Thom Filicia recalls stepping onto the field at Fenway Park to throw the first pitch at a game with his fellow “Queer Eye” Fab Five. “I mentally prepared myself to not be disappointed if we got booed or something weird,” he says. “[But] it was incredible, the response we got. I was constantly amazed at the humanity of people during our run.”
In 2003, Bravo debuted “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” The premise was fiendishly clever and almost naughty: a quintet of gay men gave makeovers to hopeless heteros hungry for style pointers. Nicknamed the Fab Five, each “Queer Eye” cast member had his area of expertise — for Filicia, it was design; Carson Kressley, fashion; Ted Allen, food and wine; Kyan Douglas, grooming; and Jai Rodriguez, culture.
The show was an instant hit and even won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Series in 2004. A decade later, Andy Cohen is hosting a reunion special.
While the Fab Five do not stay in touch with the guys they’ve helped, some Skype into the special to show their appreciation.
“We really helped turn their lives around,” says Kressley. “Even though we were doing some really superficial things like redecorating their homes or changing the way they dressed, it stayed with a lot of guys for a long time.”
Memories from the show have stuck with the Fab Five, as well. Douglas can still remember one of the most far-gone straight guys.
“There was one fellow whose bathtub was so slime-covered that you could literally write on the bottom of the tub,” he says. “That was a little much.”
While “Queer Eye” was certainly groundbreaking, some critics have argued that it perpetuated stereotypes of the effeminate, culture-obsessed, stylish gay man that persist in TV and film today.
“I call BS on that,” says Allen. “An interest in style and fashion is part of gay culture — part of it. Are some of us more into gunsmithing and muscle-car repair? Sure. The thing is, we had some expertise in some areas that were/are historically neglected by a fair number of straight men, and it was interesting to see the tension between us as we tried to teach them things.”
Kressley adds: “We didn’t have a florist on the show, so I don’t think we were perpetuating all of the gay stereotypes.”
Looking back, the majority of the guys say the advice they gave on the show still stands up. They’re tougher on their own appearances, however.
“I’ll watch the old episodes and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, was I wearing palazzo pants?’ ” says Kressley. “And our hair — all of us had hair that looked like Judge Hatchett.”
Rodriguez, who was an actor before he started on the show, is less enthused with the advice he gave. “There’s only so many times you can give someone concert tickets and teach them what fork to use,” he says. “In many ways, ‘Queer Eye’ really helped the other guys brand themselves,” he explains. “It did not help brand me as an expert performer.”
As a result, Rodriguez says he now sometimes leaves ‘Queer Eye’ off his resume. But he’s still a working actor, having just wrapped up as the lead in the San Diego production of “In the Heights.” “How I Met Your Mother” wants him to reprise his role as Wayne Brady’s husband.
The others continue to work in their respective fields. Kressley designs a collection for ShopHQ (formerly ShopNBC). Filicia has television projects in the works, and his interior design business is thriving. Allen, of course, is the host of “Chopped.” After taking care for his ailing mother, Douglas shoots beauty segments for “The Rachael Ray Show.”
It all begs the question: In a world where Obama supports gay marriage, would there still be a place for “Queer Eye” on TV?
“I’m not sure,” says Kressley. “One of the things that made the show sizzle is that there was a little bit of tension in five gay guys coming into some straight guy’s house. Sometimes he was a little uncomfortable with us. But by the end, he realized we were more alike than different and appreciated the help. We changed a lot of attitudes for people who were on the show, but also people who watched the show.”