Patrick McDonald, third from left, with his housemates on ‘Fire Island.’ (Photo courtesy Logo)
In the age of reality TV, the formula for a reality show has been fine tuned to a science. Logo’s “Fire Island,” executive produced by Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa, has the messy drama, alcohol and drunken hookups wrapped up into a cast of six gay men sharing a rental house for the summer on Fire Island Pines.
Khasan is a dancer living in New York City who is in a long-distance relationship with his Los Angeles-based boyfriend, Jason. Khasan isn’t too upset about the situation since he has his Venezuelan best friend, Jorge, to keep his mind occupied. He and Jorge sleep in the same bed, cuddle and do other PDA-couple activities together, but insist they don’t have sex.
Brandon, described as the “crazy little one,” is a 21-year-old who indulges in taking naked photographs for a hobby and is excited to meet guys on Fire Island. Cheyenne is a model with thousands of Instagram followers who starts his Fire Island journey ready to party but finds himself in an unexpected relationship. Justin is a bear with a passion for art. He admits to having body image issues and insists on group activities like family dinners in a motherly display of affection for the rest of the guys.
Enter Patrick, a bartender and Fire Island resident originally from Georgia, with a penchant for walking around with no shirt carrying his little dog, Bodhi. Fueled by alcohol and cameras, fights abound with Patrick frequently in the center. For every gathering, Patrick seems to appear with a new gaggle of gay buddies to introduce to his housemates. While some housemates enjoy meeting new friends, like Brandon who finds himself in a fling with one of Patrick’s guests, Jorge and Cheyenne feel the need for some house rules.
Patrick spoke with the Blade about criticism the show has faced for being a negative portrayal of the gay community, why he always found himself in the middle of drama and what the house was like when the cameras turned off. “Fire Island” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Logo.
WASHINGTON BLADE: What was your motivation for joining the show?
PATRICK McDONALD: A beautiful mansion on the ocean surrounded by a bunch of beautiful boys wasn’t that hard of a sell. Just meeting new people and having a new experience was really the main motivation. Then to know that Kelly (Ripa) and Mark (Consuelos) were behind it, I knew that it would be a quality production.
BLADE: You were the only cast member that lived on Fire Island during all of filming. Everyone else would go back to the city during the week. Did that affect your dynamic with the others?
McDONALD: Yeah, I would say it definitely did to some extent. During the weekends there were times when I would go and have to work sometimes. I don’t think that it affected it in a good or bad way. Just some events I had to miss because I was working out here. The really cool thing about working here is I was working on a lot of the really big parties and events that we went to out here. It’s kind of cool to prep for those things because you know somebody is going to be coming out to the island for the first time and this is going to be their first party out here. You get to be involved with giving them that experience. It’s a really neat perspective to have of the island.
BLADE: You’ve already had your fair share of conflict, especially when it comes to inviting people over to the house. Why were you so adamant about having an open-door policy?
McDONALD: I don’t know what you’re talking about, what conflict? No, I mean, I don’t think it was necessarily that I was adamant about the open-door policy. I was more adamant about not judging anybody before they came into the house. One of my favorite things about Fire Island is that people come out here and let their walls down. You can meet lots of different people that are in different social circles, that you wouldn’t necessarily hang out with in the city. So, I was just really wanting the other guys to get that authentic Fire Island experience and clearly some of them had different opinions on that coming in. I think you’ll see it evolve it throughout the season.
BLADE: During those confrontation scenes was there ever a time you felt people were playing it up for the cameras?
McDONALD: Absolutely not. There were some passionate personalities in there. It took me by surprise, honestly. That first barbecue when Jorge got upset with me, I mean, my first impression of this guy was the same as ya’ll’s, like this guy has a master’s in partying. I thought he would be right there with me. And Cheyenne really too. That’s the funny thing. I thought that Cheyenne and Jorge would be the people that I connected with the most and had a good, fun, wild time with and they ended up being the first two to want to shut the party down.
