In an unexpected turn, the stars of Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot have been crowned honorary royalty of the small rural town of Yass, New South Wales, after spending a day of their Australian press tour making over one of the township’s residents and one of its pubs.
In the early hours of Wednesday 6 June, Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Tan France, Karamo Brown and Jonathan Van Ness crammed into a small van to drive 50 miles north from the Australian capital Canberra to Yass, population 6,600, a place where, according to one local, “Nothing much happens”. The fab five were accompanied by a police escort on a 12-hour shoot in the town, which will be turned into a short webisode released by Netflix this month to promote Queer Eye’s second season.
They spent the day making over a local farmer, George – who was scouted by producers and nominated by his son Levi – and overhauling the restaurant and menu of the local pub the Clubhouse Hotel, to rebrand it the Merino Bistro.
“I hope they’ll make him look a bit more suave, fix him up, make his tooth look better,” said Levi, a boilermaker, on Wednesday morning.
George, 54, a former bullrider and man of few words and a thick Aussie accent – got a spa treatment, grooming tips and a haircut from Van Ness before France took him shopping at a local clothing store, while Porowsi and Berk put the finishing touches to the pub. Brown spoke to George about the seven-days-a-week work life that has been keeping him from his 97-year-old mother and from watching his two kids growing up.
The farmer started the day a bit sceptical (“I just went with the flow”) but ended it with a few tears, calling Levi “an inspiration” and promising to spend more time with his family.
“I feel great,” George told the Guardian at the end of the day. “I didn’t really know what to expect because I didn’t know anything about the show … But it was a mind-changing day for me. Especially when we were talking about family, and quality time.
“We all get tied up – the world is busy. There’s plenty of people out there like me that work way too much. I think family time – you’ve got to spend time with your kids because they grow up way too fast.”
The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy reboot – now just titled Queer Eye – has been well-received by audiences for its heartwarming episodes that touch on progressive and political issues. The second season, which lands this month, sees the group make over a diverse range of people, including a transgender man, a black woman and her gay son, and, in the finale, the “hipster mayor” of Clarkston, Georgia, a town in the US deep south that welcomes 1,500 refugees a year.
Yass was chosen for its punning potential: among the many catchphrases Van Ness is known for is his ebullient blessing “Yas queen”.
George’s final reveal happened in the Merino Bistro on Wednesday evening in front of a group of locals and friends, before the mayor, Rowena Abbey, surprised the cast in full regalia, bringing with her five sparkling tiaras.
“I need to begin with the man who started it all,” she said, before anointing Van Ness. “Yasssss!” Van Ness replied.
The Yass makeover was kept under wraps from the press, which was teased with allusions to a “top secret” and “special” Australian makeover. But rumours began circulating after a Queer Eye-themed billboard was erected near the town last month. When the cast arrived in Canberra on Tuesday, Yass community Facebook groups began lighting up.
“It was the worst kept secret in Yass,” said Louise Sumner, a local florist. Sumner and Nicole Godding, who owns a neighbouring clothing shop, clocked on more than a week ago to the Queer Eye visit. Sensing the marketing potential, they attempted to lure the film crew into their shops.
“I started stalking Antoni,” Godding admitted. “I can clearly see he’s into avocados – and I have this little bike out the front of my shop with a basket and I thought, I’m going to fill it with avocados and I’m going to put a blackboard out saying, ‘When life gives you avocados, make guacamole – Antoni’ … But I didn’t do it. No. Too embarrassing.”
She settled for “pumping Kylie Minogue” at full volume from her shopfront on Tuesday. “You’ve got to come out fighting!”
In the end Queer Eye bypassed their stores but Godding and Sumner did manage to score selfies with some of the cast.
“We didn’t even think they’d speak to us, let alone grab my camera and say, ‘I’ll take it!’” Sumner said. “They were just so nice.”
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