My most likely way to meet someone new is:

That stalwart of repressed homesexuality and televised overcompensation, "American Gladiators," welcomes its first gay contestant Monday night. Former fat-kid turned personal trainer/comedian Sean Hetherington will live out his fantasy of competing against the likes of Justice, Titan and Wolf to prove that THIS American dream isn't the sole property of the straights.

Gays can put on bodysuits, fly through the air and slapfight too, you know! The big question is: Will he be "out" as the gay contestant on the show?

Here's where I start thinking, "Really, Sean...really?" According to Hetherington, he returned to his restaurant job. Then, on the day he gave his notice, a customer asked what "his story was" (you know, I always want to know what MY waiter's story is). Turns out, the customer was an "AG" producer, and wanted to cast the gay waiter-turned-personal trainer on the show. Don't that just beat all?

However it went down, the result is a first for the show, and a dream come true for Hetherington. I've never watched it, but I'll tune in to see what how he does. He did, after all, tell afterelton.com that he was "completely out during filming" and hints at using "mind games" against the gladiators. Not sure what that means, nor is there any way to guess exactly how much of his being "out" NBC will show (his boyfriend Aaron was seated in the audience with other contestants' family members, so yay for that).

Not sure how this will play in the heartland, either, but really -- isn't the show pretty queer already? I mean, those women are SO butch (Hellga - please!) and those guys...I mean, it's common knowledge that Militia (aka Alex Castro, aka Elian Cortez) has a long history of, ahem ... male erotica. And frankly, I'd be very surprised if he was the only one.

But "American Gladiators" is just the tip of this homoerotic iceberg. The popularity of Spandex-on-Spandex violence has exploded in recent years, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship being the fastest-growing sport in America (its websites also generate more visits than those belonging to soccer, golf or tennis). OK, maybe they don't really wear Spandex in UFC fights, but I challenge you to watch these clips and NOT think it's gay. In the absence of "Oz," UFC fulfills the gay-thug-fantasy role quite nicely. Now we know why Hetherington's been dreaming of being on "AG" all these years.

Later: OK, I just watched the show and to say it was disappointing is an understatement. Once they began introducing the contestants as all having lost significant amounts of weight, it was clear that THAT was going to be the angle of the show, and there was no way they were going to add the word "homosexual" to the mix. And as I sit here -- did I really think they would? Did Hetherington really think they would, or was he using this as an opportunity to get his name out in the gay media?

Not only was there no mention of Hetherington being gay, but his boyfriend Aaron was merely shown as one of "Sean's friends" in the stands. Boo. And to add insult to injury, Hetherington SUCKED! This guy's future as a personal trainer went down the drain tonight. Not only could he not hang for a minute against the gladiators (granted, he is about 100 pounds lighter than most of them), he looked uncoordinated and was completely out of breath after the "Eliminator."

He really had no chance, and you can't help but wonder what anyone -- himself included -- was thinking when he made the cut. His opponent, however, kicked ass, and it was clear from the get-go that he was going to win.

The only gay thing about the whole show (aside from gladiator Wolf howling like an extra from a production of "Cats") was Hetherington saying before his last challenge that his comeback would be bigger than Mariah Carey's. There goes his stand-up career, too.

The irony of all this is that while the show opted not to mention Hetherington's sexuality, this comment, along with his dismal performance and teary finish, likely had knuckleheads all over the country calling him "gay" (in the perjorative sense) -- or worse.

But maybe it's better he wasn't "outed." This way, there's no validation for those who think gays can't compete on a show like this. Maybe the next time a producer is out hunting for gay contestants, he can pick a big, brawny guy who actually stands a chance: That's the one I want to be out on the show. To Hetherington, I say: Good for you for doing it. Hope it was all you hoped it would be ... because it wasn't for me.

Source gay.com