This post was submitted by Topher Burns

Topher had a chance to connect with the fabulous Beekman boys (from The Fabulous Beekman Boys) before their show’s premiere last year.  Thanks in no small part to TNG’s coverage, the first season was well received, and Planet Green eagerly gave the ok for a second.  The new season kicked off last week, and picks up right where season one concludes.  The gentleman farmers themselves, Josh and Brent, took a little time to connect with Topher on what’s new in season two.

The New Gay: So, what’s new in season two?

Josh Kilmer-Pucell: Season two is a lot about growing our business.  As you remember from season one we called it our year of sacrifice where Brent and I agreed to commit a full year to see if we could make this farm thing work.  Season two is beyond that, this year it’s all about the million dollars, which is the revenue our business would need to be making for me to quit my job in the city and (work on the farm) full time.

TNG: Any hints yet if you’ve already hit the mark?

JKP: We’re actually still filming season 2 right now, and won’t hit the official end of the million-dollar year until next month.  I guess we’ll see then.

TNG: What sorts of new things are afoot at Beekman Farm?

JKP: Well, one of the projects we’re really excited about is a Beekman seed collection with Williams & Sonoma.  We’re selling 10,000 seed kits through W & S stores all across the country. Each seed kit has exactly the same sets of heirloom plants that can grow in any region of America – our aim is to create the country’s largest community garden.  No matter where you are in the country you can get one of these seed kits and access experts we’re working with in your growing region for specific advice.  Sharing like this is just such a big part of Beekman.  We always point out that you don’t have to live next door to be a neighbor.

TNG:  One of the things we discussed last year was how your show was very much a reality show about a couple, rather than a show about gay guys.  It’s still something I really appreciate about TFBB – have you heard the same from other people as well?

JKP: Our audience has connected to that aspect of the show in a big way, and we’re not just hearing this from within the LGBT community (though of course we hear from a lot of gay people how happy they are to see a couple on reality TV that’s more than just gay minstrels).  Most of the letters we get are from straight married couples.  We hear from military families, from retired football coaches with kids; it really reinforces what we knew all along, that a couple is a couple is a couple, no matter the combination.

 

TNG:  So do you think this shows that Americans are changing their attitudes about gay couples, or do you think it was never a big deal for most Americans and that TV executives finally got over their own fears of honestly portraying gay relationships?

JKP: It seems to me like the trains are all moving on parallel tracks at different speeds.  Both of those changes are probably happening at the same time.  We’ve been delighted to get letters from viewers who have written to tell us that our show helped them change their mind about opposing gay marriage.  I hope that in a small way we’re helping to speed up progress.

TNG:  Part of the show’s honesty is in proving that, gay or straight, couples get in fights.  The first “year of sacrifice” definitely posed some challenges to your relationship.  Have things gotten easier for you two?

Brent Ridge: In some ways they’ve gotten harder. Relationships are difficult things. Season one was definitely a very stressful time in our lives; with Josh working during the week the only time we could see each other was on the weekends, which was also the only time we could get any filming done.  Naturally that caught some of the tenser moments between us, and that hasn’t changed with filming this new season.  Now we’re not as worried about losing the farm itself, but we’ve taken on a whole new set of stresses with running and growing a small business.

TNG:  I like that the show’s shifting to really show the nuts and bolts of getting a small business running.  In a recent interview with Joe Zee, he mentioned that America, fresh out of recession, is now craving more reality in its reality tv.  The New York Times’ Bill Carter noted a similar trend this week.  Are you feeling that too?

Brent Ridge: It’s so interesting that you mention that.  I’d say in the past two months especially we have gotten a number of emails from people asking us to write a business book.  I think a lot of people are out there just trying to make something work, looking for inspiration, and I hope our show can share that.  Season two definitely goes deeper in depth with the steps that we take in building our business.  Producers are very astute with how they build the stories for the show from the endless hours of footage they get from filming, and I think in singling this story out they’re responding to a real desire from the audience.

TNG:  Producers definitely have a lot of leeway in shaping the story arcs out of the footage they get.  Have either of you ever felt like you’d gotten the rotten end of some editing?

JKP: I always think it’s lame when reality stars complain about how they’re portrayed in editing.  It still happened!  On the other hand we’ve never had anything really bad happen to us in editing yet, like when on other shows they make “Frankenbytes” where they clip a reaction and tack it on to a different conversation.

BR: A different thing about our show is that a lot of other shows only have eight weeks of filming, so they sometimes have a limited amount of material from which to make a story.  With us, we film for an entire year and do it around our calendar, so every time something’s happening we’ve got cameras there.

TNG:  I still don’t know enough about budding gay sex symbol Farmer John.  Give me the dirt.

BR: They’re not much dirt on Farmer John besides the dirt on his clothes.  He’s living on the farm full time now, with his partner Jason, and living his dream.  He’s very quiet, very private, and he loves the goats.

TNG:  Well, I guess I’m going to have to buy a goat suit to get the full story.

Don’t wait for Topher to buy a goat suit – check out the live Beekman goat cam.

The Fabulous Beekman Boys airs Tuesdays on Planet Green at 10 PM (ET/PT).

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