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FBoy Island Promotes Massive Double Standard

A Flawed Experiment

By Niko BanksPublished 2 years ago 6 min read
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Ramon Naquid/HBO Max

Spoiler Alert: This article will discuss the ending of seasons one and two.

"The premise was really about how being an Fboy is not a good thing. It may be fun and people are allowed to do whatever they want to do with their lives, but it's not the kind of thing we're going to celebrate. Instead, we've got to examine it and expose it, and then try to see if people can change for the right person."-Ellan Gale(Creator) via The Hollywood Reporter.

FBoy Island is genuinely one of the best reality dating shows around. The concept is novel, and it leads to interesting conversations. The show clearly has a feminist lean and desire to examine the FBoy vs. Nice Guy dynamic. The show starts with three women and thirty or so men. Half of the men are Nice Guys meaning they are here for a relationship and will split the 100,000 dollar cash prize with one of three women if they are chosen in the end. The other half of the guys are FBoys who can either split the money or take it all for themselves after they have been chosen.

So each season is like a mystery and a romance. However, both seasons have fallen flat in the finale after strong builds. In season two, the women were told by host Nikki Glaser that they would be allowed a third option the boys didn't know about, and that is to choose themselves and take the 100,000 dollars just like the FBoys could. This was done to level the playing field and was revealed to the women in the final episode.

The three women of season 2 actually had a very entertaining mix of men in their final two. Louise had an FBoy and a Nice Guy to pick between, and Mia had just FBoys, and Tamaris had just Nice Guys. Interestingly nice guys finished last, and not a single Nice Guy got selected.

Tamaris chose herself and took the 100,000 and was applauded for it. She should not be applauded for it because the entire premise of the show is about FBoys learning the error of their ways and not being applauded for love bombing women and then ghosting them. So why should Tamaris be applauded for lying to two Nice Guys and then ghosting them?

The effect is the same whether it is a man or a woman doing it, but the show does not seem to care as long as the woman is the one lying and ghosting. Just last season, Garret played Sarah, and when she chose him, he chose the money. He was not celebrated or given a big check, and he actually didn't even get the money. Even though this was the premise FBoy Island made up, they decided they would donate all of Garret's money to a charity of Sarah's choosing. However, when Tamaris chooses to take all the money for herself and trick two Nice Guys, it's all good for some reason.

Also, even stepping away from gender inequality and looking at gamesmanship it was a bad choice. In Season one, when the show stopped Garret from walking away with the money, they tainted the experiment. At the beginning of season two, Nikki Glaser announced that the guys could actually get the money this time, but that could have been a lie. The FBoys from season two didn't take that chance and chose to split the money. However, the way the show stacks the deck makes it so that is really their only option because if they did choose to take all the money, there was no guarantee that FBoy Island would keep up their end of the bargain.

One of the FBoys, Mercedes, congratulated Tamaris on playing the game better than the FBoys, but she didn't. FBoys deserve a chance at the 100,000 dollars because the show puts so many barriers in their way.

To win the 100,000 dollars as an FBoy, you must come in as an FBoy and avoid detection and elimination. If you avoid elimination long enough, you must reveal your status as an FBoy and convince the women to pick you. Then the women get to go through all your social media together and pick out any red flags, and you have to navigate that as well. If you make it to the final two, then you have to sit through the mansplain where all the other eliminated guys can take shots at your character in front of the women. Then if you make it past that, you still have to be chosen over your competitor, who could be a Nice Guy here for the right reasons. Plus, you can't catch feelings if you are going to take the 100,000.

Compare that to what Tamaris has to do to get 100,000. She cannot be eliminated. The men do not get to go through her social media, the men don't get a tell-all to be warned about her, and they don't get informed that she can choose to take the 100,000 dollars. She does not have any competition because the contestants don't fight over guys, and even if they did, she could bring any two guys to the final because she can't be eliminated.

Tamaris was basically gifted 100,000 because the show's system favors her getting it, while the system of the show heavily deters the men from attaining it. However, that is precisely why the FBoys should have an honest chance to get the 100,000 dollars because, by the time the women pick these FBoys, they have had ample opportunity to get to know who they are and have been warned by multiple people. Sarah from season one saw so many red flags about Garret, but she chose to ignore them. Garret played a ruthless game, but it wasn't flawless. However, where were the mechanisms for the guys to avoid Tamaris, who warned them? When did she have to reveal she was an FGirl? They were lied to by Tamaris and the show.

The show is still an entertaining watch, but it continues to fail in the end because it does not stay true to its mission statement. If the FBoys cannot really win, then the premise is ruined because there are no stakes. Also, what is the point if the women can just choose themselves without having to do anything other than make the show? Also, why is it that Nice Guys can only get 50,000, but FBoys have some chance at 100,000, and the women have a chance the 100,00? It seems like the show is actually encouraging more FBoy/FGirl behavior.

The show should allow the FBoys to win the 100,000 because that is the price of ignoring all the red flags the show has put in place for the women. It would show the audience which red flags not to ignore and attract more FBoys to be examined and exposed. Also, if the show wants to show people can change, then allow them to really have the choice. It would mean so much more to see an FBoy choose to split if we knew he could actually take the money instead. It would also make choosing an FBoy that much braver because everything would be on the line for real. Also, the women and Nice Guys should only be allowed to split because they are supposed to be there for love, and FBoys who are there only for money face significant barriers to getting the money.

If the show were to remain true to the premise, everyone would receive advantages. The women get competed for by the men, and they get to vet the men thoroughly before making their choice. Nice Guys have the advantage of the women knowing they are there for the right reasons. Plus, the women and Nice Guys get guaranteed money if they play honorably and things go well. In contrast, Fboys who have the greatest disadvantage have the opportunity for the greatest reward. It is fair.

Lastly, between seasons one and two, there is a clear message if you are a man lying to women to get what you want, that is not okay, and you are scum, but if you are a woman lying to a man to get what she wants you are to be celebrated. How about calling out both equally?

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