“The A List: New York” Renewed for a 2nd Season

Logo’s reality series The A-List: New York will be back with second seasons episodes this fall, the cable channel has announced.

Production is slated to begin shortly on 11 new, 1-hour episodes of the series which currently ranks as the second most-watched series in Logo’s history.

The second season welcomes the return of the original cast of The A-List: New York: The Amazing Race winner actor/model Reichen Lehmkuhl, his Brazilian model boyfriend Rodiney Santiago, renowned celebrity photographer and RuPaul’s Drag Race and America’s Next Top Model staple Mike Ruiz, international model Austin Armacost, modeling agent Derek Lloyd Saathoff, and ultra-high-end salon owner Ryan Nickulas and his always quotable sidekick, TJ Kelly.

Additionally, there will be some fresh faces in the crowd as new storylines and cast members are introduced throughout the season which will pick up where the volatile first season left off, following provocative storylines like Reichen and Rodiney’s relationship, Austin’s attempts to stir the pot and Ryan and his partner’s struggle to adopt a child.

“The cast of ‘The A-List: New York’ burst onto the reality scene and grabbed everyone’s attention,” said Dave Mace, Senior Vice-President of Original Programming, Logo. ”The series topped many ‘guilty pleasure’ lists and we’re glad to bring the boys back for their fans.”

Reichen is Not a "Vapid Queen"

A-List star Reichen Lehmkuhl is none too pleased that an editor for New York’s gay nightlife guide Next Magazine called him and boyfriend Rodiney Santiago “vapid queens,” sending an e-mail to the editor and likening his words to “bullying.”

In calling the Logo reality series one of the worst shows of 2010, Next editor Dan Avery wrote, “The ‘reality’ show everyone loved to hate probably cancelled out 100 ‘It Gets Better’ videos with its cringe-worthy depictions of Reichen, Rodiney and the other vapid queens trying to impress upon viewers why they're important.”

The blurb was picked up by Village Voice columnist Michael Musto and read by Lehmkuhl, who fired off an e-mail to Avery that the editor then sent to Gawker.

Lehmkuhl wrote, “I don't appreciate your bullying words. You can save your 'vapid queens' comment for, well, no one. I can't even imagine speaking this way about other human beings. That you would reduce my existence to someone who is a 'vapid queen' says more about what you don't know about me, along with the kind of person you must be. Is this seriously how a 'senior editor' at a magazine talks about people?”

Reichen Lehmkuhl Talks About Life in New York City and on “The A List”

Reichen Lehmkuhl first came into the public eye when he and then-partner Chip Arndt won The Amazing Race as an openly gay couple. They later split and Reichen famously dated Lance Bass at the time when the former NSync singer came out publicly.

Reichen has written a book (Here’s What We’ll Say) and dabbled in acting (Dante’s Cove on Here! TV and the off-Broadway play My Big Gay Italian Wedding) and has now circled back to reality television as one of the stars of the new Logo series The A List which premiered last night.

He talked to Socialite Life about the new show and how it came about. Here is the interview:

Socialite Life: Hi Reichen! What are you up to?
Reichen Lehmkuhl: I'm shopping for an event. I'm receiving an award from the New York Liberal Democratic Club.

SL: Congratulations! And congratulations on the new show, I saw it and it's really entertaining.
Reichen: I can't wait to see it! (Laughs)

SL: How did you end up getting involved with The A List?
Reichen: Actually, it was a year ago in October, I was asked if I was willing to move to New York to do this show and at the time I couldn't just take off from Los Angeles, so I said "no". And then, this year I put on my Facebook that I was moving to New York to do an off-Broadway play and the same casting director saw it and asked me if I would come in and do an interview for the same show, because they still hadn't cast it yet and they still wanted to do it. So I came in and they put me on tape for Logo and then, three days later, they called me and said they're going forward with this show and they wanted me. It's pretty cool.

SL: You wrote a book about your experience as a gay man in the military, "Here's What We'll Say". Was it hard for you to come out and tell your story?
Reichen: You know, it was cool to write it because I was getting it all out - all of my thoughts and feelings. When I went to publish it, yeah, it got a little scary because I knew I was exposing the way LGBT people were treated behind the closed gates of the US military and service academies and I knew I was going to get some backlash from that. So it was something that I really had to keep a thick skin about and just do it.

SL: I heard that there may be a film version of your story in the works. Is that true?
Reichen: It is true. A production company in Los Angeles has just purchased rights to shop it around the Hollywood studios. They're in the process of doing that right now. A screenplay has already been adapted and it's brilliant. It's awesome. I've already read it and it's looking good right now.

