Season 6 Discussion

[aradia22]

Is there a continuity to this season or can I watch them out of order? I just decided to go with episode 6 Community Allied first.

"Girl, meat in a bag." "Ohh, she a sausage." made me giggle

Even with Eloquii, I think Tan was a little limited in what he could offer Jereka. It sucks that even with more plus size brands, there's still not a lot of choice.

I felt like Antony did a really good job with the recipe this time pairing fresh ingredients that cook quickly with flavors she likes.

The video Karamo arranged was a little corny but it worked in this instance because there were so many people whose lives she had affected.

The hair segment was sweet. I'm glad JVN did the dye so he could be involved in some way instead of just hovering.

tbh, the gardening segment just felt like a way for Bobby to be involved outside of the makeovers he had to go off and do with the crew. The design of the backyard was a little magazine-y for me, but they did an impressive amount of work on the transformation. The interior was a little better but still leaning on a very trendy aesthetic. You know, white paint, exposed wood, tropical plants, mid-century modern furniture, 30-somethings in their first nice apartment. The lounge had a similar millennial-approved aesthetic but more upscale with slightly Southwest vibes. The backyard was a little less impressive but again, they did a ton of work in this episode. 

[aradia22]

Episode 2 Angel Gets Her Wings

Angel was such a sunny person for them to help. The episode just had a wholesome energy. I appreciated the way that the guys were so gentle in listening in those first moments at the house.

Showing them doing exercises (Bobby with the weights, JVN doing yoga, Tan and the jump rope, Antoni doing pushups) was weird for the transitions. It's not like they always pretend to do the job of the client of the week. 

It was so great to have a full JVN makeover. And this time he really felt like he was contributing and the perfect person to start Angel on the self-care process. They have that hairdresser quality of knowing how to make a client feel good and it felt like that was what was needed to set her at ease. I don't know that the makeup artist did a great job. That looked like beauty counter makeup. The hair didn't seem like a huge change... just a more polished version of her old look.

The gray dress was a weird choice. It gave off fast fashion vibes and the color did nothing for her. The second look was SO much better. Much more flattering and more natural for a younger person to wear.

The outfit Angel wore for the cooking segment was also super cute.

I wasn't sure how they would manage Angel's dad in such a short time frame. I feel like there must have been extra off-camera conversations. The reunion went amazingly well all things considered.

Bobby decorated the house like a catalogue but since that style is very trendy with young people, I think it worked in this case for someone relatively fresh out of college. I didn't like the bedroom as much as the living room and kitchen.

I didn't think the outfits she showed off at home were that great. There's a grunge aesthetic and then there's spending good money on clothes that look like you bought them from the thrift store and DIY-ed them. The party outfit she chose for herself was much cuter.

[aradia22]

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I almost feel like he knows his stuff but has bad taste.

I've seen him put people in good outfits before. It's definitely possible his sense of style got a little warped but I'm guessing at least one reason he might be struggling is the sponsorship component. It's in the way that even when Bobby does a great job, I sense that he might have made different choices if he wasn't limited in the vendors and the budget. It feels like they're also buying clothes off the rack more than tailoring and that limits your choices, especially with larger bodies.

[aradia22]

Episode 5 Craw-Zaddy

Yes, I'm stacking the ones that sound wholesome. I might have just been in a mood but I teared up a lot.

I'm glad Tan mentioned tailoring. The sponsorships weren't too obvious but I could kind of feel it, especially with Warby Parker.

I feel like even with the hair loss, they had a lot of room to experiment. I appreciated that JVN checked in to see how Todd was feeling at different stages of the process. I don't know if the final look was my favorite but that was what he wanted. He definitely had a tougher edge as they took hair off. 

Bobby made Plooky's VERY Instagram. I don't know if he needed to push it that far. But lightening the space was a needed change and he definitely did that.

Todd felt like he was totally receptive to the process. It was almost too easy. 

[aradia22]

Episode 7 Snow White of Central Texas

She was a real sweetie. I appreciated that she did seem genuinely embarrassed about them seeing the state of the house and that she seemed a little afraid of being judged for her choices. 

Jamie seems like one of the few people this season who needed Antoni's cooking help. I hope he left a cookbook for her.

I'm sure Karamo and the hotel stay helped a little but Jamie seems like she needs an actual therapist. If anything, I think she was more receptive to Antoni because he allowed her to focus on him. 

I'm hoping the barn they built is a solid structure.

I think the style of sequins Tan was putting her in was kind of aging but I'm glad he chose something sparkly that made her happy. The rainbow heels were cute though.

The shopping spree was cute. It did feel like they were pouring a lot of resources into this episode, even with the sponsorships.

