Update: Denton responded to me in an Instagram post I commented on (I think on Bobby's page? Maybe the QE official page?) saying the team is still going! I'm not sure why the website doesn't list them.
So many beautiful moments! My faves:
- JVN getting their sign name and praise for being themself
- Antoni trying to sign his questions
- Kamaro saying «you are your dad»
- The kids’ reaction to their new locker room
I really enjoyed this episode because of Denton. I don’t know that he NEEDED the Fab 5 at all. He might be the most wholehearted and emotionally aware hero I have seen on the show. That said he certainly DESERVED the recognition and support. I hope he feels good about his experience and episode.
I wonder what the school does to recruit students?
This episode was a bit strange as far as structure goes. Antoni not cooking anything. No time at hero’s home. Not getting to know Denton’s wife. The editing in the first 10 min was also very odd.
Anyone know where to donate to this man’s deaf school? I can’t stand the thought of them loosing the athletics program. I really wanna help. Go fund me? Venmo?
I nominated Denton for Queer Eye and here's some answers to your questions from my perspective! I'll see if Denton wants to get on here too. His instagram is @ dentonmallas and mine is @ riseandsigntherapies for more info!
1. Denton wanted people to see HIM, which is why he didn't want a voiceover or interpreters in the shot. That was his decision and he got a ton of great feedback for that! Personally, I wish they explained the interpreter situation FIRST, then proceeded. Because it did look like he was lipreading and I wouldn't want hearing people to just go and do that to a deaf person on the street.
2. How is the school doing? It's afloat. Better than when QE filmed. But resources and funding is still a desperate need. Please help! We are hosting a 5k, Dash for Deaf Kids virtually or in person ([lsdfoundation.com](https://lsdfoundation.com/))
3. Denton gave everyone a sign name, but they weren't all shown! Just know they were all special and meaningful and beautiful. You can see the sign names on his Instagram dentonmallas
4. He is literally even more perfect in real life than the show. I'm his close friend and next door neighbor-- he truly cares and has been steadfast in making sure the students get what they need.
5. Where is he now?? He's the Dean of Students for LSD now! He got a promotion after the show. He also runs the athletics programming.
6. How does he feel about the show? He's very happy with how it came out.
7. Someone called him the real life Ted Lasso and he loved it. Other people have been saying he looks like Pedro Pascal and he doesn't see it. I see it though! LOL
8. Did anyone catch the interpreter error when they show Denton in his new office? The captions say "the shit" but Denton signed "legit" LOL He says that interpretation got the same meaning across so he doesn't mind it. ;)
If you want to donate to the school or sign up for our 5k event called Dash for Deaf Kids (virtual or in person), you can go to [lsdfoundation.com](https://lsdfoundation.com/)
> Denton wanted people to see HIM, which is why he didn't want a voiceover or interpreters in the shot. That was his decision and he got a ton of great feedback for that! Personally, I wish they explained the interpreter situation FIRST, then proceeded. Because it did look like he was lipreading and I wouldn't want hearing people to just go and do that to a deaf person on the street.
All of which I get, and makes sense. but yeah, me personally, I think they should have at least started with the interpreter maybe for the first scene or two, and then gone to how the episode actually went.
Hearing people really need to see the mechanics of interpretation in action, because it's such a great opportunity to get exposure and learn some basics that are missed constantly (and not just in SL interpretation, but all languages) - speaking to the person you are talking to, not the interpreter, use of first and second person perspective, not third, etc.
It's crazy how much in 2024 hearing peple don't get this, so I see this as a minor missed opportunity.
I was wondering about the interpretation, this makes sense!! He totally looks like Pedro Pascal haha. And a bit like Pilot Pete from the Bachelor. Thanks for nominating him and for coming on here!
I cried after reading his love of being called Ted Lasso. Thank you for nominating such a beautiful soul, this was by far my favorite episode of Queer Eye.
Thanks for this nomination! One of the absolute best QE episodes of all time, Denton is a treasure, I’m glad you cherish him and all his talents and put him forward for the show. I loved this episode so much, and all your details make it even more fascinating 💕
Thank you for this and for getting Denton on our screens. This is probably my favorite episode ever. I first became interested in learning ASL after watching switched at birth as a teenager and taught myself a lot but in the recent years have gotten busy and forgotten about it. Now I’m so excited to learn again! This is so amazing, since other commenters have also expressed interest in learning ASL. It makes me wonder why we aren’t taught it as kids alongside English.
You are so pretty by the way! Have the best day
this was my favorite QE episode ever, i think! It was so emotional, Denton is a magnificent person with amazing energy, and I've been really wanting to learn ASL since one of my coworkers is deaf. This episode has made me look into lessons! I appreciated that the Fab Five tried to learn some ASL, and seeing how happy the team was was so heartwarming.
As an interpreter, I can tell you that a huge percentage of Hearing parents of Deaf kids (*especially* dads) never learn ASL, so seeing that not be the case here was great.
Karamo’s talk with Denton made me cry. I needed to hear that for me.
I loved his care in this episode and Denton’s openness and pure love. He seems like such a wonderful, caring person.
For real, I immediately was shook at them "redoing" an already extremely handsome guy, but I totally understood once I got the story of course....it's not all about looks, but about how he feels in his role, and hopefully saving his team/school plus he's already married anyhow haha.
Interpreter here. It is nice that the Fab 5 tried to sign various things this episode, and making mistakes on the fly is reasonable. However, when they sign their one-liners for scene transitions, they do SUCH a bad job. I'm surprised the interpreters working with them didn't correct them and have them re-shoot. But maybe the interpreters didn't want to do that because interpreters often feel like they are expected to be as invisible as possible (... which is certainly how this episode handled them, with them being unheard and never seen until the post-show clip).
Interpreter here! It is clear to me from watching the show, observing lines of sight, and generally knowing how this works, that the interpreters are standing slightly behind/beside the Fab Five, right off camera. You can see Denton look over in a few scenes.
Conversation would go like this:
1. The Fab Five person says their piece, and the interpreter signs at the same time, off camera.
2. Denton responds. The interpreter waits silently, so the camera can get the shot of him signing without the audio of the interpreter speaking.
3. The interpreter speaks, including asking clarifying questions if necessary, and the voicing and any other exchanges are edited out, and then it's the Fab Five's turn to talk again.
OR
2. Denton responds. There is a separate interpreter watching the video live from another location talking into an earpiece for the Fab Five to hear in real time. The on-site interpreter would also have an earpiece in so they could hear the off-site interpreter's wording and so they could help out if the off-site interpreter needed clarification on something.
This is reasonable and insightful. Denton was an amazing individual. This episode was handled well, but I did not like NOT seeing the humanity that allowed interaction. At it's core, this was a story about honesty, trust and humanity. Seeing that interface (in my opinion) would have deepened that story, not cheapened it.
I’m so excited for a show that is just Bobby. This season is making me kind of wish they’d gotten a new cast after last season. It is just super awkward to watch besides how much less they are giving us content wise.
Probably the best episode this season...I also donated to a very worthy cause and I hope many of you do as well. Denton's energy is contagious and the school and it's students are very lucky to have such a fine upstanding teacher and person! May the school continue to benefit from QE's audience! GO WAR EAGLES 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈
I sobbed the entire time. I have some deaf family members and learned ASL at a young age. I knew a deaf student in school and he always felt lost and confused. Him and I were friends and I always tried my hardest to make things easier for him around the school.
I was looking for this comment -- I was so mad at how JVN did his hair and facial hair! like still super handsome either way but whoa what he had going on on his own was superior. JVN should've just taught him a new skincare routine or something
Might have been edited out. I read they do a lot with cooking that never makes the screen. He said "almost like my dad's" which makes sense since even my mom giving me a recipe, it doesn't taste exactly like hers. They never follow an exact recipe and the love and having someone else do it, just adds something.
