

Everyone wishes for a best friend; or if you’re lucky, a group like the Fab 5 who will walk around complimenting every aspect of your being. “You’re gorgeous!” Jonathan Van Ness would shout at you from a distance, despite you clearly being at your ugliest. “You’re the best,” Karamo would beam to you, with a smile. The Fab 5 like to charm their Queer Eye subjects into oblivion, ensuring that no one walks away from a makeover experience without falling in love. For people who’ve never been surrounded by such seemingly infinite affirmation, this must feel unsettling at first, and then seductive.
Each season, a handful of subjects, including tragically-bearded men, develop a bond with the Fab 5. Each season, the Fab 5 disappear from their lives forever, never to be seen again. When five strangers acting as gay-BFF proxies take the time and energy to make you a hotter, suaver version of yourself, there is no other payback than to vow to love them forever. People want to be friends with Tan and Karamo and Bobby, maybe Antoni, and especially Jonathan. But they will never be friends outside of that moment, and isn’t it sad and nice. Whenever connections are made and gratitude is expressed (usually during an ending monologue), it makes me feel a little bad for them every time.
Being lovable helps when you’re trying to get people like Season 4’s Brandonn to be vulnerable and open up to the idea of transformation. Brandonn is a former soldier who co-founded an organization that helps homeless veterans. Jonathan will soon remove the chin hair hiding layers of stress on Brandonn’s handsome face. But first, Brandonn has to experience the joy of Karamo providing him guidance under the vague guise of “culture.”
During a soul-to-soul with Karamo this season, Brandonn dreams out loud about extending their friendship beyond the moment. “I feel like a hundred pounds have been lifted off my shoulder,” Brandonn tells Karamo, who in his usual doting tone, responds with, “Yeah.” Brandonn: “Did we just become best friends?” Karamo nods and lies through his beautiful teeth: “Oh, for life.” What else do you say to someone you just met who tells you they want to be best friends? Here’s the face of someone who wants to be friends with someone asking to be friends.