Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Iced lattes, coffees, confessions, and a whole lot of confusion – episodes 4, 5, and 6 of Netflix dating reality show “The Boyfriend” pack in a lot of surprises that weren’t revealed in the opening episodes. For instance, the special guests on the show who comment on the ongoing events of the participants are all pleasantly surprised by the soaring popularity of the sweet, calm chef Kazuto. At least three men actively express their romantic interest in him, the most upfront, active confession coming from the extroverted Alan. And the other two turn out to be good twists.
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Obviously, Kazuto’s rising popularity is well-deserved. He is good-looking, kind, considerate, and makes killer meals for everybody. Those who say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach knew what they were talking about. I thought the coffee truck the guys have been taking turns running on the show would be a short-term thing, but it’s a staple daily activity. Each day, two guys get to sell coffee and cookies from the truck. To shake things up a bit, the producers now ask contestants to raise their hands if they want to join the chosen person for the day to run the coffee truck. It’s both awkward and cute. However, unlike before, where the coffee truck leader could choose anybody to be their work partner, he must pick from those who raised their hands, so if their crush doesn’t volunteer, too bad.
The only couple that got to go on an exciting date in episode 3 of “The Boyfriend” – Dai and Shun – continue to keep everybody in suspense over where their attraction is headed. Well, it’s mostly Shun, who after showing considerable interest in Dai, has turned cold, aloof, and is confusing Dai with his mixed signals. The makers freeze-frame a funny shot of a frustrated Dai who says, “I don’t know what he (Shun) is thinking!” Nobody knows what he is thinking, Dai, don’t worry, you are not along. But all the guest commentators are rooting for Shun and Dai, pretty convinced they are going to end up together. Their reactions are a lot funnier this time around.
Introverted Usak delivers some of the warmest moments in these episodes by finally picking up the courage to express his feelings; not just that, he also surprises everyone with a thoughtful gesture. Until now, his presence only gave some comedic moments on “The Boyfriend,” due to his serious consumption of chicken breast and how his ration had been messing up the daily budget of the contestants. “Objectively it is funny, but for them, it’s a serious matter,” one of the commentators says on the show, while once again the men find themselves discussing how Usak’s chicken intake is compromising their funds.
I still feel like the format of “The Boyfriend” doesn’t allow its contestants to get to know each other better, even though the men have a lot more time than the Korean show “His Man.” While “The Boyfriend” has its participants spending almost a month together in a gorgeous beach-house, some of the other gay dating shows only span a week. And even though each day the men take turns to work on the coffee truck with someone else, they are busy working their orders and don’t get to bond as much as they would if they were the ones having coffee served to them on a date.
Episode six of “The Boyfriend” includes two big surprises. While one participant leaves for good, the men also have a new man joining them in the “Green Room” (that’s the name of their beach house). So, viewers finally get to meet the ninth face, who is a lot different from the current contestants and offers a nice change of pace. Unfortunately, almost everybody – except the new guy and the carefree Dai – are bummed and nearly miserable on a group beach-side picnic that they go to.
There’s love, jealousies, drama, and quite some heartache for the boys, and it will be interesting to see how the rest of their stay turns out.
You can stream “The Boyfriend” on Netflix.
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