Ah, how the mighty have fallen. Once THE studio for twink porn, Helix Studios has come under hard times these last few years, allowing other studios to push Helix out of the way. 2023 is a year I’m sure Helix would rather forget – Max Carter and Kyle Ross both left the company (with Kyle tragically losing his life in April), the majority of models we’ve come to know and love left without hesitation, and we were left with 6 models who filmed the majority of scenes in 2023, led by Vegas-native Silas Brooks (Max Carter’s current boyfriend). It’s the same group of guys with various pairings, but you can only mix-and-match 6 models a certain number of times before the same guys are being paired with each other.
With Alex Roman the sole director at the company, his laissez-faire attitude comes across in every scene he films. There’s rarely any dialogue and you can forget about the grand productions (Helix Academy, Vegas Nights, etc.) that really showed incredible talent both on-screen and behind the camera. Nowadays, the models make out, strip, suck, rim and then fuck. If we’re lucky, there’s an internal cream pie. End scene. Boring. And repeat for the next scene, which can come along without any regular schedule.
I’m not sure if Helix is hoping to turn things around with this type of business model but from a porn fan I can assure you that when studios like Next Door are being disruptive (no pun intended) to the twink market, Helix had better change its ways or else they’ll eventually find themselves on the outside looking in.
Agreed. Helix is a disaster compared to when it was great, Vegas Nights is a good example of great.
2023, very few guys are good looking or hot, most are quite ugly and really devoid of any energy at all.
They lost Alex Riley, too, who was at the peak of his career. Completely agree that production quality, while still pretty good, has slipped. The bigger problem is recruitment. I know everyone is different, but I don’t find anyone on the current roster worth of the cost of membership. It makes me wonder how BelAmi keeps finding stellar models and keeps churning out good stuff; most all other sites are struggling.
I don’t think BA is unaffected by some of the issues facing other studios – they’ve increased their weekly non-video updates (i.e., photos only) from 1/week to 2/week, and every other week they’re presenting a remastered previously-released scene in place of a new release. So, they’re trying to use their famous bank of older un-released scene more sparingly.
Helix used to be an incredible site but in the last year, the quality has fallen dramatically. The guys aren’t as hot as they were and the sex is the worst I’ve ever seen it. It’s not consistently hot like it was a couple of years ago. I hope things improve in 2024 for Helix.
They’ve just recently begun to add more talent but definitely agree with everyone else re: the quality and content of their porn and the attractiveness of the models. Helix used to be a site where guys who truly liked and enjoyed each other had passionate sex and that is something you definitely don’t see as much today. A lot more “by the numbers” sex, and Silas is one of the worst culprits if not the worst. He’s one of their biggest stars now but he’s not a good performer, IMO.
There was a lot of drama behind the scenes with some pretty bad accusations which led to most their long time established talent leaving. That requires a bit of introspection and a side eye as well.
I agree with you about Silas Brooks – I just don’t get him (nor his twin Drake) and why the popularity of the two. Yes, both are young, good looking and hung, but as performers, both are boring as hell and seem to be going through the motions.
One would think with Max Carter as your boyfriend, your on-screen performances would get better over time. Max, despite how I think he’s living his personal life, was one of the many standouts of the Helix of yesteryear, and he knows how to perform for the camera. His Helix scenes were never boring. Neither were Kyle’s. You can list a ton of former models and each one of them would have more people praising them than not.
But this current crop, save for one or two, just don’t add up. I get the twink/skinny look with the big dick – that’s very much in keeping with Helix’s brand. But wow, these guys are boring to watch. And even the more recent newcomers have no spark. I can’t even remember most of their names but ask me to list any former Helix performer and I can do it without hesitation.
As for the drama… there has always been drama behind-the-scenes (most recent is the Drake/Max/Silas crap) and yet the company always seems to bounce back. I think this speaks to even bigger issues facing the company (which we are certainly not privy to), but these issues do seem be part of the larger problem facing Helix Studios.
I for one hope they can turn things around. Time, a bit of introspection and a side eye, as Francis points out, is required.
