Hey Sports Fans:

If you'd like to ask me questions about my appearance on "The Real Gilligan's Island" this is the place to do it.

--the gay professor, Eric "CoachGumby" Anderson

The real professor was constantly pursued by all three women on the island. Did you have to kiss a girl?

He was always my favorite character because he never showed any real interest in Ginger or Mary Anne, but was the hottest person on the show.

Unfortunately I haven't seen "The Real Gilligan's Island". What are the 'ground rules' were when you sign up? What are they looking at?

There were certainly not conditions about me kissing women when I signed up. In fact, they wanted me (for several reasons) but also becuase I was gay. They were also hoping something might happen between me and a good looking Gilligan who is very gay friendly. While I had no sexual interaction with any of the castaways Rachel Hunter did pull my head into her boobs and exclaim, "You like them. You know you like them." This of course, was all fun, we bonded quit well on and off the island.

Gumby

I've got a couple questions. How much time did you actually have on the island to interact before competition began? On the show, it seems like you're all there for about a day before the first team competition (when the skipper falls down). Then the first elimination competition is the next day. Were you only there for 2 days before your elimination competition?

Also, is Rachel Hunter for real? She's my faovrite person left - it's almost unbelievable to see someone on a show actually care about her competitors and try to help them (when she helped Gilligan find food, and then shared it with Ginger Nicole).

They sequestered us for a week in a hotel room while they prepared things. This, of course, also served the purpose of starving us of socialization (we got out one hour a day), so that when we were finally released, we'd go nuts. Which we did!

The time you saw between my landing on the island and being "banished" actually represented 5 days. Pleanty of time to bond with people and to feel sympathy for Skipper Jim going down. You should also know that we weren't callous about his fall. We were miked, and after I saw him fall I specifically asked "can we go back" but a producer said no and told us to finish. They filmed the "victory" celebration 8 times, against our protests.

Rachel was as "real" or more than she seemed. A genuinely concerned individual who has spent months in the jungle with apes (like Goddell). She was concerned with the health of all, and we became fast friends. In fact, there was much more cross-team bonding than you might expect. Rachel called me "bisexual" because I navigated both teams easily. I had dinner with her recently, and she is great off the island as on.

The case against the "reality" genre:
*Exhibit A
**Exhibit B
***Exhibit C

This is exactly why they should just call it what it is: a game show. In reality five days isn't edited to look like one day. In reality if you witnessed someone in distress you wouldn't be told that you can't go and help. In reality you don't stage a phony victory celebration over and over until someone tells you that you got it right.

Would it have been so bad if they revealed on the air that you asked if you could go back and were told "no, finish the race"? No. They needed some manufactured dramatic conflict and once that skipper keeled over, the producers started dancing with glee.

Okay, rant over.

I didn't get to see this show, but have seen other reality shows and I think my question has been partly nswered. I always wondered how they were able to capture all the conversations (sometimes whispered, sometimes in the dark). I mean, do they set up cameras, lights, microphones and then say, "OK, have a candid conversation" or do they just follow people around hoping they can get snippets of dialogue. Also Gumby, were you pleased with they way your interactions with others were edited? Was there any "debriefing" after the show (ie. telling you you can't reveal the final outcome or they'll string you up--a la Survivor)? How have the ratings been for this show? How have your students reacted to your new found 'celebrity?'

Gumby

What did everyone do for those first 5 days? Was it just "hanging out" time, or was there some structure provided?

Did anyone other than the Beavens' show hostility towards you?

Well Joe, you are correct. Reality TV stars are not reality tv people, but actors portraying reality TV. This, of course, is common knowledge. Any time you put cameras on people, in any setting, it changes the interaction - all the world is a stage.

I'm not so concerned with the labeling of this as reality TV as reality TV, as I am with presedential press conferences also being scripted (now that scares me).

Anyhow, most of the drama is what I call "structured." While the fights you saw were organic, and not scripted or promoted, the fact that they put a homophobe on an island with me (and on the same team) is essentially asking for it. Which we all knew going in.

CanMark, they have us wired like Nixon watergate. Lights, cameras, sound equipment in our huts, trees, etc. Then you see a fancy necklace around my neck (a mic) as well as cameras all over. So if something happens, they are there.

You know going into it that they can fabricate anything they want about you. To this extent I was very pleased. I mean, they only took two of my sentences out of context - to try and make me look more arrogant than I am - but I can't complain. For the most part, they portrayed me the way I think I should be. They captured some comment about me "representing the working class" but that was also out of context. It's like, "duh" i'm a professor, Hello? I don't work with my hands. I think I was making fun of the millionaires (Beavins) saying, "If they represent millionaires, then I represent the working class."

