Can we dress up as, like, the cover of Spice World
for one of our ambushes?
- Obviously I'd be in the Union Jack. - No!
I'm gonna be Baby.
Emma Bunton's the cutest. You're the cutest, blondest…
"My mummy's my best friend."
Yeah, you could totally do that. I actually think I might be Posh.
No, or, Antoni, are you her?
Tan would be Posh without a doubt.
- So Antoni, like, would be Ginger, then? - Ew!
He's the slutty, sexy, gorgeous…
- Hey, Muppets? - Yes?
- Wanna know who we're helping? - Yeah!
- So our hero this week is Michael Richard. - Yeah.
"Michael's a 31-year-old farmer who manages Recirculating Farms
in Central City, New Orleans."
- Ooh. - Oh.
Hey, guys. How y'all doing?
"Michael's farm helps youth and families by providing fresh vegetables
along with educational programs and activities."
Wow.
I was food insecure growing up,
and I never, ever wanted anyone to feel that way.
These haven't produced fruit in, like, two weeks.
It sounds corny, but I wanted to be the change I wanted to see,
and I would accept nothing less.
Use the shears. Take all of this out of here.
So many different things drew me to growing food.
Like, it's artistic and creative,
and also, like, growing food is very therapeutic.
I love putting my hands in the dirt.
"Michael struggles to feel worthy of people's time
and often feels judged when speaking about farming and horticulture."
I hear comments like, "Why does Michael show up so dirty?"
Because that's how hard I'm grinding, how much I'm working.
"Michael lives with his fiancée in a duplex."
Ever since I've known Michael, he's been into plants and agriculture,
and he's always playing in dirt.
So it does sometimes feel like our house is an extension of the farm.
My daddy used to say, "God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt."
Your daddy is crazy, girl.
Michael cares very much
about making fresh, healthy food accessible in the community,
but he really is his own biggest challenge.
"Michael struggled with his identity and self-worth."
"He was born to Creole parents, both half Black and half Native American."
"He never felt Black enough to be with his Black family
or white enough to fit in with his white friends."
That is so common for so many people who are mixed race.
"Michael was forced to grow up quickly and had to drop out of high school
to work and support his family."
Poor baby.
My life growing up was pretty difficult.
I've had to overcome obstacles that most people haven't,
but I wanna believe in myself more.
Oh, wait. It gets better. I just got excited.
Okay, so… "Marianne, Michael's boss and mentor,
wants him to succeed in all things
but first, she'd like the Fab 5 to show Michael he deserves to be respected."
Michael is a rising star in our city.
People are drawn to him naturally.
He can do whatever he wants,
but he doesn't recognize it yet.
"At the end of the week, the farm is hosting their annual fundraiser."
"Marianne expects Michael to step up and be the face of the farm
and the speaker at the event, and they need funds."
Yes, they need to make it rain.
No?
- Okay, no, I was thinking of gardening… - It was a first draft.
I thought that could be fun.
Let's help this urban farmer embrace his inner charmer.
Yeah!
That calls for spirit fingers. Ah!
First, we're gonna move some mulch out of the way.
Oh my gosh! Look at the little kids.
Make ourselves a nice, clean hole.
Is he teaching kids?
We use the pot like this and then grab it right here.
- Hello. - Hello.
- Oh my God. - Hi!
Hello, Michael! I'm Tan. Nice to meet you.
- Hi! - Nice to meet you.
- Incredible.
How cute is this man in this urban farm with, like, all the kids
and teaching them about planting and stuff?
So I need to be one of the kids 'cause I don't know what is what.
Is everything here edible?
If it is something that is not necessarily edible,
it has some type of benefit to the soil or to the ecosystem that we're creating.
I didn't know fruits and vegetables have flowers on them.
- 'Cause they're also so pretty. - Yes, so, so pretty. Yeah.
Did you know that fruits and vegetables, like, have a flower in them?
Like, they start as flowers.
You wanna get gay people into gardening? Just tell them there's flowers involved.
Or at least it worked for me.
Sorry to interrupt. Welcome to the farm.
- Hi. - Oh, hi!
I'm Marianne. I nominated Michael.
You're the mentor!
I'm so glad you're here.
So what is it that you think that might be missing
that we could help him with?
Michael's amazing at almost everything. It's just he's ready to take the next step
into the administrative and policy aspect of the work.
But I wanna hear Michael say it. Are you ready to take the next step?
Very nervous, but very excited.