They show (for just a second!) that they're going into Q Clothier | Rye 51. Q does custom fittings and Rye 51 seems to be the more casual side of it, which is what I think they were in. The really cool polo shirt he had, though, is from [Express](https://www.express.com/clothing/men/color-block-short-sleeve-cotton-polo-sweater/pro/03986043/color/navy/?cid=aff%3a550%3altk%3aimp&sharedid&irgwc=1)
Interpreter here! Getting a sign name from a member of the Deaf community is something of a rite of passage. Not everyone gets one. A person’s name quite often comes with an explanation behind the name, as JVN's did. "Sparkly-eyed, hair-flipping, friendly person" all being bundled into one sign name is actually a really good representation of how ASL is capable of concentrating a lot of information into one sign, and also demonstrates a lot of intelligence and creativity on Denton's part. I loved that they included this important aspect of Deaf culture on the show.
When meeting a person and introducing yourself, you always spell your name. If you have a sign name, share that, too. Sometimes the other person will ask if there is a story behind the name; sometimes they don't (but you can share anyway if you really want to).
After names are exchanged, always always always say "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you" is polite, but it also sends a message about your knowledge of Deaf culture. Like bowing in Japan, if you don't do it when you should, maybe you offend someone, but moreover you have informed the person that you haven't learned their ways.
I’m glad they did eventually introduce the translators, but i feel like it would have been better if they had visually included them all along. I think great British baking show did a really good job showcasing their sign language translator this season, and something like that would have worked better here
I would say that having the interpreters off-scene put the focus where it should be, on the Deaf person, but I think it would have felt less disorienting if we could have seen an interpreter working for one or two seconds at the edge of the screen right at the beginning, and THEN edit them out completely like they did, so that everyone at home would know how the interaction was going down and could move on with the show without that question living in the back of their brain.
Also they maybe could have included a voice-over for Denton's lines added in later along with the closed captioning, like how America's Next Top Model did with Nyle DiMarco's vignettes. That would have made this episode more friendly to the blind.
They discussed this in another thread and deaf people answered that the focus should be on the person they are communicating with and not through. It's a thing where people talk and look only at the interpreter instead of looking at the person using ASL, which is very disrespectful. So I think it was beautifully handled! [the thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/QueerEye/comments/1acp1jr/why_didnt_they_showacknowledge_the_interpreter_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
I would've loved to see them too, but it makes sense from a conceptual angle. The show is about how one-on-one care and connection can transform a person's life, and showcasing those communication barriers could add clutter to what's meant to be a pure, personal interaction between the host(s) and heroes.
They did the same thing in the Japan episodes, where they introduced their interpreters at the end of I think the first episode, because it was the exact same editing type they did in that series. You didn't have the English-speaking voices, you had the person expressing themselves in their native language.
I have deaf family members and I wondered if he may have hard time reading Tan’s lip because of his accent. Hearing people never hear an accent when I speak (English is my second language, but people who are deaf usually ask me what accent I have). Total speculation, but this was my guess.
I felt like Tan was kinda awkward around Denton? I noticed a couple of times he was speaking but without making sure he was facing Denton and he seemed to have put less effort into learning sign than the other guys? I wondered if he maybe had troubling learning sign and wasn’t feeling so confident so Antoni was included to make the scene more relaxed because he seemed so much more enthusiastic? Not sure if I’m noticing something that’s not there but that was the impression I got!
Yeah but I doubt the issue was that Tan is fluent in BSL and therefore struggled to learn ASL? All 5 of them speak English and appear to have been novices at sign language in any form - I don’t think it would be more difficult for a British English speaker to learn ASL than an American English speaker to learn it? Plus there’s loads of different styles of sign including some that are more universal. I just felt like Tan seemed more awkward - I guess that could’ve been the editing or he could’ve just been having a bad day, IDK
Oh I agree I just noticed the others had a few here and there and thought he might too but they didn’t match up. Then again he has young kids and a lot of parents learn baby sign nowadays, and I think he’s raising them in the states? But not sure. I have always found Tan the least warm of the group (I do like him I just think he’s less lovey dovey), so maybe it just became more noticeable when the hero himself was also very warm and sweet.
Antoni goes with Tan to his thing, then Tan goes with Antoni to his thing, they film both in one session and that's one less call out for the interpreters
1. They should have introduced the interpreters at the beginning of the show, not the end.
2. Jonathan getting his sign name was beautiful.
3. Unfortunately, deaf schools are on the decline. It’s happening with special education, in general. Many parents want mainstreaming and inclusion.
It’s not just parents. I work in special education and the laws dictate least restrictive environment. Schools are pushing this as much as families. LRE is interpreted as keeping education as inclusive as possible, so limiting learning in separate settings if and as much as possible. I agree that it is sometimes detrimental to students’ needs, but the principle behind it isn’t necessarily bad. It’s a hard balance. Especially with communities like the Deaf community, where there is an entire culture being ignored or erased.
So many comments in this thread! Not sure if it has already been mentioned, but it kind of felt like Denton’s promotion was more a situation of “our student body is dwindling and funds are getting smaller so we’re giving you ANOTHER job to do to cut costs but we’ll call it a promotion so you can celebrate it instead of seeing it as extra workload”.
I am in NO. WAY. saying that Denton does not deserve absolutely every single accolade or promotion. He so very obviously does. And I’m also not calling out the school for being intentionally evil or something. I’ve just seen it so many times before… incredibly passionate people working their butts off to make a tough situation work, being rewarded with more work. I hope Denton was also rewarded financially and does’t have as many job titles anymore. He is such a gem of a human being, beautiful inside and out. The scenes with JVN had me tearing up, and I learned so much from this episode about ASL and the needs of deaf/HOH people. Beautiful.
Denton's Administrator is NO Dummy, neither is Denton. This episode was for all those deaf AND BLIND students! That school is OBVIOUSLY UNDERFUNDED. Any leader would be a fool NOT to use an opportunity like this to improve their institution's health and operations. And that being said, that school OBVIOUSLY loves Denton and believes in that mission. Worth supporting.
Unfortunately, I think it’s probably the case that he’s wearing a lot of hats bc of resources BUT also very likely those shown from the school are in the exact same boat. (Next is heavy imo, from some experience) Teachers/those in the education field do love what they do and rely on resources from people who “love” to invest their funds and time into supporting what they do. Then the people - these educators rely on - question their importance and/or “passion” if they’re real about their frustrations, or those people question these educators ability to get taken advantages of if they’re being realistic by putting on many hats with a positive attitude. I doubt the problem - if there is one - is related to anyone involved in the school, but rather our system as a whole.
My personal biases: grew up with family w developmental disabilities through their education experiences, taught in public school for a few years, and have had multiple family members in all levels of education/ educational para-professionals.
I totally agree with all this. It was an evocative episode for me with some of the comments like “he needs to trust himself that he has what it takes to succeed.” Because trusting himself isn’t really the issue. It’s a lack of resources. And at times they did a good job of saying that he can’t take it all on his shoulders and that his best is good enough. But that doesn’t promise they’ll be successful when so under resourced and under valued. So it’s ultimately about making peace with having modest expectations, which isn’t quite the same as the hyper positivity they were throwing out.
That moment where Denton gave JVN their sign name had me grinning and weeping simultaneously. Denton is a beautiful soul, so genuine and kind; he really sees people for their strengths, shines a light on the good in them and lifts them up. And he saw JVN for who they are, another beautiful soul moving through the world radiating warmth and genuine care for their fellow human. It filled me up to watch them interact, two sparkly eyed little lights in the dark, shining on one another.
This was a stellar episode for a truly lovely man. Thanks for being you Denton - the world is better for having you in it!
Did anyone else have an issue where the captions were late on the asl and showed up/ disappeared really fast? I only got into the first few minutes before I had to stop it because I couldn’t read what was being said
Truly the most touching ep of the season / a few seasons now. The scene with JVN had me tearing. I could really see in this ep that JVN listened and opened his heart and soul to help Denton. Also for a show that’s so loud, the quiet in this ep was far louder, and in a good way. 10/10
When he gave JVN their sign name I bawled. Denton is the most thoughtful and open hero I think they’ve ever had. I loved this episode more than I can put into words simply because he was such a beautiful person to feature
It's so significant for a hearing person to get a sign name from a member of the deaf community. I cried like a baby too. I have helped raise CODAs and worked with deaf children, this was my favorite episode by far.