My students at UCI love it. I've yet to teach at SUNY Stony Brook, so I look forward to seeing the reception from that. Best for me, is that I've ridden the wave to promote my book on gay athletes (which comes out in Jan) and I got lots of radio coverage about it. Soooo.. no complaints.

Weaselman, nobody was mean (at all) to me. I bonded with all. In fact, the Skipper who went down (in post production promotions) overheard his friend say, "I'm here with the gay professor and his friend." The Skipper interupted, "His husband." His friend then said, "the gay professor and his partner." Skipper again interupted and said, "His husband."

I found great support from those who'd never met a gay man (i.e. Marriane Amanda) and from the movie stars, other millionaries, gilligans etc. In fact, Gilligan Gooner, Chris, Kate, all went to a gay club with me.

Its unfortuante that so much tape gets cut. The five days we spent (before I was banished) were dynamic and exciting. We worked together to build things, fish and forge for food.

My greatest regret is that I spent so much time learning how to build quality rafts in my home swimming pool, that I didn't bother to think that all I needed was an intertube and paddle. Next time I'm on an island I'll remember that!

Why do these shows always have to have someone get thrown out? It seems to be just asking for cutthroat interaction between the castmembers.
Didn't MTV's original Real World keep all of it's characters? I guess it's been outpaced competitively by the shows that kick someone off now regularly. You get to know the characters better if they stay around longer. In real life people are too eager to give up on people rather than work with them. Maybe that represents the way things are going in the world and we lead it.

Gumby:
Did you ever see cute Gilligan naked? He is adorable. When you say "good looking Gilligan who is very gay friendly"...can you expand on that? wink

In answering the latest questions I’ will also add “itsplytime”s from another thread:

He asked, “I do have a question for you if I may ask. Was Mrs. Bevins as bad as she has been shown? Did she ever apologize or come around any? One good thing was you weren't stuck with her the whole time you were there!”

Since the show, I’ve spent time with her, and she doesn’t actually understand that there is something to apologize for. Her view, is that since others share her view, there is either nothing wrong with them. Whenever I or anyone would call her out on this or any other subject her pat response was, “well I’m not the only one to think this way.” One could certainly see that type of attitude in the days of lynching. It’s the, there is nothing wrong with it because everyone does it routine, that also normalizes such thinking.

In response to sportinlife’s question: quit simply. I agree. I was hoping that they would put us on an island and challenge us to find a way off. Still, when you sign with reality TV you never know what’ s in store, so I wasn’t surprised – just disappointed. I think the primary charge against the show (other than the lack of racial diversity) is that it’s survivor and fear factor with costumes. It’s certainly not the show that I would have done. On the other hand, perhaps Lloyd and Sherwood Schwartz are genius – after all Gilligan’s Island was called a flop when it originally aired, and look at the life its had since. Time will tell.

In response to Bobby78751’s question: I bonded with many/most of the castaways, and I found Gilligan Chris (the cute one) to reflect the bourgeoning masculinity of his generation. They are far less concerned with homophobia, often have gay friends, and are not afraid to do things or act in ways that were once coded as feminine. Indeed, Gilligan Gooner was the same. Both, in fact, went to a gay club with me. Well, to be honest when we were in Nassau my husband and I asked where the local gay club was, as Gilligan Chris, and a few other castaways wanted to go. He thought, however, that we said, “Raegae” and the club we ended up at was entirely black. Still, when I danced with my husband, nobody batted an eye. Times are changing.

Gilligan Gooner went to a gay club with me in Hollywood, danced with some bois, and he and his wife said the loved it. It is these type of heterosexual men’s attitudes that I invest our future in. As I left them after the premier party in LA, I said to Gilligan Chris, “If you represent the average heterosexual male in American youth, then we will be okay.” I do find that the high school, and college students of today are much less concerned with being thought a “regular” gay (i.e. one alienated form half the gender expression) and more concerned with being thought “a good guy.”

There hasn't been a posting on this subject in a while, so I'm going to stop reading the message boards. If someone posts a question here, please let me know by e mailing me at CoachGumby@aol.com

Coach Gumby,
I hope the rudeness of some of our members hasn't run you off. Sorry to hear you are going away. Please check in every so often.

What the hell happened to those crackers?

NJ

P.S. Rachel Hunter ROCKS!

NJ, I agree that was hilarious. "Did you eat any crackers?"

What people who use that excuse seem to forget is you have a lot of people who think like you do as well. That just cancels each other out. It is impossible that everyone who ever had someone agree with them is right. What she's really saying is that many people disagree with you, so you must be wrong. But that similarly boomerangs back on her. I realize arguing with people who haven't taken a basic logic course is its own form of Hell, but in the cool light of hidsight, it's very difficult to see how people can be that stupid.