Queer Eye For Everyone

The Fab Five
An interior designer, a fashion stylist, a chef, a beauty guru and someone we like to call the “concierge of cool” — responsible for all things hip, including music and pop culture.

Last week, we saw the return of the groundbreaking reality series, the Emmy Award-winning 'Queer Eye,' to a grand final season which concludes its four-year run with 10 all-new episodes with the Fab Five Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley and Jai Rodriguez.

What About the Straight Guy?
In this final return season (as mentioned in my last post), producers (Scout Productions) have revised the name of the show minus the 'For the Straight Guy'.

Thinking about it, I am curious as to the reason - I mean the original title rhymed so well - could it be that maybe the title was just too long or perhaps they are setting up another franchise for another group other than straight guys?

Whatever Happened To Queer Eye for the Straight Girl?
Once upon a time there was a similar show, but for the reconstruction of female 'Gal' - you had all of the same elements, fashion, recipes, clothing and tips, but for some reason something just did not work...

Oh, however the before mentioned 'Fab Five' were different and there were only four, rather than five. Could a fifth person made a difference?

Perhaps the issue could have been there were several other make-over shows already on the air at the time or maybe it could have been that women 'Gals' were not into guys telling them how to do things? Fine, so I made-up that last part.

Hair Care Products and Feng Shui
Since the Fab Five first "came out" to the world for the series premiere on July 15, 2003, straight guys everywhere knew they had finally found their 'Queer Eye.'

In a typical episode, the 'Fab Five' would arrive at the victim's house to assess his "level of style." The group ransacks the home, with a running "style" commentary on everything they find. In their investigation, each expert attempts to understand the unique preferences of the candidate in order to best advise him on how to improve. I believe it is called "Tear Down".

This fall grooming guru Douglas continues to advocate "manscaping," an effort to tame or remove unruly body hair; fashion maven Kressley "tzujs" his way to perfection; food and wine expert Allen advises on appropriate food and wine pairings; and culture vulture Rodriguez infuses self-confidence in those who need it most, while interior designer Filicia magically turns a drab room into a spectacle (I meant to say 'beautiful space').

An Identity Found
So, before all of the specials; book deals; product placements; international shows; an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program (2004); the 'Queer Eye for the Straight Girl' spinoff; and even a makeover of members of the Boston Red Sox (2004 World Series Champions), Fab Five culture expert Jai Rodriguez said 'Queer Eye' was not exactly a hot commodity back in the day.

"When we first started, there was a lot of brands and company stores that didn't want to work with us initially before the show was successful because of the title Queer Eye," "Bravo went ahead and was very proud of the program and the title and stuff. So it was to their credit that we received the kind of success the show got."

To Boldly Go
While many were familiar with Bravo because of Inside the Actors Studio, the struggling former film and performing arts network presumably could have never imagined the five alternative men would launch the network into an entirely new direction.

Frances Berwick, Bravo's Executive Vice President of Programming & Production says, "'Queer Eye' refashioned Bravo when it premiered four years ago, and the Fab Five's areas of expertise are now the tentpoles of Bravo's programming: fashion, food, beauty, design and pop culture".

Welcome to the 21st Century
The reality is that in addition to re-defining a network, the success of 'Queer Eye' has received great critical acclaim and has opened an entire world for new socially aware programs and more importantly, a new way of thinking outside of the box of tradition (There is no such thing as Black and White).

The Zhoosh
By and large I am all for the male self-improvement movement (after all, we as women are the beneficiaries of such good work) and quite frankly there is plenty of inventory in which to work. I just hope that 'Straight Guys' are watching.