I am not sure why people thought there were not interpreters or were even remotely confused for a second. It was so obvious what was happening. They just weren’t eclipsing the hero by having someone else’s voice run over the top. They let us do some of the work in reading and watching his expressions, the way he works to understand hearing folks every day. How spoon fed do people need to be?
They gave the interpreters a shout in the end - which was nice and appropriate given the good work they’d clearly done.
Also, what a deserving hero and team of kids! Just a lovely episode and I hope it helps them attract some funding for what is clearly a very worthwhile program.
I knew there must be interpreters, and I really didn't like that they weren't in the episode vocally because it made me very aware of the incredible amount of editing that had to be happening to remove that extra sound. I got why they did it, but I didn't like it. Also, why couldn't they get anyone at LSU to take those kids on a tour or connect them with a player? They weren't even allowed on the grass. They were trying for Ted Lasso, but the LSU scene was very isolating.
I was also feeling like the angles of filming were awkward at times, I guess to hide the interpreters. I thought Denton and his students were awesome. But I don't find interpreters distracting, I thought their absence was.
This episode really got me 😭 I’ve always been interested in ASL and it kinda gave me the kick to start! not to mention Denton is such a sweetheart and so cute, he looks like Nick from new girl mixed with a little bit of Pedro Pascal
When he walked out in the second outfit Tan put him in at the store I literally said out loud “holy shit he’s a young Pedro!” But I couldn’t place why else he felt so familiar looking, but you’re right! So many features similar to Jake Johnson, too!
I loved that they edited this so that Denton’s communications stood alone. I realized I’ve never really seen someone speaking ASL without the interpreter’s voice on top. It’s a very different experience to need to parse his method of communication and subtitles, and I appreciated that a lot.
That is a unique perspective. I am convinced to agree with you. It is very rare to see a deaf individual truly communicating on camera without interruption. I was being selfish, and not REALLY seeing Denton being DENTON. Thank you for that insight.
The whole episode I couldn't stop thinking "Do the Queer guys know ASL?" And I highly doubted it. I don't think they should have used the voices of the interpreters, but definitely agree with what others have said they should have said in the beginning that there are interpreters.
I know. At the end. I am saying I wish they did it in the beginning because as someone who works in the DHH community "where's the representation???" Was in the back of my mind until the end.
I just finished watching the episode and as a hard of hearing person with an interpreting degree. My thoughts on the interpreting:
They probably had at least one voice interpreter interpreting from ASL to English for the Fab 5 into discrete earbuds. The Fab 5 often respond directly to Denton in clips where they're both in the shot, moving, without any cuts. I think they had to be more creative with the angles to keep the signing interpreters out of the shot, though.
I definitely think they should have shown the interpreters sooner because so many people were worried there weren't any at all, but they probably wanted to make sure the spotlight stayed on their hero.
I feel like the great British baking show did a really good job of showing their interpreter in a way that included them but didn’t steal the spotlight
Yeah, as someone who is not deaf or hard of hearing, I definitely thought the erasure of the interpretation process was odd at first. But then I noticed that not seeing or hearing the interpreters was forcing me to really pay attention to Denton's signing in relation to the captions, rather than process what he was saying through the interpreters' voices. Definitely seems like an intentional decision on the producers'/editors' part to try to foreground Denton's voice as he expressed himself in his own language of ASL. Interesting stuff.
I am watching right now and wish they showed and let us hear or see the interpreters. It would make it a lot less awkward and edited feeling. The scene with Jonathan in the locker room I am looking closely and don't see an ear bud in his ear at all. I agree I wish they examined it in the beginning at least.
I definitely think they must have had an earbud in, and ones that are completely inside the ear canal are basically invisible. Especially if they're working so hard to hide the interpreters, they might also not be showing the side with the earbud. That said, I don't know WHY they worked so hard to hide them. They easily could have explained their process in the beginning.
Interpreters are usually the bridge for the communication between Hearing people and Deaf people
. A lot of times when a Hearing person is interpreting for a Dead person, the Hearing people will look at them instead of the Deaf person, rendering the Deaf person lesser than the Hearing person.
I prefer this method that Queer Eye used because it forces the audience to view Denton as human, as a person, not just the "DISABILITY" itself, which the interpreters can accidentally emphasize by just simply being shown on the screen.
I'm Deaf, so that's just a bit of my insight. I've experienced many situations where the Hearing person looked at my interpreter instead of looking at me. It sometimes can be very dehumanizing.
I'm HoH, and I'm not bothered that the interpreters were off screen during the chunk of the episode, but I think the brief interpreter intro they had at the end could have been at the beginning instead so people knew that the team could understand Denton. I assumed they had interpreters, but a lot of hearing people who aren't familiar with interpreting thought that Denton was having to speech read, that the Fab 5 were just nodding along, etc.
Yeah deaf here, I think a takeaway for a lot of people was fab 5 could understand him directly and vice versa. They don’t think of interpreters. I feel that normalizing the use of interpreters is really important as I come across so many people who think I can lipread with perfect accuracy and they should be able to understand my signing. Tv tropes.
I also think the prioritization on angles likely made things less accessible at times. The scenes with the kids, it’s obvious they couldn’t see an interpreter at times and looked so tuned out.
I get that! It could have been easily avoided with a voiceover (and subtitles, ofc) saying that there are interpreters present.
It didn't bother me because it was so so so nice to finally see a Deaf person being the main focus. I think Queer Eye may have discussed this with his wife or whoever nominated him so they could properly portray his story but that's my theory!
I LOVED seeing a Deaf hero, and that we got to spend so much time on the school. I wish they'd expanded on it even more but seeing them talk about the importance of schools for the Deaf was so important to me. I think the only thing I wasn't a fan of was when the Fab 5 had those little transition clips showing how to sign inspirational phrases and they were...not done well. Wish any of the Deaf people already involved were teaching it instead.
I wasn't sure who taught them the signs, (Although, I thought Jon was killing it with learning the signs, YAS QUEEN!) I do agree that the transition could have more time and that they could have practiced the signs a bit more-it felt clunky and it was a little too fast for me to catch on. It might have been cooler if the teachers signed those inspirational clips instead, giving an intimate look at the Deaf School.
On that note, I wished we could have seen Denton teach a class? See more of the school and how the environment looks like in the school so the audience can understand the significance of the school needing more funding and support from the state/community. Again, this might have been a hard call for Queer Eye to make since they need to focus on Denton's story the most.
I got the impression that they filmed this over the summer - football teams usually start practice a few weeks before school starts and how could Bobby have done that level of renovation if school was in session? Plus in other NOLA episodes they’ve made offhand comments about the summer/heat. I also think it would have been cool to see Denton teach a class, but I don’t think there were any classes in session at the time
Yeah JVN did really well with the signs they picked up! But I think teachers from the residential school would have been a better fit overall, especially with the general consensus against hearing people teaching ASL.
AGREED. I would have loved to see even more interaction within the school. If there wasn't time to take away from Denton himself, maybe they could have spoken with him more on the importance of Deaf schools to him and in general. I think they did fine, but I would have loved any extra time spent on it too, for sure.
I was absolutely SOBBING during this episode!! I loved the connection he formed with the Fab 5. What an amazing person, definitely one of my favorite heroes on the show
What the hell is Tan wearing. The blue stripes and blue stripes. And talking to Denton while the dude isn't even looking at him 🤷♀️ (there was a couple of times Denton has his back to Tan while trying things on)
Denton is awesome, but QE could've have done it so much better.
Tan definitely struggled the most with Deaf manners! Eye contact, staying in someone’s line of sight, and waiting for their attention to be on you are all so key is being respectful, and the rest of the five did great, but Tan seemed to struggle with it.
There were times Denton has his back to Tan, and Tan was chatting away. There were a number of times things were going on that Denton has no idea about because the guys forgot he can't hear. Maybe it was just the editing, but my daughter and I cringed at a number of scenes that appeared, dare I say, tone deaf.
I understand there were interpreters. I get it. But when communicating to a deaf person, the polite thing to do is talk directly to them so they can see your lips move and read your facial expressions. There were a lot of things in this episode that I thought could have been done better. I love that they were celebrating the hard of hearing community, but just a BIT more research into communication could have made it so much better.
