Project XY

Idea muy interesante, ejecución deficiente

Creo que la idea y el concepto de la serie son interesantes, especialmente porque ya existe un presidente de un reality similar. Sin embargo, supongo que se trata de una producción de bajo presupuesto, porque hay varios errores que me resultaron difíciles de pasar por alto, incluso después de haberles tomado cariño a los chicos.

1. **Poca naturalidad:** Se nota demasiado la intervención de la producción, que parece guiar en exceso las dinámicas. Esto hace que muchas situaciones se sientan forzadas y pierdan espontaneidad.

2. **Falta de orientación actoral:** Teniendo en cuenta que es un reality con miras a producir un BL y que los chicos no eran actores profesionales, creo que habría sido muy útil contar con profesores invitados que los orientaran y ayudaran a desarrollar mejores escenas e interacciones.

3. **Pocas oportunidades para crear química:** La producción falló a la hora de plantear situaciones que permitieran a los chicos conectar entre ellos de manera natural. Faltaron momentos que dejaran fluir su personalidad, sus relaciones y esa química que resulta tan importante en una historia BL.

A pesar de todo, los chicos son encantadores y creo que tenían mucho más para ofrecer. Me habría gustado ver mucho más de ellos, tanto en su convivencia diaria como en sus actuaciones. Es una pena que la ejecución no estuviera a la altura de una idea que tenía tanto potencial, porque terminé encariñándome con ellos y con ganas de conocerlos más.

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Drama, a Drama Queen, and a little bit of acting

Update after episode 5:

I am still completely invested in Project XY, which may be the most annoying part of this review because the show is simultaneously fascinating me and making me want to corner the producers with a whiteboard.

The premise has so much potential: seven men, different personalities and levels of experience, trying to find viable CP chemistry for future BL projects. That means the show should theoretically be doing several things at once—creating a compelling nine-episode reality series, identifying strong pairings, helping us get attached to all seven contestants, launching the eventual CPs, and building enough audience investment that people will follow these men into whatever comes next.

And increasingly, I’m not convinced the edit knows which of those goals matters most.

The biggest problem is Tyler saturation.

This is not because I personally like or dislike Tyler. It is because the show has spent an extraordinary amount of limited screen time centering his jealousy, hurt feelings, pouting, crying, anger, and reactions to CH—and when other contestants get screen time, they are often talking about Tyler or reacting to Tyler. In a nine-episode show with seven contestants, that is a huge storytelling choice.

And it may be doing Tyler himself a disservice.

If Tyler is intended to be part of one of the final CPs, especially a main CP, why is the show introducing him to the audience almost entirely through his least appealing moments? If production wants viewers to support him long-term, we should be seeing why someone would want him as a partner: his humor, kindness, work ethic, charm, talent, calm moments, supportive moments, whatever else is there. Instead, the edit keeps teaching us what Tyler looks like when he feels slighted.

That is not character development. That is character reduction.

And if Tyler is not one of the final paired contestants, then the question becomes even stranger: why spend so much of a very short season making one contestant the narrative center when the stated purpose appears to be introducing and evaluating seven potential performers?

At this point, my biggest question for production is:

What was your actual objective when you edited this season?

Was it to:

1. create a compelling nine-episode reality show,
2. identify viable CPs,
3. build fan attachment to seven performers,
4. launch the eventual pairings,
5. or maximize social engagement?

Because the edit makes those goals look like they were not prioritized equally.

And that is especially frustrating because the quieter dynamics are often far more interesting when the show actually lets us see them. Xu and Elio have developed in a way that feels organic and surprisingly tender. Alan arrived late and immediately brought a completely different energy into the house. Waner remains one of the most compelling contestants precisely because he is quiet, slow to warm up, and not performing his feelings for the camera every five minutes.

The show is at its best when it trusts those subtler dynamics.

It is also increasingly bizarre that we are more than halfway through the season and still do not clearly understand how the final CPs will actually be chosen. What criteria matter? Acting ability? Camera chemistry? Professional compatibility? Emotional connection? Votes? Challenges? Production judgment? We have had plenty of games and emotional drama, but relatively little that feels directly connected to evaluating who can actually function together in a BL project.

I am still hooked. Deeply. Probably embarrassingly.

But I am no longer just wondering who will end up with whom.

I am now also wondering what story the production team thinks it is telling—and whether that story is helping or actively hurting the very actors and CPs the show is supposed to launch.


Review after episode 4
I am only four episodes into Project XY, and I already look forward to this show every Saturday.

The cast — Waner, CH, Elio, Tyler, Young (Xu), Joel, and now Alan (Che) — are distinct enough that the fun is not just in wondering who might eventually pair up. It is in watching how differently each of them approaches connection. Some are immediately expressive, some are cautious, some are physically comfortable very quickly, some seem to connect through shared work and routine, and some take much longer to reveal what they are actually feeling.

There is already a fascinating mix of first-impression attraction, comfort, jealousy, friendship, compatibility, and plain old personality clash. One member is currently a full-blown drama queen, and whether you find that entertaining or infuriating will probably depend on your tolerance level. Mine is low. 😂

What keeps me watching, though, is that the relationships do not feel fixed. Someone can catch another person’s attention immediately and then lose it once they actually get to know each other. Someone else can quietly become important simply because they work well together and feel comfortable around each other. The show gives us enough interviews and everyday interaction to see those shifts happening.

