Queer Eye

Queer Eye
Created by David Collins
David Metzler
Starring Ted Allen
Kyan Douglas
Thom Filicia
Carson Kressley
Jai Rodriguez
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 100
Production
Running time 54 minutes
Release
Original network Bravo
Original release July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) – October 30, 2007 (2007-10-30)

Queer Eye is an American reality television series that premiered on the cable television network Bravo during July 2003. The program's name was changed from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy after the third season to generalize the scope of its content.[1] The series was created by executive producers David Collins and Michael Williams along with their producing partner David Metzler; it was produced by their production company, Scout Productions.[2]

The series is premised on and uses the stereotypes that homosexual ("queer") men are superior in matters of fashion, style, personal grooming, interior design and culture. In each episode, the team of five homosexual men known collectively as the "Fab Five" perform a "makeover" (in the parlance of the show, a "make-better") on a person, usually a heterosexual ("straight") man, revamping his wardrobe, redecorating his home and offering advice on grooming, lifestyle and food.[3]

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy debuted during 2003, and quickly became a surprise success. The success of the series resulted in merchandising, franchising of the concept internationally, and a woman-oriented spin-off, Queer Eye for the Straight Girl. Queer Eye won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program during 2004. The series' name was abbreviated to Queer Eye at the beginning of its third season to represent the show's change from making over only heterosexual men to including women and homosexual men. Queer Eye ended production during 2006 June and the final ten episodes were broadcast during October 2007. The series ended October 30.[4] During September 2008, the Fine Living Network briefly aired Queer Eye in syndication.[5]

The "Fab Five"

Cast of Queer Eye, from left to right: Kyan, Jai, Carson, Ted and Thom.

Production

Producers Collins and Metzler were given approval by Bravo to develop Queer Eye after the ratings success the network experienced when it counterprogrammed a marathon of its 2002 series Gay Weddings at the same time as Super Bowl XXXVII during 2003 January.[6] The pilot episode was filmed in Boston, Massachusetts during June 2002. Of the eventual Fab Five, only Kressley and Allen appeared. The culture, design and grooming roles were filled by James Hannaham, Charles Daboub, Jr. and Sam Spector, respectively.

The pilot was delivered to Bravo during September 2002, and was well received in audience testing. Soon thereafter NBC purchased Bravo and ordered 12 episodes of the series. NBC promoted the show extensively, including billboard campaigns and print advertisements in national magazines.[2]

Kyan Douglas and Thom Filicia joined the show for these episodes, along with Blair Boone in the role of "culture guy." Boone filmed two episodes (which were broadcast as the second and third episodes and for which he was credited as a "guest culture expert") but was replaced by Rodriguez beginning with production of the third episode.[7] Each episode was shot over a span of four days and edited to create the perception that the events of the episode took place in a single day.[2]

Format

The majority of Queer Eye episodes use the same basic format. The episode begins with the Fab Five in an SUV (usually in New York City, where the series was based) discussing their heterosexual subject. The Five review details of the subject's personal life and note problems in their various areas of expertise. The Five usually have a specific event for which they plan to prepare the subject. These included everything from throwing a backyard barbecue for friends to preparing to ask for a salary increase to proposing marriage.

Upon arriving at the subject's home, the Fab Five go through his belongings, performing a running commentary of catty remarks about the state of his wardrobe, home decor, cleanliness and grooming. They also speak with the subject and family members to get an idea of the sort of style they like and their goals for the experience and to discuss the planned event.

Series logo for the first and second season.

The remainder of the first half of the episode follows the Fab Five as they escort the subject to various locales to select new furniture and clothes. Often, Ted demonstrates how to select and prepare food for a particular dish that the subject will prepare for the special event, Kyan takes him for spa treatments and a new haircut. Each such segment includes a style tip superimposed on the screen, summarizing in a sentence or two the style issues addressed in the segment. Interspersed with this are interview segments in which friends and family members of the subject discuss his style issues.