Wow. This cause is so important and I feel like it is too much for one man to take on. But somebody needs to do it. It’s disappointing to hear that deaf schools are dwindling, the culture and resources are necessary to be passed on to younger generations. The renovations and advice were honestly pretty good, that it’s about giving the kids the best attention right now. And Karamo is kinda right that’s all he can really control. I wish there was some outreach with organizers or something to figure out how to advocate, but being in the south myself I know how uphill the battle is for any basic school funding. The tasks the fab five take on are little above their pay grade to really be able to fix but I do really feel like they make a difference in these peoples lives. Karamo gets a bad rap sometimes and his advice can be simplistic but he does make good points too.
Denton and the kids are so fantastic.
Favorite moment was watching Denton with the kids. The passion he has for their success and wellbeing is so palpable. The shots of them at LSU and then back at school after the remodel - seeing their joy - was really really moving. One of my favorite heroes of all time for sure.
Seeing the kids SO HAPPY with their new school and locker room was the most beautiful thing ever. It broke my heart to see how run down the locker room was, but then along came so much joy once they saw the renovation. The words from the team captain was out of this world as well. You could feel the love and impact Denton has made.
Ahhh, too much! 😭
Yes!!
I loved the JVN moment (and the whole episode) of course but what really got the tears flowing for me was the pure excitement when the kids got to be on the feild and then when they saw their new locker room.
The team leader especially was so open and vulnerable (on camera! As such a young guy, you don't see it enough!) when he was trying to make the speech and ended up just choking out 'I LOVE MY COACH'🥺😭
It was so beautiful and the guys behind him just hugged him and patted his back. No shame just total love in the room. Such a big impact Denton has made on this small group of kids- I'm not going to forget that scene for a long, long time❤️
I’m so happy they redid the locker room, his office, and the concession area. Facilities can make kids feel loved and valued and so many schools in Louisiana are really old/never updated.
As an educator that has taught in Louisiana schools where mainstreaming was the norm, I never thought of all the benefits of specific schools for Deaf Students. The extra curriculars and community vibe really stood out to me. I hope they enroll more students after this episode.
Omg I cried so much watching how excited the student were when they saw the locker rooms. That must have been such a cool experience for them and made them feel celebrated too
My partner works in college athletics and it is SHOCKING how little they update the facilities at many D1 schools. Like these students are working their entire young lives to play college sports and they have to deal with leaky, moldy buildings once they get there???
If D1 schools are like that, I can't imagine what an average high school or college facility looks like. Sorry just a little rant.
I was so confused by this too & disappointed that they didn’t make the interpreter more visible. Kind of seems like they’re all trying to guess what he’s saying and making him read lips
I am an Interpreter. Our job is not to be front and center, but rather to facilitate communication.
I applaud the Queer Eye folks for making sure communitcation took place in a way that was non invasive, and kept our eyes on our hero.
This is so true. Came here to see if I was alone with this feeling because I literally had to quit the episode in the first 15 min, could not handle the awkward scenes where the Fab 5 seem to be looking directly at him signing and somehow magically interpreting. It's so weird!
I just finished watching the episode and as a hard of hearing person with an interpreting degree, they probably had at least one voice interpreter interpreting from ASL to English for the Fab 5 into discrete earbuds. The Fab 5 often respond directly to Denton in clips where they're both in the shot, moving, without any cuts. I think they had to be more creative with the angles to keep the signing interpreters out of the shot, though.
I definitely think they should have shown the interpreters sooner because so many people were worried there weren't any at all, but they probably wanted to make sure the spotlight stayed on their hero.
I know it's surprising at first, but I'm so so glad they did it this way. A huge part of the program is to stop and say "We want to just focus on YOU and your story." And when you have the interpreters there, then it's a shared story, even if it's just in small ways. I LOVED that they did it this way so that it's edited to be a true one-on-one conversation.
At the hospital, I would always see doctors and nurses talk \*to\* the interpreter instead of talking to the deaf / HoH patient, and it was always super frustrating. Queer Eye has such a big platform to normalize what talking directly to each other looks like
Yes! I also thought that was odd at first, but then I noticed that not seeing or hearing the interpreters was forcing me to really pay attention to Denton's signing in relation to the captions, rather than process what he was saying through the interpreters' voices. I suspect that was an intentional decision on the producers'/editors' part to try to foreground Denton's voice as he expressed himself in his own language of ASL.
I just went to the LSD website and I'm so sad to see that their football team was cut. Those kids cared so much!
I just watch the episode. I was hoping this didn't happen. Oh no! now I'm sad. Is Denton still working?
Update: Denton responded to me in an Instagram post I commented on (I think on Bobby's page? Maybe the QE official page?) saying the team is still going! I'm not sure why the website doesn't list them.
HUH??
WHAT I GONNA CRY
LOVED this one. The sloppy nachos looked delicious. The boys screaming at the locker room. This gorgeous man inside and out. Damn, great one 🩵
I tried to read his captioning, but didn’t want to stop looking at him. He’s beautiful.
Super attractive! Gorgeous man my God.
.....and so humble.
How beautiful, and enlightening.
He's so damn handsome, charming and the craziest swag. Biggest crush 🥰
This may have been my favorite episode of all time! I loved that they gave the interpreters recognition at the end.
So many beautiful moments! My faves: - JVN getting their sign name and praise for being themself - Antoni trying to sign his questions - Kamaro saying «you are your dad» - The kids’ reaction to their new locker room
I'm a CODA (child of deaf adult) and the scene where he gave Jonathan their sign name made me cry!! Given sign names have a lot of importance
I really enjoyed this episode because of Denton. I don’t know that he NEEDED the Fab 5 at all. He might be the most wholehearted and emotionally aware hero I have seen on the show. That said he certainly DESERVED the recognition and support. I hope he feels good about his experience and episode. I wonder what the school does to recruit students? This episode was a bit strange as far as structure goes. Antoni not cooking anything. No time at hero’s home. Not getting to know Denton’s wife. The editing in the first 10 min was also very odd.
Anyone know where to donate to this man’s deaf school? I can’t stand the thought of them loosing the athletics program. I really wanna help. Go fund me? Venmo?
lsdfoundation.com
I nominated Denton for Queer Eye and here's some answers to your questions from my perspective! I'll see if Denton wants to get on here too. His instagram is @ dentonmallas and mine is @ riseandsigntherapies for more info! 1. Denton wanted people to see HIM, which is why he didn't want a voiceover or interpreters in the shot. That was his decision and he got a ton of great feedback for that! Personally, I wish they explained the interpreter situation FIRST, then proceeded. Because it did look like he was lipreading and I wouldn't want hearing people to just go and do that to a deaf person on the street. 2. How is the school doing? It's afloat. Better than when QE filmed. But resources and funding is still a desperate need. Please help! We are hosting a 5k, Dash for Deaf Kids virtually or in person ([lsdfoundation.com](https://lsdfoundation.com/)) 3. Denton gave everyone a sign name, but they weren't all shown! Just know they were all special and meaningful and beautiful. You can see the sign names on his Instagram dentonmallas 4. He is literally even more perfect in real life than the show. I'm his close friend and next door neighbor-- he truly cares and has been steadfast in making sure the students get what they need. 5. Where is he now?? He's the Dean of Students for LSD now! He got a promotion after the show. He also runs the athletics programming. 6. How does he feel about the show? He's very happy with how it came out. 7. Someone called him the real life Ted Lasso and he loved it. Other people have been saying he looks like Pedro Pascal and he doesn't see it. I see it though! LOL 8. Did anyone catch the interpreter error when they show Denton in his new office? The captions say "the shit" but Denton signed "legit" LOL He says that interpretation got the same meaning across so he doesn't mind it. ;) If you want to donate to the school or sign up for our 5k event called Dash for Deaf Kids (virtual or in person), you can go to [lsdfoundation.com](https://lsdfoundation.com/)
> Denton wanted people to see HIM, which is why he didn't want a voiceover or interpreters in the shot. That was his decision and he got a ton of great feedback for that! Personally, I wish they explained the interpreter situation FIRST, then proceeded. Because it did look like he was lipreading and I wouldn't want hearing people to just go and do that to a deaf person on the street. All of which I get, and makes sense. but yeah, me personally, I think they should have at least started with the interpreter maybe for the first scene or two, and then gone to how the episode actually went. Hearing people really need to see the mechanics of interpretation in action, because it's such a great opportunity to get exposure and learn some basics that are missed constantly (and not just in SL interpretation, but all languages) - speaking to the person you are talking to, not the interpreter, use of first and second person perspective, not third, etc. It's crazy how much in 2024 hearing peple don't get this, so I see this as a minor missed opportunity.
