Meet the Glaswegian stars of I Kissed A Boy season two

Glasgow Times

a day ago

This is the first thing that hospital pharmacist Jack D says as he recounts his time on the hit BBC dating show, I Kissed A Boy.
Image of Jack, supplied. Speaking to the Glasgow Times, Jack described the experience as surreal, before adding: 'I'll never get to do something like that ever again. I've made lifelong friends.'
And one of those friends is fellow Glaswegian and finance analyst, Jas.
Image of Jas, supplied. The two Glasgow-born boys entered the Italy cottage, known as the Masseria, with eight other men for a summer of love.
Matched on what they are looking for in a partner, each contestant must skip the chat and niceties when they meet on the Masseria grounds for the first time and go straight in for a kiss before entering the Masseria with their partner to explore their relationship and possible connections with the other men.
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Hosted by pop icon Dannii Minogue and narrated by Strictly Come Dancing finalist Layton Williams, this season of the show — which aired on May 11 — threw Jack and Jas into some wild experiences and left them with plenty of incredible memories, including meeting Dannii Minogue, of course.
Jas, 27, said: 'This experience is something that I will never forget in my entire life.
'It was the most beautiful celebration of what it means to be queer. To have my name attached to that is such a pinch-me moment. I genuinely would do it a million times over.'
(Image: Images provided) 'When I first saw Dannii across the pool on that first day, I went non-verbal,' Jack said.
He continued: 'I have loved her music since I was younger and loved watching her on The X Factor. They say never meet your heroes, but I've met mine and it was everything I thought it would be in the best way.'
Speaking on Dannii's unwavering support for the queer community, Jack added: 'She's such an ally. Behind the scenes, she really does care about all of us and wants us to do well. She's not just there to do a job, she loves the show. She's been so outspoken – especially about trans inclusivity, I'm just in awe of her.'
Jas agreed, saying: 'She cares about the community, and she champions it. She is a textbook ally, through and through.'
(Image: Images provided) The show – which is the UK's first dating show exclusively for gay men – is not just about kissing and meeting your pop heroes though.
From Lars being the show's first transgender contestant and Adam revealing his journey with HIV to Jas talking about what it means to be queer and Punjabi, the show is all about breaking down barriers and opening space for important conversations.
Through this, so many viewers have seen themselves represented on TV for the first time ever.
Jas said: 'The number of messages I've had from Punjabi, queer and even Scottish people who have seen themselves represented in this show because of me is so special and beautiful.
'I want to be the best role model that I possibly can be. I will not let this platform go to waste. I want to make an impact and help the community by spreading as much love and positivity as I possibly can. So that way, when I'm old and wrinkly in about a year's time, I can look back and be like, I did that.'
(Image: Images provided) Jack, 26, added: 'I don't ever remember watching a queer dating show that had a trans person in it. I remember when Lars told me and I thought, 'He's literally going to change the world'."
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When they aren't on national TV kissing boys, one of Jack's favourite places to go is Café Buena Vida in the Southside of Glasgow, where he is a resident DJ and Jas loves Loch Lomond.
He explained: 'It's my favourite place in the world. When I learned how to drive that was like my thing. I would drive there with a speaker and listen to music. Then I started to make friends, and we'd go and make a whole evening of it. It became my outlet and source of freedom.
'I love that you can literally be in Glasgow city centre and within an hour you can be surrounded by so much nature and peace. I am so proud to be Scottish. I'm so proud to be from Glasgow. It's one of the most incredible places full of people that are so friendly and there's a real sense of community just by being Glaswegian.'
(Image: Images provided) Catch up with the full series of I Kissed a Boy on BBC iPlayer. The reunion is set to air on Saturday, June 15 at 9pm on BBC Three.