PPM passes buck on ‘FBoy Island’ decision

| 23/06/2021 | 133 Comments
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(CNS): The filming of a new reality show in Grand Cayman that pitches supposed “nice guys” against “fboys” in the latest television dating game has implications for the country’s image, causing public concern in some quarters and being welcomed in others. But no one in government appears willing to take responsibility for the decision to allow Cayman to form the backdrop for FBoy Island or explain what benefits would flow from it and how to counter any possible negative impact.

During a Progressives press briefing earlier this month when asked by CNS, the opposition MPs, who were all in Cabinet when the crew, producers and contestants were cleared to come and film here in February, said, “It never came to us.”

When pressed, the former ministers all said they had been aware that the deputy governor’s office had cleared various film and TV crews to come here under special quarantine arrangements but knew nothing about the content of this HBO programme or who had approved it.

CNS has since learned that the decision was made somewhere in the tourism ministry, but Moses Kirkconnell, the tourism minister at the time, had also told CNS that he was entirely unaware of the show being made here and had no part in the decision.

Officials from the tourism ministry, which has responsibility for the Cayman Islands Film Commission (CIFC), appear to be the source of the decision making and approval, but despite repeated requests by CNS for comment on how the decision was made regarding the benefit to Cayman, we have still received no response.

The TV show, hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, is expected to air on HBO this summer, according to a release by the producers. The basic plot is that three women on a tropical island are joined by twelve self-proclaimed “Nice Guys” looking for love and twelve self-proclaimed “FBoys” competing for cash. “Who will the women choose and find real love with?”

The ten-episode reality series was made by Elan Gale, former executive producer on The Bachelor, and Sam Dean, who worked on Netflix’s Love Is Blind.

“This is an incredibly entertaining dating show full of twists and turns that will leave the audience constantly guessing,” said Jennifer O’Connell, Executive Vice President, Non-Fiction and Live-Action Family, HBO Max in the official press release.

“We are especially excited for viewers to watch these strong women, guided by the hilarious Nikki Glaser, team together and empower each other to say ‘F-Boy, F-Bye,’” added Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max. 

Described as a social experiment for the contestants, it may also be an experiment for Grand Cayman, revealing whether it showcases the beauty of the island or paints it as a new spring break destination.

It is one of a number of productions, including a film starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman entitled Retirement Plan, that have been set in the Cayman Islands or have used the jurisdiction as a backdrop over the last year, as the lack of COVID-19 in the community here compared to almost anywhere else provided a safe location for the entertainment industry. After years of trying to make Cayman a popular choice for filmmakers and producers, the pandemic may have helped make it a reality.


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Category: Art & Entertainment, Local News

Comments (133)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Oh

  2. Anonymous says:

    This was approved in 2020 and the working title was always Fboy Island, so we have people
    approving things and they have no idea about current slang or terms used on social media.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Look no farther than Mount Trashmore!

  4. Anonymous says:

    can’t wait to explain to the kids what mommy is now addicted to on the tv…..

  5. Anonymous says:

    This is the most entertaining thread on CNS in a long time. There’s some excellent comedy here. Well done posters – young and old!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Turks and Caicos has no problem filming this and taking the money for themselves. Just watch too hot to handle on Netflix. So why don’t we decide to ban all this from our islands and let the money go to others? We don’t need the government getting their grubby hands on any extra money to pay salaries here.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Y’all are boring. Can’t wait for this show!

  8. Anonymous says:

    More comment on this than on the Dump and WtE articles. Shame!

  9. Truth says:

    Ignorance talks and the ignorant listen.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Film if they want. Just know it’s called “public” beach for a reason so don’t expect to close any of it off for during the trashy series.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Well here is another project brought to you by the wealthy to make the poor look like “fxxkboys” they claim.

    Why these foreigners come here and try to alter, change, misrepresent, or all together misunderstand our Caribbean/Caymanian culture.

    Yall love it so much but won’t give it praise nor respect!

    If you be honest for once “nice boys”…come to take opportunities instead of create them -;By scooping up all the local “hot girls” and bare minimum talent local guys.

    We can see what you are doing but sadly our local girls are too naive for you foreign boys.

  12. Anonymous says:

    So, you can make your nice lil movie in Cayman, based on Cayman only if you show the islands crapping rainbows and sunshine. Sure, I’d pay to see that, Mr. Kim Jong-un.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Plenty of Fboys at Tillies on a Sunday.

  14. Anonymous says:

    People will watch it on TV and salivate over artfully filmed white sand beaches (with no giant cranes 🏗 in the background) and crystal clear waters (with no dying corals). Far more alluring than sweaty cruise ships passengers staggering on and off buses to the turtle farm and Royal Palms. 21 year old hotties won’t actually be able to afford a spring break here. But it’s free advertising and after a year in a tourist free bubble, we need it.

