Gigolos
Encyclopedia
For the occupation of gigolo, see Male prostitution
Gigolos is an American reality television series about the lives of five male escorts
in Las Vegas
. The series follows the men, all employees of the same escort agency, through their daily lives and interactions with each other. Cameras also follow the escorts on their appointments with women, including their sexual activity. The series debuted on the premium cable channel Showtime on April 7, 2011.
Gigolos has been met with critical confusion regarding the legality of the activities it portrays and amazement that women would consent to being filmed purchasing sexual services. Critics have largely been sharply negative, although a few have offered the series guarded praise.
Showtime ordered a second season of eight episodes, and it debuted October 20, 2011.
Since season one was taped, sources reported that Steven and Brace have left Cowboys4Angels. Both men remain in the cast for season two.
press tour, Showtime entertainment president David Nevins told critics that the sexually explicit Gigolos was part of an overall vision for the network. "We are a pay cable service and I think it's about doing things with some depth and sophistication and taking people places they couldn't go on other networks."
Executive producer Richard Grieco
became interested in the project because of the disparity he saw between portrayals of female and male prostitution. "I was sick and tired of seeing shows that were just about women. And women pleasing men. Gigolos are part of our pop culture. The only thing that has been done about it was American Gigolo. It’s been taboo. To me it was like, why?"
Garren James, owner of the Cowboys4Angels escort service, served as creative consultant for the series.
Las Vegas Police
spokesperson Marcus Martin disputed the legality of the sexual activity in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal
. "They can play the line as loose as they want to, semantically, but they're still violating the law." Since the recorded conduct did not occur in front of an officer it does not constitute an arrestable offense, although there could be "repercussions" in the future, according to Martin.
located one woman who appeared on the series who stated that the show is entirely fictional and that the sex is simulated. "They found me through a website. They wanted to know what skills I had. Then they created a scenario where I would need an escort, and they hired me." She looks upon her appearance as an acting job. She does, however, believe that the men are really prostitutes. Vin Armani stated that the men really do work as gigolos but believes that none of them actually live in Las Vegas.
According to James, the women who appeared in the series did not pay for their time with the escorts and in fact were compensated for their appearances. Some of the women were previous clients of his service while he recruited others. He refused to say exactly how much the women were paid other than saying it was a "small sum". James stated that while the men really are gigolos, they do not escort full-time. "Most of my men have other jobs. They see clients at night and on weekends. Most go to castings as models and actors or have personal training gigs. Women tend to book longer appointments so only seeing two clients per week for four hours at a time is $2000 per week. Lots of guys get booked at least once a month for a weekend at $5000 as the fee. Yes, most of the men can make a very good living off just doing this alone but they have so much free time to pursue other things so they usually do."
, Alesandra Stanley found Gigolos to be "[not] the most X-rated show on cable, but it may be one of the crudest reminders that there really is nothing some people won’t do to be on television". Noting the apparent greater market for gay male escorts in Las Vegas, Stanley found that "a look at women-only gigolos in Las Vegas is a little like a cooking show devoted entirely to vegan steak recipes". Amazed that women were apparently willing to consent to being filmed paying for escorts and having sex on camera, Stanley wondered whether the men and women chose to participate in the series in the hopes of finding fame beyond reality television, but concluded that they may wind up being among "the roadkill of show business".
Salon's Tracy Clark-Flory wondered whether the usual blurring between fiction and reality on reality television had been blurred by Gigolos to the point of pornography. Despite acknowledging how the worlds of pornography and reality television have already blended, she still found that Gigolos' "genre confusion creates a jarring dissonance" and that its combination of explicit sex scenes with the staples of reality television (e.g. confessional interview segments) "makes for a confusing mix of contradictory cultural expectations".
Claire Zulkey of The A.V. Club
graded the first episode a B. She found that the sex scenes have "a certain clinical feel" and that the non-sexual scenes are "odd and stiff", with the scenes in which viewers learn more about the escorts being the least interesting. Gigolos, she concludes, is the show to watch for those who want to see sex but don't want to watch an actual pornographic film.
Linda Stasi found nothing redeeming about Gigolos for The New York Post. All of the gigolos are "sad, low-life exhibitionists" who are "too buff, too orange, too filthy-mouthed and just all-around too-too. They are the kind of men that make normal women reel in disgust." She is equally critical of the clients and manager James. Gigolos, she wrote, "[g]lamoriz[es] the lowest filth that society has to offer and gloss[es] over what these slobs do as something exotic."
In a somewhat more positive review for Variety
, Brian Lowry thought that "the series proves reasonably compelling while relying on typical tricks of the trade". Expressing the same amazement that people signed releases to appear on the series, Lowry concludes that even a cynical viewer can find something about Gigolos to admire, even if begrudgingly.
Male prostitution
Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...
Gigolos is an American reality television series about the lives of five male escorts
Male prostitution
Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. The series follows the men, all employees of the same escort agency, through their daily lives and interactions with each other. Cameras also follow the escorts on their appointments with women, including their sexual activity. The series debuted on the premium cable channel Showtime on April 7, 2011.