Don't be nervous. We seem like a lot, but we're not.
No, no. We are a lot. You should be nervous, actually.
So we have a farm side, and we have a community-garden side.
So this is our production, farm side
where we're trying to grow as much food as we possibly can.
It's too hot to grow things here in the summer, so we cover crop.
We plant things that can fix things in the soil.
Passion is dripping from every pore on Michael's body
and a little bit of sweat 'cause it's 99,000 degrees out here.
You couldn't tell from Michael's attitude.
I've never been so hot in my life. Oh my God.
We cut at the base and leave the roots.
The microbes still have their home.
Wow. We're just over here looking at this stuff over here,
and it is so interesting.
It's a little hot.
Tan and JVN, who have been outside for about 90 seconds,
hiding from the heat like it's a plague.
It is so hot.
It is literally the eighth ring of Satan's asshole.
Whoo!
He is his own biggest challenge.
For example, he has been wanting to apply to this environmental-law program,
but it took him months just to open the application.
Yeah. That's very telling. Sounds like everyone else believes in him.
- But he doesn't believe in himself. - I think that's accurate.
If you would like to try any peppers, these are super hot.
- I wouldn't pick the red ones. - Tanny, do you want a red one?
I could eat a green one.
- Red is milder. - Not red.
No.
- They are pretty spicy. - It's definitely got a kick to it.
- It has a bit of kick. - That's hot.
- Tan, you said this one was mild. - It is mild.
Ooh!
Because this is a community garden, I try to grow things
from lots of cultures, things people are used to.
This is okra. We have it growing next to some hibiscus.
Hibiscus, you can make a beautiful iced tea with.
Yeah, love it.
We have some purslane, one of my favorite things to grow.
- Purslane? - It grows in sidewalks, grows all over.
But it's one of the healthiest greens you can eat.
It has a lemony taste to it. It's really good in salads.
It is lemony.
- It's a really interesting plant. - Yeah.
So this has been amazing, but I, for one, wanna see your house.
- Yeah, we do. - Yeah.
- We love an indoor setting. - Let's head to the house.
- Bye, everybody. - Bye.
- Bye, friends. - Thank you.
Come on, Michael. Let's go.
- Hello there. - Hey, y'all. Welcome to my house.
Hey.
Honey, we're home.
- We're home! Hi! - I brought some friends.
- Hi! - Oh, a puppa!
- Hi, sweet pup! - That's my boy.
- Hi. - Hi, Kaila.
- The smell is almost oppressive. - Ugh!
It is so ripe in here.
I can smell the cats. I can smell the dog. I don't wanna smell any of it.
- Oh yeah. That's broken. - It definitely sinks in the middle.
- See, that one's a little bit higher than… - Yeah, I feel like a little boy.
I am a very active person.
I work out all the time.
- You struggling to get up? - Yeah.
I cannot get out of this sofa.
Use your core.
Thank you.
That's a problem.
- What is this? - That is my grow tent.
- What is that? - That's a grow house.
You can grow plants inside.
- I assume there's lights and humidity and… - Yes, lights, a fan.
But in the gay world, it does seem like a gay sex room.
I'm just saying.
Yeah.
Oh my God. It's literally dead!
It's been dead since Hurricane Ida.
When I unzipped this thing, it hits you like a box of rocks.
- It's moldy, honey. - Why haven't you cleaned this out?
It's depressing to clean it out
after all that stuff died that you spent time...
Think how happy it would make you to grow new things.
- We do use it. - When?
My mom used to say, "Don't bring the outside inside."
Clearly nobody was telling Michael and Kaila that.
- How do you feel about that, Kaila? - I hate it.
Okay, that's what I thought.
The open gas tank makes me a little bit très nervous.
- It hasn't been in here that long. - You know what excuses are?
They're tools of incompetence, which build monuments of nothingness.
And all I'm hearing is excuse, excuse, excuse, excuse.
We're gonna stop the excuses, and that's your first lesson.
Wow, that was a haiku.
I am very confused 'cause this space is actually very tidy.
I can't understand how you're so comfortable here with this.
- But that... - I'm not comfortable with that.
- He, like, thrives in clutter. - And I'm okay, like...
- And I don't. - Organized chaos.
Do you, though, or are you just used to it?
I'm used to organized chaos.
- That's language that has to go. - Got to go!
Got to go. You got to do better!
All right, show us more.
This is our bedroom.
- That's a hot picture of you. - It's one of my favorites.