They have bounced back in the past but they had a stable roster of known quality that was behind that. They really don’t have that anymore, so not sure if that’ll remain the case….Spike Dee, CJ Parker, Silas, and Derek are their four star performers currently….Spike is a pretty good performer IMO but not the greatest looker. CJ and Silas suck as performers. Derek is OK but not enough to carry a site.
Cody Hall is hot but is also a pedestrian performer and lacks passion in his scenes; he’s as bad as Silas.
It’s just not working for them, they’ve lost spark; Spike has been in like half their recent 10 updates. But they still have brand appeal and the $$$ to recover potentially and they are adding to their roster, let’s see if they can find some better talent in 2024.
I think the biggest problem with Helix is that last year and currently they have actors who are not gay, but they hype them up or make them seem like they are. Let’s be honest, they show Spikey Dee at Pride waving a flag only to then fuck a guy and presto he’s suddenly bi or into guys. He has previously fucked what feels like 100 MILFs and other pussies for straight porn. Exactly the same with Silas or Max. Currently they are also fucking pussies, either together or separately on OF. And these are just a few recent examples of Helix performers. It’s not authentic, these actors are boring and don’t want to have sex with guys and it affects the staging of the scenes. This is exactly what made Helix so authentic and successful. It’s just missing the “GAY” vibe that no one buys from them anymore. Of course, scandals from the past are also to blame for the fact that things aren’t going so well anymore, but Helix also has a lot to blame for it because they are weakening their brand with boring bi or g4p actors!
I think the loss of Josh Brady, probably one of the longest running gay models to Next Door is going to be the last nail in the coffin. They can’t rely on Derek Shaws big dick and cute face to keep it going although he does know how to eat an ass before he fucks it.
The departure of Johnny Hands, Luke Wilder and Josh Brady spelled disaster at least for me. All of them except Luke were handsome and versatile and I’d like to think that given time Luke would have given up his virginity. Derek on the other hand is rather wooden and not likely to give up his ass so I’ve written Helix off as a bit of a snooze fest.
Where have all the cute twinks gone? Seth was a highlight on 2023 tho.
Interesting site
Luv most of what they release
Ah, how the mighty have fallen. Once THE studio for twink porn, Helix Studios has come under hard times these last few years, allowing other studios to push Helix out of the way. 2023 is a year I’m sure Helix would rather forget – Max Carter and Kyle Ross both left the company (with Kyle tragically losing his life in April), the majority of models we’ve come to know and love left without hesitation, and we were left with 6 models who filmed the majority of scenes in 2023, led by Vegas-native Silas Brooks (Max Carter’s current boyfriend). It’s the same group of guys with various pairings, but you can only mix-and-match 6 models a certain number of times before the same guys are being paired with each other.
With Alex Roman the sole director at the company, his laissez-faire attitude comes across in every scene he films. There’s rarely any dialogue and you can forget about the grand productions (Helix Academy, Vegas Nights, etc.) that really showed incredible talent both on-screen and behind the camera. Nowadays, the models make out, strip, suck, rim and then fuck. If we’re lucky, there’s an internal cream pie. End scene. Boring. And repeat for the next scene, which can come along without any regular schedule.
I’m not sure if Helix is hoping to turn things around with this type of business model but from a porn fan I can assure you that when studios like Next Door are being disruptive (no pun intended) to the twink market, Helix had better change its ways or else they’ll eventually find themselves on the outside looking in.
Agreed. Helix is a disaster compared to when it was great, Vegas Nights is a good example of great.
2023, very few guys are good looking or hot, most are quite ugly and really devoid of any energy at all.
They lost Alex Riley, too, who was at the peak of his career. Completely agree that production quality, while still pretty good, has slipped. The bigger problem is recruitment. I know everyone is different, but I don’t find anyone on the current roster worth of the cost of membership. It makes me wonder how BelAmi keeps finding stellar models and keeps churning out good stuff; most all other sites are struggling.
I don’t think BA is unaffected by some of the issues facing other studios – they’ve increased their weekly non-video updates (i.e., photos only) from 1/week to 2/week, and every other week they’re presenting a remastered previously-released scene in place of a new release. So, they’re trying to use their famous bank of older un-released scene more sparingly.
