A-List? Not That Much.

On Monday night I stumbled into an episode of A-List: New York, the newest Logo TV original reality show programming about wealthy/famous gay people done in the fashion of the famed Real Housewives series.

We follow the lives of reality show star/model Reichen Lehmkuhl and his circle of acquaintances including Reichen's current boyfriend Brazilian model Rodiney Santiago, famed video/photographer Mike Ruiz, salon owner Ryan Nickulas and his Black husband/sugardaddy, former model Austin Armacost and model manager DerekLloyd Saathoff. Each of them have a micromechanism of gays of their own, creating all the melodrama feedback necessary for the show.

In this first episode, we got to know about these people and their claim to fame. Reichen introduced himself as a former contestant and winner of Amazing Race and his subsequent modeling career as well as his dating history with Lance Bass, but no, he doesn't want to be known and label to be the guy who dated Lance Bass. (Then don't mention it. Or am I missing something?) Mike Ruiz convinced us that he is the most sought-after photographer of celebrities while showing us how friendly he is with Kelly Rowland. Former model and celebrity plaything Austin Armacoat defined himself as the former boytoy of Marc Jacobs until he got dumped because he brought some friends to Marc Jacobs apartment and now that he's mildly out of shape, he needs to train his body back to get back into the modeling industry.

All these people are trying very hard to paint New York to be the place where everybody wants to be and they are trying very hard to convince people that they are the "A-List" of Gay New York and so everybody wants to be them. But no. These people are no role models.

I remember watching Reichen and his then partner, Chip, through Amazing Race where they painted a rosy picture of a gay Air Force pilot married a loving partner and then winning the race. But then the couple split up after the show and we see Reichen slowly dating himself to fame with various gay celebrities. No doubt Reichen is a buff good-looking, model quality person, but I don't see a role model in Reichen or someone I want to be. In the first episode we see Reichen struggling with an acting role in a musical called My Big Gay Italian Wedding in which he was hired to be the beefcake walking around in his undies, but in his mind he was an actor even though the producer cut a song from him because he can't sing and from the looks of it, he can't dance either.



Former model Austin had dated Reichen and now that Reichen has a boyfriend, he's using every trick in his bag to devalue the relationship Reichen and Rodiney, from the Brazilian's accent to the period of time they were together. And as the show ends, Reichen blew off his boyfriend and arranged a dinner date with Austin. As if the audience didn't know that gays can be bitchy, racist and all the bad stereotypes, the first episode shown as much. At least 3 of the cast member inspired to find someone so they can be taken care of.

These people try VERY HARD to convince the audience that they are somebody through name dropping of the people they've slept with and the parties they went to and in truth some of them are, but there seems to be a lack of self worth. And the bitchiness in general is very repulsive. So we saw a half-butt from Rodiney, the show does nothing for our youth, it does nothing for the gay movement and if this is being gay, maybe I don't wanna be gay anymore.