In the next section, the subject returns to a completely redecorated home and models articles of his new wardrobe for the Fab Five. Each of the Five offer final words of advice and encouragement, accompanied by supplies of grooming products, food and kitchenware and in some cases expensive electronics items such as entertainment centers and computers.

The final section follows the subject as he prepares for the special event, with the Fab Five watching edited footage of his preparations and critiquing how well or how poorly he followed their advice. Finally, the subject is followed through the event itself, with the Five again performing a running commentary and the subject often expressing his deep gratitude to the Fab Five for their counsel. A final tip from each of the Fab Five, usually relating to one of the topics covered in the episode, plays just before the credits.

Special episodes of Queer Eye that deviated from this formula included episodes in which the Fab Five journeyed outside the greater New York area, including shows filmed in England, Texas, and Las Vegas. In two episodes, the Fab Five made over homosexual men (both of which aired during June, Gay Pride Month, during 2004 and 2006) and in one episode made over a female-to-male transgender person. The show also featured makeovers of members of the Boston Red Sox after their 2004 World Series victory, several holiday specials and in the final season, a "Mister Straight Guy" pageant featuring subjects from the series' history.

Popular and critical response

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy debuted on July 15, 2003 and the series quickly attained high ratings, maximizing during September of that year with 3.34 million viewers per episode.[8] The popularity of the series established the Fab Five as media celebrities, with high-profile appearances at the Emmys and a "make-better" of Jay Leno and his The Tonight Show set in August of that year.[9] Fab Five members parlayed their celebrity into endorsement deals, notably Thom Filicia's becoming the spokesperson for Pier 1 Imports.[10][11]

The American press almost universally complimented the series and the Fab Five. Out magazine listed the Fab Five in its "OUT 100", the "greatest gay success stories" of 2003.[12] Instinct magazine declared Kressley one of the "Leading Men" of 2004.[13]

The series attracted criticism for making generalizations about sexual identity, namely that homosexual men are inherently more fashionable and stylish than heterosexuals.[14] Among those making this critique were Tom Shales in the Washington Post ("stereotypes on parade"), Richard Goldstein in Village Voice ("Haven't fags always been consigned to the role of body servant?") and United States Congressman Barney Frank speaking to the New York Post ("The notion that gay men have a superior fashion sense is not true and it's damaging. It's perfectly possible to enjoy that show and say, look at those clever homosexuals. What they do with hair! And not support gays at all.").[15] Anthropologist Lionel Tiger described the program as typical of a widespread acceptance of insulting heterosexual men: "Heteromales are the last group it is acceptable to bash as a class. The homosexual fellows on Queer Eye seem to provide riveting hilarity to especially female viewers. What if there were 5 Swedes telling Kenyans how to live elegantly and fashionably? What if 5 Catholics told Jews how to dress, decorate, and court? The program is degraded and degrading, Cheap Shots for A Humiliated Guy."[16]

With the success of the first season, original "culture guy" Blair Boone sued the show for breach of contract, claiming he should be paid not just for two episodes but for the season that he had been contracted to film.[17]

The popularity of the series inspired a number of parodies. Comedy Central hosted a satirical television series named Straight Plan for the Gay Man, which featured four heterosexual men teaching homosexual men how to be more (stereotypically) straight, redecorating their homes with neon beer signs and teaching them about sports. South Park spoofed the show and its hosts in the episode "South Park Is Gay!", in which the protagonists learn that the Fab Five are actually evil Crab People trying to control the world by converting heterosexual men into metrosexuals.

Queer Eye won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program during 2004 and was nominated for another Emmy in the same category during 2005. The series also received GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Reality Program during 2004 and 2005, and was nominated for a third during 2006.

