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Dallas gay couple tells ‘Baby Story’
From what I’ve gleaned from the moms who turn down my Sunday brunch requests during their third trimesters, having a baby is hard. Having that baby in a room filled with TV cameras, sound guys and producers is on an entirely different level. But that’s what April Prohaska and Meggan Yedsena agreed to when they applied to appear on an episode of TLC’s show A Baby Story.
Prohaska (who owns The Pooch Patio and Paws Pet Services) and Yedsena ( a personal trainer and pharmaceutical rep) have been a couple for five years, but have known each other for 18. They decided to have a child and found a known donor, Jason Campbell (who has a partner, Graig Williams), introduced through a mutual friend, Sara Offringa.
"We wanted our child to know their father. Jason had casually mentioned that he had wanted to procreate, but did not necessarily want to raise a child," Prohaska says.
They hit it off and after she and Yedsena discussed all possible scenarios, decided it was the best solution for everyone.
In the episode, "Baby Prohaska," which aired on Tuesday, the producers presented the story of the two couples and one child with an incredible amount of compassion and lack of sensationalism. And after viewing it for the first time with the rest of America, Prohaska and Yedsena couldn’t be happier.
"I think this for us was the most incredible gift we could have received because it is such a detailed account and documentationof our entire process," Prohaska says. "Not many people can recollect or have documented film footage and photographs of so many intimate and special moments."
The crew filmed for three days: Once soon before Prohaska’s water broke (two weeks ahead of a scheduled inducement of labor), a second time for the birth, and again a month after Dylan Campbell Prohaska, now six months, was born.
"It was very demanding and difficult at times," Prohaska says, but the end result was worth it. And they’d agree to do it again in a heartbeat.
"Itwas an amazing process and TLC was fabulous," she says. "Our hope is that by doing this show we reach a very broad audience to portray two people who love one another very much and happen to be gay. We want to empower and support our child to be very loving, accepting and tolerant in a very challenging world."
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What’s cookin’ on ‘Masters’
Of all the reality shows on Bravo, Top Chef may be the least gay. Not to say they aren’t gay friendly, but maybe it’s just the out chefs don’t often fare too well.
That’s changing with Top Chef Masters, the haute cuisine spin-off that pits award-winning celebrichefs against each other for charity. Last season, lesbian chef Anita Lo and gay cook Art Smith were finalists; this season, the queer factor is ratcheted up even more.
On the season premiere this week, L.A. and Las Vegas lesbian chef Susan Feniger (founder of the delicious Tex-Mex palace Border Grill, pictured) goes head-to-head with gay chef Jerry Traufeld, a James Beard winner for his Seattle bistro Poppy. It’s not spoiling much to say one of their teams advances. Subsequent weeks include Houston’s Monica Pope in competition, though we don’t know how that one ends. And that’s all in addition to out judge James Oseland sniffing his way through their dishes.
There’s a different vibe to Masters than to Top Chef, because even while some of the challenges are gimmicky — the premiere has these gifted craftsmen creating edibles from a gas station food mart — each really is a "top chef" already. They are playing for fun and don’t suffer bullshit well. It could feel humiliating; instead, it makes you want to travel to each of their restaurants. This may be TV’s most delicious game show.
Rating: Three and a half stars
Premieres April 7 at 10 p.m. on Bravo.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition April 2, 2010.