Gigolos has been met with critical confusion regarding the legality of the activities it portrays and amazement that women would consent to being filmed purchasing sexual services. Critics have largely been sharply negative, although a few have offered the series guarded praise.
Showtime ordered a second season of eight episodes, and it debuted October 20, 2011.
Cast
- Garren James - owner of the Cowboys4Angels escort service
- Vin Armani - the newest escort
- Jimmy Clabots (as Jimmy Dior) - an actor (Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!) and personal trainer
- Nick Hawk
- Steven Gantt - a single father who escorts to support his son
- Brace - the oldest escort at 46, he is trying to develop a product line to allow him to retire from the business
Since season one was taped, sources reported that Steven and Brace have left Cowboys4Angels. Both men remain in the cast for season two.
Production and development
Speaking at the January 2011 Television Critics AssociationTelevision Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
press tour, Showtime entertainment president David Nevins told critics that the sexually explicit Gigolos was part of an overall vision for the network. "We are a pay cable service and I think it's about doing things with some depth and sophistication and taking people places they couldn't go on other networks."
Executive producer Richard Grieco
Richard Grieco
Richard John Grieco, Jr. is an American actor and former fashion model.-Early life:Richard Grieco was born in Watertown, New York, the son of Carolyn and Richard Grieco. He is of Italian and Irish descent. Grieco played football for Central Connecticut State University.-Career:Grieco worked as a...
became interested in the project because of the disparity he saw between portrayals of female and male prostitution. "I was sick and tired of seeing shows that were just about women. And women pleasing men. Gigolos are part of our pop culture. The only thing that has been done about it was American Gigolo. It’s been taboo. To me it was like, why?"
Garren James, owner of the Cowboys4Angels escort service, served as creative consultant for the series.
Legality
Outside of legalized brothels located away from metropolitan areas, prostitution is illegal in Nevada, carrying a penalty of a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail. In the premiere episode, James explains the "legal fig leaf" under which the service operates to new hire Vin: "We are a companion service and clients pay a rate per hour. First thing you're gonna do is collect the money from the client and then from there, whatever happens between you two is two consenting adults. It's illegal for you to take any money after that for any sort of sexual services or whatever." The closing credits include disclaimers: everyone shown having sex on-camera is of legal age; and "No one depicted in this program was remunerated in exchange for engaging in sexual activity."Las Vegas Police
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is a joint city-county police force for the City of Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada. It is run by the Sheriff of Clark County, elected every four years. The current Sheriff of Clark County is Douglas C...
spokesperson Marcus Martin disputed the legality of the sexual activity in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
. "They can play the line as loose as they want to, semantically, but they're still violating the law." Since the recorded conduct did not occur in front of an officer it does not constitute an arrestable offense, although there could be "repercussions" in the future, according to Martin.
Legitimacy
Questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the series and whether the men on it are really working prostitutes. The Daily BeastThe Daily Beast
The Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...
located one woman who appeared on the series who stated that the show is entirely fictional and that the sex is simulated. "They found me through a website. They wanted to know what skills I had. Then they created a scenario where I would need an escort, and they hired me." She looks upon her appearance as an acting job. She does, however, believe that the men are really prostitutes. Vin Armani stated that the men really do work as gigolos but believes that none of them actually live in Las Vegas.
According to James, the women who appeared in the series did not pay for their time with the escorts and in fact were compensated for their appearances. Some of the women were previous clients of his service while he recruited others. He refused to say exactly how much the women were paid other than saying it was a "small sum". James stated that while the men really are gigolos, they do not escort full-time. "Most of my men have other jobs. They see clients at night and on weekends. Most go to castings as models and actors or have personal training gigs. Women tend to book longer appointments so only seeing two clients per week for four hours at a time is $2000 per week. Lots of guys get booked at least once a month for a weekend at $5000 as the fee. Yes, most of the men can make a very good living off just doing this alone but they have so much free time to pursue other things so they usually do."
