'Finding Prince Charming' Is No 'The Bachelor'

Logo is making history with Finding Prince Charming, where a baker's dozen men will fight for a relationship with one lucky guy. The show is following the trend other popular dating shows, like ABC's The Bachelor. But Finding Prince Charming and The Bachelor are still different. While Finding Prince Charming is clearly borrowing some things from the more famous show, it's also unique, and not just because it features gay men instead of a collection of women vying for the Bach's affections.

Certainly, sexual orientation will affect the show, particularly since it doesn't seem like there'a anything in place that's stopping the contestants from hooking up with one another while they wait to find out if they've been chosen to live "happily every after." By the way, according to a report from the NY Daily News, that's exactly what happened... allegedly there will be multiple pairings between contestants that pop up over the course of the season.

But putting aside the differences that arose from choosing a group of men to date one man, there are more differences between the two shows then you might think. Even if everything about The Bachelor makes you gag — or you simply need a break after that season of Bachelor in Paradise — you may still be intrigued by the concept of Finding Prince Charming.

The Lead Is Unconventional

The titular "Prince Charming," Robert Sepulveda, Jr., told People magazine that he worked as a male escort in the past to help pay his bills. "I didn't want to have to talk about that time in my life again," he told the magazine. "But I'm not ashamed of my past. I own it, and I talk about it with the guys on [the show.]" In comparison to The Bachelor, which isn't always the most sex positive, the Finding Prince Charming lead having this type of past is a huge contrast to the more conservative Bachelors on ABC.

It Has A Celebrity Host

While Chris Harrison is certainly a celebrity to Bachelor fans, he's best known for his role as the host of the series, while Lance Bass, who's hosting Finding Prince Charming, was already much better known for his time as a member of NSYNC and when he publicly came out as gay a decade ago.

There's Diversity

On the whole, the cast of Finding Prince Charming is pretty white. But in addition to casting the Latino Sepulveda, Jr., there are three black men vying for his affections, which is a high number in comparison with most Bachelor and Bachelorette seasons, according to The Wrap.

There May Be A Huge Bombshell

On the ABC franchises, a "dramatic reveal" usually means one of the ladies admitting that she's either a mom or a virgin. On Finding Prince Charming, one of the contestants will allegedly reveal he is HIV positive, according to TMZ. It's great that the show is taking the time to show that an HIV positive person can still have an active and enriching dating life.

The Fairytale Romance Is Totally Different

The Bachelor is sickly sweet, from the rose motif to the way the dates can be super cheesy. And, on the surface, Finding Prince Charming is just as corny. But there's the added baggage that many of these men likely weren't able to grow up openly gay, or have suffered discrimination because of their sexual orientation. The straight couples on The Bachelor and Bachelorette don't have to worry about this, since they fit the ideal promoted in every other piece of media about love stories. The Finding Prince Charming cast are, in a way, trailblazers, by being framed as a fairytale couple.

It Doesn't Have Any Continuity Yet

While The Bachelor started out as a simple dating show, at this point, it has so many spinoffs, variations, and built in traditions that it's so much more. Everything on The Bachelor from the limo entrances to the proposals is now a part of the crazy dance that can take you from a small town professional to a TV celebrity that can, if you play your cards right, lead to appearances on up to three series, and maybe even your own spinoff.

Until Finding Prince Charming has over 20 seasons of its own, I doubt it will come anywhere close to having The Bachelor's arcane complications and complex mating rituals. But until then, it might be interesting to watch the show develop its own traditions and see if they rival the weirdness of the more storied series. Fans can tune in Thursday at 9 p.m. ET to watch it all go down.

Images: Logo; Giphy (2)