Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness: Who knew that learning could be so much fun? – Season 1 Review
Yaasss hunny! Jonathan Van Ness, one of Netflix’s Fab Five (from the famous show Queer Eye), has their own solo Netflix show, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, and it’s as fabulous and funny as the Queen herself.
If you’re familiar with Jonathan Van Ness’ podcast of the same name, then you’re in for a real treat with this new format. If you’re completely new to this colorful universe of knowledge that Van Ness first created back in 2015, then buckle up because you’re about to fall in love with them as a person and learn so much about so many things in the process.
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness is the “live-action” format of Van Ness’ awarded podcast. The premise is simple: for each twenty-something-minute episode, Van Ness explores a topic of their utmost interest and enlists experts in the field to help answer all their burning questions.
There are six episodes in total and Van Ness’s whole repertoire is on display. They are a grooming expert, stand-up comedian, reality television host, a figure skating expert, and viewers are fortunate enough to be treated to it all. They pave an incredible journey through so many different things, from bugs to skyscrapers. In this show, like in Van Ness’s life, variety really is the spice of life.
Fast-paced and interactive, the entire show is a visual exploration of Van Ness’ personality and as such, it’s a beautiful, fun, and educational piece of television. We counted down the episodes for your convenience!
Getting Curious about Bugs!
“Are Bugs Gorgeous or Gross?” Van Ness questions this as they embark on an adventure of knowledge about all things bugs in the first episode of Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. From learning the different types of bugs and spiders the universe has to offer, to sampling food prepared with them as ingredients, this episode is going to make you think twice about killing that little spider or bug you found in your home, because they’re not that bad, really.
Are they that gross? It’s a question posed. These creatures are part of our ecosystems, and although some can be invasive, they are needed to balance things out. So, just like Jonathan, we have decided that bugs can be both gorgeous and gross.
What About Hair?
If it wasn’t clear that Van Ness was a hair expert before (really, which rock have you been living under?), it absolutely is in this episode titled “Why is Hair so Major?”. It kicks off with a brief musical number about different people and how culture can be centered around hair.
The episode then pays a visit to historians who take the narration about the history of hair to a whole other level – whether it’s hair preservation or how it was used as a means of measuring personal wealth in society, we learn it all.
In one of Getting Curious’ most powerful episodes, Van Ness sits down (separately) with two beautiful women (Michelle Buteau, and U.S. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley) to discuss how Western beauty standards have shaped how they both see themselves. Their journey is not unique.
The episode documents how these women, and many others like them, have overcome the internalized racism projected on them with messages centered around how their natural hair just isn’t beautiful. These conversations are powerful and important, and they will leave you tearing up for sure.
Breaking Down Barriers of Visibility
In this very personal episode of Getting Curious, Van Ness (who identifies as non-binary, pronouns he/she/they) asks a very important question: “Can we say Bye-Bye to the Binary?”. With a comical skit of an alien gender reveal announcement and even a parody of a retro commercial where you get to “acquire” any pronouns you want, Van Ness explores genders and the complicated feelings that are associated with bending gender norms.
The episode explores that space of one not fitting in with the restricted social constructs of male and female. Like we said, it is a very personal episode for our host and you can see it in the way they talk about their own struggles with gender identity and conformity. This episode documents how they try to maneuver the conversations for the general audience to understand. But, if there’s something we love about this beautiful human being is that despite brushing on important and personal topics, they still manage to bring their own personal touch to the subject and make it both humorous and respectful.
“Why Do I Love Snacks so Much?”
We’re going to be honest here, we felt really called out with this episode, as we’re sure 99% of viewers also did. Episode four of Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness is all about snacks and why we love them so much. So unless you’re living a sugar-free fitness life and have never in your life eaten a whole package of cookies in one sitting, then this episode will help you understand why you’re so dependent on this activity.
Jonathan, along with JVM (a little animated mouse), helps us understand why our bodies feel this “need” to keep eating more and more and more snacks. It’s a very important episode that explores the good and bad aspects of sugar. It has great talking points about food culture and how indulgent it has been on sweets, even when it’s proven science that they’re not good for our bodies.
Are we gonna stop snacking? Impossible, but after learning so much about this topic, we’ll surely try to transition to a healthier way of snacking. Frozen fruit, anyone? Also, you may see a familiar Queer Eye face making a cameo in one of the skits! (Hello, Antoni! #JVNtoni4eva)
Babes on Blades
If you follow JVN on socials then you know how passionate they are about figure skating. Since they were little, they found comfort in this sport, and through the fifth episode of Getting Curious, titled “Why Don’t You Love Figure Skating as Much as I Do?”, they try to help us fall in love with the Winter Olympics sport too.
JVN really wants us to understand its rules, moves, and scores, and even meet some amazing skaters along the way. That unquenched thirst for knowledge that Van Ness shows through the season gets toned down a little bit in this episode since he already knows everything there is to know about this sport, but his love for it is so infectious that you just can’t help but google where the nearest ice skate rink is in your city.
Rising From the Ground Like a Skyscraper
In the final episode of the first season of Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, JVN takes us on a quest to discover all the secrets behind skyscrapers and asks us the question: “Are skyscrapers, Huge Divas?”. What an excellent question! We have an expert on the field ourselves within the Q+ Magazine ranks, so the short answer is yes, although it’s rather complicated.
Van Ness, along with their squad of experts, tries to show us exactly that. All of these buildings, while beautiful and iconic and even a necessity for development, come with many technical and structural challenges, and also have a real and lasting impact on communities and cities around the world.
Most of the time, and especially in developed cities, urban developers think that the only way to grow is up, so they keep adding skyscrapers to the skyline. But, how many skyscrapers are too many?
Civilizations over centuries have been largely measured by their ability to build bigger, faster, and taller, so technically speaking skyscrapers are big divas, but being a diva has a price and we’re already paying for it, so unless sustainable and economic changes are made in the immediate future, we think it’s time for these divas to maybe start planning their retirement.
We really loved this new format of Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. It’s fresh, fun, and perfectly captures not only the essence of the original podcast but also Van Ness’ childlike wonder which fuels their curiosity to always try to learn everything about…everything.
The uniqueness and authenticity of Van Ness definitely make this show stand out from others in the genre, so if you’re someone who loves learning and having a great time while doing it, then you’re gonna love binge-watching this show. Our only criticism would be that the season felt too short and like with snacks, we were left wanting more and more and more.
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness is available to stream exclusively on Netflix. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!
