By Chris Munzing
The premise of the show is simple. Ask five gay men to make over the hopelessly unstylish straight men of the world, one guy at a time. Each of the five rehabilitators has a skill and knowledge to impart. Kyan Douglas handles grooming, Ted Allen chooses food and wine, Carson Kressley picks out clothes, Tai Rodriguez makes sure music is well chosen and Thom Filicia converts a shabby house into a chic home.
Kaden, a software designer, became the subject of this complete makeover when he and Kominkiewicz were shopping at the Roosevelt Field Mall. "Someone came up to us and handed us a flier," Kaden said. He admits that he wasn't too keen on the idea at first, but that his girlfriend had already made the decision for him. Kaden eventually decided that this would be the perfect way to get Kominkiewicz to move in with him.
The filming took place over three days while Kominkiewicz was on a surfing trip in Costa Rica. The "Fab 5" arrived at Kaden's East Broadway apartment and immediately got to work -- and work they did. There was more food under the couches than in the refrigerator, dust covered the cleaning products and Kaden's closet featured more heavy-metal T-shirts than a souvenir stand at a Motley Crue concert.
The five attacked the apartment with gusto, quickly filling up garbage bags, washing dishes, insulting the wardrobe and formulating plans to convert Kaden's lifestyle. The first step was a trip into Manhattan to Mudhoney Salon, where Kaden's treasured long locks were trimmed without his losing the long-hair look. "I told him we're not doing the show if they cut his hair too short," said Kominkiewicz as she sat on Kaden's new couch. Kaden, who hadn't had a haircut in a year, was pleased with his new hairstyle. He commended his makeover team for allowing him to keep his overall style and not trying to change him.
The next step was clothing. Kressley, the most over-the-top of the quintet, made Kaden into his personal mannequin. Stops were made at vintage clothing stores as well as more upscale stores such as Barney's. Kressley updated Kaden's wardrobe without losing the overall rock 'n' roll look he was so comfortable with.
The apartment, which had previously been decorated in "frat boy chic," got a new paint job, couch, coffee table and chairs, not to mention a thorough scrubbing. On the show, Kaden admitted that he was still living like he was in college, and he was thrilled that his new apartment left all that behind.
Allen then taught Kaden how to properly prepare striped bass. Kaden had said that Kominkiewicz was fond of fish, and Allen decided that bass was the answer. Kaden watched as Allen showed him the ingredients and how to prepare the meal. It was over this meal that Kaden would ask his girlfriend to move in with him, so he wanted to make sure everything went right.
Before the big dinner, Kaden had a bit of an embarrassing moment. While getting ready, he cut himself shaving. "The cameraman was laughing so hard," Kaden said, laughing at himself on screen. But he pulled himself together and went to pick up his girlfriend at the LIRR station. When he pulled up to get her, she couldn't get enough of his new look. "Look at your hair, it's got layers," she exclaimed. "You look so hot!"
At the apartment, Kominkiewicz couldn't believe her eyes as she looked over what appeared to be a completely different apartment than the one she had known. "Oh my God, you have a coffee table," she said. The dinner went off without a hitch, and Kominkiewicz said yes to Kaden's question. Would she have moved in without the apartment makeover? "Definitely not," she said.
Overall, Kaden was very pleased with the way things turned out. "There's no food on the floor, and I wear all the new clothes," he said. "It wasn't a major change, so it's not hard to keep up."
With a new wardrobe, a new look and a new roommate, the "Fab 5" can call this makeover a complete success.
The "Make Room for Lisa" episode will repeat on Bravo several times. For information, check out www.bravotv.com/Queer_Eye_for_the_Straight_Guy/Episodes/103.