Oh, and they're moldy!
- Why are these tomatoes in the fridge?! - It's compost.
These poor babies.
I did not know that tomatoes don't go in the fridge.
They get gritty.
That's our lizard, Spike.
Oh wow.
For me, I'm, like, a cat and dog person in my house,
but to each their own.
Yay, bearded dragon.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Whoa! Whoa!
- Can I touch? - That's a lizard, Antoni.
Yeah, you can hold him.
Oh my God.
Bearded dragon.
The name is cute.
Tan, I'm just gonna stand here.
It's not cuddly.
- You wanna touch? He's sweet. - I'm good, thanks.
I'll take a reptile in a heartbeat.
I think we're kindred spirits because neither of us ever get cold.
Ooh. It just gives me the chill when I think about it.
And this is my closet.
I'm gonna take a real good look in there.
Clear out. I'm gonna look through your closet. Don't mind me.
- Oh, here's the bathroom. - Tanny, do you need any help?
- You can stay and watch if you want. - Okay.
There's just dirt everywhere.
I like that. I'm not mad at that at all.
He's got some stuff I quite like.
Love that.
Nice. Happy with that.
Hate that.
- And then I toss it on the floor. - Wait. Whoa! Why do you hate that?
'Cause it's not cute.
Oh, there we go.
Gorgeous. You should slip into that.
I've got a feeling that he wears this around the house for sexy time.
Okay, we're gonna put it back on the hanger.
Tell me about your home, like, growing up.
Was it messy, or was it…
- It was very chaotic, for sure. - Yeah.
Mental health is very much tied to your space.
Like, the chaos around you creates chaos in your mind.
I'm a big believer in that.
I wanna help organize the chaos a little.
I'm so fit.
This is hard.
Oh my God. You actually have to sit down to do this. Whoo.
Hi.
Hello.
Have fun.
Hi, dear. Thank you so much.
Hi!
Michael, we've got so much to talk about.
Is this you?
That was for a costume, for a Prince costume.
I think it's chic as hell.
Um, okay, you have got so much stuff
that just feels so boring.
Yeah.
There's five different guys in there.
This is the same stuff I wore growing up through junior high, high school.
- This is so 15 years ago. - Yeah.
You can't possibly still be wearing this.
Um, I think I might have worn this, like, a month or two ago?
Did you feel good, sexy, cool?
Um…
Not as cool as I feel in, like, my more vibrant clothes, for sure.
This can't be you.
To be honest, I kinda don't wanna look how I've been looking.
Tell me about life outside of, um, the farm.
Are there styles you think, "I wish I could look like that"?
It would be like Justin Timberlake, A$AP Rocky.
A$AP and Justin and a lot of those guys in that world
also blend masculine and feminine.
- Yeah. - How do you feel about that?
I don't care about labels. If it looks good, if it fits well,
that's all that really matters.
Awesome. Okay. I think I got what I needed to.
A lot of meat.
I'm noticing that Michael has self-worth issues.
Could you tell me a little bit about what you've experienced
with his self-worth?
I just think that he's really hard on himself.
I think that he's kinda scared of failure,
and so he's scared to, like, take the next leap into things.
- I'm sorry. - No worries.
Take your time.
He's been through a lot,
and he feels as though those things happened to him for a reason
and that he doesn't deserve good things in his life.
And he feels like the world is out to get him a lot.
How do you do anything with your hair? So beautiful.
I don't do a whole lot.
I take a shower, and I brush it with conditioner when I shower.
But I love your texture so much. I can't stand it.
If I had to describe Michael's hair in one word, it would be
sex.
What's happening with this?
Um, I just haven't shaved in a while. I just…
'Cause you are giving me principal extra on Pirates of the Caribbean.
- Do you know what I'm saying? - I'm going for more Jimi Hendrix vibes.
You're giving me villain in Hook. You're giving me pirate captain.
Thank you so much for showing us your lovely garden, your lovely home.
- Do we all feel ready and prepared? - Yes!
- All right. Bye, y'all. - Oh, no, you're coming with us.
No, this starts now.
Kiss her goodbye.
- Thank you. - Bye.
Thank you, Kaila.
You thought you were staying?! This week starts now!
We gotta redirect some of the passion Michael has
for gardening and ending food deserts,
just redirect, like, 10% of it towards himself.
Kaila's a very supportive partner,
but I don't think she can do this on her own.
It's time for Michael to understand he needs more support
to get over these issues that are blocking him.
