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

QUEER EYE season 2 episode 8 production still. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

15. Ted, “Make Ted Great Again” (S2, E8)

On the season two finale of Queer Eye, we meet Ted, the hipster mayor of Clarkston, Georgia. He’s a young, cool mayor with a beard who wears Converse sneakers and fights for the rights of his diverse townspeople. He was nominated by his girlfriend Andrea, who finds him slouchy and hates his “dirty hippie beard”.

Ted also uses his home as an office and workspace, which leaves the apartment messy and cluttered, and needs help with his public speaking skills. He wants to seem like the experienced, hardworking mayor he is, but he needs the Queer Eye guys to help him be taken more seriously.

Ted’s physical makeover was… a choice. Unlike most makeover shows, Jonathan isn’t afraid to keep a beard on his clients, as we’ve seen on many episodes so far. With Ted, however, he didn’t just clean up the “dirty hippie beard” that his wife hated; Jonathan shaved it right off! And he told him he expects him to stay clean shaven.

Considering Ted is known as the “hipster” mayor and his unique look helped him carve out his place in his town, it’s surprising that they’d change his look so drastically. I thought they would clean up the beard and give him a more polished hipster look instead. He looks good, but he looks like a completely different person, and I can’t figure out if that’s a good thing or not!

Tan’s new clothes helped elevate Ted’s style to a more mature, professional level, but still feel young and hip enough for this cool mayor. The rest of the gang really killed it, too. They prepped Ted and Andrea to give a great dinner party with international delegates in their beautifully decorated home. Antoni even gave Ted the rundown on a unique recipe to cook for his guests that was more complicated than guacamole!

This episode also featured the most cringe-worthy, whitest rap battle ever. I don’t know how that is supposed to help better Ted as a person or as a mayor, but you know, Karamo has his reasons, I guess.