2008 Woodie Awards
How 'Queer Eye' helped change one friend's look
Jason Lam
Issue date: 10/12/04 Section: Arts & Society
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The "Queer Eye" team is comprised of five elite gay men specializing in interior design, food, culture, fashion and grooming. Every Tuesday on Bravo, they set out to help out a straight guy in those aforementioned territories of his life. The straight guy or a friend of the straight guy sends a tape to the "Queer Eye" staff, and they pick a guy on the basis of who needs this "makeover" the most.
Unlike other makeover shows that only concentrate on your outward appearance, the "Fab 5," as they call themselves, help transform almost every aspect of their straight subject's lives. They provide the straight guy with new clothes, grooming supplies and amazingly refurbished rooms.
It just so happens that one of my friends from high school was picked to be the straight guy in need of a makeover. To put it plainly, my friend Pat was overweight in high school. He said that in our senior year, he weighed nearly 300 pounds, but over the past three years, he has lost almost 100 pounds. He called a bunch of us in August telling us that the "high school" reunion he was setting up for "Queer Eye" was coming up, and he'd love for us to come.
So last Friday, I drove home to Long Island and went to Pat's house for a taping of the show. Let me tell you, it wasn't that momentous of an experience in terms of being on television. Sure, the show just won an Emmy award and yeah, there were three cameras and six crew members running around like they were filming a wartime documentary. It was, however, really amazing to feel the impact of the "Fab 5" firsthand.
Pat indeed lost all that weight and looked really great. His newly slimmed down frame was dressed sharply in Armani Exchange head to toe. He couldn't stop telling us how happy he was that we were there, and his smile was ear-to-ear when talking about his experience. There were times when it seemed overdramatic or planned in terms of his words or reaction, but Pat did just get "made over" so it was expected, and he was on camera. He cooked us fish that he caught earlier in that day with Ted (who is in charge of food). The party was only for about two hours, and I honestly forgot the cameras were even there after the first half hour. They re-did his living room and workout room, both of which looked straight out of an IKEA catalog but nicer. And may I also note that Bravo spared no expense to provide our group of 21-year-olds with plenty of free alcohol.
Although I didn't get to meet any of the "Fab 5," being a part of the show was a pleasant and fun experience. Pat seems to be happy about the change, and I hope this will be something he can build upon. The show airs sometime in January, and if you've never seen it, definitely tune in.
Whether that change has any substantial permanence or not, only time will tell. However, it makes for a great hour of reality television without sappy overdone story lines. There is no bitchy bickering of beautiful people who complain about how difficult it is to live in a mansion for free (e.g. "Real World"). "Queer Eye" at its most basic is five gay men attempting to make someone happier about their life. How can you not like something that?