Helix used to be an incredible site but in the last year, the quality has fallen dramatically. The guys aren’t as hot as they were and the sex is the worst I’ve ever seen it. It’s not consistently hot like it was a couple of years ago. I hope things improve in 2024 for Helix.
They’ve just recently begun to add more talent but definitely agree with everyone else re: the quality and content of their porn and the attractiveness of the models. Helix used to be a site where guys who truly liked and enjoyed each other had passionate sex and that is something you definitely don’t see as much today. A lot more “by the numbers” sex, and Silas is one of the worst culprits if not the worst. He’s one of their biggest stars now but he’s not a good performer, IMO.
There was a lot of drama behind the scenes with some pretty bad accusations which led to most their long time established talent leaving. That requires a bit of introspection and a side eye as well.
I agree with you about Silas Brooks – I just don’t get him (nor his twin Drake) and why the popularity of the two. Yes, both are young, good looking and hung, but as performers, both are boring as hell and seem to be going through the motions.
One would think with Max Carter as your boyfriend, your on-screen performances would get better over time. Max, despite how I think he’s living his personal life, was one of the many standouts of the Helix of yesteryear, and he knows how to perform for the camera. His Helix scenes were never boring. Neither were Kyle’s. You can list a ton of former models and each one of them would have more people praising them than not.
But this current crop, save for one or two, just don’t add up. I get the twink/skinny look with the big dick – that’s very much in keeping with Helix’s brand. But wow, these guys are boring to watch. And even the more recent newcomers have no spark. I can’t even remember most of their names but ask me to list any former Helix performer and I can do it without hesitation.
As for the drama… there has always been drama behind-the-scenes (most recent is the Drake/Max/Silas crap) and yet the company always seems to bounce back. I think this speaks to even bigger issues facing the company (which we are certainly not privy to), but these issues do seem be part of the larger problem facing Helix Studios.
I for one hope they can turn things around. Time, a bit of introspection and a side eye, as Francis points out, is required.
They have bounced back in the past but they had a stable roster of known quality that was behind that. They really don’t have that anymore, so not sure if that’ll remain the case….Spike Dee, CJ Parker, Silas, and Derek are their four star performers currently….Spike is a pretty good performer IMO but not the greatest looker. CJ and Silas suck as performers. Derek is OK but not enough to carry a site.
Cody Hall is hot but is also a pedestrian performer and lacks passion in his scenes; he’s as bad as Silas.
It’s just not working for them, they’ve lost spark; Spike has been in like half their recent 10 updates. But they still have brand appeal and the $$$ to recover potentially and they are adding to their roster, let’s see if they can find some better talent in 2024.
I think the biggest problem with Helix is that last year and currently they have actors who are not gay, but they hype them up or make them seem like they are. Let’s be honest, they show Spikey Dee at Pride waving a flag only to then fuck a guy and presto he’s suddenly bi or into guys. He has previously fucked what feels like 100 MILFs and other pussies for straight porn. Exactly the same with Silas or Max. Currently they are also fucking pussies, either together or separately on OF. And these are just a few recent examples of Helix performers. It’s not authentic, these actors are boring and don’t want to have sex with guys and it affects the staging of the scenes. This is exactly what made Helix so authentic and successful. It’s just missing the “GAY” vibe that no one buys from them anymore. Of course, scandals from the past are also to blame for the fact that things aren’t going so well anymore, but Helix also has a lot to blame for it because they are weakening their brand with boring bi or g4p actors!
I think the loss of Josh Brady, probably one of the longest running gay models to Next Door is going to be the last nail in the coffin. They can’t rely on Derek Shaws big dick and cute face to keep it going although he does know how to eat an ass before he fucks it.
Josh Brady is definitely one of my favorites from Helix. When it comes to Derek Shaw, however, I never got the hype.
The departure of Johnny Hands, Luke Wilder and Josh Brady spelled disaster at least for me. All of them except Luke were handsome and versatile and I’d like to think that given time Luke would have given up his virginity. Derek on the other hand is rather wooden and not likely to give up his ass so I’ve written Helix off as a bit of a snooze fest.
I’m still heartbroken about Luke Wilder and praying someday he’ll show up at another studio.