Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness (they/them) is a new television show spinning off from the star's podcast of the same name. This documentary series began streaming six episodes over Netflix.com starting Jan. 28; the show follows the adventures of the Quincy, Illinois, native as they explore the world.
Van Ness approaches situations similar to an inquisitive, young child as they ask about insects, donuts and buildings. This keeps the storytelling easy to understand as experts from several fields guide them in the process of learning.
For those unfamiliar with the star, Van Ness is an Emmy Award-nominated TV personality from the hit reality series Queer Eye, which also streams on Netflix. Queer Eye just premiered the sixth season of the series and is a reboot of a past Bravo show where five representatives from the LGBTQ+ community makeover someone using a particular specialty. Van Ness is the grooming expert for the popular Netflix show.
This talented HIV-positive, best-selling author crafted a successful memoir in 2019 titled Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love where they unveil private moments from the past and a picture book in 2020 about a nonbinary guinea pig named Peanut called Peanut Goes for the Gold.
World of Wonder Productions produces the series and was founded by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato who have created award-winning television shows, such as RuPaul's Drag Race, for over 30 years now. The WOW team helped Van Ness turn the inquisitive audio podcast into a visual TV show. The Queer Eye star explained, "I wanted to give more life and energy to it. I was looking for more texture and experiences. It is still one question every episode, but in a more multidimensional, faster-paced way. I thought of World of Wonder. Fenton and Randy have been amazing!" They continued, "I became a host and a producer a little later in life. I had my first project at age 26 and became the producer of Gay of Thrones at 28. I have learned so much in front and behind the camera, but with this project, I wanted to get in that sandbox with them. It has been so fun that they let me come play!"
There are plenty of reality TV guest stars who make appearances in Getting Curious such as fellow Queer eye castmate Antoni Porowski, Project Runway's Christian Siriano and Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi. Van Ness explained why they reached out to Lakshmi, "When I learned I was going to have this show in Manhattan and would be learning about Entomophagy, which is eating bugs, I needed someone to conquer my fear of it. I needed a strong person to hold me through the experience and that is where Padma came in."
Being set in New York was vital to one episode which featured various iconic buildings and tall skyscrapers located in the city. The host asked questions to the professionals at the architecture firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill on the episode titled Are Skyscrapers Huge Divas? Van Ness confessed that they hadn't visited the Chicago branch of SOM yet, but were very proud of their collaboration with the company on a center for LGBTQIA+ folks who can't skate. Ice skating is another hidden talent for this podcast personality which is featured in the episode Why Don't You Love Figure Skating as Much as I Do?
The third episode of Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness tackles their journey of being nonbinary and pronoun usage by consulting with a Wabanski two-spirit hero. JVN currently uses they/them pronouns and requests to not be referenced by gender-specific terminology.
Van Ness' style for fashion continues to evolve over time and the hairstylist's long mane switches from straight to kinky throughout the series. They explained that their hair is naturally curly and their JVN hair care product line keeps them extremely busy, "Running a company is the most intense thing I have ever done, but I love it so much!"
There are no signs of things slowing down for Van Ness anytime soon with live shows planned in 2022 at the London Palladium in February and Radio City Music Hall in March.
Windy City Times asked Van Ness about other possible topics if Getting Curious is renewed for season two. "I would love to cover more wildlife and get out into the world more. I would like to explore more history outside of Manhattan. What about badminton? How do you even play it? That just came to me. How about exploring ancient musical instruments? How do we dig up archeological stuff and not break it?"
When asked about possibly leaving Queer Eye to become a solo artist similar to Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls, they replied, "Never! I love the boys. If Netflix is so sweet to have us back, then I will definitely be coming back!"