'Queer Eye' guys' fame has taken them by surprise, but they're learning to cope.

The premise sounds like a “Saturday Night Live” skit: Let five gay men make over America, one straight man at a time. Who knew it would take reality TV by storm, dominate lunch-break chats and turn into a hugely hip, multimedia brand? The “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy stars” - Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley and Jai Rodriguez - are boldly finessing (they would say “tszujing”) their way into pop culture and into our hearts. They have persuaded a macho, beer-commercial-watching nation of heterosexual men to use nose-hair trimmers, clean the petrified layers of grime from their bathtubs, buy (gasp!) hair products, and even to use their heretofore neglected kitchens for more than reheating frozen pizzas.

The Fab 5, as they’re known, have just released a CD of music from their hit show as well as a coffee table book — “The Fab 5’s Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better and Living Better.”

Their year of newfound fame surprises even the quintet. “I thought I was just hosting a TV show on a little cable network called Bravo,” Jai Rodriguez, the show’s culture and etiquette expert, said from L.A. on Friday. The Fab 5 were on a book tour that landed them on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and had given Carson Kressley (Queer Eye’s sharp-tongued fashion expert) laryngitis from dozens of media interviews. Rodriguez, an actor who was initially planning to return to a role in the Broadway production of “Rent,” signed up thinking it would be a two-month gig tops.

“It’s certainly been an adjustment, learning how to operate in my day-to-day life with people recognizing me,” says Kyan Douglas, the show’s heart-throb grooming expert.

Yet, they’re coping well. The stars’ earnings have skyrocketed. They’re reportedly making upwards of $8,000 an episode for the 40-show second season, which began filming in October and airing this month. They’ve been onstage at the MTV Music Awards and walked the red carpet at the Emmys, only to have other celebrities fawn over them. And, they’ve cast a huge net with their fans, who include everyone from unlikely sports-obsessed, chili-dog-eating, hygiene-challenged dudes to droves of women who futilely swoon and dream the Fab 5 could work magic on their man.

“If I miss it, my in-laws tape it for me,” says Steve Corbett, a civil engineer for Macomb County who admits he’d be afraid to be a makover subject. “Carson would have a field day. He’d tear my wardrobe apart, man. I’m still wearing tennis shoes from the ’80s. ... I use a 99-cent Bic razor.” Still, Corbett, 41, says “Queer Eye” is the talk of his office and has affected his life. “I’ve tried to cook a little more, tried to be a little more domestic and help my wife out more,” he says. And while he can’t imagine getting a manicure anytime soon, Corbett (along with thousands of other straight men) now pays more attention to his personal grooming habits because of the Fab 5.

“I think it’s wonderful,” says Gia Marable, owner of Manhood Grooming Gallery in downtown Detroit — a men-only salon that offers everything from manicures and pedicures to massages. “It’s helping the guys realize women want you to be well-groomed and live in a nice place. We don’t like the slobs. We love a well-groomed man around here.”

Sadly, the Fab 5 have no plans to travel to Michigan for their makeover show. They’ll film some episodes in Texas this summer, then stick close to their Chelsea loft headquarters in New York City. It’s still up in the air whether the show and its spinoffs will have legs. While it’s great television, it may not have the shelf life of a sitcom that can run for a decade, says Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture and director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. “Those five guys are really fun to watch,” he says. “It’s a brilliantly made program. ... It’s the best of ‘Trading Spaces’ with the best of ‘Extreme Makeover.’”

And while seen by some as a great leap in gay acceptance on television, some still question whether the show heightens stereotypes. “I kind of feel like that’s a cop-out to say because it’s a gay show we’re an easy target for that comment,” Douglas says. “But we’re really just being ourselves, and you have to keep in mind that it is a makeover show.”

Jayme Cauley, 26, of Commerce Township says she likes the show precisely because it breaks down stereotypes. “I love the (Fab 5) and I just like that the gay stereotype is coming away,” she says. “I like to see that some of the guys being made over are really comfortable and accepting. It’s just eye-opening how they transform them.”

Overall, it’s the heart-warming tone (there are almost always hugs involved), along with the infectious laughter and wit of the the Fab 5 that continues to draw fans. “Our show offers a little something for everyone,” says Rodriguez. “It’s a life make-over, and there’s a lot of natural humor that comes out of the five of us being friends.”

Says Douglas: “I think the show has a lot of heart, and at the end of the day, we’re rooting for the (straight) guy.”