And yes, the editing absolutely plays games with the audience. Previews and reaction shots are arranged to make you think you know what is happening, only for the full episode to reveal something different. Once you realize that, trying to separate the real interpersonal dynamics from the production’s storytelling becomes part of the fun.

If you like reality shows where the appeal is less about manufactured competition and more about watching a small group of people slowly reveal who they are with each other, Project XY is absolutely worth trying.

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Six Gorgeous Men, One Seaside House and a Chance to Star in a BL?

Where I’m from in Australia, we have a reality show called Big Brother. I know it’s incredibly popular, but reality dating shows have never really been my thing, especially when they focus on straight couples. Then I saw Project XY appear on GagaOOLala, an all male Chinese dating reality show, and suddenly I was interested. After only two episodes, I’m already hooked.

This is actually my first ever gay dating reality show, and I absolutely LOVE the concept. Six gorgeous men, Young, Joel, Waner, Tyler, Ch and Elio, enter a beautiful seaside house as strangers and start getting to know each other while trying to figure out who they connect with the most. But there is another exciting element to the show. This is not just about dating and chemistry. The participants also have the opportunity to potentially become part of a future Chinese BL production, either as a main or supporting pairing. A gay dating reality show that can lead into an actual BL series? WHO CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA?! Give them a raise immediately.

Apparently, a similar concept was already done with the Thai and Korean version and it worked, so now I am completely ready to see what China does with it. I watch so many Chinese BLs, but I have never watched something like this before. Instead of meeting actors for the first time when their BL begins, we get to watch these six men interact naturally, build relationships, discover their chemistry and potentially find the person they connect with before we eventually see some of them together in a drama. That makes the whole experience so much more interesting to me.

And can we talk about these SIX MEN?! Young, Joel, Waner, Tyler, Ch and Elio are all so handsome, but they also have completely different personalities. I already know I’m going to start picking favourites, changing my mind, shipping different people together and analysing every little interaction like I’m personally responsible for casting the future BL.

We have seen countless series where contestants choose a number or name tag to decide who their partner will be, but this series has a unique idea. I love the concept of the red ribbon 🎀 , where six boys each hold one end of a ribbon, and the person connected to the other end becomes their partner and roommate. What a great way to let fate decide who they share a room with!

I also LOVE the house. The seaside setting is beautiful, the introduction immediately pulled me in and I really enjoyed watching all the activities and conversations as everyone started becoming more comfortable around each other. There is something addictive about watching six complete strangers enter the same house and slowly work out who they naturally gravitate towards.

And yes, I need to mention the kitchen. Seeing gorgeous men casually cooking together in the kitchen should NOT be this attractive, but apparently it is. 😂 Who knew watching handsome men prepare food could become one of the highlights of a dating show? Forget the fancy dates, just put all six of them back in the kitchen and let me watch the chaos.

What I’m most excited about is seeing the relationships develop naturally. Who will become close friends? Who will start flirting? Who will get jealous? Who will unexpectedly have insane chemistry? Who will become the fan favourite? And most importantly, which pairing will eventually make it into a Chinese BL? There are so many possibilities after only two episodes, and that is exactly what makes this so much fun.

I went into Project XY thinking I would simply check out the first episode because I was curious. Now I’m already invested in six gorgeous men living together in a seaside house and potentially competing for a chance to enter the BL world. How did this happen so quickly?!

If you love dating reality shows, handsome men, unexpected chemistry and Chinese BL, definitely give Project XY a try. Even if you normally do not watch reality television like me, the BL element makes this completely different and much more exciting.

Six gorgeous men. One beautiful house. New friendships, possible romance, jealousy, chemistry and the chance to become our next BL couple. I cannot wait to see who connects with whom and where this whole crazy experiment takes us.

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Like watching 6 chickens in a coop

Project XY feels refreshing from the very first pull of that red ribbon. Letting fate decide who is paired takes away the usual dating-show pressure…no chasing, no rejecting, no pretending to fall for someone before you even know his favorite coffee. Yet I have a feeling there is more behind that ribbon than fate alone. After all this project if for a BP CP.

What I like is seeing these six boys before they become a polished, camera-ready BL CP. Raw, individual, and almost unfiltered…awkward, curious, playful, guarded, or perhaps wondering, “Why him?” Just six boys in a house, getting to know one another while we watch like peeping Tom’s for unrehearsed small moments.

And that is where the fun begins for us. Suddenly, we are not just viewers…we are casting directors, dissecting every look, every laugh, every accidental touch, and every moment someone’s face brightens when a certain person walks into the room. The ribbon may have paired them, but can they make us believe in it?

Thai BL industry has long made it couples like products through workshops, chemistry, and years of working side by side. Project XY simply lets us peek behind that curtain before the script, the fan service, and the branding take over. It is not even a dating show. It is a social experiment with six handsome variables, a red ribbon, and an audience ready to decide whether fate and the boys made the right choice.

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