SL: This show couldn't have arrived at a better time, with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the spotlight. How do you feel about Lady Gaga bringing the DADT issue front and center?
Reichen: I'm just so happy that Lady Gaga, who's probably the most well-known person in the world right now, would come out and support this cause that we've been fighting for so long - since 1993, when "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was born. I think she's kind of brand new to the cause to a lot of us, but it doesn't matter because she's using this huge voice that she has - bigger than any voice we've ever had - to bring attention to it, and that's what we need. The more that people are aware of the problem, the more it's going to get fixed - because the name "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" gives Americans this false feeling that everything's fine. If you just go in and don't say anything, no one's going to ask you and you can serve - but it's not like that at all. There's a horrible environment in the military of homophobia and discrimination and violence associated with homosexuality and someone can just accuse you of being gay, you didn't tell anyone and nobody asked you, but if someone accuses you of it, an investigation starts. So DADT does nothing and there's been over 14,000 discharges of gay people since DADT, so it tells you that the policy doesn't work.

SL: I know you're very involved in activism and advocacy for DADT organizations - in fact, you donate 10% of the profits from your Fly Naked jewelry line to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. Can you tell me a little bit more?
Reichen: All of my work with DADT is with the SLDN and the focus of my jewelry line is to bring more awareness to the issue and also to help the SLDN and that's why we 10% of the gross proceeds to fight the ban.

SL: What was your most awesome experience from being on The Amazing Race?
Reichen: My most awesome experience was running up that last hill and beating the second place team by seven minutes and having Phil Keoghan say "You just won a million dollars!" There's nothing like that!

SL: Aside from Amazing Race, you've done a lot of traveling. What do you think is a place everyone should put on their "bucket list" to visit?
Reichen: Everyone should go to the islands off of Cairns, Australia and charter a boat and dive for like three days on the Great Barrier Reef and stay on one of these amazing islands with perfect weather, the most beautiful water and just hang out there for a few days. I stayed on Bedarra Island for a week and it was probably the most heavenly vacation I've ever had in my life. I was truly relaxed. I laid in a hammock all of the time, looked out at the water and read books. It was so quiet and so nice.

SL: What is it about New York that is so appealing?
Reichen: Well, you know I always said up until this past April, when I moved here to do the play, that I loved New York City to visit, but I could never live there. And then, it's crazy, once you get an apartment here and you have a job here, and you feel a little settled and safe, it's amazing (laughs). You walk out your door and everything's at your fingertips. You can have anything you want, meet anyone you want at any hour of the day. There's so much energy here and people are so eager here to talk and get to know you and exchange ideas and I think people are very open here, compared to LA. People in LA are very nice but I think there's a lot of pressure in LA - and I kind of fell under this too - to always say everything in your life is just wonderful because having everything in your life being wonderful is what you depend on putting out there to make sure you keep getting work (laughs). Where here, I find more people are open about the everyday s**t that goes on in their lives.

SL: A lot of the first episode revolves around your work on the play (My Big Gay Italian Wedding). Was that a fun experience for you?
Reichen: It was a lot of pressure, but it was amazing. I know the show is probably going to show my weakest moments, because that's good TV, but I had to learn how to dance and learn to sing some of these songs and I ended up pulling through to the point where people told me, "Wow, you're good at this and you can really do this." It's cool to have that feeling of accomplishment.

SL: Is acting in the theater something you want to continue to pursue?
Reichen: Yeah. Right now, I'm really interested in this new play coming to Broadway called Yank! It's about a gay service member in the army during World War II. I've met with the producers and we're in initial talks about some sort of involvement that I could have in the play. If I don't have a part in the play, I want to be some sort of associate producer or a promoter because I think it's such a cool story and I want to be a part of it.

SL: We didn't get to see you actually sing or dance on The A List. Would you ever be interested on appearing on Dancing with the Stars?
Reichen: I'd love to do Dancing with the Stars. I think I would have to work harder than most people but I think I could make it work!

SL: You've done so much in your career already. Is there anything you haven't done yet that you really want to do?
Reichen: Yes. I think I want to get a little more personally political. I would love to run for office one day. I don't think in the next few years, but I want to get a little more serious and kind of study up on the legislative system in our country and, even if I do something on a local level, I think it would be cool to be politically involved - so I see that happening for me down the line. But right now, I'm really stimulated by theater and acting and the business of television - and especially reality television, which I think is the strongest and fastest-growing genre of entertainment right now and I feel so lucky to be a part of it.

