The lost finale of Fox’s “Playing it Straight”

Descriptions of all 8 episodes are available at the show’s official website:

EPISODE 8
Jackie is still wondering whether there’s a gay man among Banks, Chris and Sharif. She flashes back to her time spent with Bradley and Luciano because she thought they were straight. Can she see something in the boys that might reveal something? All three have effeminate qualities.

When Banks broke his arm, Jackie realized that she liked taking care of him. She felt close to him. She also wonders if Sharif is sincere with his intentions. Chris is a big question mark. He doesn’t need to play for the money, but he is always on the money when it comes to picking out the gay men. Could he be gay too?

Banks takes pieces from around the house to make his bedroom more romantic. Jackie knows that Banks has made some very effeminate statements, before so she’s definitely going to be on the look out for those during their date. They begin with a hayride. Along the way, Banks makes a comment about how women get to wear shoes that are cooler than men’s shoes. Sensing what he is saying, he tries to backpedal. Jackie makes fun of him. “Do you really want to be talking about women’s shoes right now?” she says with a smile. Banks opens up to let her know how he feels about her. He begins to cry. This immediately reminds Jackie of Luciano after he broke Banks’ arm.

Back at the ranch, Banks cooks dinner, and Jackie inquires about how to clean mushrooms. Banks replies, “You don’t wash mushrooms. They’re 98% water and washing them with water ruins the taste.” Jackie’s even more confused now. Yet she manages to get him to open up about the other guys. After dinner, the two head off to a romantic bonfire where they kiss. Jackie keeps pounding Banks with “are you gay” questions. This continues even after they wake up in his bed together the next morning.

With one last chance to make a great impression on Jackie, Sharif decides not to blab to Chris or Banks how his date goes. Any information at this point could give a competitor the edge. His date with Jackie begins with a horse ride, but Sharif’s horse doesn’t want anything to do with it. The horse is in control, not Sharif. Eventually they make their way to an open field for a nice picnic. Sharif offers Jackie beef jerky. Although Jackie notes that there isn’t much energy between them, Sharif moves in for a kiss. However, because Jackie’s earlier “kiss test” failed, she won’t bite just yet.

They continue on to an antiques store where Jackie decides to buy a pair of leather chaps. Sharif doesn’t hide the fact that he’s completely bored. Outside the store, Sharif gets a little too friendly with Jackie when he puts his hand under her butt to help her on her horse. Back at the ranch, Jackie takes a bath while Sharif fixes up his bedroom. During dinner, Sharif becomes attentive and makes her a really good meal. He then convinces Jackie to go back up to his bedroom. Sharif has lit candles and sings a song that he wrote for her. Jackie knows that Sharif has shown her the most attention out of the remaining boys. However, she thinks that he must be gay because she feels like their connection is so strong. Nothing happens sexually.

The next day, Chris preps his date, but does not put as much effort into creating a mood like Banks and Sharif. Planning ahead isn’t his strong suit. He likes to jump into a situation and go with the flow. When the date starts, Chris doesn’t pick Jackie up at the door so she goes off in search of him. She finds him asleep on the couch. Not a good start! But they go off-roading, and Jackie notes that she’s sick of “snuggly” dates. She’s happy to be on an adventurous one.

Chris reveals that he has owns a collection of cars and motorcycles that he loves to work on. Jackie adds that to Chris’s straight tally. The two head up a mountain to take in the view. Chris lays down on the blanket and takes his boots off. Jackie thinks that’s a pretty gay thing to do. When they get back to the ranch, they relax on the couch. Before Chris can make his move, Jackie’s asleep.

The next day, Host Daphne visits Jackie and hands her a video player. Daphne says that every man who was eliminated has left an advice message for Jackie. Bradley suggests that she trust Chris, but Luciano comments that Chris is too flamboyant to be straight. Ryan tells her that Banks “must be gay.” Luciano says that Banks is a great guy who must be straight. All this advice only adds more confusion to poor Jackie’s decision. She becomes stressed out even more about choosing her winner.

Jackie starts crying before the elimination process begins. Daphne sees how upset she is, so she sends the boys back to the ranch where they will be called to the barn one at a time. Jackie calls Chris first. She’s still unsure about whether or not he’s gay and she was never really clear on his intentions. On their last date, she felt like Chris was her best friend rather than a future lover. She asks Chris the big question, “Are you gay? Or are you straight?” Chris says he’s gay. They hug.

Banks is called upon next and he’s nervous. Jackie tells him that she has always been in awe of him. Their date in San Francisco was the best time she had during the entire contest. Even though he never seemed very assertive about courting her, he’s the one she wants to choose. Daphne steals Banks away before more is said.

Sharif comes to the barn and tells Jackie that he carries the photo that they took during the date. He feels a huge connection with her. Jackie breaks the bad news to him. She feels as though music would always interfere with their relationship. Sharif is visibly upset but Jackie still wants to know what his orientation is. Sharif says that he is straight.

Back on the front porch, Banks tells Jackie that he was afraid that he was going to lose the contest because she constantly questioned his sexuality. He finally reveals that he is STRAIGHT! Daphne congratulates them on splitting the one-million dollar cash prize. The couple embraces, each $500,000 richer!