    • Anonymous says:

      LOL… Funny, plenty of cranes, few crystal waters anymore, no sweaty cruise shop passangers, and Royal Palms went the way of a wrestling match between our Drunk, Staggering, WB Elected Speaker of the House and a Paid Bar Manager trying to keep her job with her employer assaulting her. And yes, no 21 year old ‘hotties’ will be able to afford the costs of pre-boarding testing, on-island restrictions, etc, etc, etc… Those $$$ are going elsewhere. Congrats! Well done Paradise.

    • Anonymous says:

      It is false advertising. Stinking Dump, construction cranes, receded beaches and high rises must be included in the background.

    • Mr. Clean says:

      “People” will watch it?………. Maybe, and the majority of them will be perverts.
      No thanks, Anon 8:20 pm. It is o.k with me if you and the other perverts watch it, but I’ll pass.

  15. Anonymous says:

    God there are a lot of boomers out today commenting

  16. Anonymous says:

    The new “Code of Conduct” will include an offence for MPs caught lying. Don’t worry, PACT will sort this out real soon.

  17. Anonymous says:

    Oh the same film crew who got a quarantine pass

    Praise the lord

    • Anonymous says:

      #Factcheck
      #BeAccountable

      The Progressives, including Premier and the Deputy Governor knew full well what this movie was about.

      They facilitated it.

      It had fees waived. Emails exist showing who brought the idea. Starts with MITIAMA and stops with Tourism.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Still, not as bad as Haven.

  19. Anonymous says:

    Lord of The Flies reality show coming if the borders aren’t opened soon.

  20. Anonymous says:

    Maybe this trashy dating game is a perfect representation of a place with one of the highest divorce rates in the world…..?

    • Anonymous says:

      6.40pm High divorce rate caused by all the marriages of convenience. Caymanians stop being simple/naive they are only using you and the whole country pays the price.

  21. I keep saying the same thing says:

    I am SICK of saying that whoever approves these crappy choices needs to be sacked in a hurry. The lights are on, but there’s nobody home. And you never see an ad for any jobs in the film commission, so I can only conclude they are given to friends of friends of people high up in the political food chain. Sick’ning.

  22. Anonymous says:

    I feel like debating over a reality show should be the least of our representatives’ worries. No one watching is going to care that it is set in Cayman. They probably won’t even realize it’s Cayman till half way through. Please worry about important things like the shocking spike in prices, the dump, fixing education etc.

  23. Anonymous says:

    All of this bollocks was approved in 2020 during the leadership of the PPM. Any concessions, rebates or financial incentives would have to be approved by the PPM/Unity government. So why lie about something like this that happened on their watch. Approvals did not not just come out of the sky from the fairies.

  24. Anonymous says:

    The legacy of Eric lives on. Smh

  25. Anonymous says:

    Sorry what part of duty whine is wholesome?

  26. Anonymous says:

    Just going to put this out there – could we not equally ask should government “approve” of the various media houses on island in accordance with their content under the same guise of how it would reputationally impact the country’s image?

    I point this out specifically because I am of the perspective that the nature of this series is irrelevant to the business license presumably obtained to film it, insofar as it does not contravene any local laws. To act as morality or content police would otherwise be gross overreach on the part of any government, at least outside the Middle East.

    It’s certainly not my taste in television content, as I’m not a particular fan of vapid “reality” shows. Nevertheless, I would be disappointed if I were to learn that the previous, current, or any other government were trying to dictate media content that is perfectly legal on the basis of disagreeing with the genre or content therein.

    From that perspective, I see absolutely no reason why this would have needed to have been approved by any government minister specifically. It seems to me that an administrative decision was absolutely appropriate in this context.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes and no. Cayman saying no isn’t going to stop it being made or shown here so the censorship angle is a bit spurious IMO. I doubt anyone takes a stab at anything like a cost benefit analysis of these things. How much does travel cayman spend promoting Cayman abroad? They must wince when they see this trash.

      • Anonymous says:

        Right, but isn’t the key point to this article about “approving” for the show to be filmed here, and more specifically, that it was somehow the remit of the PPM to do so? Conversely, imagine it was instead “PPM denies HBO show on morality grounds” and think whether that may actually be more damaging to our reputation. But the reality actually is “idea that government ministers are responsible to review media content is rather silly.”

        • Anonymous says:

          Agreed, the Government shouldn’t be policing the content that private money chooses to finance.

          The BIG issue is whether Government facilitated it, and to what extent.

          If no exceptions, variances, special treatment or waivers were provided then fine.

      • Anonymous says:

        Think about how confusing it is to a family booking an upcoming trip. On one hand tourism has the slogan “Caymankind” and then on the other hand hbo has Cayman pegged with “fboys”. Not a place I would spend $20,000 on a holiday and bring my family w/ young children.

  27. Sheriff says:

    By the time we reopen to tourism, this show will likely be long forgotten.

  28. Anonymous says:

    They’re just trying to have sex, yes? Nothing illegal.

    It’s not as though they arrived here in order to assault our female bar managers, is it!

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, but it’s raunchy sex in which women are objectified. It’s like reality television porn with clothing on for the cameras. It’s a pretty accurate description of what goes on here with those under 30, but we like to pretend it doesn’t.

