''Gaycation'' (also known as ''Gaycation with Elliot Page'') is a 2016 American television documentary series hosted by Elliot Page and Ian Daniel. The series premiered on 2 March 2016 on

Viceland Viceland (stylized in all caps), and Vice TV in the United States, are brands used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016, with two branded cable channels; the American version (rebra ...

as part of its new programming launch. The series explores

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

cultures around the world, as Page and Daniel meet different people during their travels and hear their stories.

Development

''Gaycation'' was introduced as part of the programming launch of

Vice Media Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. , the Vice Media Group included five main business areas: VICE.com (digital content); VICE STUDIOS (film and TV production) VICE TV (also known as VICELAND); ...

's new channel,

. The series was originally conceived when Spike Jonze, as the co-president of Viceland, approached Elliot Page and requested input on possible show ideas for the new channel; they suggested a

travel show A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or tourist attractions without recommending particular package deals or tour operators. A travelogue film is an early type of travel ...

with an LGBT perspective. After Jonze recommended that Page be accompanied by a companion during the series, Page suggested Ian Daniel, a personal friend who had experience as an art curator and worked as the director of artistic programs at The Civilians Theater Company, to be brought on as a co-host. The series was renewed for a second season in 2016.

Production

Filming for the first season began June 2015, in New York City. Notably, Page's attempt to interview

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

at the

Iowa State Fair The Iowa State Fair is an annual state fair held in Des Moines, Iowa in August. It began in 1854 and has been held on the Iowa State Fairgrounds since 1886. It is based in the state capital Des Moines, Iowa over an 11 day period in August. Wi ...

was recorded by bystanders and went viral; the exchange would appear in the United States episode of the series. Each of the episodes were made available for online viewing shortly after each episode's premiere. Filming for season 2 began in March 2016. A special episode aired on August 24, 2016, focusing on the aftermath of the

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...

that occurred at the

Pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the n ...

nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The second season began airing on September 7, 2016. In January 2017, the series was nominated for a

GLAAD Media Award The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their liv ...

for Outstanding Reality Program.

Series overview

Episodes

Season 1 (2016)

Special (2016)

Season 2 (2016)

Special (2017)

Accolades

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%;" , - style="text-align:center;" ! width="1%", Year ! width="20%", Award ! width="25%", Category ! width="35%", Nominee(s) ! width="1%", Result ! width="1%" class="unsortable" , , - , 2016 ,

68th Primetime Emmy Awards The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1, 2015 until May 31, 2016, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on Sunday, September 18, 2016 at the Mi ...

, Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program , Elliot Page, Spike Jonze, Nomi Ernst Leidner, Brendan Fitzgerald, Patrick Moses, Shane Smith, Eddy Moretti, William Fairman, Niharika Desai, Alex Braverman , , , - , 2017 , 32nd

Imagen Awards The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a media piece or person ...

, Best Informational Program , ''Gaycation'' , , , - , 2017 , 2017

Gold Derby Awards Penske Media Corporation (PMC) () is an American digital media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including ''Variety'', ''Rolling Stone'', '' ...

, Reality Host , Elliot Page and Ian Daniel , , , - , 2017 ,

69th Primetime Emmy Awards The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1, 2016 until May 31, 2017, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held on Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the Mi ...

, Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program , Elliot Page, Ian Daniel, Spike Jonze, Niharika Desai, Nomi Ernst Leidner, Bernardo Loyola, Shane Smith, Eddy Moretti , , , - , 2017 , 28th GLAAD Media Awards , rowspan="2", Outstanding Reality Program , rowspan="2", ''Gaycation'' , , , - , 2018 , 29th GLAAD Media Awards , ,

References

Notes

External links

Viceland official website
* {{Rogers Communications 2016 web series debuts 2016 American television series debuts 2017 American television series endings 2010s American documentary television series 2010s American LGBT-related television series Viceland original programming Documentary web series