WHO: Queer Eye For The Straight Guy had a huge cultural impact in the early 2000’s. Did you guys feel pressure coming into this and high expectations to replicate that?
BOBBY: We felt a lot of pressure to make it good, I’d say. In the beginning we did feel a lot of pressure to kind of replicate it but right in the very beginning we all sat down and we really had deep conversations about how we could make it our own and how if we had went into it trying to replicate it, it would not be successful and not that the first iteration wasn’t amazing, it just had it’s time and place and ours has it’s time and place and we wanted to figure out how to make it our own and I think we did.
KARAMO: Listen the OG Fab Five, they created a freaking amazing path but we’re walking it in our own shoes and we’re doing a hell of a job I say. See, it’s all about self-love sometimes you’ve got to promote yourself.
WHO: Were you surprised by the reaction and that you become instant cultural figures?
ANTONI: YES! And it continues to hit in every country that we visit. I tend to live in like a little state of delusion of like the success over the show and we’re reminded everyday of like the lives that are impacted and it’s like nothing sort of incredible and it’s wonderful.
BOBBY: My favourite is going to the countries that I do not speak the native language and to still then hear people freaking out as you go by and having no idea what they’re talking about but knowing that they love the show.
WHO: At the end of last year Australia finally voted in marriage equality, which was a really big thing for our country…
JONATHAN: It was huge for the world, if that wouldn’t have passed it would have been the first western country to turn down a gay marriage so that would have been really dev.
WHO: Would any of you consider Australia as a possible wedding destination? We’re looking at you, Karamo…
KARAMO: The answer is yes. I was actually here a year ago with my partner and we climbed the bridge, the Sydney Bridge…
TAN: Laughs
BOBBY: We’re all just laughing at the thought of Karamo doing any like exercise of any sort.
KARAMO: That’s not really exercise… I don’t like to exercise. It wasn’t because climbing up the bridge you have to go really slow because of the wind and you’re like attached to other people so literally it took us like three hours to get over so it wasn’t a workout at all.
TAN: So would you get married here?
KARAMO: When I was climbing the bridge I actually thought to myself this would be a beautiful place to get engaged or get married. I mean Australia is just full of love and light that if I could start the first step of my relationship with the man I love in a place that I love, why not?
WHO: I hear you’re Australian royalty now after being crowned Kings and Queens in Yass.
BOBBY: We’ve always been big old Queens, its just now been confirmed by the mayor.
WHO: How was your time in Yass? How did you find it?
TAN: Amazing. The place itself is picturesque, it’s gorgeous, the people were so nice… it reminded us actually of filming in Georgia. It’s really rural, it’s pretty, the people are super welcoming but actually they’re a lot more liberal than I ever expected to, they were all embracing, it was awesome. People have said that they just pass threw Yass – what a waste – like stop, go down to their main street, it’s lovely.
ANTONI: Amazing mushroom farm, great vineyard… a few of us got to help an individual, then Bobby and I got to sort of like assist more with helping the community with the new bistro and bar so it was really lovely.
TAN: And a side note, their baked goods were great.
ANTONI: Their coffee was fantastic… both cafes that we went to.
TAN: The coffee and baked goods were great.
BOBBY: I didn’t get any baked goods…
TAN: We went out ourselves and got the baked goods [laughs].
WHO: Tan, how have you found the fashion side of Australians while you’ve been here?
TAN: Honestly it’s been great! I don’t really think I expected it to be not so good, it’s exactly what I expected. There are people who are really well dressed and you can tell that they really great pride in their appearance and there’s certain people who I’m sure could do with a little bit of help if they just asked, maybe those people just don’t know where to get started and that’s understandable, a lot of people feel that way but yeah I’m loving the style in Australia and especially with the people that are turning up to interview us, you guys are dressed great.
For more from Queer Eye's Fab Five, pick up a copy of WHO on sale now!
In a jam-packed episode of WHO magazine’s TV podcast, Binge List, we discuss the returns of Arrested Development and The Karate Kid (as spin-off series Cobra Kai). Plus, what’s the verdict on Love Island Australia? We also take a look at hilarious spy thriller Killing Eve, crime docuseries The Staircase and comedian Ali Wong’s Netflix specials. Listen below, or on iTunes: http://po.st/syE3JF or OMNY: http://po.st/28BGXd
Queer Eye Season 2 starts streaming on Netflix on June 15.
