Working title

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy ran for five seasons on Bravo starting in 2003. It featured five gay men with specific areas of expertise – food, grooming, wardrobe, decor, and culture – staging queer interventions for straight men.

The five gay guys and areas of expertise: Ted Allen, food; Thom Filicia, interior design; Carson Kressley, fashion; Kyan Douglas, grooming; and Jai Rodriguez, culture.

The standard formula was they would show up at someone’s house, tease them about their wardrobes, grooming choices, etc., talk about their objectives, and set about helping them, generally in connection with an actual life event or an event concocted for the show.

The guy who worked the hardest was Thom Filicia, who actually had to make over a space in a short amount of time. The weak link was Jai Rodriguez, through no fault of his own. The role was poorly defined, and evolved into more of a life coach role, so someone with a background in social work or psychology might have been a better choice.

The ratings began to drop when the repetitive formula got boring, and the “gays are sophisticated, straights are not” conceit got played out. So the show was cancelled and everyone got on with their lives with no drama. Or at least none that played out in public.

Then there was the Netflix reboot. I don’t know how it ran for 10 seasons.

The problem started with the casting. They found a handsome bisexual to be the food guy but didn’t check to see if he could cook. They never addressed the poorly defined culture role, so they cast someone with a background in reality TV when they needed a social worker. The non-binary grooming expert seemed to know what they were doing, but you could tell they were gonna be a challenge. The other two guys were fine. Mostly.

And the drama. Oh, the drama!

The original series ran quietly on the unassuming Bravo network back when social media was MySpace and Facebook. The reboot was on the behemoth Netflix, and these guys are all over Insta and Tik Tok and whatever the fuck else whether they wanted to be or not. Everything that should have been behind the scenes played out on social media practically in real time.

Snide remarks. Unsubtle digs. Tantrums thrown on set. Who unfollowed whose Insta? Who didn’t get invited to a wedding? It’s all out there.

Seriously, grow up. Cash your big paychecks. Keep your mouths shut and your social media private until the job’s over. Then wait for the NDA to expire, which will probably be about the same time that your money runs out, and hit send on your memoir.