Lance Bass: Gay dating show will be more realistic than The Bachelor

The Bachelor is clearly doing something right. After 20 seasons, 14 years on the air, and three successful spin-offs (well, maybe just two; R.I.P. Bachelor Pad), it’s safe to say that ABC’s reality giant is a television staple. Now Logo is putting its spin on the tried-and-true reality dating formula with Finding Prince Charming, the first all-gay dating show to hit the airwaves. But according to host Lance Bass, sexual orientation isn’t the only way the new series diverges from The Bachelor.

“We’re a little more realistic about what the expectations of the outcome is,” Bass said during a Facebook Live with EW. “You won’t see Prince Charming getting on his knee and proposing at the end of this show. I think it’s just a little more real that you find someone you want to exclusively date and see where it goes.”

Another wrench that Finding Prince Charming throws into the Bachelor formula is the possibility for contestants to become romantically interested in one another, and not just the suitor. The Prince Charming in question, interior designer Robert Sepúlveda Jr., told EW that he hasn’t seen the show yet, and didn’t see a lot of went on in the house, so he’s waiting to find out with the rest of us if there was any hooking up behind closed doors.

“I don’t know exactly what happened behind the scenes,” Sepúlveda said. “I will find out obviously when the show starts, but if the guys had a romance within themselves inside the house, I wouldn’t sit there and tell them not to do it, but hopefully nobody did that on the show.”

And although Finding Prince Charming is primarily a reality dating series, it also sets out to shed some light on LGBT issues and misconceptions. One of the contestants on the show will reveal that he is HIV positive during its run, and the trailer shows that the men on the show will be giving back to the LGBT community at certain events.

“This show definitely helps fight the stigma that we have in this community. HIV, stereotypes, whatever you throw at us,” Bass said. “I think when you watch the show you’ll be really educated about what it’s like to date in the LGBT community. Because even as a gay guy, I was so warped in what dating was really like because I started at such a late age. I didn’t start dating guys until I was 22 years old. I missed that whole coming into my own as a teenager and having crushes and going on first dates, so a lot of us that grew up in small towns and thought you were the only gay in town have a really warped sense of what dating really is.”

Check out the full Facebook Live interview below, and you can get to know Robert and the 13 guys vying for his affections here. Finding Prince Charming premieres on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 9 p.m. ET on Logo.

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