Last week brought the season premiere of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge, a cracked out spinoff of its Real World franchise and the once thriving Road Rules. This edition (Gauntlet III) pits the veterans versus the newbies, and includes 2 out gay men, 1 lesbian, and one notorious Real World nut job who apparently now thinks that she's a lesbian.

The on-paper premise of these challenges is to have recognizable MTV graduates fight it out for prices in excess of $300,000; however the show is little more than an excuse to provide a forum for exhibitionists who have been on MTV, miss it, and know what exactly to do to get camera time. MTV provides the booze to maximize hook-ups and fights and it sneaks the challenges to give the frat-party its raison-d'etre. The premiere must have been hilarious for anyone who grew up watching any of these shows as some of the veterans (many looking older than our grandparents) acting like idiots.  Nostalgia at its worst.

I did take some pleasure learning that Evelyn, one of the show's thoughest competitors, is a lesbian. Not even 10 minutes into the premiere episode, Evelyn is approached by Brooke (the aforementioned nut job/newly minted lesbian) and before a proper hello, the two engage in some major poolside make-out session. Less than a minute later, the 2 gay boys (Tyler and Ryan) are shown mauling one another on the other side of the pool. Gay boys gone wild. I love it!  The straight contigent make the gay guys seem like prudes as there is more straight bed hopping shown than ever before.  A wise straight babe calls this "the horniest challenge she's ever been to." Why am I even bringing any attention to this train-wreck? Mainly because it's one of those instances in which the gay men get to be as sleazy, no more no less, as their straight peers and their sexual orientation not really not an issue. There was no desexualizing or demonizing our gay mashers. Equal rights sometimes comes in the strangest packages. This one exploits equally and all involved know what they are in for. Bring on the debauchery.  

Ryan (on top) and Tyler Make Out