Yeehaw!
Grab your cowboy hats and riding boots, because the cast of Queer Eye is heading to Texas in season six. Karamo, Tan France, Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness traveled to Austin for the new season which premieres on Dec. 31 on Netflix. But Antoni isn't just dishing out Tex-Mex: In an E! News exclusive interview, the culinary expert dished all the details of this season, from his favorite part about filming in Texas to how Queer Eye is his boyfriend's favorite show (aww). Plus, find out his dream cast member if the gang ever became the Fab Six.
With new heroes, new recipes, and an adorable new loft pet named Neon, Antoni said they "knocked it out of the park" this season. "We keep on pushing the envelope on diversity and telling different stories," Antoni told E! "I can literally do this forever and we're always gonna have a new fresh story or a perspective to tell."
Y'all can scroll through to see the full interview with Antoni here.
E! News: You're back! What can you tell us about season six?
Antoni Porowski: One thing that I want to mention that wasn't as obvious to me, but I was watching the new season with my boyfriend and he was saying, "This is actually my favorite season out of all them and it's literally my favorite show on TV right now and I'm not just saying that because you're sitting next to me." He was like, "Just the visual of the five of you, like fish out of water in Texas with the cowboy hats and everything, it's visually very interesting and compelling." It's hard to see it when you're in it and you spent so many months doing it, but that was nice feedback to get.
E!: What was your favorite part about filming in Texas?
AP: Two things. One, I got to meet Neon, my rescue pup from APA. Neon is the new loft dog, which I'm very excited about. So she makes an appearance in all the scenes running around being a chaotic mess like she is. She's now our forever dog—she came back to New York with us—so she's like a lovely little living breathing souvenir from our time in Texas.
And my second favorite thing was a restaurant called Suerte where I had the best suadero beef taco I've ever had in my life. It had this thing called "black magic oil," which I asked them to jar so I could bring it back here and I've been having it with my scrambled eggs and it's unbelievable. The food scene there is out of this world.
E!: Looking back from season one to now, how do you feel the series has changed?
AP: There's a comfortability that I've seen in all of my castmates where I see more of them. Even in the first season, I feel like we were all slightly amplified versions of ourselves, like a little more caffeinated, at least for me. But now it's just like I see them the way that they are on camera, they truly are like that in real life. Which is really lovely to see.
E!: What behind-the-scenes moment from this season do you wish fans could see?
AP: At the end of the week, when we're so excited to show the hero their home and for them to step in and have that moment of discovery with them. It's a really intimate moment and at first, I was uncomfortable in the first couple seasons where I was like, "Should I leave?" and they're like, "We want you in this scene." We're always just so excited and everyone's running around. One person has a curling iron, the other one's getting hair spray and spraying too much, and Bobby and Karamo are arguing about temperature because for Bobby it's always too hot and for Karamo, it's always too cold.
E!: Have you ever had an "aha" moment where you think, "Wow, we're really changing lives?"
AP: I'm in touch with some of the heroes via Instagram and we'll just check in every once in a while, just to see how they're doing. And to see them, not necessarily replicating a dish that we made together, but just to see that they're in the kitchen more, for me, there's something really powerful about that. Like, that's made me a little emotional, where it's like, "Oh, yeah, like you really like sparked something there," you know? And I was able to be part of that moment of discovery for them where they realize how important food actually is in their lives, not just in taking care of themselves, but also their families and how they show their love. It's like a love language.
E!: Speaking of food, has there ever been someone that really surprised you with their cooking abilities?
AP: I try to come in with as little information as possible other than severe food allergies or things that they really hate. I try to just stay open-minded. Whenever I go in with preconceived notions, I'm always wrong. I kind of just ask open-ended questions and I take their lead on it. I know it's very frustrating for producers, because sometimes I'm like, "Oh, we're definitely doing Thai food this week," and then I speak to the person and it's sort of like, "No, I want to get into French cuisine." So it's like the wild, wild West; we're constantly shifting things and changing around.
And I know it can be frustrating. But at the same time, we have to figure out how we can best serve the hero. It not only makes good TV, but this is a human being's journey. They're not somebody who had aspirations to be on television. We want to be impactful in such a short amount of time and make it meaningful for them. I want them to remember it with fondness, not a random restaurant that I picked.
E!: If there was one person you could add to the Queer Eye crew, who would it be?
AP: I'm not sure what his role would be, but I feel like [retired U.S. figure skater and Messyness co-host] Adam Rippon would be a really good addition. Selfishly, he's one of the funniest people that I've ever met in my life and he just makes me laugh. There's something about him, he brings out a playfulness. He's incredibly intelligent, super charming and he can speak to anybody. You can introduce him to the Pope, and he could strike up a conversation.
E!: What holiday dish are you looking forward to making this year?
AP: Shepherd's pie. There's something just so comforting about a really good shepherd's pie with a lot of fresh thyme and some warm spices in the lamb. It's really tender and a little gamey. Crisp up the top with just a little bit of sharp cheddar to get that nice browning, and when it's cold, you can just go eat it with a spoon. It's really delicious.