I Kissed a Boy host Danni Minogue said the U.K. dating show, now streaming on Hulu, follows contestants through radical relationship journeys.
One example is Josh, who came out as gay after leaving the Mormon church, has his first kiss on the show and now runs an Onlyfans account.
"He was out and very new in the community," Minogue, 52, told UPI about Josh in a Zoom interview. "He just hadn't had that physical experience."
I Kissed a Boy filmed in Italy for three weeks, then reconvened months later for a reunion show to see which couples stayed together. Outside of Josh's relationship status, Minogue said, he became prolific on Instagram and the adult subscription site.
"He's all over social media and he's got an Onlyfans account," Minogue said. "But [Josh is] loving life and evolving into that person you want him to be."
Unlike the straight relationship shows The Bachelor and Bachelorette, I Kissed Boy couples don't give out roses. They declare who they want to date by kissing them.
"It's about that chemistry and that electricity," Minogue said. "Whether it's your skin tingles or your eyes open up or, if it was me, it'd be a little hair flick."
Minogue said she initially thought it bold to encourage strangers to kiss. Then, she said, she remembered having instant attractions without many words.
"When I went to the clubs, you'd be dancing up next to someone and there could be a kiss first," Minogue said. "Then you'd be chatting."
ADVERTISEMENT
Minogue sports a new lavish outfit every time she appears on I Kissed a Boy. Filming in Italy, Minogue brought all her wardrobe options from home in Australia.
"There were like 11 suitcases of stuff," she said. "I have never traveled with that much stuff before in my life."
She described her outfits as a cross between "Cupid/a fairy godmother." The host also realized she'd played the cupid role long before I Kissed a Boy in real life.
Minogue's long-time songwriter, Ian Masterson, convinced her to sing the show's theme song, "We Could Be the One," by reminding her of her impact on his life.
"He said, 'You were my original Cupid. I met my now husband on your tour. I would never have met him otherwise,'" Minogue said. "They are still together."
Minogue, whose sister Kylie Minogue is a prolific recording artist with a current Las Vegas residency, said she thought she was finished with music twice in her career. Between her matchmaking and loving the song itself, Minogue couldn't refuse.
"I've been creeping back in the studio since then, but it's a weird thing with music," she said. "It's definitely not my focus anymore as it was back in the day."
The BBC has already produced a follow-up series, I Kissed a Girl, in the U.K. The all-girl edition will eventually play on Hulu in the U.S. too.
Minogue said she observed a surprising difference between gay men and gay women on the dating shows. She said to expect the women on I Kissed a Girl to be more outspoken than the men on I Kissed a Boy.
"The guys are a bit more aware of themselves, a bit more self-aware," she said. "It was the girls who were much more rock up and here I am, you take me as I come."