into more constructive ways to deal with his frustrations, thanks to Jared’s influence on him. They both realize that entering the pageant might be a good release for each of them and a good path to learning more about one another and themselves. And it is. They get closer and before long, their relationship develops into a more loving, intense one. The two have very good screen chemistry and were comfortable enough with one another that their love scenes together felt real and authentic. And honest. More importantly, believable. The kissing seemed not only passionate but genuine. Towards the end, however, it got a little heavy-handed and a bit too patronizing to be believable.

Certainly, Larence Brenches as Jared and Mac Alonzo as Gin did their best in an otherwise so-so screenplay. This may sound a bit far-fetched, but the person who really stole this series is Ryan Andrei Zomaro as Bunzo, who plays Jack’s brother. An astonishingly small role, but his part is so impactful because he is a natural in front of the camera. The camera loves him. He is one of only a few people that does not play for the camera. His movements, his method acting, his deliverance of his lines are so astonishingly organic, and his timing is sheer perfection. I have only seen a few actors be so at ease in front of a camera, and he is one of them. Again, not long on screen, but he is so clearly believable as the brother of Jack. The camera is unquestionably his friend, and I do believe he has a bright future in the acting profession. Of ALL the characters in this series (and there are many), he is the one I could not keep my eyes off. He is mesmerizing to watch.

Unfortunately, we have to succinctly review what brought this series down. Let me begin by listing some:

1. There were too many characters, as in a gaggle of them. Because of the nature of this series, this is understandable, but it robbed you of being able to concentrate on anyone specifically as you were not sure who was going to affect the story next. The story kept shifting. And quite honestly, none really stood out performance-wise and certainly not for very long. Some were completely unwarranted while others were cringey and cagey. The ‘American’ was crude, rude, obnoxious, and absolutely unnecessary to the story and personified the stereotypical definition of the ‘ugly American’. That image is not something, particularly now, that needs to be reinforced. I am sorry, but I found that offense.

2. There is zero romance between Jack and Thomas even though they were a ‘main’ couple. Their relationship is teased, and a courtship seemed to be developing but it absolutely never does. Honestly, there is no serious screen chemistry between the two either. Long stares at each other means nothing in a BL anymore as that is so trite, cliché, and formulaic. It was obvious that these two actors were not interested in playing love scenes. That was evident. While they had no problem show off their bodies scantily at times, they did not want to be seen as being gay. Sorry to say but it looked like queer-baiting to me.

3. The production presented male pageantry as if gayness within was unacceptable and are ‘shocked’ when it is exposed among the contestants. Meanwhile, nearly everyone is gay, and almost all connected with the pageant are also gay. There is a disconnect and a denial of reality. Do they really think that queer people are not ogling the male contestants? Seriously? Who do they think is their major audience or at the very least one of their target audiences?

4. Gio Empress as Lemuel was certainly not the only one miscast. Not enough bad things can be said about this characterization. So much of it was over-the-top and simply not believable. He was totally miscast for this role. I hate to say that, but some people simply cannot convey diabolical behavior with conviction very well and Gio is one of them. It was farcical. In addition, his supposed lust scenes with a few of the contestants were downright laughable. Gio is a staple in Filipino BLs and is a fine actor in more serious roles. Gaye Angeles Piccio as Sara, Gin’s mother, was just so over-the-top that it defies description. She was a complete caricature, and I honestly felt bad for her as I have seen her in other series, and she is a fine actress. I think she was told to perform this role as a ‘space-cadet’ which she did admirably but unfortunately it was a role that should have required so much more intensity as a mother than as a rich debutante.

5. The directing of this series was awful. It degraded to sophomoric humor for laughs which it should not have. While I understand at times colorful references to sexual activities and behaviors spaced out appropriately may be occasionally humorous, this series used it liberally at inappropriate times and places. It made the production cheap and diminished the maturity and seriousness of the subject matter of the series. It fixated on the lowest common denominator of the industry and there it stayed. It advanced nothing insightful or revelatory about male pageantry.

6. The series could not decide what it wanted to be, which is another consequence of the poor direction. If you are going to do a story about male pageantry, then let us see male pageantry. Not salaciousness but sensuousness. There is a huge difference between the two. Also, concentrate of the applications and intricacies of the male pageant world. It would have been interesting to know and see more of the inner routines of the contestants\contests rather than merely the awful and shabbily staged endings of it. It felt rather rushed and looked poorly choreographed.

7. This whole presentation of ‘dirty old men’ stereotyping has just got to stop as a storyline especially for older gays. While I KNOW and am not naïve enough to think that the types of behaviors presented in this series do not go on, living near and knowing people in Hollywood, this is not as common as what is presented here, either to get into cinema and even less so in pageants. The kinds of behaviors that were prevalent here are all illegal, no matter what country. Go to the police. Report it to better business bureaus, or equivalent oversight organizations, or to pageant organizers (which Jack did), or even the press. This kind of quid pro quo, while we want to glamorize this and think the type of transactional interludes pictured here are common, are not. Does it happen? No doubt it does on rare occasions. But those days are no longer the norm and any reputable manager worth his or her salt would not ‘sell’ his/her client to the highest bidder. Furthermore, overall, it is unfair and unfortunate to continue to present older gay men as preying on young vulnerable gay men as somehow normative. This is an unfair characterization. Older gay men, no matter what country, already face a plethora of difficulties without having to be thought of as lusting after young men when in reality most of them are simply trying to get through the day like everyone else. Enough with the stereotypes and seeing older-younger relationships as always transactional or advantageous for one side or the other. Of all the stories lines to choose from about the entire world of male pageantry, exploitive was the one selected for entertainment? Why? Why not the beauty of the pageantry itself?

Besides all these issues, the whole production seemed way too long and the whole series could have been shortened considerably. The endless storyline of Jared’s sister (her money issues) just got wearisome and exhausting to follow as well as Jack’s assistant struggles and woes (his pinning over Jack). After a while, I just did not care. The whole ending was right out of a trope playbook. The entire series seemed to be a pointless mess but with a lot of cute guys and too many caricatures rather than characters representing real relatable people.

Sigh. I wanted so much to like this series. As much as it pains me to say this, if you have not watched this series, I would skip this one. There are far better ones out there. Overall, the series was a disappointment and a let-down. This is poorly executed, poorly directed, and in a few cases, a badly acted series. While the concept was a good one, it was produced rather ineptly and with no real aim because it simply was not well thought-out.

Rating- 2.5 out of 5

Streaming on- Oxin Films YouTube Channel