SL: How do you feel about having cameras following your every move and having it all out there for the world to see - and comment on?
Reichen: Well, I've been through it a lot before, this is the fourth reality show I've done. People really scrutinize me and my life and I think I'm finally to the point where I'm doing and saying what I want to do and say and not worrying about what people think. Someone's always going to have a problem with what you do or say and there's always going to be someone who thinks you should have done it differently or better but, you know, everything you do, there's so many choices you have and the way that you do it. You just put yourself out there and hope that it's interesting enough for people to watch or relate to and that's what I'm doing.

SL: Out of everything you've done, what is your proudest accomplishment?
Reichen: My proudest accomplishment is definitely graduating from the Air Force Academy because it was really hard - it was the hardest four years of my life. Everyday was hard - not only because of the things I had to do - but just to mentally tell yourself not to quit for four years because it's everyday. You're always under the gun and, especially being in the closet, I had so many reasons to quit and I didn't - I stuck it out. My second greatest accomplishment is definitely writing my book because I wrote it myself on my laptop, with my own fingers and every word is mine and it's helping people. It makes me so happy to receive emails from people thanking me for writing it, they relate to it, they tell me "I can remember that happening to me" and it just feels awesome.

SL: One last quick question, what does the tattoo on your back say?
Reichen: It says "Only God can judge me". When I finally broke free of the very public relationship and break up I had, I was getting so concerned about what people were writing about me and I read lie after lie after lie and it horrible to be judged in such a mass audience type of way. I remember I was in Hawaii and I got inspired by those words and I went and had it stuck on my back so I'd remember it forever.

SL: What's next for you?
Reichen: This will make you laugh, because you've listed all of these things I've done, but I got a letter from this soldier in Afghanistan, actually a pilot, and he was telling me that he was in this unit that was very secret, under the gun and all of the communication in and out of the unit was being monitored by intelligence and he was gay. He couldn't write in emails or phone calls or even letters how he was feeling to his partner and neither could his partner. They couldn't communicate for a period of four months and it drove him crazy to the point where they didn't know if either one of them was still into the relationship. So when he sent me this letter, he had read my book when he got out of the unit and he thanked me for the book and for what I was doing with DADT - and the letter made me cry. I wrote a poem about it and my friend who read the poem said, "You should make this a song". So, I play the guitar - I've played since I was seven but I've never performed in public or anything, so I wrote this song, I wrote the music, wrote the lyrics and I played it for this music producer and he said "We're going to make this into a single". So we are recording this single now called "Up to the Sky" and we're even making a music video. So I have a hit single coming out with a music video!

You can keep up with Reichen via his website. And don't forget to watch the next episodes of The A List on Mondays at 10:00 pm (ET) on Logo.

The 'A-List' Laughs At 'Housewives' Comparisons

Comparisons to Bravo's 'Housewives' franchise were unavoidable when Logo announced they'd ordered up the debut season of 'The A-List: New York,' from the producers of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta.'

A reality show about six successful gay men living, working and falling in love in New York, 'The A-List: New York' premiered last night on Logo.

"I don't feel offended by the term 'housewife' and it doesn't bother me to be compared," says Mike Ruiz. "I've always said that since the beginning, that I'm the Jill Zarrin," added Derek Saathoff.

Ryan Nickulas, Mike Ruiz, Reichen Lehmkuhl, Derek Saathoff and Rodiney Santiago talked with PopEater about how they really feel about being slated as the next 'Housewives'. Here's the video:



Watch "The A-List: New York" Monday nights at 10:00 pm (ET) on Logo!

Reichen Lehmkuhl Does Ask and Does Tell

To say that Reichen Lehmkuhl is militant when it comes to raising awareness regarding lifting the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, would not be an understatement at all.

In fact, it perfectly encapsulates the 36-year-old’s passion for spreading the word on the political hot potato, which he addressed last month in Las Vegas during his appearance at Deployment Vegas. The annual gathering is for gay military men and those who champion them.

Lehmkuhl, who served as a Captain in the Air Force prior to his honorable discharge, has since spent his time in the trenches as a spokesperson for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and has a flight-themed jewelry line, Flying Naked, with proceeds benefiting the aforementioned organization.

It has been seven years since Lehmkuhl, and then partner Chip Arndt, won “The Amazing Race”; and he is now in the midst of dipping his toe back into the reality TV pool with his appearance on the upcoming LOGO series, “The A List: New York,” which has been likened to Bravo’s popular “Real Housewives” franchise, and features him and his boyfriend Rodiney Santiago in their day-to-day existence.

