Thirst Trapping with Five Faves from 'I Kissed a Boy'
National Kissing Day took place this weekend, Saturday to be exact, with International Kissing Day coming up on July 6. Between finding time to celebrate these holidays with smooches on those you like, love, or just want to kiss, this may be a great time to catch up on the BBC Three series "I Kissed a Boy," which aired in Great Britain a year ago and is currently streaming in the U.S. on Hulu. (Follow this link for streaming info.)
And for incentive to watch, here are some thirst traps of the contestants on the hit reality show. Though it spawned a female counterpart — "I Kissed a Girl" — the second season of "I Kissed a Boy" has yet to be announced, despite becoming something of a phenomenon in its home country. On it a group of gay men are brought together at a remote Italian villa. The initial ten are paired off through personality tests, then brought together for a first kiss — do they hear bells or is it just a missed opportunity?
As the Guardian put it: "It's in the show's easy balance of the basic and the specific that it most succeeds, conversations over who is top or bottom casually mixed with inane flirting over cheap wine. At a cautious eight episodes, it's unlikely to infect the nation in quite the same way as the woozy, all-consuming 'Love Island' but it's a fun and grounding reminder that we all deserve a chance to graft around the pool while a Dua Lipa song plays in the background. Luv is luv."
As for added incentive, here are five of our faves from the show, who may not have paired up after leaving the show, but have caught the eyes of many on social media.
Gareth
Gareth Valentino was paired with Subomi, the Nigerian-raised Londoner, for their first kiss. It seemed they were a couple at season's end, but Gareth broke it off, saying he was not ready for a relationship. The lean Irish-born, London-based fashionista has mastered the art of thirst-trapping, as these IGs attest. On a more serious side, he has also has gone public about his issues with body dysphoria and how they have impacted his health.
Jake
Ginger Jake was paired with Kailum for their first kiss, and both showed a sweet vibe that looked as if it was going to extend beyond Italy. Not so. Distance and scheduling interceded and the pair broke up. But this hasn't kept Jake from pushing himself at the gym and for raising money for his favorite charity, Terrence Higgins Trust. Here are some pics from his IG:
Joseph
Joseph Mendez never got paired off during the season — he was eliminated on Episode 5. Still, the striking London actor-to-be cuts a handsome profile on IG. He describes himself as a fashionista who loves to express himself through his clothes, especially the finishing touches - nails and jewelry.
Ollie
Hunky Ollie described himself as "gay man in a straight world." He works as a road worker in Brighton, but is open about his sexuality with his co-workers, friends and family. Being what he calls "a bigger body shape," he has found some pushback when dating. On the show, he was initially paired with Ben, until wild card Dan entered the villa. By the fifth episode, they were paired. While it appeared all was well with the couple, shortly after the reuinion Ollie announced they had broken up, but with no hard feelings. Check out these pics of Ollie from IG:
Ross
With the most followers of the cast members (26K) on IG, the strikingly handsome Ross is something of the break-out hottie from the show. Ross comes from Manchester where he works with adults with learning disabilities, but he looks like he'd be right at home on a local football squad. He came to the show fresh off a five-year relationship. Paired with Ceejay, they were a couple at the end of the season; but it soon ended when Ross felt Ceejay was pushing too hard, and the relationship came to an end. Here are some IGs of Ross: