All 16 Queer Eye makeovers ranked (so yes, get the tissues)

Queer Eye season 1 episode 1 production still. Image: Courtesy of Netflix

2. Tom, “You Can’t Fix Ugly” (S1, E1)

You didn’t think I would forget the episode that launched it all, did you?

Tom is a self-proclaimed “dumb ol’ country boy from Kentucky” who lives by the phrase “you can’t fix ugly!” He wears jean shorts every day, smokes, drinks “redneck margaritas” (made of Mountain Dew and tequila), and lives a very lazy life all by himself. He has an unruly, graying beard, and he’s definitely in need of a makeover. He’s also been unlucky in love in the past, but he seems to be on-and-off with his ex-wife Abby.

Even though Tom feels like he’s too ugly to be fixed, it’s touching to see how open he is to change. Most old Southern men may flinch at the thought of a group of rowdy gays bombarding them the way the Fab Five bombard their “heroes”, but Tom welcomed them with a big smile and an open mind. Jonathan can be a lot to handle, and yet Tom didn’t bat an eye at his flamboyance and just laughed along with him.

Tom is a 57-year-old Southern man, so obviously they’re not going to turn him into Tan or Jonathan, but they give him a serious boost. His cigarette-stained beard was tamed, and they gave him some stylish new glasses and a better skincare routine. They didn’t change his style completely, they let him wear plaid and shorts, but in a more refined way.

You already know what I’m going to say: it really wasn’t about his physical transformation in the end. Tom is beaming with confidence by the time the Fab Five leave him, and best of all, Abby couldn’t be happier to see him. The love they still have for each other is clear, and this self-esteem boost helped bring the two of them back together.

(In case you missed it, Tom and Abby ended up getting remarried and the Internet was not prepared for that level of cuteness.)

Tom has nothing but praise for the Fab Five, and even though he never hung out with gay guys before, he felt nothing but love from them. It’s clear that the cast loved Tom as much as he loved them, and that’s a sign that he’s truly a lovely man.