Lehmkuhl took time out his very busy schedule, which also includes taping of the new series and his starring role in the off-Broadway production of My Big Gay Italian Wedding, to chat with The Rage Monthly about a number of reality-themed topics; from being affiliated as one of its stars to the realism of there being a lifting of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Seeing as Lehmkuhl has been one of the few LGBT faces to win on a reality competition, we thought we’d get his two cents worth on how these shows represent the community as a whole.

“I think depending on the show, it’s portraying all different sides of the gay community,” he said, “It’s funny, as I get older, I’ve come to learn that there are so many kinds of people who happen to be gay; that you can’t fault any single show for depicting the gay community any single way.

Because who’s to say that straight acting gay people should be more acceptable than feminine acting gay people, or professional gay people should be regarded in a higher esteem than artsy gay people?"

“I’m kind of at the point where I’m non-judgmental about all of the different kinds of gay people that are in the community.”

As far as which of the many reality shows that populate the airwaves, he does have a favorite that he’s partial to, in terms of how the community are showcased on it. “‘The Amazing Race’ has done it the best, because they’ve shown a lot of different kinds of gay people,” he answered.

“They’ve embraced the whole spectrum of the gay community. Our gay watchdog organizations that we have; there’s almost this pressure to show the gay community in a way that might be more acceptable to the straight community,” he explained.

“So that we have a better chance of getting rights, and I’m getting militant in my older age in saying, ‘We should be able to be how we are, and still be respected to have the same rights as everyone else.’ When you’re talking about reality shows, especially ‘The Amazing Race, ‘ I think they applaud that mindset.”

One mindset that may not have Lehmkuhl giving a standing ovation to is the labeling of being a “reality star,” as he has branched out into other avenues of the entertainment field with acting roles, including his turn as Trevor on “Dante’s Cove.”

He explained his connotation of the term. “Ah, reality star,” he said with a laugh. “Someone who has a really hard time getting respect in the legitimate acting world; I think it takes a special kind of person to really stick with it, and try to parlay their reality world fame into things that are more constructive and respected more in the entertainment industry.”

As previously mentioned, he is in the midst of filming “The A List: New York” and is both “totally excited and scared to death” to be swimming back in the waters of reality TV, as this experience is far different than his turn on “The Amazing Race.”

“It’s scary, the cameras are with me all the time,” he stated. “It’s an eight episode series, and we’re shooting for three and a half months; and the show is with me, basically, six days a week and sometimes twelve hours a day."

“And they’re showing everything,” Lehmkuhl exclaimed. “Viewers of the show are going to see my life, like my family and friends probably haven’t even seen it. It’s so intense, this show, and it’s scary to be opened up like that. But at the same time, it’s so much fun and so exciting.”

As far as the series being similar to the Real Housewives brand, Lehmkuhl feels that it will stand on its own merit.

“It’s definitely a unique show, because it will be the only one that’s totally gay and depicting these six guys’ lives,” he professed.

“You’ll be able to relate to it more, and there’s every kind of gay person on the show – name the kind of guy and he’s on there. I think everyone’s going to have a favorite and everyone’s going to have someone they hate.

And, I think the show will be appealing to a lot of people outside of the gay community, because it’s a kind of social experiment.”

Another aspect that he sees as beneficial is that it’s a great cross-promotional tool for the gay rights causes he supports through appearances on the lecture circuit, as well as highlighting his attempts to eek out time to write a tongue-in-cheek follow-up to his 2006 memoir Here’s What We’ll Say, which he plans to title It Will Be Great Exposure.

“I’m having a time in my life, where I’m not getting the chance to sit down and write,” he recounted. “I’m actually heading to a store right now to buy a desk, so I can sit down and write more.

The first quarter will be my time as a gay officer in the Air Force and everything I went through living a double life, and then I’ll go into meeting Chip, doing “The Amazing Race,” meeting Lance (Bass) and going through a breakup on the grocery store newsstand tabloids.

“I’ve been through some other really hard stuff that I’m going to reveal and open up about, hopefully to help other people who might have gone through the same things.”

And this is the exact reason why he became involved with Deployment Vegas, as he knows first hand about the types of experience the military men have gone through.

“It’s really important for me and I feel so lucky to have been invited by the organization to speak to them,” Lehmkuhl said. “And I know it’s an organization that relates to me and what I’ve been through, and I relate to them and what they’ve been through."

“I think it will benefit me as much as it will benefit them (the men participating). I’ll love getting together with these guys and having that camaraderie with them, and we can all talk and share stories.