Season 1
| No. | Title | Original air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Date Night" | April 7, 2011 | Manager Garren James hires his newest escort, Vin, and explains the business. Nick has a date with a teacher from out of town. Jimmy services a married woman for her birthday as her husband watches and offers encouragement. An older woman interviews the men to choose one to escort her to a Black and White Ball. The men bet on who she will choose and Steven wins. The boys welcome Vin to their ranks. |
| 2 | "All 4 One" | April 14, 2011 | Steven, needing money to send his son to summer camp, books two new clients, including a very large woman he connects with through Jimmy. The rest of the guys visit a psychic and Brace is particularly affected by her reading. Later the four decide to service a client simultaneously and turn over their combined fee to Steve. Despite instituting a "no fluids or skin touching but the client's" rule, once at the client's place Brace is unwilling to participate. Steven is grateful for their gesture. |
| 3 | "Release the Kraken!" | April 21, 2011 | Brace wants to transition from escort to entrepreneur with an anti-aging dietary supplement but after a meeting with a supplement company he realizes he has much more work to do. Nick meets with a new client who tries to push him past his limits. Jimmy's new client is a budding dominatrix Dominatrix Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"... who outfits him with a "cock cage Chastity belt A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse. They may be used to protect the wearer from rape or temptation. Some devices have been designed with additional features to prevent masturbation... " that he wears for several days. |
| 4 | "Three Gigolos and a Baby" | April 28, 2011 | A married couple hires Nick to service the wife as a trade-off for the wife's hiring a woman for her husband. She enjoys herself but her husband is uncomfortable with the situation. Jimmy cooks dinner for his girlfriend Kelly, whom he told about his escorting career after a month together. Later two of his college friends come to town for a bachelorette party. One has kids and she leaves them with Nick, Vin and Steven. Brace begs off baby-sitting by saying he has a client but in reality he treats himself to a spa day. Jimmy tells his friends that he escorts and they are both supportive. |
| 5 | "Dance Dance Gigoloution" | May 5, 2011 | Jimmy reports that Kelly has broken up with him, jealous of the women he services. The guys do a photo shoot to update the Cowboys4Angels website. Brace's growing guilt and unease over being a gigolo lead him to seek solace, first from a priest, then from a female former escort. Jimmy and a client have sex in a limousine. A client hires Vin to dance with her in a salsa Salsa (dance) Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba as the meeting point of Spanish and African cultures.Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino" where multiple couples exchange partners in a circle... competition and they take third place. |
| 6 | "Birthday Sex" | May 12, 2011 | Steven reminds the guys that they have forgotten his birthday. To make it up to him they take him to a shooting range and then to a go-kart track Kart racing Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits... but he remains morose. Finally they set him up with a regular client of Jimmy's and, during their session, surprise him with a cake which he then has sex with at the client's request. Jimmy has an appointment with an executive in her office. Nick experiences some stomach problems so Brace takes him to get a colonic, which Nick does not enjoy. |
| 7 | "One Shot, One Opportunity" | May 19, 2011 | Nick gets a chance to perform his original rap song for a music producer. The producer is impressed and wants to work with him in Los Angeles. Brace teaches a shy housewife how to be more aggressive for her husband. Steven meets a new client whose fetish is simulating being dead during sex. Vin's client wants the "boyfriend experience". |
| 8 | "The Ties That Unbind" | May 26, 2011 | Vin services a wife while her husband tapes them for their private pornography collection. Later he has relationship issues with his girlfriend, Leilani, when she asks him to move with her to Arizona. Fed up with Jimmy's slovenly ways and constant didgeridoo Didgeridoo The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"... playing, Nick orders him to move out. |
Season 2
| No. | Title | Original air date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 20, 2011 | ||
| 2 | October 27, 2011 | ||
| 3 | November 3, 2011 | ||
| 4 | November 10, 2011 | ||
| 5 | "Poker? Heck, Yeah, I'll Poker" | November 17, 2011 | Brace gets Botox injections before servicing a professional poker player. Vin is booked by a lesbian as a birthday present for her bisexual girlfriend and they have a threesome. Jimmy shoots a music video for Nick's song. |
| 6 | "An Ex Marks the Spot" | November 24, 2011 | Brace's ex-wife, her twin sister and her sister's ex-husband visit Brace, hoping he will be able to release the lingering anger from the marriage. Nick's client is a dominatrix who hires him to dominate her. Steven services the friend of a bride who refused his services at her bridal shower. |
Critical response
Writing for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Alesandra Stanley found Gigolos to be "[not] the most X-rated show on cable, but it may be one of the crudest reminders that there really is nothing some people won’t do to be on television". Noting the apparent greater market for gay male escorts in Las Vegas, Stanley found that "a look at women-only gigolos in Las Vegas is a little like a cooking show devoted entirely to vegan steak recipes". Amazed that women were apparently willing to consent to being filmed paying for escorts and having sex on camera, Stanley wondered whether the men and women chose to participate in the series in the hopes of finding fame beyond reality television, but concluded that they may wind up being among "the roadkill of show business".
Salon's Tracy Clark-Flory wondered whether the usual blurring between fiction and reality on reality television had been blurred by Gigolos to the point of pornography. Despite acknowledging how the worlds of pornography and reality television have already blended, she still found that Gigolos
Claire Zulkey of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
graded the first episode a B. She found that the sex scenes have "a certain clinical feel" and that the non-sexual scenes are "odd and stiff", with the scenes in which viewers learn more about the escorts being the least interesting. Gigolos, she concludes, is the show to watch for those who want to see sex but don't want to watch an actual pornographic film.
Linda Stasi found nothing redeeming about Gigolos for The New York Post. All of the gigolos are "sad, low-life exhibitionists" who are "too buff, too orange, too filthy-mouthed and just all-around too-too. They are the kind of men that make normal women reel in disgust." She is equally critical of the clients and manager James. Gigolos, she wrote, "[g]lamoriz[es] the lowest filth that society has to offer and gloss[es] over what these slobs do as something exotic."
In a somewhat more positive review for Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, Brian Lowry thought that "the series proves reasonably compelling while relying on typical tricks of the trade". Expressing the same amazement that people signed releases to appear on the series, Lowry concludes that even a cynical viewer can find something about Gigolos to admire, even if begrudgingly.