Most men would rather suffer a sharp stick in the eye than listen to five insufferably stylish queens give them makeover advice. But despite its extremely high concept, Bravo's hit reality series, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, has become the highest-rated show ever on the NBC-owned network and the most gushed over program of the summer. More than just metrosexual men are tuning in; average straight guys are learning that while ear hair is totally unacceptable, rolling your sleeves is undeniably cool. Pin the show's popularity on its quintet of snarky style gurus, a.k.a. the Fab Five -- Kyan Douglas, the grooming eye; Carson Kressley, the fashion eye; Thom Felicia, the interior design eye; Jai Rodriguez, the culture eye; and Ted Allen, the food and wine eye.

"We're not saying all straight men are clods," Allen says delicately. "And we're not saying all gay men are super-fabulous and super-stylish. We're just saying that we can all use a little help."

Each week, the Fab Five are charged with making over a straight schlub -- redesigning his digs, redoing his wardrobe and sometimes even helping him plan and execute the perfect marriage proposal. But Queer Eye is more than just five gay guys poking fun at straight men. "We're giving straight guys permission to take care of themselves in ways they haven't felt comfortable doing before," Allen says. We recently caught up with the show's resident gourmand to get some essentials on becoming a better straight guy. Betcha never thought a gay man could be your ideal wingman. Allen gave it to us straight.

"You always need to be thinking about the other person's feelings, if you want that person to become your friend or romantic interest," Allen explains. "How many times have you asked a woman on a date and then really tried to figure out where she wants to go, what kind of food she wants to eat, what kind of a movie is really going to blow her away, instead of like Terminator 3? The same idea applies to sex."

"People are anxious on early dates, and they want to have something to do so there aren't awkward silences," says Allen. "Remember, it's about her. What are her interests?" Allen suggests doing a little intelligence gathering, but warns not to be a creep about it. That means no looking at her e-mails or in her diary for clues. "Find out what the person is interested in," Allen says. Take her to the zoo. Play pool. Go to a wine tasting. Go bowling. "Something competitive can be playful, and it may even present opportunities to touch each other."

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