Thom Filicia and I were sitting on the couch talking. Suddenly, Carson Kressley and Ted Allen barged in.

“Is he boring you to death?” Ted asked.

“We’re here to save you!” Carson added.

Before I realized what was happening, Kyan Douglas was in the room too. He leaned over and said, “Don’t believe anything he says, he’s making up all these things in his head.”

Then Jai Rodriguez walked in.

For a minute, it looked like a scene from a “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” episode. But we were not in my messy living room and, more importantly, I am not a straight guy.

Armed with their own expertise—Thom for design, Carson for fashion, Kyan for grooming, Ted for food and wine and Jai for culture, the Fab Five have been transforming style-challenged and culture-hungry men for three years now. “We’re not really changing or making them over, we’re bringing out the best in them. We sort of do that to ourselves all the time,” said Carson, who says he heeded Kyan’s advice on getting a haircut.

The show recently celebrated its 100th episode (“Only 7,947,000 guys to go!” Carson said.) and according to the Fab Five, viewers are in for more fun. Fun meaning shows filmed in Vegas, fun meaning lots of weddings and fun meaning a Freaky Friday-like episode where they all traded places. Carson, who had to play Thom in that episode said, “I painted a straight guy’s room pink and he liked it.”

Invited by the Ayala Malls and Bench to the country so they can share their knowledge about fashion, grooming, food, culture and home with Filipino fans, Thom, Carson, Ted, Kyan and Jai are scheduled to hold three meet-and-greet sessions at different Ayala Malls during their stay.

Earlier in the afternoon, the five brandished their wit and candor, making members of the media laugh during the press conference at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. They spoke Tagalog, poked fun at one another and had the room buzzing with energy. It felt more like a comedy show than a press conference. When asked if they thought gays, like blondes, have more fun, Carson replied, “Gay blondes have even more fun!”

Ted said, “She meant real blondes.”

Carson retorted, “Old people are so funny.” Then the two air-kissed each other, making the audience laugh even more.

It is obvious that even off-camera, the Fab Five have real chemistry. “We’re all so different, we’re very different but we get along so well,” Kyan said.

“And we’re heavily medicated,” Carson joked.

The jokes continued throughout the entire press con—a lot of them coming from Carson. As the others rattled off their website URLs, Carson said, “My website is iwantahotfilipinohusband.net.” Carson isn’t the only one who seems to be impressed with Pinoy men. When asked if they were willing to do makeovers on Filipino guys, Ted said, “Sure. What can we possibly improve though?”

The Fab Five may love Pinoy men but Filipinas are absolutely crazy over them, especially Kyan, who received a number of marriage proposals from girls the last time he was here.Do they have advice for women who fall in love with gay men? Carson had the answer, “Oh my. I’d say get a credit card with a very high limit.”

“It’s remarkable that women come up to us and profess their love. It’s like, you do know the premise of the show right?” said Kyan.

Of the five, only Carson and Jai are single. “Ted’s been in a relationship for over ten years,” Thom said.

“In straight years, that’s like forty,” Carson added.

When asked to name the most fabulous celebrities, Jai said, “George Clooney is our staple.”

Carson added, “No matter where you see him, he looks amazing, whether he’s driving his boat or buying at Starbucks.”

Other names mentioned were Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp and Matthew McConaughey. “Did you notice that we’re only picking men?” they asked. “We also love Barba Streisand, Cher and Judy Garland.”

Ted said, “I think the best celebrities are those who do not get caught up in their celebrity.”

Tonight, Carson, Thom, Jai, Ted and Kyan will fly back to the US but Filipino fans will be seeing more of them—and not just on Queer Eye. Ted will continue educating people about wine and food and promoting his cook book “The Food You Want To Eat.” Jai is devoting time to his music, which you can check out on MySpace, a feature film called “One Month In Hell” and a new show involving Simon Cowell. Kyan will be working hard as L’Oreal’s spokesperson. (You can visit www.lorealmen.com for a virtual consultation with the grooming guru.) Thom, who has just finished working on Jennifer Lopez’s and Marc Anthony’s home in Long Island, New York, will continue more design projects. (You can check out his projects at www.thomfilicia.com.) Carson will be seen as a commentator in this year’s Miss Universe pageant (“Yeah, I didn’t read the contract very carefully.. Women? Okay. But the gowns and the jewelry and the shoes are amazing so I highly recommend it,” he said.) and his apparel line for men and women. “It’s called Perfect—because there are a lot of pieces that men and women should have in their wardrobes—perfect staples that they don’t own. It will be carried by a major American retailer but I can’t tell you who just yet. You’ll be getting it here, don’t you worry,” he added.

Aside from their own projects, Thom, Carson, Ted, Kyan and Jai all have their own advocacies and causes. “The great thing about being a celebrity is that if you’re involved in a cause, people will listen,” said Carson.

Kyan said, “We don’t do a lot of overtly political things in our show but I think the chance to be openly gay and out on television is already something. I think this is probably a universal thing whether you’re Filipino or not, when you’re young and you’re not sure of who you are, you’re looking out there for anyone like you. I hope people get that from our show—that we’re people who are gay, are out, who are being themselves. I think that’s the real struggle for any person, to identify who you are and to be true to that.”