This week’s episode of FBoy Island Australia made reality TV history with Nathan Giastis becoming the first openly gay man to appear on a straight dating show in the country. Hosted by former reality star Abbie Chatfield, the popular series features 24 men categorized as either “Nice Guys” seeking love or “FBoys” solely chasing a $50,000 prize. The show revolves around three women who must determine which category the contestants fall into.
However, this week’s twist involved an unexpected reveal. The women suspected one contestant might not be straight after they discovered Nathan’s TikTok account, which included LGBTQIA+ hashtags, rainbow emojis, and humorous comments hinting at his lack of interest in women.
When confronted, Nathan initially insisted he was “100 percent straight,” prompting the women to assume he was queerbaiting. But later, during a private conversation with Nicole Mitrov, Nathan admitted he was actually a “gay FBoy.” Surprisingly, instead of being eliminated after his revelation, Nathan persuaded Nicole to let him stay on the show as an undercover ally, helping the women identify which contestants were “FBoys” and which were genuinely there for love.
In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, Nathan explained how he ended up on the show, revealing that he was scouted through social media. “A producer reached out to me on TikTok or Instagram. I didn’t apply for the show,” he laughed.
While Nathan never envisioned himself dating women, he saw the experience as a unique opportunity to stir things up and have fun. Though there were doubts about being the first gay man on a straight dating show, he embraced the challenge with a positive attitude, viewing it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Nathan, who works as an electrician and is frequently surrounded by straight men in his profession, aimed to stay low-key while filming. He shared that his strategy was to blend in and avoid drawing attention to his true identity. “The plan was to fly under the radar since I couldn’t fully be myself,” he explained.
Despite feeling out of his element in a group of men, Nathan found the experience comfortable, and the producers continuously checked in to make sure he was okay. Viewers might wonder why Nathan didn’t scrub his social media of LGBTQIA+ content before appearing on the show, especially knowing that contestants’ social media is often scrutinized each season.
Nathan explained that while he was initially advised to clean up his profiles, that guidance changed before filming, and he wasn’t prepared when the inevitable social media search happened on the show. “I hadn’t watched enough of the previous seasons to expect it, so when Abbie walked in with the laptop, I felt my heart sink,” he admitted.
As for why he remained on the show after his secret came out, Nathan teased that his journey is far from over. While romance wasn’t in the cards for him, he hoped to help the women find genuine connections with the Nice Guys. “If I could help them find love and split the prize money in the end, that would mean more to me than anything,” he said. He promised viewers more drama, twists, and surprises in the episodes to come.
Season two of FBoy Island Australia is now streaming on BINGE.