As Per Usual, I'm late to the Party (Vancouver's Next Gay Top Model Finale) | Writing | Vancouver | Musings, Tangents, Rants

As Per Usual, I’m late to the Party (Vancouver’s Next Gay Top Model Finale)

Sunday, April 05th, 2009 | Author: stinkwallet

Hilarity overheard at the urinal in the bathroom at Celebrities Thursday night:

“Did you see Joel?”

“Ryan has pecs and abs, Joel just has pecks.”

“Well it’ll be one or the other, for sure.”

And I’ll admit that I was sitting on the same fence as these two fellows. I arrived to the party thinking that the competition would clearly come down to Ryan and Joel. Perhaps my distance from the judging process had me at a disadvantage. Possibly I was looking more at the faces and bodies of the competitors and less at the character behind them, or maybe I misunderstood the power of popularity.

So as per usual, maybe I’m just late to the party.

I mean, I had every intention of writing something sooner about the finale for Vancouver’s Next Gay Top Model, but something just didn’t click. In a room full of ex-boyfriends, maybe it was the alcohol that took over, or the fact that my favorite sweater got lost amongst the countless homosexual knees and feet, and the floor. Hands down, I was somewhat astounded by the results of the evening. Not simply because I thought that Ryan and Joel had nicer arms and abs than some of the other contestants, but more because of the overwhelming influence that knowing the right people has.

Every year when The Best of Vancouver in the Georgia Straight is released, it proves for an entertaining read. And I’m not alone, many have agreed that the survey very poorly represents what is actually the best in the city. The winner of Vancouver’s Next Top Model was decided by a process that involved 50% judge decided and 50% audience decided votes. I don’t mean to imply that Calan didn’t deserve the top spot, this little ginger really rocked it out the whole time. He was just the underdog that I didn’t see rising to the top of the competition.

I suppose it’s always a surprise ending that takes the audience in the fiercest way possible. And I suppose that endings are always anti-climatic.

For the performer, an ending can be an uplifting experience. Finishing shows in high school I was always relieved that the rehearsals were over and I could finally go back to drinking coffee and bitching about the world every night. But to the audience, and ending can leave you wanting more, or feeling a little dissatisfied.

In my case I felt a little bit of both.

So, although the competition is over and I have written much less that I first anticipated and written it much later than I should have, I am contentedly leaving this competition behind me. Vancouver’s Next Gay Top Model has shown me everything from the glory of well-funded camp to the importance of knowing a lot of people with cell-phones that can show up and vote for you. It has also taught me a lot about what it means to be on display, to be a part of a community with big opinions.

Most importantly, it has reinforced the integral opportunity that self-marketing yourself can have. Stepping out on a limb with confidence can be the most important thing that any of us can do for ourselves. In a competitive world, it sometimes seems impossible to believe that we have the potential to do anything beyond the limited scope of our worlds.

In this increasingly competitive world of ours, some of us manage to rise to the very top, even if just for a moment…

Vancouver’s Next Gay Top Model