Irish television presenter Amanda Byram was set to host the series. Whichever competitor the panel chose as the more convincing "gay" man would receive the reward. Each competitor received three coaches (referred to as "mantors") that guided them in experiencing "life as a gay man." At the end of the week, the two men were judged by a diverse panel of gay men who had previously been told that only one of the competitors were actually gay.
The competitors also competed in daily challenges, such as modeling swimsuits for a group of gay men, having to tell a former teammate that they wrestled due to enjoying "close contact with sweaty boys," fork-feeding dinner to a blind date and convincing the date to spank him, making a "gay face," and naming a favorite male porn star. In order to win the reward, the men were required to pass themselves off as gay men for a week and immerse themselves in "the gay lifestyle." The men were required to move into separate lofts with gay roommates, come out to their best friends, and socialize at gay nightclubs.
Set in West Hollywood, the series depicted two straight men-a 22-year-old student from Florida and a 28-year-old salesman from Massachusetts-in competition for a reward of $50,000. In 2005, Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay was one of several television programs cited in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America. The promotional methods used to promote the series also received backlash, such as Fox's press release which described it as "a heterosexual male’s worst nightmare: turning gay overnight." On May 26, 2004, Fox shelved the series, citing "creative reasons." The cancellation of the series influenced other television networks to reach out to GLAAD for review of their own LGBT-related television shows. Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay was a part of Fox's intent to capitalize on the "gay reality phenomenon." However, the series was met with fierce criticism from the media monitoring organization GLAAD, who believed that the series promoted a negative portrayal of gay men.
The competitors were required to move into separate lofts with gay roommates, come out to their best friends, and socialize at gay nightclubs, in addition to completing a variety of daily challenges. Filmed in West Hollywood, California, the series depicted two straight men in competition for a $50,000 reward over who could pass themselves off as a more convincing "gay" man. A two-hour special was set to premiere on June 7, 2004, although the series was abruptly removed from the Fox schedule only weeks before its planned broadcast. Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay is an unaired American reality television series planned for broadcast by Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox).