Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Jul. 16th, 2003 04:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tarotgalOK... so I STILL haven't finished my review for HP5, but maybe I need to start smaller? I watched both new episodes of 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' last night on Bravo (Tuesdays at 10pm). I wanted to see it and made a point to do so, but I wasn't really sure what to expect- it could have been either really good or really bad. Thankfully I loved it *G*
The premise of the show is really nice- centered more around an event and need for help, rather than just a stupid pointless make-over for make-over sake (I cannot STAND TLC's a Make-over Story because usually it's just people who want makeovers with simply appearance as their reason). For another thing, QESG(is that the abbreviation they use? seems a little long... maybe I'm wrong) doesn't just concentrate on their appearance and they don't just come in for a short term thing. They help in food, fashion, interrior design, grooming(hair), and culture. And they teach and explain so that the straight guy understands and can make the right decisions on his own. They're not there to change the man, they explain, only make him better. heehee
OK, so there's the Fab 5 (with a new person standing in every few episodes in case one of the 5 can't make it). First off, you've got Carson- he's always in the front or in the middle, and he's the blonde and the loudest, so he stands out. He's also the flamboyant one. I was worried that the others were in his shadow a lot... but then I realized, well, really that IS the role of the flamboyant gay boy in any group, and the point is not every group has to be perfectly balanced to work. Each person gets 1-on-1 time with the victim anyway, and they all help each other out and work off each other. But Carson is a hoot. Certainly the comedy relief. Carson is in charge of fashion as well. He takes the guy shopping to get clothes that work with his style that he likes, as well as ones that actually match and look good. LOL
My second favorite is Ted- he's just too adorable. Ted does cuisine. He does a good job of putting together food that's fun to make(and easy to make) as well as yummy to eat. But he does have a liiiittle problem in not realizing that normal people do not normally eat Foie Gras (and thus have no taste for it). "They don't like the Foie Gras? That's $150 of Foie Gras right there!" Yeah... maybe you should have found something in between cheez whiz and whipped Foie Gras? He's still adorable though.
There's Kyan who does grooming- and reminds me a little of Ty on Trading Spaces. Kyan seems to have a good eye and a lot of sense, and though he also recommends products that are a little pricey, he also comes up with a lot of everyday easy tips that are important.
Thom does design decor- and they show him running around fixing up the entire place himself, though I suspect he's got a crew of underlings who help. Mmmmmm, who doesn't like gay underlings? LOL The changes that take place under his eye are fantastic- HUGE paint jobs and floor retilings and organization and storage- which only seem to take a half day or so. Wow. I'm jealous! He has a very simple decorating sytle- wanting to keep pretty things out and put ugly ones in new storage bins- it's a great concept and really streamlines the place without losing any of the owner's style and touch.
And then there's Jai, who does culture and has a fantastic sense of humor, and pulls off both purple and orange very well, which is impressive. He's got great tips, and really looks out for the guy as far as social situations go. Very on top of things.
The whole mix of guys is fantastic- and they really work well together. Best thing about the show? The humor. They don't take themselves seriously, and they really give the person a good time. The jokes are fantastic IMHO and not at all typical or over the top (except for Carson who is already over the top no matter what you do)
First episode- Butch (who turns out to be a grungry, long-haired, overalls-wearing guy) has his first art show in a gallery. Not only do they do the normal clothing and hair (the guys get him to donate it to the Locks of Love organization!) but they also teach him how to mingle with all sorts of people in the gallery while his show is going on, and they clean/orangize/paint his apartment while still allowing it to retain his artistic 'Butch' feel, they help him make food for the opening, and even make him take-away cards with his contact info on the front for people at the show. I was REALLY impressed by the quickness and the forethought that went into it all... and how REALLY supportive the Fab 5 were for him! They really supported his art, came up with very creative ideas, and were just ADORABLE when they kept pointing out how the women kept gravitating towards Butch. OK, so the guys are typical cute gay guys... but they seem really, really nice towards the victims which is SO important.
Episode 2- Guy who keeps forgetting his wife's birthday wants to throw her a party. He looked very John Belushi-ish. In addition to the shaving (especially the unibrow) and clothes, they bought his wife pearl earings to match the pearl he gave her many years ago that she made into a necklace (and helped him present it to her in a cute, similar fashion in a box of bazooka gum), and fixed up their house, and created fantastic atmosphere and food for the party. Carson even taught him how to tie a proper tie- something I still can't do!
On a whole, I was really impressed at the thought and caring that goes into these episodes. The timing and orangization is great, the 1-on-1's with the victim and one of the guys is really great. ANd at the end the 5 just sit around watching a little of the result on tv- so they get to see how much the straight guy learned and what he remembers/forgets, etc. A nice way to be sure he's picked up pointers before they leave completely. Another FANTASTIC part of the show is how they give easy tips throughout, and at the very end, that anyone can follow. Brings the viewers right into the show and helps them out, too.
I'm very impressed. And amused. Good show!
