‘Hoochie Daddies’ Is the Gay Competition Show You Need to Watch
In the TUBI original series, eight fine studs compete in one house to become the ultimate Hoochie Daddy.
Updated September, 8th 2023
Perhaps you recall the viral TikTok Britney Griner tribute video circa 2022 involving nine studs slow-motion walking and/or running in place as they “free” a fellow stud in someone’s kitchen.
Well, the group, later called “Studs of America,” didn’t just find each other by chance. No, eight of these masculine-identifing lesbians and studs were cast to stay in that very house while competing in Hoochie Daddies, a Tubi reality competition series involving ten outrageous challenges to become the show’s ultimate Hoochie Daddy.
It’s wild, it’s fun, and it’s gay, gay, gay. As long as you can get past some questionable audio production (It’s Tubi, what can I say), you’ll likely have a great time with this series. Now let’s dig into the details…
The winner of the competition gets a trip for two to Jamaica, a “Hoochie Daddy” chain, and bragging rights. And who decides that winner, you ask? None other than the show’s host and creator, Crystal “Wootie” Hutchinson, with a little help from her co-hosts featured throughout the season.
WHO IS HUTCHINSON AND HOW DID THIS SHOW HAPPEN?
Historically, a stud is a Black masculine-of-center (MoC)-identifying lesbian. Black culture established “studs” to distinguish Black lesbian and queer AFAB experiences from whiteness, but rarely do we witness studs interacting with each other on TV.
According to Hoochie Daddies’ creator in a statement from the show, MoC actress and comedian Wootie Hutchinson started this competition due to the unwavering request from her fans and so many stud admirers who want to see studs shine on screen.
“I brought together eight of the baddest [studs] and put them in one house to see how they can cope together and especially turn up,“ said Wootie.
This show surely delivers on Wootie’s promise. The bois of Hoochie Daddies were absolutely wylin’ the majority of this opening season, in the best way.
[Check out this dope Autostraddle rundown of all the show’s contestants.]
In fact, you’ll find the first stud tiff within about ten minutes of the first episode when MoC adult entertainers and contestants StudKing and Fantise go head-to-head after accusations that one stole the other’s Tik Tok moves. The dispute occurs shortly after host Wootie tasks the contestants with their first and most important challenge: creating a viral TikTok video featuring the Hoochie Daddies theme song. Some other challenges include a crafty t-shirt-making contest, CasaMigos shots paired with drunken face tattoos, and even a literal boxing match. Seriously, you must see some of these moments to believe.
Hoochie Daddies seems to tap into a sort of show many of us didn’t know we needed. In the early aughts, when very justified writer’s strikes led to a reality TV show boom (sound familiar?), there was a sort of freshness found in the unpolished nature of this budding genre. Producers hadn’t quite discovered the art of over-produced storylines. Reality show cast members weren’t quite subject to a show’s lore, so they weren’t as motivated to conform to any stereotypes or caricatures that the show’s production favored.
The same sort of fresh innovation can be found in any one of Hoochie Daddies’ episodes. From casually exchanging exit flights in the final episode to arguments over dirty chicken amid a challenge gone-wrong, the camera seems to land on any number of conversations or dramas organically.
‘HOOCHIE DADDIES’ IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND
Like in the early 2000s, Hoochie Daddies’ studly contenders are quite frank about their desire for exposure from the show as well as their varied paths prior to being cast. And Wootie brings a sort of exciting chaos with often ridiculous challenges requiring constant preparation and flexibility. In a particular challenge, these masculine-of-center folks must don their best high femme makeup looks. Some excel, while others do not. But everyone seems to have a time!
International hit RuPaul’s Drag Race has carved out space for LGBTQ folks everywhere to get our lives a la highly-talented drag performers fighting for a crown. However, as one writer recently noted, the Drag Race universe mainly celebrates queer femininity. While other queer-centric competition shows are slowly popping up, Hoochie Daddies is the first of its kind in more ways than one. Thanks to a rise in independent Black-led productions on Tubi, the show was created by a Black lesbian woman and features an entirely Black cast. It stars exclusively masculine-of-center lesbians and gender-non-confirming studs in challenges that reflect unique corners of Black LGBTQ spaces rarely highlighted on the big or small screen.
Over the years, select cinema has shined a spotlight on the lives of studs, like in the award-winning film Pariah and the critically-acclaimed documentary The Aggressives. Until rather recently, though, Black-centered LGBTQ stories often focused most closely on the trials and tribulations of existing while Black and queer.
In Hoochie Daddies, the drama exists in trivial spats and disagreements within and surrounding the show and its MoC competitors (plus a little stripper beef). In terms of joyous media surrounding Black LGBTQ folks, and within reality TV, this is especially unique.
While harrowing stories starring Black LGBTQ people are extremely important, there is so much unused space for lighthearted Black LGBTQ fun. Hoochie Daddies brilliantly occupies that space.
All of season one is available now for free on Tubi.
