Okay here’s a hot take: yay for the Philippines finally having its very own LGBT-centered dating show! Pero, it’s not giving sparks.
On May 17, 2023, Black Sheep Productions announced the premiere date of the Philippines’ first-ever BL dating reality show titled, “Sparks Camp” on their social media pages, and is set for release on their YouTube channel on May 24th. Directed by Theodore Boborol and created “members of the community for the community,” “Sparks Camp” is set to make its mark on Philippine reality TV.
Grab a seat and prepare to sip because the dramuhhh starts early this season! 🍵
See you on #SparksCamp, the Philippines' first-ever BL dating reality show, this #May24 and catch us every Wednesday, 8 PM, on Black Sheep’s YouTube channel! pic.twitter.com/EJlEI4zjoA
— Black Sheep (@Black_SheepPH) May 17, 2023
With their post beginning with the caption, “Grab a seat and prepare to sip because the dramuhhh starts early this season! 🍵,” the trailer teases viewers into what the dating show is all about: 10 single gay men in the outdoors, trying to find their “spark” whilst going through drama, action, and some touching here and there in a camp-site setting.
However, not everyone seems to be quite seated with the reveal of the “diverse” cast members, who according to some members of the Filipino gay community are *clears throat* just one stereotype of the gay community.
And all of these comments are totally valid. If we’re all talking about diversity here, the casting director should have represented bears, daddies, chub, androgynous, and the like, and should’ve made the effort to include those underrepresented on social media.
It’s quite disappointing to see the word “diversity” being thrown here and there so plainly, when they barely even scratched the surface of “diverse.” The only thing we can see being diverse in that trailer video is *looks at the video again* nothing, actually.
It may be too early to say since the show hasn’t dropped yet, but let’s see.
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