Boy Meets Boy is an American reality television series broadcast by Bravo. The series premiered on July 29, 2003, and it concluded with its sixth episode on September 2, 2003. Filmed in Palm Springs, the series depicted leading man James Getzlaff selecting a partner among a group of fifteen men, referred to as mates. Getzlaff and the mates participated in one-on-one dates and group activities, with Getzlaff eliminating three mates from the competition in each episode. However, in the fourth episode, it was revealed to Getzlaff that the mates actually consisted of both gay and straight men. If the final mate in the competition was a gay man, he would win a $25,000 reward and a vacation to New Zealand with Getzlaff. Conversely, if the final mate was a straight man, then he alone would win the $25,000 reward. The series was hosted by English television presenter Dani Behr.

The series received mixed reception from television critics. Some critics praised the series for its portrayal of LGBT people, while others found it dull. However, the fourth episode's reveal was universally panned by critics and audiences alike, with most deeming it a cruel and homophobic twist against Getzlaff. The twist was defended by producers, who claimed that it was an attempt to appeal to audiences outside of the LGBT community. The series received further backlash from some conservative Christian organizations, such as the Traditional Values Coalition, for its perceived positive representation of LGBT people. Boy Meets Boy premiered to strong ratings for Bravo's standards, although it dwindled with subsequent episodes. The series received a nomination in the Outstanding Reality Program category at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards.

Boy Meets Boy was the first same-sex dating show. Despite its short-lived run, the series inspired a wave of LGBT-related reality television series throughout the 2000s. The series assisted in bolstering the entertainment careers of several contestants, including Getzlaff and Dan Wells. Due to the fourth episode's twist, several media outlets have cited Boy Meets Boy as one of the most controversial reality television series of all time. In 2022, Time deemed the first and only season of Boy Meets Boy as one of the most influential reality television seasons of all time.

Set in Palm Springs, California, the series depicted James Getzlaff, a 32-year-old human resources manager, selecting a partner among a group of fifteen men (referred to as "mates").^[1] The fifteen men were required to move into a house together, in which they went on one-on-one dates with Getzlaff and competed in a variety of group activities. At the end of each episode, Getzlaff eliminated three men from the competition. In determining which men to send home, Getzlaff consulted with his longtime friend Andra Stasko, a married straight woman.^[2] Toward the end of the series, Getzlaff was informed that the group of men actually consisted of both gay and straight men.^[3] If the man Getzlaff chose at the end of the competition was gay, the two would win a vacation to New Zealand and Getzlaff would receive a $25,000 reward. Conversely, if Getzlaff chose a straight man, the straight man alone would win the $25,000 reward while Getzlaff would receive a "very small" cash reward. English television personality Dani Behr served as the host of the series.^[1][4][5]

Boy Meets Boy premiered on July 29, 2003, in the United States on Bravo at 9:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).^[16] The series aired alongside Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as part of the network's gay programming block.^[17]

The series was released on DVD on May 25, 2004.^[18] The three-disc release featured all six episodes of Boy Meets Boy in addition to cast interviews, behind-the-scene featurettes, casting reels, a drag performance by Miss Coco Peru, an unaired opening sequence, cast biographies, and a "Where Are They Now?" segment about the contestants.^[18] In March 2006, the series was released for streaming on OutzoneTV.com, an LGBT-targeted broadband channel created by Bravo and PlanetOut.^[19]

Boy Meets Boy creator Doug Ross held out hope for a second season. He acknowledged that the popularity of season one would make it practically impossible for another season with the same twist but also said that he has come up with another twist which Bravo executives thought was fun. Speaking in 2007, Bravo executive Frances Berwick pointed to public knowledge of the twist as a stumbling block to a second season, noting the difficulty Bravo had selling the series overseas because of international press reports on the twist. On the possibility of a season two with a new twist, Berwick said, "What Bravo does best is to do things first and to really sort of shake up people's preconceptions and notions about things. And we would accept many different formats [for a Boy Meets Boy-type show]. I'm not saying that they wouldn't be as good, because you can always come up with something else. [But] until we find the perfect way to do it..." Berwick also suggested that at the time a series as gay-specific as Boy Meets Boy might not have fit into Bravo's overall programming strategy. "It has to feel like it's broad enough, and multidimensional enough to work for our incredibly smart audience."^[26]

Supervising producer Kirk Marcolina expressed interest in producing another season focused on women.^[7]

Boy Meets Boy was the first same-sex dating show. Despite its short-lived run, the series was responsible for a wave of LGBT-related reality television series in the mid-2000s, including Playing It Straight, Gay, Straight or Taken?, and Straight Dates by Gay Mates.^[27] In 2022, Time cited the first and only season of Boy Meets Boy as one of the most influential reality television seasons of all time.^[3] In 2015, Entertainment Weekly cited Boy Meets Boy as one of the worst reality television series of all time; a staff writer for the publication claimed that the series was "[c]ruel, offensive, and worst of all, boring."^[28]

The series launched the entertainment career of Getzlaff, who subsequently starred in the off-Broadway production My Big Gay Italian Wedding and the comedy film Another Gay Movie.^[29][30]