The premise of the show is really nice- centered more around an event and need for help, rather than just a stupid pointless make-over for make-over sake (I cannot STAND TLC's a Make-over Story because usually it's just people who want makeovers with simply appearance as their reason). For another thing, QESG(is that the abbreviation they use? seems a little long... maybe I'm wrong) doesn't just concentrate on their appearance and they don't just come in for a short term thing. They help in food, fashion, interrior design, grooming(hair), and culture. And they teach and explain so that the straight guy understands and can make the right decisions on his own. They're not there to change the man, they explain, only make him better. heehee
OK, so there's the Fab 5 (with a new person standing in every few episodes in case one of the 5 can't make it). First off, you've got Carson- he's always in the front or in the middle, and he's the blonde and the loudest, so he stands out. He's also the flamboyant one. I was worried that the others were in his shadow a lot... but then I realized, well, really that IS the role of the flamboyant gay boy in any group, and the point is not every group has to be perfectly balanced to work. Each person gets 1-on-1 time with the victim anyway, and they all help each other out and work off each other. But Carson is a hoot. Certainly the comedy relief. Carson is in charge of fashion as well. He takes the guy shopping to get clothes that work with his style that he likes, as well as ones that actually match and look good. LOL
My second favorite is Ted- he's just too adorable. Ted does cuisine. He does a good job of putting together food that's fun to make(and easy to make) as well as yummy to eat. But he does have a liiiittle problem in not realizing that normal people do not normally eat Foie Gras (and thus have no taste for it). "They don't like the Foie Gras? That's $150 of Foie Gras right there!" Yeah... maybe you should have found something in between cheez whiz and whipped Foie Gras? He's still adorable though.
There's Kyan who does grooming- and reminds me a little of Ty on Trading Spaces. Kyan seems to have a good eye and a lot of sense, and though he also recommends products that are a little pricey, he also comes up with a lot of everyday easy tips that are important.
Thom does design decor- and they show him running around fixing up the entire place himself, though I suspect he's got a crew of underlings who help. Mmmmmm, who doesn't like gay underlings? LOL The changes that take place under his eye are fantastic- HUGE paint jobs and floor retilings and organization and storage- which only seem to take a half day or so. Wow. I'm jealous! He has a very simple decorating sytle- wanting to keep pretty things out and put ugly ones in new storage bins- it's a great concept and really streamlines the place without losing any of the owner's style and touch.
And then there's Jai, who does culture and has a fantastic sense of humor, and pulls off both purple and orange very well, which is impressive. He's got great tips, and really looks out for the guy as far as social situations go. Very on top of things.
The whole mix of guys is fantastic- and they really work well together. Best thing about the show? The humor. They don't take themselves seriously, and they really give the person a good time. The jokes are fantastic IMHO and not at all typical or over the top (except for Carson who is already over the top no matter what you do)
First episode- Butch (who turns out to be a grungry, long-haired, overalls-wearing guy) has his first art show in a gallery. Not only do they do the normal clothing and hair (the guys get him to donate it to the Locks of Love organization!) but they also teach him how to mingle with all sorts of people in the gallery while his show is going on, and they clean/orangize/paint his apartment while still allowing it to retain his artistic 'Butch' feel, they help him make food for the opening, and even make him take-away cards with his contact info on the front for people at the show. I was REALLY impressed by the quickness and the forethought that went into it all... and how REALLY supportive the Fab 5 were for him! They really supported his art, came up with very creative ideas, and were just ADORABLE when they kept pointing out how the women kept gravitating towards Butch. OK, so the guys are typical cute gay guys... but they seem really, really nice towards the victims which is SO important.
Episode 2- Guy who keeps forgetting his wife's birthday wants to throw her a party. He looked very John Belushi-ish. In addition to the shaving (especially the unibrow) and clothes, they bought his wife pearl earings to match the pearl he gave her many years ago that she made into a necklace (and helped him present it to her in a cute, similar fashion in a box of bazooka gum), and fixed up their house, and created fantastic atmosphere and food for the party. Carson even taught him how to tie a proper tie- something I still can't do!
On a whole, I was really impressed at the thought and caring that goes into these episodes. The timing and orangization is great, the 1-on-1's with the victim and one of the guys is really great. ANd at the end the 5 just sit around watching a little of the result on tv- so they get to see how much the straight guy learned and what he remembers/forgets, etc. A nice way to be sure he's picked up pointers before they leave completely. Another FANTASTIC part of the show is how they give easy tips throughout, and at the very end, that anyone can follow. Brings the viewers right into the show and helps them out, too.
I'm very impressed. And amused. Good show!
no subject
Date: 2003-07-17 05:50 am (UTC)tma
Re:
Date: 2003-07-17 06:40 pm (UTC)butch!
Date: 2003-07-21 02:40 am (UTC)- fae
Re: butch!
Date: 2003-07-22 10:12 pm (UTC)My mother forgot to watch it... I'm going to have to prod her to remember tonight!