Over the summer, viewership for first run pisodes of the gay-studded reality show plummeted by almost 40%, collecting a mere 804,000 viewers in the coveted 18-49 year old demographic, which is comparable to the ratings C-SPAN gets.

“There is no shortage of factors that might explain the drop, ranging from overexposure to heavy competition,” Andrew Wallenstein wrote in The Hollywood Reporter. “While many cable series fray at the edges in their sophomore seasons, Queer Eye's ratings decline has been steeper than most.”

NBC quickly responded to the falling numbers by yanking their re-edited version off the network’s schedule and Bravo hurriedly placed the show’s cable broadcasts on indefinite hiatus to make room for the eye-candy series Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model.

But Queer Eye is still Bravo’s most recognizable program, and the cable network seems willing to defend its merits and its life, no matter how tenuous it may be. Bravo president Lauren Zalaznick told the media that the “make-better” program didn’t need a facelift, “only a little Botox.” She also insisted that the series will continue to “pave the way for the next generation of Bravo originals.”

However, Bravo’s new generation of original shows seem far from unique. Project Runway, hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum, is touted as the “first ever” reality series focusing on fashion designers. The 100 Greatest TV Characters is a five-part series about--well, you guessed it--television characters from high-rated shows.

And now Bravo is even initiating a Queer Eye rip-off series, Queer Eye for the Straight Girl, premiering in January. Bravo pushes this hour-long show as introducing “The Gal Pals, serving up style and savoir faire to clueless straight women.”

And just to make sure audiences don’t forget the original Fab 5, Bravo will present intermittent “Very Queer Specials”—basically just re-worked Queer Eye episodes—to air on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Created by David Collins, a gay man, and developed by David Metzler, a straight man, Bravo originally described Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as “a union of sensibilities that gives the show its depth, humor and edge.”

“Gay or straight, we all want to look good, feel good and have great shoes,” said Collins before the show’s premiere in July 2003.

At a press conference after the series’ debut, Queer Eye’s Food and wine connoisseur Ted Allen recalled that the audition notice for the show stated that producers wanted it to be “a cross between a make-over show, Will & Grace, and Esquire magazine.” They liked the service advice that Esquire had and the sensibility, the tone and the wry humor.

But critical reviews of Queer Eye didn’t like the show’s flamboyancy, dissing humor or over-the-top gay sensibility.

Tom Shales of The Washington Post called it “stereotypes on parade.”

The Village Voice’s Richard Goldstein seriously questioned if the show’s stereotypes resonated with only the most primitive view of gay men. “Haven’t fags always been consigned to the role of body servant?” he questioned. “Aren't they supposed to have a doting eye for the straight guy?”

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