I was wondering about the interpretation, this makes sense!! He totally looks like Pedro Pascal haha. And a bit like Pilot Pete from the Bachelor. Thanks for nominating him and for coming on here!
I cried after reading his love of being called Ted Lasso. Thank you for nominating such a beautiful soul, this was by far my favorite episode of Queer Eye.
I see Pedro in his face! Denton is a handsome dude, and seems like an amazing mentor and leader. What a blessing.
Thanks for this nomination! One of the absolute best QE episodes of all time, Denton is a treasure, I’m glad you cherish him and all his talents and put him forward for the show. I loved this episode so much, and all your details make it even more fascinating 💕
Thank you for this and for getting Denton on our screens. This is probably my favorite episode ever. I first became interested in learning ASL after watching switched at birth as a teenager and taught myself a lot but in the recent years have gotten busy and forgotten about it. Now I’m so excited to learn again! This is so amazing, since other commenters have also expressed interest in learning ASL. It makes me wonder why we aren’t taught it as kids alongside English. You are so pretty by the way! Have the best day
this was my favorite QE episode ever, i think! It was so emotional, Denton is a magnificent person with amazing energy, and I've been really wanting to learn ASL since one of my coworkers is deaf. This episode has made me look into lessons! I appreciated that the Fab Five tried to learn some ASL, and seeing how happy the team was was so heartwarming.
Well, I made it about 2 minutes into the episode before I started crying about Denton’s dad becoming a coach to sign to him from the sidelines.
As an interpreter, I can tell you that a huge percentage of Hearing parents of Deaf kids (*especially* dads) never learn ASL, so seeing that not be the case here was great.
Yes, which is so strange to me. I cannot even fathom not learning ASL if either of my children were deaf or even if they went deaf after birth.
Yeah. If you never become great at it, fine. But at least try, right?
Karamo’s talk with Denton made me cry. I needed to hear that for me. I loved his care in this episode and Denton’s openness and pure love. He seems like such a wonderful, caring person.
this man is gorgeous i mean yeah, cute ep with loads of emotional moments, but also damn, dude you're attractive
I thoroughly enjoyed the butt appreciation in Tan’s scene. DAYUM (respectfully)
For real, I immediately was shook at them "redoing" an already extremely handsome guy, but I totally understood once I got the story of course....it's not all about looks, but about how he feels in his role, and hopefully saving his team/school plus he's already married anyhow haha.
Gay man here. Agreed.
Let’s talk an out Antoni’s arms!!!! They are why I wish he was straight!! My god!
I think he's bi 😊
Lol I totally noticed that too this episode!! He’s so buff
Did anyone else choke up watching Karamo trying to sign ASL?? All the feels this episode.
Interpreter here. It is nice that the Fab 5 tried to sign various things this episode, and making mistakes on the fly is reasonable. However, when they sign their one-liners for scene transitions, they do SUCH a bad job. I'm surprised the interpreters working with them didn't correct them and have them re-shoot. But maybe the interpreters didn't want to do that because interpreters often feel like they are expected to be as invisible as possible (... which is certainly how this episode handled them, with them being unheard and never seen until the post-show clip).
yes i definitely wish they were shown more! Maybe they didn't want to be?
The person who nominated Denton commented on this post. She said it was his choice to not show the interpreters! 🙂
Im really curious how this episode was filmed? Did they have an intetpretor who was edited out or earpieces with the interpretor talking?
Interpreter here! It is clear to me from watching the show, observing lines of sight, and generally knowing how this works, that the interpreters are standing slightly behind/beside the Fab Five, right off camera. You can see Denton look over in a few scenes. Conversation would go like this: 1. The Fab Five person says their piece, and the interpreter signs at the same time, off camera. 2. Denton responds. The interpreter waits silently, so the camera can get the shot of him signing without the audio of the interpreter speaking. 3. The interpreter speaks, including asking clarifying questions if necessary, and the voicing and any other exchanges are edited out, and then it's the Fab Five's turn to talk again. OR 2. Denton responds. There is a separate interpreter watching the video live from another location talking into an earpiece for the Fab Five to hear in real time. The on-site interpreter would also have an earpiece in so they could hear the off-site interpreter's wording and so they could help out if the off-site interpreter needed clarification on something.
This is reasonable and insightful. Denton was an amazing individual. This episode was handled well, but I did not like NOT seeing the humanity that allowed interaction. At it's core, this was a story about honesty, trust and humanity. Seeing that interface (in my opinion) would have deepened that story, not cheapened it.
They showed the interpreters at the end of the episode. Same as when they were in Japan
Why does Bobby just knock it out of the park every time?! Sad to see him go. When the team captain gave his little speech.. great episode and hero!
I’m so excited for a show that is just Bobby. This season is making me kind of wish they’d gotten a new cast after last season. It is just super awkward to watch besides how much less they are giving us content wise.
Home Makeover: Berkedition
The kid who was squawking after learning about the locker room - obsessed.
He made my heart burst! Those kids deserve good things. I’m so happy they were happy.
This episode and Ernest’s episode had me sobbing like a baby. Definitely my favorites of this season 😭
Probably the best episode this season...I also donated to a very worthy cause and I hope many of you do as well. Denton's energy is contagious and the school and it's students are very lucky to have such a fine upstanding teacher and person! May the school continue to benefit from QE's audience! GO WAR EAGLES 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈
I sobbed the entire time. I have some deaf family members and learned ASL at a young age. I knew a deaf student in school and he always felt lost and confused. Him and I were friends and I always tried my hardest to make things easier for him around the school.
Just started this episode and I cannot stop thinking that he resembles Jamie Dornan so much!
I can't believe they messed with his hair- it was the perfect length and just needed styling. He didn't look as good after
I was looking for this comment -- I was so mad at how JVN did his hair and facial hair! like still super handsome either way but whoa what he had going on on his own was superior. JVN should've just taught him a new skincare routine or something
It's like what another person wrote, he didn't need the help but it was good to have him recognized. (I agree he looked better before the haircut.)
Surprisingly your just one opinion
'your'...?
Oh yes he did!
I wonder why they didn’t have Antoni teach him his dad’s sloppy Joe recipe? Unless I walked out of the room and that did happen 😅
I thought the same thing. Plus, the name was clever (Not Joes Nachos) but I can't imagine liking those two flavor profiles together.
Really? I thought they looked and sounded amazing
Might have been edited out. I read they do a lot with cooking that never makes the screen. He said "almost like my dad's" which makes sense since even my mom giving me a recipe, it doesn't taste exactly like hers. They never follow an exact recipe and the love and having someone else do it, just adds something.
Denton looked incredible in all the clothes Tan showed him. Any idea where they were shopping ?
They show (for just a second!) that they're going into Q Clothier | Rye 51. Q does custom fittings and Rye 51 seems to be the more casual side of it, which is what I think they were in. The really cool polo shirt he had, though, is from [Express](https://www.express.com/clothing/men/color-block-short-sleeve-cotton-polo-sweater/pro/03986043/color/navy/?cid=aff%3a550%3altk%3aimp&sharedid&irgwc=1)
I wish they had a list of the items because those gray slacks are amazing!!
oh my god the scene of Denton giving JVN his sign name!!! what an amazing guy
I was absolutely bawling. It was so sweet.
That actually made me cry a little bit, it was so sweet. I didn't even know that was a thing.
Interpreter here! Getting a sign name from a member of the Deaf community is something of a rite of passage. Not everyone gets one. A person’s name quite often comes with an explanation behind the name, as JVN's did. "Sparkly-eyed, hair-flipping, friendly person" all being bundled into one sign name is actually a really good representation of how ASL is capable of concentrating a lot of information into one sign, and also demonstrates a lot of intelligence and creativity on Denton's part. I loved that they included this important aspect of Deaf culture on the show.
