Photos Of The 'Queer Eye' Stars Before They Became The Fab 5

Warning: Prepare to be shocked by Jonathan without long hair.
The stars of Netflix's "Queer Eye" reboot (left to right): Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski, Tan France and Jonathan Van Ness.
Illustration: HuffPost photo: Getty
The stars of Netflix's "Queer Eye" reboot (left to right): Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski, Tan France and Jonathan Van Ness.

Queer Eye” Season 2 hits Netflix on Friday, and it’s bound to keep you glued to your screens for at least eight hours this weekend (or more, if watching once isn’t enough for you).

From the minute Season 1 of the reboot began, viewers became enamored with the show’s Fab Five: Antoni Porowski, the show’s food expert (whose cooking skills have come into question); Karamo Brown, the culture expert who can smize for his life; Tan France, the style expert with an affinity for floral shirts and a great head of salt-and-pepper hair; Bobby Berk, the design expert who revamps the makeover subjects’ living quarters; and Jonathan Van Ness, the grooming expert who can seriously rock a man bun.

We wanted to know what the guys were up to before their newfound “Queer Eye” fame, so naturally, we did a little scrolling through Instagram to find out they were just as fabulous before they got together and made us all cry (happy tears, mostly).

Below, check out a carefully curated selection of photos of everyone’s faves:

Jonathan Van Ness, during his college days

A post shared by Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) on

Van Ness (second from the left) used to be a cheerleader, which explains his impressive back handspring skills.
The emo era, date unknown

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Can you believe? Van Ness even had an emo/punk phase at one point. Yes, henny!
2014

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Here he is serving up some Cindy Crawford realness. Nailed it.
2015

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Are you getting Jon Snow vibes? We are -- which makes sense, considering Van Ness was a star on Funny or Die's "Gay of Thrones."
2016

A post shared by Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) on

How can one's hair be so glorious? Skipping the sulfates is one thing, but not everyone can be blessed with locks this luscious.
Bobby Berk in the '80s

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Berk's childhood hairstyle definitely gives France's pompadour a run for its money.
Sometime in the '80s

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Would it be too much to ask for Berk to sport this hat on the show at some point?
Circa 2009

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Berk was once a smizer, too.
2014

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Here's Berk in his element, at the High Point Market furniture trade show in 2014.
Karamo Brown as a kid, and in 2016

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Brown was a seriously cute kid with a megawatt smile that's just as adorable today.
2014

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Back in 2014, Karamo was dreaming of winning an Emmy. If the success of "Queer Eye" is any indication, we have a feeling that dream might come true.
2014

A post shared by Karamo (@karamobrown) on

"Queer Eye" wasn't Brown's first foray into the world of TV. He was on "The Real World," and was a host for "The OWN Show" and HuffPost Live.
2016

A post shared by Karamo (@karamobrown) on

Brown has also been showing off his smizing skills for years.
Antoni Porowski, 2013

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Porowski was once "Queer Eye" OG Ted Allen's personal chef. Here's a shot of him cooking up a storm.
2015

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He may love his Strokes T-shirts, but Porowski also looks great in a bowtie.
2015

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The foodie was brooding on Instagram long before he was doing it on magazine covers.
2016

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He once even took a cue from Justin Bieber and bleached his hair.
Tan France, 2015
France loves floral shirts and bolder styles -- but even in all black, his personal style shines through.
2015
He's clearly been a fan of floral shirts -- complete with rolled sleeves -- for a while. If anyone can rock the look, it's him.
2015
France somehow made Starbucks and buffalo plaid look anything but basic here.
2015
The style expert would match the leather of his bag to his shoes.

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