I absolutely understand the pressure of being torn between two worlds.
However, at some point, you've gotta forge your own identity.
I don't want him to feel like a knockoff of anyone.
I want him to feel like Michael Richard.
I cannot wait to pamper Michael with a little bit of design,
but also I want to help him move forward on his way to achieving his goals.
I hear that you have an environmental-law program that you run,
and that Michael should be in it.
Yes. I kept encouraging him,
but I think it's the personal statement that is hanging him up.
Okay.
We're so excited to support Recirculating Farms' annual fundraiser
and Michael's ambition to one day be the executive director.
We have the fundraiser in a couple of days, so I'm excited.
It's the first time I'm ever hosting a fundraiser
in my career, my life, period.
- You've never done this before? - Never, yeah.
- I wanna help with catering. - Can't wait to see what you whip up.
What I'm excited about
is to showcase those veggies that he grows.
- More will be revealed. - Okay.
We'll leave it as a surprise, but it's all gonna be veggie driven,
super fresh.
- I'm excited. - Yeah!
- How are you? - I'm good.
- How are you feeling? - Excited.
- Really? - Yes.
That's nice to hear.
I thought you'd have said anxious, not excited about it.
Well, I mean, anxiousness and excited, they're pretty close, you know.
They live in the same family.
I wanna know how on-the-ground work
plays into the life that you're gonna have after this.
You are gonna be what?
I'm gonna be executive director of Recirculating Farms.
And so, for that, you have to speak publicly and fundraise.
Okay. What do those rooms look like?
They're usually pretty just, like, corporatey looking.
Like, imagine, like, a business conference,
that's what they look like.
Okay, so do you feel added pressure to look like a corporate guy?
Yeah, kinda just to fit in.
I get it. No, of course, I get it.
But I can't imagine that makes you feel great.
No, not really.
Who is the real Michael?
I don't really know.
He wants to be the executive director of this company.
I wanna help Michael find a happy medium, so he doesn't have to conform.
I want him to look mature enough
to be able to hold court in the spaces that he's going to,
but I don't wanna take away his youthful, playful spirit.
Okay, can you tell me this?
How much are you looking to raise at these things?
Are we talking hundreds, thousands?
Thousands, tens of thousands, hopefully. Like, yeah…
- Great. - As much as I can.
- You better feel confident. - Yeah.
You can't go in gingerly, like, "Hey, guys."
"There's this thing we've got going on."
"I don't feel great about myself, but I need you to believe in me."
If you don't go in believing in yourself 100%,
and I truly believe that your clothes can help facilitate that,
they're not giving you shit.
Listen, there are five of us. You've met us now.
We don't work a normal job.
Most people would say we dress like clowns.
My outfit yesterday was ludicrous.
But when I put something on,
I don't care if somebody tells me I look hideous.
If I feel wicked, you can't tell me shit.
I feel really good.
I wanna try and create looks for you
and build your closet so that you've got play clothes,
but there are things you can do with those clothes,
mixed with other things,
that makes it a lot more appropriate for work.
Let's start with playful though. Shall we play?
- Yes, let's do it. - Okay, great.
- I saw this in the window. That was cool. - Love.
Um…
Bold. You like bold, color, print?
- Yes. - Wonderful.
These are my colors. Orange and aqua are my colors.
It's the color of the Dolphins.
I'm a huge Miami Dolphins fan, so that's the perfect colors for me.
- Miami Dolphins are what? - A football team.
A football team. Okay. Nice.
Uh, okay, the first outfit is loud.
Are you scared?
- A little bit. - I know. I could feel it.
He's dressing for himself now.
The outfits that I'm putting him in celebrate who he is.
Ooh hoo!
Come on out.
I like this. This is really cool. The shoes are super dope.
You look like a famous person.
You look cool. You look young.
I wanna make it clear,
this is not what I think you should wear to go and try and get funds.
However, if we just tucked this in, and we gave you a pair of trousers,
it's perfectly appropriate 'cause you are not 50. You're 30.
If this was in my closet, I'd wear these shorts and shirt a lot.
Your face ain't telling me that.
So I think we need to work on the swag a little bit.
- Okay. - The confidence a little bit.
Yeah.
- Yes? - Yes.
Michael?
Can I see?
Oh, I already love.
Every now and then, when I take somebody shopping,
there's that moment you realize
that they see what a difference their attire makes to their life.
- These shoes are everything. - Really? You like them?