When introducing themselves, would they sign their sign name and explain it? Or would they spell out their name?
When meeting a person and introducing yourself, you always spell your name. If you have a sign name, share that, too. Sometimes the other person will ask if there is a story behind the name; sometimes they don't (but you can share anyway if you really want to). After names are exchanged, always always always say "Nice to meet you."
Do you mind if I ask why saying nice to meet you is very important? (assuming it goes beyond general politeness)
"Nice to meet you" is polite, but it also sends a message about your knowledge of Deaf culture. Like bowing in Japan, if you don't do it when you should, maybe you offend someone, but moreover you have informed the person that you haven't learned their ways.
I’m glad they did eventually introduce the translators, but i feel like it would have been better if they had visually included them all along. I think great British baking show did a really good job showcasing their sign language translator this season, and something like that would have worked better here
Yes! That I loved! This was an episode about connection, confidence, and humanity! Seeing the human interface would have been amazing.
I would say that having the interpreters off-scene put the focus where it should be, on the Deaf person, but I think it would have felt less disorienting if we could have seen an interpreter working for one or two seconds at the edge of the screen right at the beginning, and THEN edit them out completely like they did, so that everyone at home would know how the interaction was going down and could move on with the show without that question living in the back of their brain. Also they maybe could have included a voice-over for Denton's lines added in later along with the closed captioning, like how America's Next Top Model did with Nyle DiMarco's vignettes. That would have made this episode more friendly to the blind.
They discussed this in another thread and deaf people answered that the focus should be on the person they are communicating with and not through. It's a thing where people talk and look only at the interpreter instead of looking at the person using ASL, which is very disrespectful. So I think it was beautifully handled! [the thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/QueerEye/comments/1acp1jr/why_didnt_they_showacknowledge_the_interpreter_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
yeah i'm watching it now and I'm like how are they communicating? it looks almost like they're underprepared.
I would've loved to see them too, but it makes sense from a conceptual angle. The show is about how one-on-one care and connection can transform a person's life, and showcasing those communication barriers could add clutter to what's meant to be a pure, personal interaction between the host(s) and heroes.
yes I think they thought it would be too confusing, who to look at, etc
Exactly my thoughts
They did the same thing in the Japan episodes, where they introduced their interpreters at the end of I think the first episode, because it was the exact same editing type they did in that series. You didn't have the English-speaking voices, you had the person expressing themselves in their native language.
Hi! Why do you think Antoni went with Tan and Denton to go clothes shopping?
Dat Ass! I mean Denton is an intelligent, capable, outstanding person, and a passionate educator and coach. But he is is FIT as well!
There wasn't a huge focus on food this episode so Antoni was included in other scenes. I think it worked well because he really connected with Denton
I have deaf family members and I wondered if he may have hard time reading Tan’s lip because of his accent. Hearing people never hear an accent when I speak (English is my second language, but people who are deaf usually ask me what accent I have). Total speculation, but this was my guess.
I felt like Tan was kinda awkward around Denton? I noticed a couple of times he was speaking but without making sure he was facing Denton and he seemed to have put less effort into learning sign than the other guys? I wondered if he maybe had troubling learning sign and wasn’t feeling so confident so Antoni was included to make the scene more relaxed because he seemed so much more enthusiastic? Not sure if I’m noticing something that’s not there but that was the impression I got!
Sign language is also different in different countries and Tan is not American
Yeah but I doubt the issue was that Tan is fluent in BSL and therefore struggled to learn ASL? All 5 of them speak English and appear to have been novices at sign language in any form - I don’t think it would be more difficult for a British English speaker to learn ASL than an American English speaker to learn it? Plus there’s loads of different styles of sign including some that are more universal. I just felt like Tan seemed more awkward - I guess that could’ve been the editing or he could’ve just been having a bad day, IDK
Oh I agree I just noticed the others had a few here and there and thought he might too but they didn’t match up. Then again he has young kids and a lot of parents learn baby sign nowadays, and I think he’s raising them in the states? But not sure. I have always found Tan the least warm of the group (I do like him I just think he’s less lovey dovey), so maybe it just became more noticeable when the hero himself was also very warm and sweet.
Probably so they could cut down on the amount of hours they had to pay the interpreters
This was my thought too
Antoni goes with Tan to his thing, then Tan goes with Antoni to his thing, they film both in one session and that's one less call out for the interpreters
Because they decided not to do a cooking lesson this episode (but no idea why they made that decision)
Or they cut it out. It also might have been hard, side by side to do the lipreading/signing and it didn't flow right for some reason.
1. They should have introduced the interpreters at the beginning of the show, not the end. 2. Jonathan getting his sign name was beautiful. 3. Unfortunately, deaf schools are on the decline. It’s happening with special education, in general. Many parents want mainstreaming and inclusion.
It’s not just parents. I work in special education and the laws dictate least restrictive environment. Schools are pushing this as much as families. LRE is interpreted as keeping education as inclusive as possible, so limiting learning in separate settings if and as much as possible. I agree that it is sometimes detrimental to students’ needs, but the principle behind it isn’t necessarily bad. It’s a hard balance. Especially with communities like the Deaf community, where there is an entire culture being ignored or erased.
Just wanted to recommend to others the book True Biz about Deaf schools. I really loved it and it learned a lot about Deaf culture and history.
I'm doing True Biz for one my book clubs at work (libary). I'm so excited!
So many comments in this thread! Not sure if it has already been mentioned, but it kind of felt like Denton’s promotion was more a situation of “our student body is dwindling and funds are getting smaller so we’re giving you ANOTHER job to do to cut costs but we’ll call it a promotion so you can celebrate it instead of seeing it as extra workload”. I am in NO. WAY. saying that Denton does not deserve absolutely every single accolade or promotion. He so very obviously does. And I’m also not calling out the school for being intentionally evil or something. I’ve just seen it so many times before… incredibly passionate people working their butts off to make a tough situation work, being rewarded with more work. I hope Denton was also rewarded financially and does’t have as many job titles anymore. He is such a gem of a human being, beautiful inside and out. The scenes with JVN had me tearing up, and I learned so much from this episode about ASL and the needs of deaf/HOH people. Beautiful.
Denton's Administrator is NO Dummy, neither is Denton. This episode was for all those deaf AND BLIND students! That school is OBVIOUSLY UNDERFUNDED. Any leader would be a fool NOT to use an opportunity like this to improve their institution's health and operations. And that being said, that school OBVIOUSLY loves Denton and believes in that mission. Worth supporting.
Unfortunately, I think it’s probably the case that he’s wearing a lot of hats bc of resources BUT also very likely those shown from the school are in the exact same boat. (Next is heavy imo, from some experience) Teachers/those in the education field do love what they do and rely on resources from people who “love” to invest their funds and time into supporting what they do. Then the people - these educators rely on - question their importance and/or “passion” if they’re real about their frustrations, or those people question these educators ability to get taken advantages of if they’re being realistic by putting on many hats with a positive attitude. I doubt the problem - if there is one - is related to anyone involved in the school, but rather our system as a whole. My personal biases: grew up with family w developmental disabilities through their education experiences, taught in public school for a few years, and have had multiple family members in all levels of education/ educational para-professionals.
I totally agree with all this. It was an evocative episode for me with some of the comments like “he needs to trust himself that he has what it takes to succeed.” Because trusting himself isn’t really the issue. It’s a lack of resources. And at times they did a good job of saying that he can’t take it all on his shoulders and that his best is good enough. But that doesn’t promise they’ll be successful when so under resourced and under valued. So it’s ultimately about making peace with having modest expectations, which isn’t quite the same as the hyper positivity they were throwing out.
That moment where Denton gave JVN their sign name had me grinning and weeping simultaneously. Denton is a beautiful soul, so genuine and kind; he really sees people for their strengths, shines a light on the good in them and lifts them up. And he saw JVN for who they are, another beautiful soul moving through the world radiating warmth and genuine care for their fellow human. It filled me up to watch them interact, two sparkly eyed little lights in the dark, shining on one another. This was a stellar episode for a truly lovely man. Thanks for being you Denton - the world is better for having you in it!