In the second season, ratings decreased, averaging about 1.8 million viewers per episode with an average 804,000 viewers in the important 18-40 demographic.[8][15] New episodes continued to be broadcast for two more seasons. Bravo confirmed during early 2007 that Queer Eye had been cancelled. The remaining fifth season episodes were billed as Queer Eye: The Final Season[18] and aired twice weekly beginning October 2, 2007.[19]

Spin-off series

During January 2005, Scout Productions premiered a spin-off series titled Queer Eye for the Straight Girl, set in Los Angeles. It featured a cast of four lifestyle experts (three men and a woman known as the "Gal Pals") who performed makeovers for women. The show was cancelled after one season.

International adaptations

Queer Eye's American success caused television networks in several countries to syndicate the American episodes, with a number of countries creating their own local versions of Queer Eye for broadcast in their countries. However, few of these homegrown versions have proven as successful as the original and most did not last long before cancellation. Licensing of the format is managed by NBCUniversal.

NBCU licensed television producer David Hedges[20] and his UK production house vialondon.tv to produce local versions for Europe, with Flextech's Living channel doing the same to produce the United Kingdom's version after a first attempt at a UK production by Making Time was abandoned.[21]

The first episode of the Finnish version, Sillä silmällä created controversy, not for the homosexual content but for the blatant product placement considered to be a transgression of a Finnish law against "hidden advertising".

Country Channel Programme Namel Seasons Episodes First aired
 Australia[22] Network Ten Aussie Queer Eye for the Straight Guy 1 6 9 February 2005—23 February 2005 NB: Three episodes were broadcast later in the year.
 Belgium[23] KanaalTwee De heren maken de man 2 2005
 Chile Mega Ojo con Clase (Classy Eye) 1 5 April 2013
 Finland Channel 4 Sillä silmällä 2 24 30 March 2005
 France TF1 Queer, Cinq Experts dans le Vent 1 8 2004
 Germany RTL 2 Schwul macht cool (Gay makes you cool) 1 8 10 November 2003
 Greece Antenna 1 (ANT1) Fab 5 1 10 2011
 Italy[24] La7 I Fantastici Cinque 2 22 2004
 Portugal SIC Esquadrão G 1 8 11 September 2005
 Spain Antena 3 El Equipo G 1 10 2005
 Sweden TV3 Fab 5 Sverige 1 12 2003
 UK ITV1 Queer Eye For The Straight Guy UK 2 14 2004
 Norway TV3 Homsepatruljen (The Gay Patrol) 3 36 2004 & 2012

Merchandising

Soundtrack

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released 2004
Genre Pop, Dance
Label Capitol Records
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [25]

The soundtrack for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was released February 10, 2004, in the USA. It reached number one on the electronic music chart, number two on the soundtrack charts and the top 40 in the Billboard 200 album chart.[26] In Australia, the soundtrack was released for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the popularity of the series in Australia resulted in the soundtrack scoring the top 10 of the Australian album chart on March 8, 2004. It was certified gold in Australia during March 2004. The song "Superstar" by Jamelia from the soundtrack also went to number one on the Australian singles charts in the same week, and the theme song of the show, "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)" by Widelife, went to the top 20 that same month. "All Things" would score a 2005 Juno Award for "Dance Recording of the Year" for Widelife (Rachid Wehbi & Ian Nieman). Rob Eric was the executive producer for the album.

Track listing

  1. "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)" – Widelife with Simone Denny
  2. "Good Luck" – Basement Jaxx featuring Lisa Kekaula
  3. "Slow" (Chemical Brothers Mix) – Kylie Minogue
  4. "Move Your Feet" – Junior Senior
  5. "You Promised Me (Tu Es Foutu)" – In-Grid
  6. "Superstar" – Jamelia
  7. "Everybody Wants You to Emerge" – Fischerspooner/Billy Squier
  8. "Sunrise" (Jason Nevins Remix) – Duran Duran
  9. "Never Coming Home" (Gonna Live My Life Remix) – Sting
  10. "An Area Big Enough to Do It In" – Prophet Omega
  11. "You're So Damn Hot" – OK Go
  12. "Extraordinary" – Liz Phair
  13. "Are You Ready for Love" – Elton John
  14. "Five Gay Men in One House" – Jai Rodriguez and Ted Allen
  15. "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)" (music video)

