I have watched the Queer Eye Reboot Season 1. I wept quietly on my couch for about half the episodes, which is the absolute best. The show chooses the most remote communities, rural enough to make me nervous that I’m about to watch five gay men get gay-bashed, but fortunately, the show has profiled subjects who are much more open-minded than they seem. (Um, I should look at my own biases, maybe.) These unassuming men receiving makeovers are humble, warm, and grateful to these five experts, and I love seeing the five experts show off their professional skills! (ahem, the representative for cooking is very cute but maybe doesn’t know much about cooking since he mostly shows people how to cut an avocado).
The episodes have been nice because it’s men taking care of these burned-out men, showing them how to care for themselves both superficially and more profoundly. I love the show for the tremendous compassion I see the cast shows for the featured man in each episode. The grooming representative, in particular, is fully himself, tossing his hair in a theatrical fashion that makes me fear for his physical safety, but I like him because he often chokes up hearing about others’ pain. My other favorites are the fashion expert (who is of English nationality and Pakistani heritage. I love him for his exceptional eye but also because he is remarkably handsome in a way you normally don’t get to see in media) and the culture coach, because that guy has been hustling with the advice because he knows “culture coach” is vague and always about to get cut. Season two, of course, is not as strong as season one. They got some interesting men, including one trans guy, but the show is more famous and the subjects were more guarded, therefore fewer opportunities for couch weeping, and without that, what is the point?