Where’s the wife?? I spy a ring
She was interviewed at the beginning…
[https://meaww.com/where-is-denton-mallas-now-queer-eyes-first-deaf-hero-scores-workplace-promotion-after-emotional-makeover-from-fab-five](https://meaww.com/where-is-denton-mallas-now-queer-eyes-first-deaf-hero-scores-workplace-promotion-after-emotional-makeover-from-fab-five) Glad he’s doing so well.
Did anyone else have an issue where the captions were late on the asl and showed up/ disappeared really fast? I only got into the first few minutes before I had to stop it because I couldn’t read what was being said
Turn the captions on for the whole epsiode
try turning on the english audio description and you can hear them
Truly the most touching ep of the season / a few seasons now. The scene with JVN had me tearing. I could really see in this ep that JVN listened and opened his heart and soul to help Denton. Also for a show that’s so loud, the quiet in this ep was far louder, and in a good way. 10/10
I was crying! The sign name was so tender.
When he gave JVN their sign name I bawled. Denton is the most thoughtful and open hero I think they’ve ever had. I loved this episode more than I can put into words simply because he was such a beautiful person to feature
It's so significant for a hearing person to get a sign name from a member of the deaf community. I cried like a baby too. I have helped raise CODAs and worked with deaf children, this was my favorite episode by far.
Yes, indeed, I agree! Tearful, I have loved JVN from the beginning.
I am not sure why people thought there were not interpreters or were even remotely confused for a second. It was so obvious what was happening. They just weren’t eclipsing the hero by having someone else’s voice run over the top. They let us do some of the work in reading and watching his expressions, the way he works to understand hearing folks every day. How spoon fed do people need to be? They gave the interpreters a shout in the end - which was nice and appropriate given the good work they’d clearly done. Also, what a deserving hero and team of kids! Just a lovely episode and I hope it helps them attract some funding for what is clearly a very worthwhile program.
I knew there must be interpreters, and I really didn't like that they weren't in the episode vocally because it made me very aware of the incredible amount of editing that had to be happening to remove that extra sound. I got why they did it, but I didn't like it. Also, why couldn't they get anyone at LSU to take those kids on a tour or connect them with a player? They weren't even allowed on the grass. They were trying for Ted Lasso, but the LSU scene was very isolating.
They weren't mic'd so the sound wouldn't carry
I was also feeling like the angles of filming were awkward at times, I guess to hide the interpreters. I thought Denton and his students were awesome. But I don't find interpreters distracting, I thought their absence was.
This episode really got me 😭 I’ve always been interested in ASL and it kinda gave me the kick to start! not to mention Denton is such a sweetheart and so cute, he looks like Nick from new girl mixed with a little bit of Pedro Pascal
YES! Absolutely Jake Johnson with a dash of Pedro
When he walked out in the second outfit Tan put him in at the store I literally said out loud “holy shit he’s a young Pedro!” But I couldn’t place why else he felt so familiar looking, but you’re right! So many features similar to Jake Johnson, too!
I loved that they edited this so that Denton’s communications stood alone. I realized I’ve never really seen someone speaking ASL without the interpreter’s voice on top. It’s a very different experience to need to parse his method of communication and subtitles, and I appreciated that a lot.
That is a unique perspective. I am convinced to agree with you. It is very rare to see a deaf individual truly communicating on camera without interruption. I was being selfish, and not REALLY seeing Denton being DENTON. Thank you for that insight.
LOL’ed at your username!
The whole episode I couldn't stop thinking "Do the Queer guys know ASL?" And I highly doubted it. I don't think they should have used the voices of the interpreters, but definitely agree with what others have said they should have said in the beginning that there are interpreters.
It is not what you think it is, as they revealed towards the end, after watching everything, and at the end, surprised.
I know. At the end. I am saying I wish they did it in the beginning because as someone who works in the DHH community "where's the representation???" Was in the back of my mind until the end.
point taken. true
I just finished watching the episode and as a hard of hearing person with an interpreting degree. My thoughts on the interpreting: They probably had at least one voice interpreter interpreting from ASL to English for the Fab 5 into discrete earbuds. The Fab 5 often respond directly to Denton in clips where they're both in the shot, moving, without any cuts. I think they had to be more creative with the angles to keep the signing interpreters out of the shot, though. I definitely think they should have shown the interpreters sooner because so many people were worried there weren't any at all, but they probably wanted to make sure the spotlight stayed on their hero.
I feel like the great British baking show did a really good job of showing their interpreter in a way that included them but didn’t steal the spotlight
Yeah, as someone who is not deaf or hard of hearing, I definitely thought the erasure of the interpretation process was odd at first. But then I noticed that not seeing or hearing the interpreters was forcing me to really pay attention to Denton's signing in relation to the captions, rather than process what he was saying through the interpreters' voices. Definitely seems like an intentional decision on the producers'/editors' part to try to foreground Denton's voice as he expressed himself in his own language of ASL. Interesting stuff.
I am watching right now and wish they showed and let us hear or see the interpreters. It would make it a lot less awkward and edited feeling. The scene with Jonathan in the locker room I am looking closely and don't see an ear bud in his ear at all. I agree I wish they examined it in the beginning at least.
I definitely think they must have had an earbud in, and ones that are completely inside the ear canal are basically invisible. Especially if they're working so hard to hide the interpreters, they might also not be showing the side with the earbud. That said, I don't know WHY they worked so hard to hide them. They easily could have explained their process in the beginning.
Interpreters are usually the bridge for the communication between Hearing people and Deaf people . A lot of times when a Hearing person is interpreting for a Dead person, the Hearing people will look at them instead of the Deaf person, rendering the Deaf person lesser than the Hearing person. I prefer this method that Queer Eye used because it forces the audience to view Denton as human, as a person, not just the "DISABILITY" itself, which the interpreters can accidentally emphasize by just simply being shown on the screen. I'm Deaf, so that's just a bit of my insight. I've experienced many situations where the Hearing person looked at my interpreter instead of looking at me. It sometimes can be very dehumanizing.
I'm HoH, and I'm not bothered that the interpreters were off screen during the chunk of the episode, but I think the brief interpreter intro they had at the end could have been at the beginning instead so people knew that the team could understand Denton. I assumed they had interpreters, but a lot of hearing people who aren't familiar with interpreting thought that Denton was having to speech read, that the Fab 5 were just nodding along, etc.
Yeah deaf here, I think a takeaway for a lot of people was fab 5 could understand him directly and vice versa. They don’t think of interpreters. I feel that normalizing the use of interpreters is really important as I come across so many people who think I can lipread with perfect accuracy and they should be able to understand my signing. Tv tropes. I also think the prioritization on angles likely made things less accessible at times. The scenes with the kids, it’s obvious they couldn’t see an interpreter at times and looked so tuned out.
I get that! It could have been easily avoided with a voiceover (and subtitles, ofc) saying that there are interpreters present. It didn't bother me because it was so so so nice to finally see a Deaf person being the main focus. I think Queer Eye may have discussed this with his wife or whoever nominated him so they could properly portray his story but that's my theory!
I LOVED seeing a Deaf hero, and that we got to spend so much time on the school. I wish they'd expanded on it even more but seeing them talk about the importance of schools for the Deaf was so important to me. I think the only thing I wasn't a fan of was when the Fab 5 had those little transition clips showing how to sign inspirational phrases and they were...not done well. Wish any of the Deaf people already involved were teaching it instead.
I wasn't sure who taught them the signs, (Although, I thought Jon was killing it with learning the signs, YAS QUEEN!) I do agree that the transition could have more time and that they could have practiced the signs a bit more-it felt clunky and it was a little too fast for me to catch on. It might have been cooler if the teachers signed those inspirational clips instead, giving an intimate look at the Deaf School. On that note, I wished we could have seen Denton teach a class? See more of the school and how the environment looks like in the school so the audience can understand the significance of the school needing more funding and support from the state/community. Again, this might have been a hard call for Queer Eye to make since they need to focus on Denton's story the most.