To stand before them and tell my story is cool, but I want to hear their stories, as much as they might want to hear mine. When you’re in the military and you’re gay, you withstand emotional torture leading a double life and it’s very difficult.”

If Lehmkuhl had his druthers, and in a perfect world, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would become a thing of the past. “If I had it my way, I would be best friends with the President and talk him into signing an executive order to stop the discharges immediately,” he proclaimed.

“At two discharges a day, at the rate we’re running, I’d put all those discharges on the shoulders of the President. "We’re really torturing people who are willing to give their lives in their profession; name one other profession where people are willing to give an actual beating heart for that profession,” he stated.

“You’re taking those kinds of honorable people and ripping them from their careers, humiliating them, and everyday we’re doing this to a couple of men and women. It has to stop! In an ideal world, which is not the one we live in, that’s what I would do."

“In the real world, I have high hopes that the Senate will pass this Defense Budget Bill. It’s a lot of work and will take a lot of convincing.”

The A-List: New York will premiere next month on LOGO.

Introducing the Cast of LOGO's "Gay Housewives of New York"

We got wind of the cast of Logo's new "gay housewives" show. And it's filled with just the fame-hungry, attractive, horrible people you could have imagined. They're all models! This is going to be a fantastic mess.

The show, which was initially called Kept, is now tentatively being called The A List and is scheduled to air on Logo sometime this fall after taping in NYC this summer. Just as we told you—and despite his denial at first—D-lister and former reality show contestant Reichen Lehmkuhl has signed up to be a part of the cast along with his boyfriend. That means of the six people cast on the show, five of them work as models, have worked as models, or claim to work as models. Yay, abs and shallowness! Let's meet our gaggle of famewhores, shall we?

Reichen Lehmkuhl
Occupation: Professional arm candy
Stats: The former The Amazing Race winner has left his Air Force past behind and now makes his living as a professional attractive gay with his own beefcake calendars, soft-core television roles, and jewelry line. He wrote a book too. He really wants to be famous. Also, he thinks we're imbeciles and can't spell.
Claim to Fame: Was the boyfriend that helped Lance Bass come out of the closet.
Housewife Equivalent: Gretchen Rossi.

Rodiney Santiago
Occupation: Model
Stats: This Brazilian didn't make it in Miami or Los Angeles so now he and his boyfriend Reichen are moving to New York to take the world by storm.
Claim to Fame: He's dating Reichen.
Housewife Equivalent: Simon van Kempen.

Mike Ruiz
Occupation: Photographer
Stats: A LA-based muscle daddy, Ruiz is like a real actual photographer who has talent and makes a living shooting for Interview and Vanity Fair. He's appeared on shows like America's Next Top Model and RuPaul's Drag Race, so it's obvious he wants to be as famous as the people he shoots.
Claim to Fame: Has photographed Tyra Banks, Dolly Parton, Lindsay Lohan, Kathy Griffin, and a bunch of other celebrities.
Housewife Equivalent: Vicki Gunvalson.

Austin A.
Occupation: Supposedly a model, but we're not quite sure.
Stats: After doing mysterious work in Los Angeles and London he is returning to New York to create a whole lot of drama on TV.
Claim to Fame: Dated Marc Jacobs for a hot minute.
Housewife Equivalent: Danielle Staub.

Derek Lloyd Saathoff
Occupation: A former model turned modeling agent.
Stats: Derek is a golddigger who already lives in a really nice apartment in Chelsea. He likes to party, is out all the time, and the gay gossips about town are already talking about him being on the show. He should be a big hit.
Claim to Fame: Look at her! What do you think?
Housewife Equivalent: Jill Zarin.

Ryan Nickulas
Occupation: Hair salon owner
Stats: We couldn't find much about Ryan, so the jury is still out. What we do know is that he and his partner are looking to adopt. Aw, cute little gaybies on TV!
Claim to Fame: He once did Madonna's hair. (OK, I made that up.)
Housewife Equivalent: Bethenny Frankel.

Reichen Lehmkuhl is Off-Broadway bound!

Broadway World reports that Reichen Lehmkuhl will headline the play My Big Italian Gay Wedding at St. Luke’s Theater in May.

The play is a comedy about two handsome grooms, one overbearing Italian mother, a jealous ex-boyfriend, the wedding planner from hell and an assortment of kooky family and friends who gather for the big event.

Reichen, winner of The Amazing Race back in 2003 with Chip Arndt, was a regular on Dante’s Cove and has had small roles in several movies and on television shows.

Wedding will be presented by Anndee Productions and be directed by Teresa A. Cicala. It is written by Anthony J. Wilkinson.