India decriminalized homosexuality in September and already is including LGBT representation in its media. “Elovator Pitch,” a dating series on MTV India, aired its first episode on Nov. 16 featuring same-sex contestants.
The show’s premise involves 10 people giving an elevator pitch, the time it takes for the elevator to go to the next floor, to the contestant on why they should be picked to date. The series featured 10 men attempting to woo bachelor Atmaj Vyas.
Speaking to NBCNews, Vyas described what the experience was like.
“You’re supposed to find someone and remember the floors and the people all in a really short time,” Vyas says. “It’s speed dating, so it goes by really quickly.”
“There were guys who were making style statements, talking about life and even one who was actually coming out to his family via the show,” he continued. “It really doesn’t get better than that.”
Host Cyrus Sahukar explained the importance of an LGBT episode to the Indian Express saying, “On ‘Elovator Pitch,’ it only makes sense to have an episode with people from the LGBTQ Community. At the end of the day, it deals with people meeting others, dating and love. Eventually, love and dating are pretty similar for everyone. Everybody is looking for someone they like and can enjoy with.”
Co-host Gaelyn Mendonca agreed.
“With this special concept, we have upped the ante as India’s first dating reality show to have people from all walks of life coming and exploring beautiful bonds. ‘Elovator Pitch’ brings with it a heavy dose of comedy and love and I’m sure this episode will be a treat to watch for the audience. I’m proud to be a part of the show that is creating history on national television,” she said.
Watch clips below.
This week's episode of #ElovatorPitch is super special.
This time, we have 10 boys trying to impress 1 boy in an elevator. Their pitches to #AtmajVyas are so sweet, you'll be smiling throughout. 🙂Get ready for some #CutenessOverload, with @ga3lyn & @cyrus_sahu, this Fri @ 7 PM pic.twitter.com/ruQPyNRIsc
— MTV India (@MTVIndia) November 12, 2018
READY FOR SOME FUN? 😉
Tomorrow's episode of #ElovatorPitch is all you need for your #Friyay entertainment.Make sure you tune in to MTV tomorrow at 7 PM!@ga3lyn @cyrus_sahukar pic.twitter.com/xhKKnrd3vn
— MTV India (@MTVIndia) November 15, 2018