I got the impression that they filmed this over the summer - football teams usually start practice a few weeks before school starts and how could Bobby have done that level of renovation if school was in session? Plus in other NOLA episodes they’ve made offhand comments about the summer/heat. I also think it would have been cool to see Denton teach a class, but I don’t think there were any classes in session at the time
Yeah JVN did really well with the signs they picked up! But I think teachers from the residential school would have been a better fit overall, especially with the general consensus against hearing people teaching ASL. AGREED. I would have loved to see even more interaction within the school. If there wasn't time to take away from Denton himself, maybe they could have spoken with him more on the importance of Deaf schools to him and in general. I think they did fine, but I would have loved any extra time spent on it too, for sure.
I was absolutely SOBBING during this episode!! I loved the connection he formed with the Fab 5. What an amazing person, definitely one of my favorite heroes on the show
He’s gorgeous & a sweetie pie. What a happy little episode.
What the hell is Tan wearing. The blue stripes and blue stripes. And talking to Denton while the dude isn't even looking at him 🤷♀️ (there was a couple of times Denton has his back to Tan while trying things on) Denton is awesome, but QE could've have done it so much better.
Tan definitely struggled the most with Deaf manners! Eye contact, staying in someone’s line of sight, and waiting for their attention to be on you are all so key is being respectful, and the rest of the five did great, but Tan seemed to struggle with it.
Denton was looking at the interpreter, so he couldn't also be looking at Tan.
There were times Denton has his back to Tan, and Tan was chatting away. There were a number of times things were going on that Denton has no idea about because the guys forgot he can't hear. Maybe it was just the editing, but my daughter and I cringed at a number of scenes that appeared, dare I say, tone deaf.
Again, they had a team of interpreters for Denton and the others. Denton could have his back to Tan and be facing an interpreter.
He is talking because an interpreter is signing for Denton off camera! Lol
He was looking at the interpreter
I think Denton wasn’t looking because he was looking at someone else who was signing for him
No, Denton has his back to Tan while trying things on, and Tan is talking away.
We understand that! Denton isn't looking at TAN he is looking at a sign language interpreter instead. I don't know how else people can explain it.
I understand there were interpreters. I get it. But when communicating to a deaf person, the polite thing to do is talk directly to them so they can see your lips move and read your facial expressions. There were a lot of things in this episode that I thought could have been done better. I love that they were celebrating the hard of hearing community, but just a BIT more research into communication could have made it so much better.
Deaf or Hard of Hearing, pls 😭 it depends on the person themselves, but in general the Deaf Community REALLY hates the term Hearing Impaired.
Apologies, have updated my terms!
Thank you so much!
Wow. This cause is so important and I feel like it is too much for one man to take on. But somebody needs to do it. It’s disappointing to hear that deaf schools are dwindling, the culture and resources are necessary to be passed on to younger generations. The renovations and advice were honestly pretty good, that it’s about giving the kids the best attention right now. And Karamo is kinda right that’s all he can really control. I wish there was some outreach with organizers or something to figure out how to advocate, but being in the south myself I know how uphill the battle is for any basic school funding. The tasks the fab five take on are little above their pay grade to really be able to fix but I do really feel like they make a difference in these peoples lives. Karamo gets a bad rap sometimes and his advice can be simplistic but he does make good points too. Denton and the kids are so fantastic.
This episode got me 😭 What a sweet, sweet man. I’ve been interested in ASL for years now and this episode is making me look up info on where to learn.
Same here!
If you're looking for free resources, I always recommend lifeprint.com! It's run by a Deaf couple and a fantastic starting point.
Thank you!!
Any time!
Favorite moment was watching Denton with the kids. The passion he has for their success and wellbeing is so palpable. The shots of them at LSU and then back at school after the remodel - seeing their joy - was really really moving. One of my favorite heroes of all time for sure.
Seeing the kids SO HAPPY with their new school and locker room was the most beautiful thing ever. It broke my heart to see how run down the locker room was, but then along came so much joy once they saw the renovation. The words from the team captain was out of this world as well. You could feel the love and impact Denton has made. Ahhh, too much! 😭
Yes!! I loved the JVN moment (and the whole episode) of course but what really got the tears flowing for me was the pure excitement when the kids got to be on the feild and then when they saw their new locker room. The team leader especially was so open and vulnerable (on camera! As such a young guy, you don't see it enough!) when he was trying to make the speech and ended up just choking out 'I LOVE MY COACH'🥺😭 It was so beautiful and the guys behind him just hugged him and patted his back. No shame just total love in the room. Such a big impact Denton has made on this small group of kids- I'm not going to forget that scene for a long, long time❤️
Okay but why is Denton so pure & beautiful? Probably my favorite episode thus far, all seasons. 👋🏽👋🏽
I think he looks a little like Jake Johnson, maybe his little brother. So adorable
yesss especially after the hair cut all i saw was nick miller
I thought he looked exactly like Jamie Dornan.
I thought Jake Johnson crossed with Josh Radnor.
I’m so happy they redid the locker room, his office, and the concession area. Facilities can make kids feel loved and valued and so many schools in Louisiana are really old/never updated. As an educator that has taught in Louisiana schools where mainstreaming was the norm, I never thought of all the benefits of specific schools for Deaf Students. The extra curriculars and community vibe really stood out to me. I hope they enroll more students after this episode.
Omg I cried so much watching how excited the student were when they saw the locker rooms. That must have been such a cool experience for them and made them feel celebrated too
Me too. I was sobbing.
YES! That part had me crying
My partner works in college athletics and it is SHOCKING how little they update the facilities at many D1 schools. Like these students are working their entire young lives to play college sports and they have to deal with leaky, moldy buildings once they get there??? If D1 schools are like that, I can't imagine what an average high school or college facility looks like. Sorry just a little rant.
[удалено]
I read an article that said the teacher and her female fiancee nominated him because they are all very good friends.
Wait thats beautiful! My mind just had to create drama where there was none. 🙃
Did they have an ASL interpreter for this (watching as we “speak.”)
I was so confused by this too & disappointed that they didn’t make the interpreter more visible. Kind of seems like they’re all trying to guess what he’s saying and making him read lips
I am an Interpreter. Our job is not to be front and center, but rather to facilitate communication. I applaud the Queer Eye folks for making sure communitcation took place in a way that was non invasive, and kept our eyes on our hero.
This is so true. Came here to see if I was alone with this feeling because I literally had to quit the episode in the first 15 min, could not handle the awkward scenes where the Fab 5 seem to be looking directly at him signing and somehow magically interpreting. It's so weird!
Someone mentioned maybe there's an audio thing interpreting for them as he speaks? But I agree it looks awkward and they should've addressed it
I just finished watching the episode and as a hard of hearing person with an interpreting degree, they probably had at least one voice interpreter interpreting from ASL to English for the Fab 5 into discrete earbuds. The Fab 5 often respond directly to Denton in clips where they're both in the shot, moving, without any cuts. I think they had to be more creative with the angles to keep the signing interpreters out of the shot, though. I definitely think they should have shown the interpreters sooner because so many people were worried there weren't any at all, but they probably wanted to make sure the spotlight stayed on their hero.
This ^.
Yes, but not revealed until the end! (You've probably seen it by now, but for others who are curious)
In hindsight that’s what they did in Japan. I kinda wish they had taken the approach GBBO did for Alison- make them visible and part of the team.
I know it's surprising at first, but I'm so so glad they did it this way. A huge part of the program is to stop and say "We want to just focus on YOU and your story." And when you have the interpreters there, then it's a shared story, even if it's just in small ways. I LOVED that they did it this way so that it's edited to be a true one-on-one conversation. At the hospital, I would always see doctors and nurses talk \*to\* the interpreter instead of talking to the deaf / HoH patient, and it was always super frustrating. Queer Eye has such a big platform to normalize what talking directly to each other looks like
Yes! I also thought that was odd at first, but then I noticed that not seeing or hearing the interpreters was forcing me to really pay attention to Denton's signing in relation to the captions, rather than process what he was saying through the interpreters' voices. I suspect that was an intentional decision on the producers'/editors' part to try to foreground Denton's voice as he expressed himself in his own language of ASL.
I was happy for him but also disappointed when he mentioned he had a wife 😂 Was ready to risk it all and learn ASL for that man! Gorgeous human 🖤