Queer Eye Season 7: charming the Big Easy with fresh and fabulous new beginnings

Queer Eye is back, and as we had already informed y’all, this time the Fab Five are heading to a new destination – colorful New Orleans. Yes, our favorite hosts Antoni Porowski (Food & Wine), Bobby Berk (Interior Design), Jonathan Van Ness (Grooming), Karamo Brown (Culture), and Tan France (Fashion), are bringing their knowledge, advice, sass, and charm to the Big Easy.

Similar to previous seasons of the hit reality TV show, the Fab Five select ordinary people whom they call heroes who, for different reasons, have deprived themselves of self-care and help them improve in various areas of their lives. The result is a series of tear-jerking moments that make both the heroes and the audience alike reflect on their own worth and how, as human beings, we take so much for granted and are sometimes programmed to sabotage ourselves.

And while throughout Queer Eye’s seven seasons and specials, the formula has stayed the same, there’s a reason this reality show remains a fan favorite among so many in its overpopulated genre: it has a heart of its own.

And it beats not just with the undeniable chemistry that exists between the hosts, but with the way the quintet takes each story and gives it the same level of importance, love, and care, keeping their heroes feeling supported and understood throughout the short but healing and transformative journey.

But let’s dig a little deeper into this new season and why it’s one of our favorites so far, shall we?

Queer Eye Season 7, definitely more than a makeover 

Queer Eye’s famous tagline ‘More than a Makeover’ has never been truer than it is this season. From stories that brought tears to our eyes, to transformations and renovations that made our heads explode (we still don’t understand how Bobby does everything he does in less than a week), this season of Queer Eye – its shortest yet – takes us on a seven-episode journey that shows why what the Fab Five do for these people is definitely more than a makeover.

As soon as the credits for Queer Eye Season 7 roll, you know you’re in for a magical treat. There’s a lot of color, a lot of music, a lot of sass, and a set of heroes that promise to make you laugh, cry, and feel all the feels.

Among this season’s heroes, we find a group of scruffy frat boys, a sports-loving lesbian, an influencer who is paralyzed from the chest down, a school principal, a grumpy deli owner, an ex-incarcerated thrift-store owner, and a pioneer farmer. All of these wonderful human beings have their own stories and problems to deal with, and while we absolutely loved learning about all of them, we can’t deny that there were a couple of standouts among the bunch.

So we’re going to focus a bit on them so we don’t spoil the whole season.

New beginnings

In episode two we meet Stephanie Williams, a lesbian die-hard fan of the New Orleans Saints who struggles with some internalized homophobia, social anxiety, and a distaste for green vegetables (lol), and channels it all through an obsession with sports memorabilia. 

Throughout the week, the Fab Five help her navigate through the core of her problems and slowly but surely shed some of that sports fan armor she wears; helping her to not only reconnect with her gay brother and start to connect with other members of the LGBTQ+ community (shout-out to the Fab Five partners for showing up for her too) but also to go back to being the confident person that she once was.

Her transformation is nothing short of jaw-dropping, one of the best we’ve seen in all seasons of Queer Eye. We’re not going to spoil the episode, but what happens when she fully embraces the new life the show is giving her left us screaming, crying, and gay-gasping for hours. 

By the way, Tan is right, a gay gasp is the gaspiest of gasps because y’all should have seen our faces when that happened at the end of the episode. Truly, as JVN said, no one has ever made us cry like this on the show before.

Another story that had us in our feelings was Speedy’s. Ray ‘Speedy’ Walker is a 20-year-old TikToker who at the tender age of 18 had to go through the tragedy of losing his mother and aunt in a horrible car accident that also left him paralyzed from the chest down, thus ending his dreams of becoming a basketball star. 

After the tragedy, Speedy turned to social media to try to inspire others to follow their dreams despite the adversities that life could throw at them. However, behind the influencer facade lies a young man who hasn’t been able to properly grieve all that he lost in that car accident.

But in a first on Queer Eye, the Fab Five bring in a former hero to help them coach and counsel Speedy so he can have more tools and be better equipped to carry on with his new life, Wesley Hamilton (Season 4, Episode 2 “Disabled, But Not Really”).

In case y’all don’t remember, back in 2012 Wesley was shot in the abdomen and left paralyzed from the waist down, so there really was no one better to help pass on some knowledge and help Speedy come to terms with what happened to him and fully embrace the new life that Queer Eye Season 7 was offering him.

We’re not going to lie, it was really touching and moving to see these two interact. Also, it was nice to be able to catch up with one of the show’s former heroes and see how, despite all the time that’s passed, the impact and change that Queer Eye brought to their lives has had a lasting effect. So kudos to the production and the whole Queer Eye team for that.

Queer Eye Season 7 touches on everything from disability to decarceration to mental health, and while the show has had more politically radical seasons, this new installment managed to remind us why this show, despite all the recent cancellations of LGBTQ+ shows, hasn’t lost its momentum and is now in its seventh season – a true rarity in this streaming era we’re all living.

Queer Eye isn’t just limited to a makeover and some new home decor, it’s so much more than that. It’s a show that has not only improved and grown over the years but has stayed true to its values. It’s a celebration of individuality, acceptance, and the transformative power of self-care.

In a world where bigotry, ignorance, and hate continue to drive humanity to pieces, it’s essential to have something to remind us all that personal growth and self-love are possible for everyone, regardless of background and circumstances. So here’s to praying that we get many more seasons of Queer Eye.

We need them.

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Queer Eye Season 7 is streaming now on Netflix. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!