On the surface, From G’s to Gents seems like just another cringe-worthy MTV reality show. You watch it and wonder: a $100,000 prize awarded for becoming a gentleman? Isn’t that change pretty subjective? It sounds like a stage for attention-grabbing actors to play the part of a “G” to make some easy money. But as the frauds are eliminated, those who remain actually buy into the show’s message of self-improvement and the monetary prize goes largely unmentioned. Their focus is on the other aspect — acceptance into the exclusive and clearly fictional “Gentlemen’s Club” — because getting into that club represents becoming a better man.
Shotta, who once lived in his car, dreams of becoming a barber. Creepa wants to leave his troubled past behind, but is afraid to remove his “hater-blocking” sunglasses and grills. Detroit male stripper Stan must overcome his misogynist and exhibitionist tendencies (i.e. rants about how women “need to be controlled,” his love of removing his clothes in public) so he can find true happiness. D-Boy is a modern day Pentheus, grappling with his hubris.
Fonzworth Bentley, the umbrella-toting, blazer-loving, one-time personal assistant to Diddy, challenges the self-described G’s, goons and con men to improve their fashion sense, etiquette and treatment of women through a series of competitions. After weeks of croquet games, dinners with Japanese businessmen and debates about fine art, the show culminates in the intense, passionate speeches of the two final competitors who explain just how far they’ve come. It may sound ridiculous that a spin-off of Charm School could tug at your heartstrings, but it truly is an emotional finale to a surprisingly touching show. These new gentlemen prove it’s never too late to change your life. And it’s still not too late to enjoy FGTG — the entire series is streaming for free on mtv.com.
