The Rainbow Effect

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The Rainbow Effect
The-rainbow-effect-logo.png
Creator piperjr
Genre Reality television
Starring Walker Benton
Derrick Carey
Jon "JD" Dorsey
Miles Parker
Kairi Song
Country of
origin
United States
Language English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 100 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time 44 minutes
Production Company Storm Cloud Productions
Original release
Network Piper TV
Release March 10, 2004 -
April 10, 2008
Related
The Rainbow Effect Junior

The Rainbow Effect was an American reality television series that premiered on Piper TV on March 10, 2004 and concluded on April 10, 2008. The series was created by executive producers Gary Henshaw and Harrison Sheridan along with Michael Langston through their company, Storm Cloud Productions. Each episode features a team of gay professionals in the fields of fashion, personal grooming, interior design, entertaining, and culture collectively known as the "Fab Five" performing a makeover (in the parlance of the show, a "make-better"): revamping wardrobe, redecorating, and offering lifestyle advice.

The Rainbow Effect quickly became a surprise success, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2005, with subsequent merchandising, international franchising of the concept, and a queer youth-geared spin-off, The Rainbow Effect Junior. In the show's fifth and final season, the series name added a subtitle, The Rainbow Effect: Road Trip, to include the more on-the-road nature of the "Fab Five" for the season as they travel across many states.

The Rainbow Effect ended production in October 2007 and the final episode aired April 10, 2008. During September 2008, the MyrtelTV network briefly aired The Rainbow Effect in syndication. The series was also run again by the Piper TV-affiliated KodaTV in 2023.

??? revived the series in 2018 with a new Fab Five.


Format[edit | edit source]

The majority of The Rainbow Effect episodes use the same basic format. The episode begins with the Fab Five in an SUV (usually in New York City, where the series was based) discussing their heterosexual client. The Five review details of the subject's personal life and note problems in their various areas of expertise. The Five usually have a specific event for which they plan to prepare the client. These included everything from throwing a backyard barbecue for friends to preparing to ask for a salary increase to proposing marriage.

Upon arriving at the subject's home, the Fab Five go through his/her belongings, performing a running commentary of catty remarks about the state of his/her wardrobe, home decor, cleanliness, and grooming. They also speak with the subject and family members to get an idea of the sort of style they like and their goals for the experience and to discuss the planned event.

The remainder of the first half of the episode follows the Fab Five as they escort the subject to various locales to select new furniture and clothes. Often, Miles demonstrates how to select and prepare food for a particular dish that the subject will prepare for the special event, and Kairi takes him for spa treatments and a new haircut. Each such segment includes a style tip superimposed on the screen, summarizing the style issues addressed in the segment. Interspersed with this are interview segments in which friends and family members of the subject discuss their style issues.

In the next section, the subject returns to a completely redecorated home and models articles of his new wardrobe for the Fab Five. Each of the Five offer final words of advice and encouragement, accompanied by supplies of grooming products, food and kitchenware, and in some cases expensive electronics items such as entertainment centers and computers.

The final section follows the subject as he/she prepares for the special event, with the Fab Five watching edited footage of his/her preparations and critiquing how well or how poorly he/she followed their advice. Finally, the subject is followed through the event itself, with the Five again performing a running commentary and the subject often expressing his/her deep gratitude to the Fab Five for their counsel. A final tip from each of the Fab Five, usually relating to one of the topics covered in the episode, plays just before the credits.

Special episodes of The Rainbow Effect that deviated from this formula included episodes in which the Fab Five journeyed outside the greater New York area, including shows filmed in England, Texas, and Las Vegas. In two episodes, the Fab Five made over homosexual men (both of which aired during June, Gay Pride Month, during 2004 and 2007), and in one episode made over a transgender man. The show also featured makeovers of members of the Boston Red Sox after their 2004 World Series victory, several holiday specials, and, in the final season, a "Mister Straight Guy" pageant featuring subjects from the series' history.

"Fab Five" experts[edit | edit source]

  • Walker Benton: "Design Doctor", expert on interior design and home organization
  • Derrick Carey: "Fashion Savant", expert on clothing, fashion, and personal styling
  • Jon "JD" Dorsey: "Culture Vulture", expert on popular culture, relationships and social interaction
  • Miles Parker: "Food and Wine Connoisseur", expert on alcohol, beverages, food preparation, and presentation
  • Kairi Song: "Grooming Guru", expert on hair, grooming, personal hygiene, and makeup

Production[edit | edit source]

Producers Henshaw and Langston were given approval by Piper TV to develop The Rainbow Effect after executive Justin Monroe saw some concepts and a short sizzle reel. The network, in an effort to garner a gay following, also gave Storm Cloud Productions the green light to develop two, LGBTQ-focused mini-series, Civil Unions and Gay Beginnings. The pilot episode was filmed in Boston, Massachusetts during June 2003. Of the eventual Fab Five, only Carey and Parker appeared. The culture, design, and grooming roles were filled by Alex Moss, Davis Spangler, and Isaiah Welch, respectively.

The pilot was delivered to Piper TV in September 2003 and was well received in audience testing. Soon thereafter, KAT purchased Piper TV and ordered 12 episodes of the series. KAT promoted the show extensively, including billboard campaigns and print advertisements in national magazines.

Walker Benton and Kairi Song joined the show for these episodes, along with Carlito Gutierrez in the role of "culture guy". Gutierrez filmed two episodes (which were broadcast as the second and third episodes and for which he was credited as a "guest culture expert") but was replaced by Dorsey beginning with production of the third episode. Each episode was shot over a span of four days and edited to create the perception that the events of the episode took place in a single day.

In April 2004, the success of the show led to Piper TV ordering an additional 12 episodes which, added to the previously-order 12 episodes and original pilot, round out the first season at 25 episodes. In September 2004, the series was renewed for a second season.

Episodes[edit | edit source]

Season Episodes Originally Aired
First Aired Last Aired
1 25 March 10, 2004 August 25, 2004
2 30 April 6, 2005 October 26, 2005
3 19 August 2, 2006 December 6, 2006
4 16 April 2, 2007 July 16, 2007
5 10 February 7, 2008 April 10, 2008