[aradia22]

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Heh, poor Todd, though, when he first saw that haircut, trying hard to keep it positive. I could hear his brain screaming, it’ll grow! I think he said a quick something about having it a bit longer. 😂

Honestly, I think Jonathan had the right idea keeping more beard length knowing they would have to cut a lot of hair on top to even it out. (Though it might have looked better with some dye.) But you have to go with what the client wants.

[aradia22]

Episode 1 Showdown at the Broken Spoke

I'm glad they didn't use this intro the whole season, it's a terrible cover. And I like country music.

The longer the episode went on, the more I sided with Ashley. I think the look Terri clings to doesn't come from a genuine place and she's not open to adapting based on what's appropriate for a certain environment or really listening to people beyond a point.  Her look has... former groupie energy. While from her POV, Terri said she wanted her grandson to have freedom, it actually sounded like another battle to express the dysfunctional parent/child relationship between Terri and Ashley. 

I feel like I have seen this venue on another reality show.

I liked Bobby's choice to put her to work on the tiles. I'm not the biggest believer in that sort of activity therapy but I think she needed it to at least open up to the Fab Five more. It was a straightforward ask where she had to follow rather than lead.

Terri was right... the sequins were grandma. You can have youthful sequins but they can't look 80's or thrift shop or like they have built in shoulder pads. Everyone knows that wedding look. The short skirt sold it but that pattern was not youthful or modern.

The first outfit Tan put her in was good from the waist down but that jacket was tacky. The thing about fashion is young people can get away with wearing ridiculous things. It's only trendy when they do it.

The banana cake was pointless. The fact that Antoni is drawn to her also hints at the dysfunction between Terri and Ashley since he's spoken about not having a good relationship with his mom. Being defensive and feeling judged isn't incompatible with abusiveness and narcissism. 

The design ideas in Terri's house weren't horrible to begin with but Bobby found a way to make all the horse stuff work. The upstairs areas were the biggest change.

 I'm not surprised that JVN didn't get through to her. The way she thought she was manipulating him after getting him to agree to style the wig... 🙄 I am impressed that for whatever reason, she did show her hair and maintain the progress a year later.

Neon is ADORABLE

[aradia22]

Episode 8 Gimme Shelter

I think it's nice (as much as they can) to have a mix of people who obviously love the Fab Five and people who have little sense of who they are. 

I had to laugh at how quickly Antoni smiled when Chris' kid pointed a camera at him.

Chris was so receptive to all the guys. It was very sweet.

I think this is one of JVN's better makeovers of the season. And he was able to connect to Chris on a level that was almost equivalent to Karamo. 

Bobby did an incredible job with the community center. It was so nice to see more interesting furniture instead of all those shades of white and beige and natural fibers. Nice caramel chairs, medium wood-stained tables, darker carpets and wall accents... Of course it was back for the outdoor space but at least there was some gray and terracotta walls. I appreciated that there were at least some darker colors in the home decor but that was straight out of a magazine. I miss when Bobby seemed to take people's taste into account more. It did look a little more expensive and less like a millennial's first nice place but those choices were weird for a house in Texas. It was like a resort in Southeast Asia or Africa (I'm being generic because this kind of design is divorced from cultural specificity). 

I feel like they must have had a lot of material to edit down because compared to the other episodes this season, things felt a little rush and yet I sensed that he had longer conversations with each of them.

[aradia22]

Finale - The Mis-Inspiration of Reggie Devore

I wasn't particularly excited about this one and since the focus on heroes who have such a big impact on the community has been the focus of most (though not all) of the season, I didn't know if I could be as invested. I can't remember the season anymore but remember the DJ? 

Aww, it was nice to see Bobby take someone through a design store. 

I don't know if the cooking lesson was that necessary but it was interesting because I can't remember another episode where the client wasn't being encouraged to cook.

Eh... I didn't love Bobby's home makeover. The living room was a lot brighter but in a way that was like pseudo-French + yoga retreat. The kitchen was a lot better. The studio was cool even if the faux fur was a little silly.

I wouldn't say that Tan equipped him with a superstar wardrobe but for a guy who maybe isn't the toughest, I'm sure he can make it work.

It was a fine episode but honestly, I didn't feel like he really needed them that much.

[aradia22]

I thought I could make myself watch episode 3, but I opted for A Legend in the Baking instead.

Because the desserts have so much visual appeal, I'm hoping Sarah's business will really benefit from being on the show. Honestly, the shells look a little flat and hollow but even so, that level of detail in character macarons is impressive.

This was a weird episode to watch everyone maskless in the bakery. Even in normal times, I'd question the food safety of it all.

Vintage twee is not really my vibe but within those parameters, I think Tan did a good job. It's hard to watch this episode and not think of his Toyota sponsored series on his youtube channel.

I didn't love the JVN look. Having such dark purple highlights on black hair didn't really have enough contrast. Also, all the curls with that length make her look a bit like a poodle, though I'm sure they'll settle down day to day. It's giving me Asian perm.

