25 Interesting Things About The Handsome 'Queer Eye' Cast Members

On July 15, 2003, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy premiered and it introduced reality TV to the amazing makeover team known as the "Fab Five." The team consisted of Ted Allen, Kylan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley, and Jai Rodriguez. But the concept of the word "makeover"- or "make-better," as the team would put it- wasn't about giving someone a physical makeover.

Instead, the show was about helping men to redecorate their homes, revamp their wardrobes, and offer some much-needed advice on the kind of foods they ate, their grooming regimen, and their lifestyles in general.

By the third season, the Fab Five was offering their help to virtually anyone regardless of gender or orientation. The show ultimately became a hit and won an Emmy Award in 2004 for Outstanding Reality Program. The show ended on October 30, 2007, according to IMDB. But in January 2017, Netflix announced that it was reviving the series.

Needless to say, our wigs were instantly snatched! The fabulous remake of the iconic show aired on February 7, 2018, and featured a brand new Fab Five consisting of Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, and everyone's favorite, Jonathan Van Ness. So now, we're taking a look at some interesting facts about the handsome cast members of Queer Eye that'll make you love them even more- as if that's even possible!

25 The Cast Loves Each Other So Much, They Say It's Like "The Cutest Fraternity"

The best thing about the new Fab Five is that the onscreen chemistry spills over even when the cameras aren't rolling. Antoni Porowski (food and wine expert), Tan France (who focuses on fashion), Karamo Brown (who's all about culture and equal rights), Bobby Berk (design guru), and Jonathan Van Ness (grooming diva extraordinaire) all get along swimmingly.

Jonathan even exclaimed that they're like the "cutest fraternity" ever.

He's not kidding, obvs! So, when you see how much fun the cast is having onscreen, know that these beautiful and educated men are not acting at all. The chemistry's just as real as the poor clueless guys that are getting made over. The Fab Five has admitted that they are friends in real life, and have a blast shooting together. It definitely shows!

24 Antoni Porowski Hates Anything That “Pretends To Be Meat”

As the food and wine expert, Porowski knows how to cook, but there's one food trend that doesn't sit well with him and that's "anything that mimics being meat." However, he hasn't ruled out the possibility of giving the "Impossible Burger," a Vegan meat substitute that the BBC claims tastes like real beef, a try.

He even told Refinery29, "I'm actually going to try it later this week. I've never had it. I don't quite get it, but I'm very open-minded… I'll always try something once or even twice." We love a man who's not afraid to try new things, that's for sure!

23 Gigi Hadid And Her Sister Bella Are Besties With The Entire Cast

When model Gigi Hadid celebrated her 23rd birthday, she made sure that the Fab Five joined her, BFF Cara Delevingne, and sister Bella to hang. It's obvious that they wanted to glam up the night.

Given that the Fab Five are the epitome of empathy, happiness, and love, it's really no surprise that Gigi absolutely loves these guys.

Tan France posted an Instagram photo of himself with Gigi and friends, which included Antoni Porowski with his boyfriend Joey Krietemeyer and Jonathan Van Ness. He wrote: "About last night… Celebrating the most special Gigi." Ugh! To be a fly on the wall of that club, right?

22 Tan France Didn't Even Submit An Audition For The Show

Tan never auditioned. The producers found him on social media, and clearly, they were still able to recognize raw talent even without actually meeting the man in person. He told ET, "For me, it kind of just came out of nowhere." Tan continued; "I feel like it was a lottery. I got super lucky. I am very, very grateful."

But that's not all. The stylish social media star actually cried on the first day because he was terrified. He explains, "I was the kind of guy that didn't really like to get his photo taken." I'm definitely shook! You could've fooled us all, Tan!

21 Jonathan Van Ness Knows How To Throw One Darn Good Summer Party

He may be one heck of a grooming expert, but his party planning skills are pure gold.

He told Real Simple that all you need to pull off one spectacular summer soiree are the following steps. Take notes:

1. Don't invite more people than your space can handle.
2. Serve seasonal drinks that suit the occasion.
3. Keep it casual.
4. Play games.
5. Don't be afraid to ask for favors.
6. Good lighting is worth a little extra money.
7. Plan ahead to save money.
8. Give people plenty of notice.
9. Offer guests favors at the end of the party.

20 Karamo Brown Found Out He Was A Father By Accident

Shortly after appearing on MTV's "The Real World: Philadelphia" in 2004, Brown learned that he had a 10-year-old son. He told Parents.com that "My last girlfriend in high school-when I was 15-became pregnant with my child but did not tell me." He went on to say, "She moved away, and I never had contact with her again; remember this is before social media."

Ten years later, Brown received a subpoena demanding child support but admits he was "weirdly excited" about what life had in store for him. He made sure to make his home a comforting safe haven for his son, Chris, and he even took full custody of the child. Even though parenting was anything but a walk in the park, Karamo was dead set on providing his kid with a better life.

19 Tan France's Hubby Is A Cowboy (YES, Really!)

Tan France, who is a Muslim immigrant from England, roped himself a mighty fine cowboy from Wyoming named Rob for a husband and they live happily in Salt Lake City.

But here's the twist- Tan's cowboy hubby is also Mormon.

Tan told the New York Post:

"It made it easier to date somebody who had similarities to me."

"I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke. We practice some of our religions' practices. We don't practice them all. We practice what works for us."

18 The Cast Truly Didn't Know What Was Going On When That Cop Pulled Them Over

At the start of the third episode, the Fab Five was pulled over by a mean old cop, (or so it seemed!) and Brown panicked as Officer Ford asked to see his license, which he didn't have on him for some weird reason.

Then, Ford admitted he was Cory's BFF (the guy they were supposed to make over) and everyone laughed their butts off. But Brown told BuzzFeed, "I was adamant that I wanted to drive. I'm glad that that happened because then it allowed a conversation to happen that probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been in the driver's seat."

17 Tan France Has Zero Chill When It Comes To Stereotypical And Judgmental People

The third episode showed viewers what it was like for a black man to drive in the South. But France, who's Muslim, was also worried that they might get in deep trouble.

Fortunately, the scene was a setup and they laughed about it as they were caught off guard.  

The next day, both France and Brown were feeling iffy about what had happened, and they were ready to quit the show. "This wasn't OK. You don't know what it feels like to be a person of color and get pulled over. We didn't want to film the next day. We were like 'we're done. That's it," he told Refinery29 about the ordeal. France has zero tolerance when some of the "heroes" (the guys they make over) used negative terms about his ethnicity.

But how does France manage to diffuse a tense situation? “I connect with them on a human level." Evidently, it works. France isn't afraid to start a challenging conversation and keep the dialogue open!

16 Jonathan Van Ness Also Appeared On 'I Love The 2000s' And Funny Or Die's 'Gay Of Thrones'

This isn't the first time grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness has appeared on a reality TV show. He actually gained some recognition after he made an appearance on VH1's "I Love The 2000s," where celebrities remember pop culture from 2000 to 2009.

He starred alongside Sue Smith and Michelle Buteau. Then, he appeared on the hilariously mad comedy series Gay Of Thrones, where he multi-tasked by giving haircuts while recapping episodes of "Game of Thrones," all in the form of parodies. Living for ittttt!

15 Jonathan Van Ness Is Obsessed With Hair And Body Positivity

Van Ness has luscious long locks himself, and he's obsessed with all things hair (and grooming, of course! I mean, look at the man!). But Van Ness is more than just a shiny mane and comical catchphrases.

Van Ness also makes sure to fine tune his self-esteem by reminding himself- daily- that he's all that. 

"That's so much of what life is, getting through it in a balanced way where you can still look at yourself in the mirror and be like, 'Good job, girl. I love you.' Like, 'You're just doing the best you can with what you know.' My journey's been trying to find what balance means and how to love yourself at the end of it," he told Vulture in response to a question about how he stays positive in life.

14 Bobby Berk Can Turn A Lame House Into A Majestic Work Of Art

Design expert Bobby Berk is a wizard when it comes to designing new things. He can probably turn a raggedy-looking interior into a fabulous place in the blink of an eye. The only thing most viewers don't get to see on the show is Berk actually doing most of the physical work.

But again, that just means that he's smart about his resources. He's a VIP and has day laborers, assistants, and carpenters who can handle all that stuff, but the actual design process is absolutely all him.

13 There's A Reason Why Jonathan Van Ness Always Asks This Question

Van Ness admits that he takes a couple of minutes every morning to ensure that his beard looks nice and trimmed before walking out of the house, but when he is grooming a "hero" he likes to ask them how long they usually spend on their beard.

This lets him create custom tips that will suit the client's particular schedule and, of course, facial features.

This is incredibly practical as most guys don't really spend more than five minutes to get ready before heading to work.

12 Tan France Is So Suave, He Even Has His Own Clothing Line

Tan France might be a part of the new Fab Five but he was a force to be reckoned with even before becoming a Netflix star. In 2011, he started a women's clothing company called "Kingdom & State" in London, England.

Eventually, he relocated to the US in 2013, where he continued to show a nice variety of items like skirts, tops, dresses, swimwear and more. And he wrote on his site: "We have great ambitions to grow into a one-stop shop for fashion-conscious women, everywhere." Sign me up!

11 Jonathan Van Ness Is Also Busy Working At Different Studios

If you've seen the show, then you know that Jonathan Van Ness is out, proud, loud, and a ton of fun.

He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, because he's too dedicated to spreading his grooming skills across both the East and West coasts.

So, when he's not filming the show or working on his podcast, he divides his time between New York, where he works at Arté Salon, and Los Angeles, where he grooms at Sola Salon Studios in Brentwood. Working hard for the money, indeed!

