--- description: Find out why Queer Eye for the Straight Guy has one of the most influential reality TV seasons of all time. title: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The 50 Most Influential Reality TV Seasons image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2287e1b7237894ef/698a3410929fad8140bf8da3/queer-eye-for-the-straight-eye-reality-tv-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Aug 04, 2022 # Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Season 1 (2003) by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  The final season of 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' ran in 2007. The final season of 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' ran in 2007.Everett Collection An instant ratings success and critical hit upon its premiere on Bravo in 2003, _Queer Eye for the Straight Guy_ shaped representation for gay men on reality TV at a shaky time for [LGBTQ rights](https://time.com/6176224/florida-dont-say-gay-history-lgbtq-rights/ "undefined"), and in an era of rampant casual homophobia. Ted Allen, Carson Kressley, Jai Rodriguez, Thom Filicia, and Kyan Douglas, five incredibly likeable and charismatic gay men, brought their expertise in fashion, culture, food, and more to give makeovers to heterosexual American dudes. For its time, the show felt radical. Straight guys learned the value of self-care and, more importantly, the richness of hanging out with people they might not otherwise get to know. Though later seasons declined slightly in ratings, and the show faced criticism for perpetuating gay stereotypes and offering a narrow view of gay life by centering privileged white men, _Queer Eye for the Straight Guy_’s central tenet—that every person deserves to access their most fabulous self—carries on. A [Netflix reboot](https://time.com/5311979/queer-eye-season-two/ "undefined"), launched in 2018, revived the brand, with a more diverse [crew](https://time.com/5311959/jonathan-van-ness/ "undefined") helping all types of people, not just straight guys, find themselves. —_Mahita Gajanan_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6197756/queer-eye-for-the-straight-guy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6197756/queer-eye-for-the-straight-guy/"},"headline":"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy","datePublished":"2022-08-04T12:34:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:05:35.581Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6197756/queer-eye-for-the-straight-guy/","keywords":["franchise"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2287e1b7237894ef/698a3410929fad8140bf8da3/queer-eye-for-the-straight-eye-reality-tv-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2287e1b7237894ef/698a3410929fad8140bf8da3/queer-eye-for-the-straight-eye-reality-tv-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6197756/queer-eye-for-the-straight-guy/","name":"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not","description":"Reality series aren’t exactly well respected; critics, social scientists, and even fans never stop unearthing revelations about their crass manipulations and toxic tropes. 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