Oakley and Schulman
Online dating is already challenging, especially if you've never met or spoken to the person you think you're dating. In an episode of Catfish tonight on MTV, YouTuber Tyler Oakley helps host Nev Schulman bring together two young people who met over Instagram. Oakley has amassed millions of followers on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram and uses his online detective sleuthing skills to arrange a face-to-face between the two Instagram lovers.
But along the way another connection developed -- between Schulman and Oakley. The Advocate spoke with Schulman ahead of tonight's episode, and here arefive reasons why the straight host of the show says he's got a new "boy crush."
1. He Makes a Good First Impression. The pair first met in September, when Schulman was traveling for a book tour and ended up on the same flight as Oakley. Schulman recognized him right away. Their flight was delayed so they chatted, goofed around, and made videos. Schulman says they had "really good energy and got along really well," so before they got off the plane, Schulman mentioned that he was looking for people to cohost Catfish while Max Joseph, his usual cohost, takes a break to shoot a movie.
2. He's Adorable. "I certainly have no hesitation admitting that I think he's adorable," says Schulman. "I'm very flirtatious and I had a lot of fun flirting with him. He's got like an infectious personality. He's fun to be around. He's always cracking jokes. I mean, I'm not interested in pursuing any kind of romantic relationship but I don't see why guys can't think other guys are cute."
3. He's Everyone's Friend. "It was interesting traveling with Tyler because people hardly noticed me, because they were so excited to see him that I almost became the background," says Schulman. "People really feel an intense connection with him because he's in their lives every day. His voice is in their head, his tweets are in their phone, his pictures all over their Instagram, and he really has a very intimate relationship with his followers and you could see it just in the way that people come up to him and they immediately know what to say and what he likes and what jokes he made that morning and what recent video or TV show he's been into."
4. He's an Ambassador on LGBT Issues. Schulman says Oakley strikes him as an effective representative for the LGBT community. Schulman could see how Oakley "always considers and is very sensitive to people's issues and making sure that whatever cause he is supporting is representative of not just how he feels but how his community feels." For those who don't know, Oakley's a huge fundraiser for the Trevor Project and talks frequently about being gay on his channel without making it a central focus.
5. He's Not Afraid to Be Himself. "I was thrilled in my own way to ride the Tyler train because he's an incredible cheerleader for young people dealing with any kind of issue, but obviously one specifically surrounding sexuality. To be honest, be proud, and to be yourself are always undercurrents of my message and the show, but Tyler is very much the loudspeaker for that. I'm just excited to have someone who feels the same way I do."
You can count The Advocate among Oakley's supporters, having named him to last year's "40 Under 40" list, with his fans voting him onto our special online cover (which emulates a piece of amazing fan art).
The show airs tonight on MTV. Watch a trailer below:
