Beyond The Bedroom: Aussie Shore’s Manaaki Hoepo on Queer Joy And Authenticity

Speaking to The Star Observer following the latest episode, the queer reality star is embracing both the outrageous antics and the acceptance he has found among his housemates.

And he has zero regrets about his time on the show.rya

Manaaki finds plenty of fun on the Gold Coast

“If there’s one thing you can guarantee in the Aussie Shore house, it’s that we’re NEVER short of chaos. And let’s just say this particular episode was definitely not PG-rated!” he told The Star Observer.

The Aussie reality show has made plenty of headlines since it debuted two seasons ago, and the third season is living up to its spicy reputation.

Aussie Shore sees a group of sexed up twenty somethings dropped into a luxury sharehouse where they drink, have sex and then, drink some more.

Let’s be honest, it’s not winning a Logie any time soon, but Aussie Shore is ridiculously entertaining. The larger-than-life characters have zero fucks to give and all the time for sex, drama and more drama.

After originally debuting in Cairns, for season three the newest cast members were dropped into the heart of the Gold Coast. Whilst there were some cast changes, Manaaki Hoepo returned for his third outing, making him the only queer male housemate on the series. But Manaaki says the cast and the Gold Coast have welcomed him with open arms.

“At the end of the day, we’re all there to have a good time, make memories and live our best lives. And I think it’s safe to say the Gold Coast welcomed us with open arms and apparently open legs too!” he said.

Thursday’s episode certainly gave viewers plenty to take in.

The housemates descended on The Bedroom in Surfers Paradise, where VIP beds overlooking the dance floor became the setting for a sprawling group make-out session that bordered on becoming an orgy.

Con brought two adult performers back to the VIP area before more housemates and their respective hook-ups joined the action. Catia kissed multiple people, Lexie had her toes sucked, while everyone seemed to be kissing someone.

Manaaki, meanwhile, found hot surfer Nate who caught his attention as the two of them began making out in the sea of bodies before they returned with the others back to the house.

With Con occupying the designated shag pad with his own guest, Manaaki and his hook up made use of Con’s bed instead.

It was a busy evening, even by Aussie Shore standards. For Manaaki, the audience response to his GC hookup has been almost as entertaining.

“Look, I’ve definitely received a few interesting messages! Although I think most people are more jealous of him than anything else. I’ve even had a few people asking where they can buy front-row tickets to the action!”

“But honestly, my biggest disappointment is that I never got his rating! I’ve still got that bloody 6.5 from Season 2 hanging over my head, and I’m determined to redeem myself. Surely I’ve improved since then?!”

Finding family in the Aussie Shore house

While Aussie Shore is certainly a wild ride, Manaaki’s inclusion in the cast is important. In a show that centres around straight people getting it on, bouncing breasts and hyper-masculine men, Manaaki exists as a queer contestant without challenges or issues.

For Manaaki, the friendships inside that house are central to his experience as a queer contestant on the show, as they love and support him for being himself.

“I’m honestly so lucky because the people in that house have become my family. They love and accept me for exactly who I am, and that’s something I’ll never take for granted.”

“Nobody cares who I’m sleeping with or how I choose to identify. They see me for my personality, my character and the person I am, rather than defining me by my sexuality.”

That sense of belonging gives him the freedom to throw himself into the experience, with all the humour, flirting and big personality that entails.

“And I think that’s what makes Aussie Shore so special. We’re all completely different, but there’s so much love and acceptance amongst us. I can be unapologetically myself, and trust me, that’s a LOT of personality to deal with!”

“I LOVE AUSSIE SHORE!”

That commitment to being himself will be familiar to readers who watched The Traitors Australia. Ahead of that series, he told us he approached the competition with the same personality audiences knew from Aussie Shore, ready to have fun and inevitably find himself in some drama.

Back in the Shore house, he hopes that visibility can also help viewers feel more comfortable in their own skin.

“There’s no one way to exist in this world”

For Manaaki, the opportunity to represent his community helped draw him to television in the first place.

“I think representation is incredibly important, and honestly, it’s one of the biggest reasons I wanted to put myself out there on television in the first place.”

“Growing up, I never really saw people who looked like me, acted like me or expressed themselves the way I did in mainstream media. And when you don’t see yourself represented, it can sometimes make you question whether there’s a place for someone like you.”

“That’s why I think it’s so powerful for people, especially younger generations, to see someone on their screens who might remind them of themselves.”

“For me, representation isn’t just about sexuality. It’s about culture, personality, individuality and showing people that there’s no one way to exist in this world.”

“I don’t believe anyone should have to put themselves into a box or change who they are to make other people comfortable.”

Manaaki wants that freedom to extend to the people watching, whether they recognise something of themselves in his personality, his identity or his refusal to shrink himself for anyone else.

“If someone can watch me on Aussie Shore, see me being my loud, chaotic, unapologetic self and feel even a little bit more confident about who they are, then that means more to me than anything.”

“You can be different, you can be outrageous, you can love whoever you want, and you can still be loved, accepted and celebrated for exactly who you are.”

“And if I can help even one person realise that, then I’ve done something worthwhile.”

Aussie Shore season three is streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes released on Thursdays.

 

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A post shared by Manaaki Hoepo (@manaakihoepo_)