I have completely binge-watched both seasons of the Netflix reboot of Queer Eye, and have loved every minute of it. One question popped into my head, though, after going through every single episode: what does Antoni Porowski really bring to it?
This will come across as shady, but it's a question that I've noticed is posted quite a lot on social media with many scratching their heads about the same thing.
The new fab five's roles on the show are as follows: Tan France as the fashion expert, Karamo Brown for culture, Jonathan Van Ness for grooming, Bobby Berk for interior design and Antoni for food and wine.
When I watch these episodes, the other four have a pretty good grip on each of their subjects and are able to get to the meat of their issues in a truly phenomenal way. I struggle, however, to figure out what Antoni's role is on it when what he presents often comes across as incredibly simplistic and not really part of what Jonathan, Bobby, Karamo and Tan are trying to accomplish.
Case in point: season one, episode one's subject was Tom, a good ole southern boy who was the textbook definition of why this show is great. The other guys did a ton of upheaval on him and created a major transformation by the end of the program. Antoni did something with an avocado, which became a running theme on the show.
I know what I'm saying is harsh, but it often seems like he doesn't really have much to do as many subjects on the show are already in decent or great shape to begin with. So was he cast for a completely different purpose? If not, shouldn't the show find better ways to incorporate him when screen time can be potentially difficult with big personalities like Jonathan?
Some people on social media have made claims that he was purposefully brought on as the stereotypical "pretty boy" and that it would also bring in a female viewership as they would find him equally as attractive as men do. I don't necessarily think that's the reason, as I've seen what he's done outside this show and he's really knowledgeable about food and beverage so at least he has that to back it up outside of his good looks.
Also, and this is just from my point of view, but it doesn't really seem like he gels entirely with the other group. Something I've noticed on the show is how they all start out as one but eventually group into twos in many of the episodes. I usually see Jonathan and Tan chatting it up and Bobby and Karamo doing the same. I don't see much interaction from Antoni. Perhaps he's a bit more reserved than the others, which is fine, but the chemistry seems to be a bit lacking now that the show has been on for two seasons in under a year.
If anything, the show has given Antoni a platform to partner with major brands as pretty much every other post on his Instagram is a paid partnership of sorts. This includes Hanes, Whole Foods, and several others. He's also opening up a restaurant in New York City, so clearly he's having the last laugh of sorts here from some of the haters (myself potentially included) who have thrown him shade about this subject in the past.
What I'm hopeful for, in regards to Antoni's purpse on the show, is that he opens up a lot more and finds ways to be more useful with what he's good at. Perhaps giving him a bonus type of thing on the streaming platform where he does a 30-minute type of cooking show with the subject at hand. This will showcase his talents much more than just one dish and he can talk about variety in food and beverage a lot more. Just some thoughts here.
This was created by one of our Contributing Writers and does not reflect the opinion of Instinct Magazine or the other Contributing Writers when it comes to this subject.
All the Fab 5 have admitted
All the Fab 5 have admitted that they spend 5-10 times the amount of what we see on the show. Antoni shows them multiple dishes but it usually is only narrowed down to one. He goes grocery shopping and more.
Also, in a casting sense Antoni’s at time reserved personality adds balance to the group. He has plenty to offer and is probably the most improved or rising success story of the group.
Give Antoni a break guys.
Give Antoni a break guys. Jeez, the guy gives some of these good ole boys something simple, something tasteful and something easy to make. Don't need to be a Julia Childs here. And don't forget the time constraints on these shows. Yes, he is handsome, but he is also a talented, sensitive guy that compliments the other FAB 5.