- These shoes are super cool. - I love the chunky loafer.
I know, ordinarily, to go into a corporate meeting,
a lot of people wouldn't wear jeans, but you don't have a regular job.
You're showing who you are.
I wanted you to feel a little more casual than something stuffy.
I really like this. This is, like, very timeless.
It's not very businessy, not super businessy,
but it's like, "Hey, I'm here to get shit done."
Great.
So I want to show him there is a person that needs to be let out…
Give a model version.
…and you can do that with clothes.
So work it.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Gorgeous. Gorgeous.
He has swag when he models.
Lovely.
Got it.
I see a version of him that I haven't seen before.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gorgeous.
- I'm so happy. - I'm happy too.
These clothes make me happy.
Completely different than anything that I've ever purchased or ever put on.
I'm gonna work on getting something else, many more things that will make sense.
For now, let's get you back into your regular clothes.
- And let's get you outta here. - Okay.
So much more to work on.
I'm super excited for everything.
Oh, good old New Orleans rain.
Yes, gotta love it.
It was really important to bring Michael here today…
Hi!
…because I can relate to not putting yourself out there
because you kinda won't let go of the past.
- I heard that there is a graduate program… - Yes.
…that you've been wanting to get into.
Yes. This is the credentials that I need
to be able to move up into the executive world.
I feel like maybe your not doing the application
might stem from a little fear of failure, maybe?
Even though my boss, who runs the program,
is like, "You need to chill. You'll be fine,"
the part that I haven't done is a part
where I have to, like, write an essay about myself.
And 'cause I'm sort of ashamed of those things,
someone rejecting me because of that, even if that's not why,
that's what I'm gonna think is the reason why,
and that's just gonna reinforce me feeling like a piece of shit.
I hear you. I mean, I loved school, and for me, it didn't work out.
You know, I left home at 15,
so I still don't have a GED or a high-school diploma.
But I spent a big part of my life being very ashamed of that
and letting that hold me back
because I felt that I… I failed.
- Yeah. - And I really let it define me.
It still makes me uncomfortable, um, so I understand that.
Even though it's something I really want, that doubt just always wins,
and it just stops me from doing a lot of things.
But you are worthy, and you are good enough,
and you know how to make things work outside of the normal way of doing things,
which… Look around in the world.
Those are the people that aren't just cogs.
And it's the people that aren't afraid to try things
that are gonna be the biggest successes.
- So I wanna pull up the application today. - Okay.
And I want you and I to finish it.
- Okay. - Okay?
The final portion of this, what is the question?
Filling in the gaps in my education.
How do you plan on elaborating on that?
I left school because I was just extremely depressed.
I didn't feel really comfortable living by myself anymore.
And so I was like, "I'm gonna go back home."
I was just going to school just to go. I wasn't doing any work.
- Just because you're supposed to. - Right, exactly.
And then, yeah, I just worked.
I think that probably you're worried that they're judging the reasons why.
And I even feel like my experience isn't valid
and no one will take me seriously.
Yeah. How long have you wanted to do this?
Um, the master's program?
It started a few years ago, maybe, like, two or three years ago.
As soon as she saw this, she was like, "You should consider taking this."
"You know what you have to do first? You have to get your bachelor's."
I was like, "Yeah, I have to get that done."
And so, uh, we started making moves for me to be able to go back to school.
Yeah. Let me just point something out to you.
Marianne believes in you.
Stop doubting yourself.
- I know it's hard. - Yeah.
That… that little demon of self-doubt in people who come from nothing,
who have been told they'll be nothing,
who have been told they're gonna end up in jail,
um, end up in the gutter.
- It's hard to reprogram yourself. - It is.
It's really hard 'cause it's 30 years of being this way.
Every time something good happens to me, I get extremely anxious.
I'm like, "All right, something bad has to come immediately after,
and it's just gonna crush me,
and I'm like, "Don't get your hopes up too high."
"Prepare yourself 'cause it's coming. Something bad is coming."
When you start to feel that way, take a step back, take a breath.
Be like, "Wait a minute. The people around me believe in me."
"Maybe they're right."
- Yeah. - You know?
I can see him starting to kind of have some lights going on
and being like, "Huh. I've been the one holding me back
because I felt I wasn't enough."
"But you know what?"
"Damn it, I am enough."
I mean, I think this is great.
I think you really explained it in a way that people will understand,
and everyone's journey to the destination is not a straight line.
- Yeah. - You know?
