Dating shows like Finding Prince Charming are fun to watch, but they don't often contain anything of substance. There are tears and screaming and the like, but for what reason? Someone got dissed and dismissed? Well, Finding Prince Charming had a very serious moment, and it was the most important moment of the series so far — Eric told Robert that he was HIV-positive on Finding Prince Charming .
While I’m sure that Eric would have revealed his HIV-positive status to Robert eventually, his hand was forced under the guise of a masquerade ball (I know). The contestants were asked to make masks for themselves, and when they explained what each mask meant at the ball, they were supposed to reveal a secret about themselves. This whole thing is one of the most hackneyed dates I’ve ever seen — and I’ve watched every season of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette — but I guess production needed to get moving with the secrets. Before the date, a lot of Finding Prince Charming was all of the guys sitting around and grilling hamburgers (seriously).
Anyway, Eric revealed his status first to Justin, who cried and held his hand, and then Eric talked about his HIV in front of everyone at the ball. Robert was touched that Eric would share such a secret. Eric’s speech included the fact that, when he was a kid, he was ashamed that he was gay. It’s not how he was raised, he said. But when he was diagnosed with HIV 10 years ago, he really had to come to grips with the disease and his sexuality, and it’s a part of him now. Eric was very, very brave to reveal all of this on national television.
Later, Robert shared his own story about taking care of his uncle who died of complications from AIDS (this was before antivirals and all that), and I think it brought Eric and Robert closer. In my mind, Eric has been a front-runner for Robert’s heart the whole time, and Robert told Eric that there is nothing that Eric could say that would change Robert’s mind about him. Are we witnessing the blooming of true love? Finding Prince Charming dealt with Eric’s HIV-positive status in the perfect way: the show was sensitive, caring, and it let Eric tell his story the way he wanted it to be told — minus the whole secret-sharing prompt to begin with, of course.
Images: Logo; Giphy