10 Karamo Brown Got A Ton Of Inspiration From Rupaul

When Brown was just a little boy, he would do whatever it took to watch RuPaul before his parents came home and caught him. "I just remember me being a little, gay boy running home after school to watch RuPaul, his talk show on VH1 back in the day," he told Bustle.

In the same way that he saw someone like himself on TV, he hopes he will be that kind of inspiration for children in the rebooted version of Queer Eye. And seriously, he's already making waves.

9 Antoni Porowski Is Not Just Out-Of-This-World Handsome, He's Also An Actor

Antoni Porowski isn't just a reality TV star hunk, he's also an actor too. According to IMDB, he has appeared as the lead officer on an episode of The Blacklist.

He's also played Christian in 'Daddy's Boy,' Antoni in 'The Pretenders,' and Jacob in 'Horror Time.'

But given that he always looks so relaxed in front of the camera, and the fact that his hotness is undeniable, it makes perfect sense that he would have dipped his toes in acting. Hey! We all need a backup plan, right?

8 People Expected Them To Be As Successful As The OG Cast

As we mentioned earlier, the original series had the talented cast members Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley, and Jai Rodriguez, and they were a very tough act to follow.

So, as Tan France pointed out, there was a great deal of pressure for them to be as good as the original cast. "There's a lot of people that we need to represent here. We had so much fun, but there was always that feeling: don't let people down," France told Cinema Blend.

7 Karamo Brown Is Actually Friends With Jai Rodriguez, The Original Star From The OG Show

Brown and original culture expert Jai Rodriguez are buddies. After years of admiring him from afar, the two became friends. He told Bustle: “We're both from the same town and so we would see each other at the club and have mutual friends.”

One thing Brown loved about Rodriguez was that "He still brought this Puerto Rican realness to the show that I appreciated."

Brown's also looking to show that gay men might shop and dine, but they can also love athleticism too!

6 Bobby Berk Would Totally Redesign The Oval Office

Berk believes that interior designing brings warmth to a home without making it look daunting. And picking a style can be as easy as finding one piece in the room that you love. But some people find it really challenging because they don't know what their aesthetic is. So how can we, simple mortals, find a way to decorate a room that feels true to us?

"Find that one piece and build off that, because if there's a piece you're really in love with, it's a good indication you want to go in that style direction," Berk told Fox News. Given that interior decorating and makeovers are a huge part of his life, Berk admits that he would love to completely change the style in the Oval Office- as well as Buckingham Palace- if he were given the chance.

5 Karamo Brown Was On MTV's 'The Real World'

Back in 2002, the world was introduced to Karamo Brown, Queer Eye's future culture guru, but he took on a different role as the first openly gay black dude on MTV's The Real World.

Didn't you notice how familiar he looked?!

According to The Advocate, from September 2004 to March 2005, the Houston-born reality star talked a lot about touchy subjects like race, stereotypes, and what it was like to grow up gay in America. He sometimes tried to figure out why some men behaved the way that they did.

4 Some People Think That Antoni Porowski Can't Really Cook

When you become a reality star who claims you're good at something (in this case, cooking a mean dish), some viewers will try to nitpick at everything you do and put your skills to the test. In fact, the Food & Wine expert has put doubts in some folks' minds because of the simple recipes he usually teaches the "heroes."

According to NME, he made his own guacamole, which is mashed avocados with seasoning, and in another recipe, he offered a recipe for cheese toasties. Twitter user Ali Barthwell wrote, "I'm an Antoni truther. I don't think that man can cook." While some aren't really impressed with his lack of culinary skills, others feel like Antoni's just keeping it simple for the guys, you know?

3 Karamo Brown Is A Total Boss Who Pushed For Diversity In His Contract

When Karamo Brown was negotiating his contract for Queer Eye, he pushed for the inclusion rider clause to be added to his contract.

This type of contract requires a show to add racial and gender diversity among the cast and crew.

Brown told Bustle: "I make sure that in my contract they must hire two to three gay African Americans to be on the crew. I've done that now on the past three shows that I've been on and that's important for me.”

2 Bobby Berk Says It Takes A Ton Of Work To Redesign A Home In 3 Days, But He's Up For The Challenge

Bobby Berk is always up for the latest challenge of redesigning a home, even when he only has a few days to get everything done. "Depending on what we were building, I worked seven days a week. I do have to do some pre-design work on these. There's no way, especially in Atlanta, that I can just make all that happen in that week. I have to pick the direction we're going for and order the main pieces of furniture."

While it does take a ton of work, Berk is beyond prepared for the challenge, as he's been running his own interior design company for years.

1 Antoni Still Stays In Touch With Neil From Episode 2

Neil, from episode 2, cooked for a lot of years and then one day, he stopped.

Antoni learned that Neil suffered from depression, which was something he knew all too well.

"I know very intimately what that's like-to close yourself off from the world and then to come back and have that interest come up again. I get texts from him on a regular basis. He sends me photos of the things that he makes for his friends, of the omelets that he makes for himself. He's thriving," he told GQ. Could these two be any cuter?

References: Bustle, BBC, Refinery29