Bravo TV's The Millionaire Matchmaker will make its own kind of history Thursday, May 7, when Patti Stanger attempts to help a gay client, Kevin Grangier, find Mr. Right. Grangier talked with Windy City Times about his experience on the show and about Stanger herself.
Windy City Times: First, how did you come to be on the show?
Kevin Grangier: Well, you know--dating dilemma. [ Laughs ] The concept of the show, of course, is Patti working with you to find the appropriate match and I, like everyone else in dating history, have come across hurdles I don't seem to be able to overcome myself. I approached Patti about assisting me, and that turned into what we'll see May 7.
WCT: You're described as a workaholic. I can relate; I often tell people that work is my mistress.
KG: Yes, she labeled me as a workaholic. I would call myself very dedicated to my company and clients. [ Grangier owns a PR/marketing firm. ] However, people outside my own personal circle would think that I'm a workaholic. I do say that I'm married to my company and refer to my employees as my children.
WCT: What were your impressions of Patti?
KG: I like Patti, and we got along very well from day one, but Patti can be brutal; she very clearly has opinions, and she is very thoughtful and wants to share them with you. And she wants to help fix any areas of concern you might have. But in that process, she can be intimidating and tough, and I got along with her very well. And I was her first gay client, so there was an educational component to this entire process and that may have softened things a bit.
WCT: In the episode, she says some things [ some members of the LGBT community ] may find off-putting, such as using the phrase 'the gays' in "I love the gays."
KG: I haven't seen the final cut of the show, but she did refer to our society as "the gays" [ although ] I don't find that offensive and I wouldn't take it down a path. I think, for someone who hasn't worked with us before, I think that's what she thinks is the correct terminology, and I know she was very excited to work with me.
WCT: Moving on to the mixer [ to meet potential dates ] , what was that experience like? Did you find it intimidating at all?
KG: It was absolutely intimidating. Not knowing what you're getting into, and not knowing the people--or never had seen them before, it was something I was a little bit anxious about. You don't know what they're looking for, you don't know if you're going to meet their expectations and it's a bunch of gay guys, and you know how tough that can be. [ Laughs ] It was like to go to a bar at Any City, USA. However, it was also exciting; it was a fun event, and it was fun getting to meet everybody.
WCT: I know there's a whole lot of editing involved, so tell me: Did you get as much time to meet the prospective dates as you needed?
KG: Oh, absolutely not. [ Laughs ] My personality is to get to know somebody. While I immediately know if I'm physically attracted to someone, I like to go beyond that and get to the second layer before I make a decision. In addition, I'm not used to being in a room with a bunch of people and my objective is to figure out which one I want to date. Usually, my objective is to find a common denominator. I would've wanted to spend a lot more time with a lot of them, although I wouldn't have necessarily wanted to date them.
WCT: Taking the show's title into account, how concerned were you that you could be matched up with a gold-digger?
KG: Well, obviously, you're concerned about that, but it is what it is, and I've certainly been around the dating path for a long path. I was cautious, as I always am. There were guys in the mixer who I definitely stayed away from because I thought [ money ] was their primary objective, but someone who's in my shoes would be pretty used to dealing with that.
WCT: I don't want to give too many details away, but were you content with how your date went at your home in Kentucky?
KG: Yes, I was. [ We ] didn't know what to expect, but that was equally as awkward. You're spending a couple days with someone you've just met briefly, and you haven't talked since that initial meeting. Plus, you have a camera over you the whole time.
WCT: And you planned all the details of the date?
KG: Yes, which was tough to do. Given my schedule, just being there was tough. But I wouldn't have done that any differently for anyone visiting me from L.A.
WCT: If you had to do the show all over again, would you do anything differently?
KG: [ Pauses ] That's a good question. I would've been much less nervous approaching the show. With a company, employees and brand-name clients, I was cautious about everything I did. But looking back, all of my clients know I'm gay so it would probably make more sense to just jump in and be perfectly content with everything. I would've been a little less cautious, I think. However, it was a fair experience.
WCT: There were two millionaires on the show, as is standard. What did you think of the other millionaire, Anthony?
KG: I thought he was quite interesting. I just found him a colorful person. I didn't look at him as a millionaire; I just looked at him as a guy with an interesting job [ Las Vegas hypnotist headliner ] and an interesting life. Throughout the course of the evening [ of the mixer ] , people kept telling me they thought I was the straight one and that he was the gay one, and there was something a little comforting about that; I think his highlights may have had something to do with it.
For more information on The Millionaire Matchmaker, see www.bravotv.com .