  29. Anonymous says:

    Hahahaha. How will the prudes in Cayman handle this one?

  30. Elvis says:

    Plenty fboys here im told

  31. Anonymous says:

    We welcome films being made here but not trashy reality shows.
    They have no value!

  32. Anonymous says:

    There must be a shortage of news. I can’t imagine any film crew going anywhere and having to divulge the plot(s) of whatever they are going to film as part of the “approval to film” process.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yeah. That’s what they told us when we allowed the The Firm to film here. Worked really well – made Cayman famous.

  33. Anonymous says:

    Many people know who approved this so they are just playing dumb! Films here never show Cayman in a positive light and it’s downright shameful that people aid in these fiascos particularly native Caymanians for the sake of a buck!

  34. Anonymous says:

    My favourite spots to find FBoys on island include Craft, the Bird, Tillie’s and Backroom.

  35. Anonymous says:

    Hmmm, PPM knows nothing about giving permission to film here.

    How many people does PPM think believe that?

    • Anonymous says:

      There are civil servants and a board in place for this. Do you really believe our ministers have time to sit and discuss individual applications ? They make policy the civil service administer. Pretty sure this wasn’t a cabinet decision as you seem to imply

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes, I do..If this was any other time, I would give them a pass but this was in the height of the pandemic with our borders closed. Remember the ones that came in and the PPM gave them permission not to quarantine?

        This is typical PPM foolishness. Blame someone else. Dr. Lee or the Governor I’m sure would tell you different because their is no way that “non quarantine” event wasn’t sanctioned by the government of the day..the PPM

      • Anonymous says:

        Ask Eric who made the decision.

  36. Anonymous says:

    I believe the PPM on this one. They were preoccupied with not upsetting Mac.

  37. Anonymous says:

    I don’t know, FBoy Island seems to be preferable to Tax Haven Island to me. There’s nothing illegal about being a FBoy and nobody really cares about morality anymore!

  38. Anonymous says:

    Am I the only one who had to google “fboy”?

  39. Easy Speak says:

    The show could have been made for free using cctv footage from local bars.

    • Anonymous says:

      True man! Especially with all the UK, Irish and Scottish pricks flossing their yellow grills out trying to act hood and local.

  40. Anonymous says:

    “Your mess now not mines”

    That’s what I get here.

  41. Anonymous says:

    Oh yes, let’s only allow sweet stories with sweeter people to be filmed here. The viewing audience doesn’t know movies + TV shows are made up stories.

  42. Anonymous says:

    It matters not. If we are permanently banning tourists, we’ll need revenue from somewhere. Planet of the Apes next?

  43. Anonymous says:

    What part of it is not true?

  44. Anonymous says:

    Yummy, sign me up.

  45. Frustrated says:

    Did we learn nothing from the negative fall out from “The Firm”?

    • Anonymous says:

      What negative fall out? Financial services is literally keeping us afloat.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yep, keep those silver suitcases hidden. Nothing to see here…

      This was indeed the way this islands financial services got its start. Why are you trying to hide it now??
      Instead, show how we have changed to get rid of that reputation.
      But you CANNOT deny it used to be the wild west in that regard.
      I’ve heard all the stories from back then.

      PS. Nikki Glaser is pretty but very vulgar and gross. Cayman is going down a slippery slope here.

      Ain’t nobody saying anything about the rapper that rented the new large ‘bungalow’ in Vista del Mar??? (rent out for events) Just as vulgar insinuating orgies etc.

    • Anonymous says:

      Definitely the exact same thing

  46. Anonymous says:

    I personally think cayman stooped to a low level having fboys filmed there. Makes the island look trashy instead of proper and reserved and definitely not a family destination.

    • Anonymous says:

      Trashy? You mean like what goes on at Batabano? Or the law firm “key parties”? Or like a typical Sunday at Rum Point?

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree 100%. Why play in the mud?

      • Anonymous says:

        We killed the mudders parade for that exact reason, but then Batabano and the knock-off became almost as raunchy.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes…. It gives the Cayman Islands trashy advertising. If you want trashy visitors, this is the road to take….

      • Anonymous says:

        Have you never seen the typical Trump-loving cruise ship passenger? They’re as trashy as it gets!

    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly, these types of shows are the cause of the downfall of society. These and keeping up with the Kardashians are all trash and we already have enough trash on this island to deal with.

      • I laughed so hard says:

        to 4:31 pm: “the downfall of society”? Really?! 1940 called to say your pass expired and you need to go back. LOL!!

        • Anonymous says:

          Ironically, there was one reality show, called “The Apprentice,” that really might cause the downfall of society, although it had nothing to do with sex!

  47. Anonymous says:

    Is this the kind of trash Cayman needs to be associated with?

  48. Anonymous says:

    Who cares. Love the concept and if you don’t then keep hbo off your screens.

    • Anonymous says:

      Perception, image, brand; if we want to attract high spending tourists we can’t be seen as a trashy low rent destination. These things matter. No one wants to spend 20 grand on a week in Cayman only for their housekeeper to say she’s seen it on “Fboy island”!

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