Books

A tie-in book titled Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab 5's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better and Living Better was published during 2004 by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Random House.[27]

DVD releases

Several DVDs were released in conjunction with the series. Kressley, Filicia and Allen each had individual releases emphasizing their topics of expertise. Douglas and Rodriguez were featured together in a single DVD focused on grooming. Additional DVD releases include Queer Eye for the Red Sox (featuring the team makeover episode) and a multi-disc box set.[28]

Notes

  1. ↑ Andy Dehnart (June 1, 2005). "Queer Eye Shortens its Name, will include "Compelling Personal Stories."". Reality Blurred. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  2. 1 2 3 Giltz, Michael (September 2, 2003). "Queer Eye Confidential". The Advocate. pp. 40–4; issue 897. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  3. ↑ "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy". Season 1. Episode 1. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  4. ↑ Grogan, Leigh (2007-10-02). "What one "Queer Eye" guy has learned from the show". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  5. ↑ Reynolds, Mike (September 17, 2008). "Fine Living Lands ‘Loser,’ ‘Queer Eye’ Syndication Pacts". Multichannel.com. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  6. ↑ Engstrom, p. 346
  7. ↑ Internet Movie Database. "Blair Boone". Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  8. 1 2 Vary, Adam B. (June 22, 2004). "Pride, Patriotism, and Queer Eye". The Advocate. pp. 120–36; issue 917. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  9. ↑ Silverman, Stephen (2003-08-04). "Jay Leno to get "Queer Eye" treatment". People. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  10. ↑ The Associated Press (March 11, 2004). "'Queer Eye' Thom is hot, Kirstie Alley is not". USAToday.
  11. ↑ "usatoday.com". USA Today. 2004-03-11. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  12. ↑ Epstein, Jeffrey (December 2003). "Kyan Douglas, Ted Allen, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez". Out magazine: 90.
  13. ↑ Ray, Parker (November 2004). "The Ambassador". Instinct: 48–50.
  14. ↑ Greim, Katrin. "Crossroads of Culture: Studies look at roots of the "down low", LGBT-focused television shows". American Sexuality magazine.Katrin Greim.
  15. 1 2 Dossi, Joel (2005-01-03). "The Rise and Fall of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy". AfterElton.com. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  16. ↑ Chapin, Bernard (2004). "A Man Among Men: An Interview with Dr. Lionel Tiger."
  17. ↑ Haberman, Lia (2003-09-04). "Former Fabber sues "Queer Eye"". E! Online. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  18. ↑ McFarland, Melanie (2007-01-12). "Hello Pasadena, Goodbye "Queer Eye"". TV Gal (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  19. ↑ "Bravo's Emmy-Award Winning Series 'Queer Eye' Kicks-Off Final Season" (Press release). NBC. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  20. ↑ Rogers, Steve (2003-08-10). "U.K Indie ViaLondon To Produce Local Queer Eye". Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  21. ↑ Rogers, Steve (2003-08-10). "UK Queer Eye stops production". Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  22. ↑ "Ten takes Aussie Queer Eye off air". B&T. 2005-02-24. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  23. ↑ "Vijf homo's maken van hetero een betere man". 2005-01-14. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
  24. ↑ Staff writers (December 15, 2004). "I 5 fantastici gay fanno già discutere". Arcigay. Associazione Lesbica e Gay Italiana. Archived from the original on 2006-03-10. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  25. ↑ Queer Eye at AllMusic
  26. ↑ Allmusic. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Charts and Awards - Billboard". Retrieved 2001-10-31.
  27. ↑ "Official Tie-in Book for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to be Published by Random House, Inc.'s Clarkson Potter" (PDF) (Press release). NBC. 2003-08-23. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  28. ↑ "The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (2003)". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved 2007-10-31.

References

External links

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