Queer Eye

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Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is an hour-long American television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network on July 15, 2003, and promptly became both a surprise hit (at least by the standards of cable TV) and one of the most talked-about television programs of 2003. The show's name was changed to simply Queer Eye at the beginning of its third season, to reflect the show's change in direction, from making over only straight men, to including women and gay people too. There are rumors that Queer Eye finished filming in June 2006, with the 100th and proposed final episode scheduled to air in 2007. Bravo has yet to make any official announcement.

Overview

Fitting into the genre of both reality television and "make-over" programs, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, created by David Collins and David Metzler, stars five openly gay men each of whom fills a particular role. The show is produced by Scout Productions.

The self-dubbed "Fab Five" are:

• Ted Allen: "Food and Wine Connoisseur," expert on food, alcohol, cooking, and meal preparation
• Kyan Douglas: "Grooming Guru," expert on hair, grooming, personal hygiene, and makeup
• Thom Filicia: "Design Doctor," expert on interior design and home organization
• Carson Kressley: "Fashion Savant," expert on clothing and fashion
• Jai Rodriguez: "Culture Vulture," expert on popular culture, relationships, and social interaction

The first two episodes of the show filmed (which aired as episodes 1.2 and 1.3) featured Blair Boone as guest 'culture vulture.' Boone was originally hired due to his academic qualifications in languages, art and music, but during filming producers felt he was not outgoing enough on-camera, so quickly started re-casting sessions, looking specifically for professional performers to provide the necessary onscreen charisma. Actor/singer Jai Rodriguez was hired and has been the permanant 'culture vulture' since the third episode filmed (the fourth episode filmed aired as the show's premiere). Boone sued for breach of contract, claiming he should be paid not just for two episodes but for the season he had been contracted to film, and the case was settled out of court. The pilot, filmed in June 2002 in Boston, featured three different men in the roles of grooming, interior design, and culture. Carson Kressley and Ted Allen are the only original 'Fab Fivers.'

Each episode features a new candidate (usually a straight/heterosexual man) to be culturally transformed by the "Fab Five". Each candidate prepares for a special event and receives generous guidance from each "Fab Five" member in their respective categories of expertise. The Queer Eye cast has helped prepare for such events as a marriage proposal, a first dinner with a girlfriend's parents, and a backyard barbecue. The "Fab Five" redecorate, rewardrobe, and restyle to create a completely new "look" for the candidate.

In a typical episode, the "Fab Five" arrive at the candidate's residence to assess his "level of style." The cast 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.

Critical reaction to the debut in the mainstream press was mostly favorable. Its sympathetic representation of openly gay men won acclaim from both straight and gay viewers. Others criticized the program for making generalizations about sexual identity, namely that gay men are inherently more fashionable and stylish than heterosexuals. Queer Eye has received much critical acclaim, and the show won an Emmy Award in 2004, and was nominated for another Emmy in 2005.

The series' success was such that television networks in a number of other countries created their own versions of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy for broadcast in their countries. However none of these homegrown versions proved to be as successful as the original, and most did not last long before being cancelled. In the UK Queer Eye airs on cable channel Living TV, where it has been very popular. Living TV also produced a British version, which was less successful and was cancelled after two seasons, although several episodes later aired in the US. Queer Eye was briefly broadcast on terrestrial channel Channel 4 in the UK, but gained low ratings. The Australian version, on Network Ten, received low ratings in its time slot and was quickly cancelled. The Spanish version, named "Operación G", was aired in Antena 3 for a few weeks but received low ratings and was cancelled. The original show airs on the Spanish cable channel Cosmopolitan TV. The first episode of the Finnish version (Sillä Silmällä, literally "with that certain eye") was aired on March 30th, 2005 and created some controversy - not for the homosexual content but for the blatant product placement which is being accused of breaking the Finnish law against "hidden advertising". The Italian version had success on La7 channel as I Fantastici 5 (literally "the fabulous five"). In France, was shown on TF1 but was soon cancelled.

Special episodes of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy include two episodes filmed in England, three filmed in Texas, two episodes in which the Fab Five made over a gay man (both of which aired during June, Gay Pride Month, in 2004 and 2006), a makeover on the Red Sox baseball team, several wedding-themed episodes, and several holiday specials.

In January 2005 Scout Productions premiered a spin off series titled Queer Eye for the Straight Girl, set in Los Angeles and featuring a different cast. The show was cancelled after one season.

Soundtrack

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