The Queerguru Office was so fixated with celebrating a somewhat traditional Valentine’s Day this past February that we missed out on the launch of the Second Season of the Reality TV series  DATING UNLOCKED. We could be forgiven for that as not too far back in the distant past, gay men and women were totally excluded from participating in programs like this  ….. and then were allowed on a few as the token gays ….. but now we get to star in our own exclusively queer dating shows.

There’s Danni Mongue “I Kissed a Boy”, plus Canada’s Farming Fior Love, Stormy Daniels, For the Love of DILFs  (a show where gay men are separated into two groups — “daddies” and “himbos”), Spain’s Who Likes My Follower,  Couple to Throuple, The Ultimatum Queer Love, from Japan ‘The Boyfriend‘ and even a whole episode of Dating Around etc etc

Most of these Dating Reality Shows rely on adapting traditional methods/practices of courting, except for Dating Unlocked.  Made by Border-to-Border, the Canadian TV company run by Charlie David, who being openly gay really knows how to program authentically queer shows. In Dating Unlocked, hopeful queer romantics move beyond curated social media and dating profiles to find love in real life, and potentially share the key to their hearts. It features daters from all walks of life who share the same goal: to find a hook-up, a date or their one and only.  The one thing they have in common beyond their sexuality is their youth.

The first episode in this new season features Jamal, a charming gay vers, who can usually tell that he’s into someone if he lets them stick around after a play session; he’s not into following a traditional relationship script; and discovering if he and one of the daters will start writing their story.  Its all very unpredictable when physical attraction is removed from the initial equation, and it encourages all of his potential daters to be completely honest and open as they work through a series of games…..such as their version of Twister.  It makes for really good viewing ……but we will have to check back in the season to see if it also makes for really good relationships too