You can blame the pandemic, the hubris, or the over-saturation of content, but one thing is abundantly clear: Quibi is not the smash hit that its creators were hoping it would be. Far from a game-changer, the mobile entertainment app may very well be the costliest industry failure since they decided to digitally remove those buttholes from Cats.
But despite all its swings and misses and rough reviews, Quibi has given us one very watchable and entertaining show: Gayme Show.
Hosted by comedians Matt Rogers (Las Culturistas podcast) and Dave Mizzoni, Gayme Show is a celebration of queer culture and absurdity. The premise is simple: two straight comedians are paired up with celebrity “life partners:” a Wise Queer or a Woman Who Gets It. They then play a series of games in order to be crowned “Queen of the Straights.”
The celebrity life partners have included Bowen Yang, Bob the Drag Queen, Ilana Glazer, D’Arcy Carden, and Rachel Bloom to name a few. The show is a goofy delight, where rules are thrown out the window, and points are awarded based on the whims of the two hosts. It very much captures the tone of the little-watched but beloved Talk Show the Game Show, another irreverent riff on the game show genre with a deeply queer sensibility.
Challenges on Gayme Show include “Celebrity Essences,” where the hosts give contestants three objects that represent the essence of a celebrity. The also play games like “Respect Kirsten,” where players have to list things they admire about Kirsten Dunst and “Notice Me, Father,” an interpretive dance challenge.
The show feels like a combination of the very best of Gay Twitter with the giddy vibes of a drag queen brunch. It also features a terrific running gag with American Idol‘s Vonzell Solomon belting out the title of every game and singing the theme song.
Ultimately, there’s a lot to enjoy in these 7-minute episodes that lift up queer culture and celebrate all things gay. You’ll laugh, you’ll gag, and you’ll have a truly hilarious time.
(image: Quibi)
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