I definitely feel like Sarah was already sassy and confident. They didn't build her confidence so much as get her to open up and crawl out from the stress of running her business for long enough to feel like herself.

Yeah, JVN is still not great at makeup...

I do think Bobby made the exterior of the business look better and more finished but I don't really love the aesthetic choices. All the pastels were kind of busy, the silhouette plants weren't great, and I didn't like the graffiti signage. The interior was a lot better. Very instagram. Though again, the silhouette patterns on the wall felt too busy.

[aradia22]

Episode 3 No More Bull

So Josh cheated on Kayla, right? 

"As a leader of a family"? Gross.

I had to laugh at Bobby almost getting a kiss from that bull.

Neon is such a cutie. Those pretty golden eyes and floppy ears. I get what you all mean now about that scene of Antoni giving the dog a bath.

He didn't look too different after the JVN makeover... but maybe he also needs to wash his hair a few more times.

I get that this was in the original DNA of the show but honestly I like it better when it's just wholesome and not a culture clash with someone who is immediately thrown by the presence of queer people. The way he was subtly needling, I wonder how much they had to cut. As much as he said they were a lot, I could feel them toning themselves down to make Josh more comfortable. Which was a little uncomfortable to watch.

lol, those were not healthy carrots. Not with all that fat and honey.

I enjoyed the etiquette lesson but it's disappointing when it seems like Karamo takes a backseat. It was nice to at least have Tan along for the experience.

He's been hanging out with Kayla all this time and he never apologized? Dude...

Bobby made that storage container so nice. The plants outside really helped. It was very country chic. Lots of dark colors to make it feel masculine but also some vacation home vibes. It didn't feel like a forever home but it did feel like a step up from a first apartment, and definitely better than the messy dorm room he was living in before.

[aradia22]

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I don't know why, but for some reason i was not a great fan of this season.  With Sara the baker, she still seemed really sad when they were done, and we saw her back in her beret, sigh. 

I think the berets make a lot of sense. It's actual a cute choice to get your hair out of the way when you work in food service. 

Overall, I liked the season. I think it helped that I structured my viewing based on the order I wanted to watch the episodes so the lesser ones just feel like extras. I was right in my predictions of which ones would be the least appealing. For me, it's not an issue with the message of self-care tied to consumerism. I think I just prefer the wholesome show that's really about putting their resources towards people who "deserve" it. I just don't have as much interest in the regular folks unless they're real sweeties like Todd. I think the need for promotional tie-ins holds them back, mostly especially Bobby and Tan. I get off-setting some of the costs but sometimes you can really feel them being held back creatively. And then there's the pre-production component. Sometimes they seem to go deep and sometimes it seems slapdash or surface. You sense this most with Karamo and Antoni. With some of these people, Karamo should really be able to come in like John Edwards, totally prepped on all the background info to elicit an emotional response. It's hard to do quick therapy unless someone shows up totally receptive and ready to talk and sometimes it seems like production has put their effort into a random location (e.g. the gym visit for Chris and his wife) or activity (e.g. the archery lesson for Terri, the etiquette lesson for Josh) instead of getting him the information he needs to be effective in the time that he has. 

[aradia22]

I didn't realize how awkward it might be to have virtual classes. I could deal with watching a professor over Zoom but seeing all those little boxes... Yeah, I can see why students have had trouble learning.

The attention of the Fab 5 was obviously very divided with so many people to talk to and entertain.

lol at the incredibly awkward ADR voiceover when Antoni was cooking (it was the line where he told them they'd taste and let him know if the taquitos worked for prom). I can't remember anything like that in previous seasons.

Aww, this was a fun fashion segment for Tan. Because he's usually choosing a whole wardrobe, I feel like we rarely get these semi-formal, almost red carpet looks. Plus, with all the shows he's doing on the side, he had the skills to manage them all at once really well. He can do short format. He can critique like it's a runway. It was sweet how he really just seemed to let them pick whatever they wanted. 

Karamo's focus on the time capsule was kind of pointless. 

I'm glad Bobby renovated the quad even though they held the prom somewhere else. I thought it wasn't going to happen when they changed the venue.

Tan and JVN were probably the best with the kids because they created the most sense of fun.

Neon is so sweet. I hope they continue to feature her in future seasons. Honestly, every transition could just be Neon and I'd be happy.

Two of them seemed to have changed gowns from the runway to the actual prom.

Ugh, I don't know what I'm going to do until next season. I might be tempted to watch Queer Eye Germany, but probably not.

[Valerie]

3 hours ago, aradia22 said:

 

Ugh, I don't know what I'm going to do until next season. I might be tempted to watch Queer Eye Germany, but probably not.

Queer Eye Germany is adorable. I definitely think it's worth a watch.