BLADE: At the time of filming you didn’t realize that your crush Brandon was going away to visit another guy instead of his family. How do you feel about that situation playing out for so many people to see?
McDONALD: That was definitely a surprising moment watching the show. I knew that had happened but I didn’t know that would be included. I don’t think he realized he was being filmed at the time. Honestly, it’s not the most fun thing to have that broadcast out. But it was also a good experience for me to go through that. Everybody gets broken up with or something happens when they’re seeing somebody that doesn’t feel really good. It was a vulnerable moment for me and I feel good about it now.
BLADE: Was there anyone in the cast who had a different personality when the cameras were off?
McDONALD: Everybody is pretty authentic on the show. One of the main reasons me and Cheyenne butt heads is because we’re both really opinionated. I sort of felt like I had seen Cheyenne have these fun parties and we had been having a good time together off camera, and it was confusing to me to see him be so reserved. But at that time, I didn’t know that he had a boyfriend that he was dating so that made a little more sense then. But, at first, I had that feeling a little bit about Cheyenne.
BLADE: What’s your take on Jorge and Khasan’s close relationship?
McDONALD: Girl, it wears me out and I’m not even involved with it. Jorge and Khasan are very, very, very close. They’re like family. It’s an interesting situation. I think that Jason (Khasan’s boyfriend) is a really good sport. I think Jason is the perfect guy for Khasan too because he’s really understanding. They have a great relationship on their own. It would probably be a lot for me if I was trying to date somebody and their best friend was around all the time, hanging all over them. But maybe that’s why I’m single.
BLADE: The show has received some criticism that it portrays the gay community as shallow and vapid with all the partying and hookups. How do you feel about that?
McDONALD: I would say a lot of people like to say, “Oh these guys don’t represent our community.” Well, six gay men are never going to represent the entire gay community. I think we’re all really different and we all bring to the table something diverse. I would say that the people who call it shallow haven’t been watching the show. There’s a lot of really in-depth moments that these guys reveal. A lot of personal, private, painful moments that I think would be really good for the gay community to see. Young, gay kids that are out in the middle of nowhere in some town hearing somebody talk about being suicidal and going through depression and talking that out to another gay friend. I think it will be really important and positive for the community. And you know what? Gay people do party a lot. They do that kind of stuff. I think the depiction of the community is extremely accurate.
BLADE: In a recent episode you introduce your housemates to an older couple who talk about how gay culture has changed. That was a poignant moment.
McDONALD: Absolutely. We have both sides of it. Yes, we go to these events and have a good time. But at the end of the day, cameras or not, we were six, gay men living in a house together all summer. Issues come up. The adversaries that are facing our community are the thread that ties the six of us together. That was such a fun day and a reminder of how this island is a pivotal place in the gay community’s history. It was really neat to spend time with them and hear firsthand how in the ‘70s they were coming here and feeling free to hold their hands. It reminds you not to take that stuff for granted when you’re out here. The show has a lot of that and even more coming up. I’m excited for people to see that.
BLADE: The show was filmed last summer. Are you still in touch with your housemates?
McDONALD: Absolutely, we’re all in a group chat. We talk constantly throughout the day. That’s been the coolest part of this experience. I have five new brothers, really. We’ve become so close and gone through so much together during the show and after the show. There’s definitely some conflicts in those relationships, none of them are perfect. But I’m so glad I met those guys and I know that we’ll be friends for the rest of our lives.
BLADE: How’s Bodhi doing?
McDONALD: Bodhi is fantastic. He’s currently on a press tour of his own. I think he’s doing “The View” next week.
BLADE: What’s next for you?
McDONALD: Recently, I’ve been writing and working on a country album. You’ll see later in the season I perform some of my original country music. It’s something that was a goal of mine. It just got me really amped up and excited about it. And just gearing up for the summer again, getting back out to the island and seeing what adventures we can go on this summer.
