Brand new gay reality dating show I Kissed a Boy unveils first look and host

Upcoming gay reality dating show, I Kissed a Boy, will give queer fans a Love Island-esque viewing experience.

In the picture singer Dannii Minogue stands next to two gay men kissing. This is all in front of a villa.
Image: via Twitter: @danniiminogue

The UK’s first-ever gay dating show, I Kissed a Boy, just released a first-look image, and we are beyond excited! The upcoming series will be hosted by The X Factor’s Dannii Minogue and broadcast on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. 

Minogue tweeted about unveiling the new image, which features her standing next to two men kissing in front of a villa. 

 

From what we know about the show so far, ten single guys will spend the summer in an Italian villa searching for love, but there’s a twist. The contestants will be matched up from the start, and before getting the chance to talk, flirt and get to know each other, they will have to kiss and test the initial chemistry.

After that first kiss, the show will take a free-for-all format, like Love Island, where any contestant is a potential match. So, the first kiss may spark some chemistry, but will matched-up pairs stay together or will eyes wander and drama ensue?

The show was first announced in May 2022 with a short description of the plot: “As soon as they meet, they kiss. No small-talk, no ‘flanter,’ just one rom-com-worthy movement that might just take their breath away.” 

When Minogue was announced as host last year, she said, “There are millions of people in the UK looking for love. And I believe love is for everyone. So I am so thrilled for a gay dating show to be entering the sea of other dating shows that have existed on TV for years.”

Previous queer dating shows like Finding Prince Charming focused on one individual looking for love in a group of contestants, much like The Bachelor franchise. However, I Kissed a Boy gives us a Love Island and Too Hot to Handle format that we really haven’t gotten before.

 

This new show comes after Love Island, a favourite among dating show viewers, disappointed queer fans in 2021. When discussing the likelihood of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the famous show, ITV Commissioner Amanda Stavri said, “In terms of gay islanders, I think the main challenge is regarding the format of Love Island. There’s a sort of logistical difficulty because although Islanders don’t have to be 100 percent straight, the format must sort of give islanders an equal choice when coupling up.”

Despite the Love Island disappointment, queer fans luckily have an all-queer season of Netflix’s The Ultimatum in the works and, of course, I Kissed a Boy to look forward to. And if you need something to satiate while waiting for these shows to drop, we have a list of 11 dating shows with LGBTQ+ contestants you won’t want to miss. 

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