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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 ONE episode, 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 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.

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 one episode, 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.