Straight lines are boring.
The party is here, baby!
Hey!
- How are you? - He just finished his application.
Hold on, bitch. You cannot have just finished the application
that has literally been taking you so much time
and be this calm.
I'm trying to shift that emotion, that anxiousness, to excitement.
We gonna shift it like this.
Yeah.
- Yeah, Bobby! - Okay. All right.
So at the end of this week, it was a garden party at the farm,
but obviously, it's raining a lot, and we don't think it's gonna stop.
So we're gonna have the event for you here.
- What? - Yeah.
- Open up our place. - This place is dope.
We're taking off the stress. We want this to be a huge success.
- And we want you to focus on your future. - Thank you so much.
- Love you. - Thank you.
I've brought you here. I wanted a vibing place for us
where it wouldn't be hustle and bustle,
and I feel you feel more comfortable outside.
I mean, I can get comfortable wherever, you know.
I adapt.
You know what that is?
That's a little boy saying, "I don't know what's going to happen to me tomorrow."
- But that's also a survival mechanism. - Yeah.
What parts of your childhood were the most out of control?
What are the memories that stick out to you?
I don't even know. There's so many memories.
Like, so many late-night drives,
so many times being parked in super sketchy neighborhoods
having to be just alone.
It was nuts. You had no idea what the next day was gonna bring you.
You didn't know… what was dinner gonna be like?
Are you gonna have dinner?
They're memories I don't like to think about.
Where was your mom during that?
There was a point where I tried to live with my mom,
and the answer was just no.
That was probably one of the worst times of my life, for sure.
Like, I'd rather not talk about these things
'cause I'm, like, I'm over it.
But you're not over it. It's affecting your everyday life.
Like, you go through it, and you come out okay.
- So I tell myself, like… - But… No, no, no.
That little boy needed somebody to be there for him,
protect him, and love him
and tell him that he deserves a better future than what he was given.
You got rejected as a child by your mother.
How does it make you feel? I don't wanna hear, "I'm okay with it."
I wouldn't be having a conversation with you
if it was not affecting you.
I mean, it hurts a lot.
I just think to myself, like, "Why bring it up?"
If something is buried and it's not tended to,
does it ever flourish through the ground?
- Does it ever bloom to its full capacity? - No.
You're that seed underground that needs to blossom,
that wants to have the life they deserve. You're not allowing yourself
because you say, "What's the point of bringing it up?"
The point of bringing it up is so that you can grow.
There's a saying,
just because it's not your fault doesn't mean it's not your responsibility.
Talking to Jason… I'm talking to Jas…
Why do I keep saying Jason?
Hold on, because he reminds me of my son Jason.
That's what that Freudian slip was.
Michael reminds me of my sons, and I just feel like that's why I'm here,
to show him how he can get past this
and give him some extra support.
So I actually invited a couple of friends here…
Okay.
…who are from 100 Black Men. Have you ever heard of that?
I brought them here
because some of them have gone through similar experiences.
One of them was my direct mentor when I was your age.
- How do you feel about that? - Um…
I'm just nervous.
Wouldn't it be nice to talk to somebody and say, "I need support"?
It's not something I've done for most of my life.
I don't ask for help. I just get it done myself.
The 100 Black Men of New Orleans is a mentoring program
that supports young African Americans, which is why I've asked them
to come here today and meet Michael.
I want Michael to know that he has support in the community
that's available to him.
I asked you if you ever met somebody who is Native American and Black.
This man right here.
I'm a member of the United Nation of Houma Indians.
I'm executive director of the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce.
I'm the president of 100 Black Men Metro New Orleans chapter.
I already told you about the gentleman,
so Darrell was there for me as I found out I was a father,
gave me a job, gave me support, just allowed me to feel safe.
This is not just meeting, having an interaction
of, like, you saying, "Let's meet you," and then y'all don't go anywhere.
This has to be some people you can talk to and you can turn to.
And remember that yesterday is history. Tomorrow's a mystery.
All you have is right now.
Anxiety kicks in when you don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow?
- Yeah. - Forget all about it.
You're sitting with your boys now. Yeah, relax.
Always thinking about the past, trying to prepare for the future.
- That is a hundred percent me. - Everybody does that.
People just get help with mechanisms to deal with that.
So this has to feel different for you.
Have you ever had spaces
where you've been around just a group of Black men
who are saying, "We're here to support you"?
No, never.
I will say, no, I…
Like, it's uncomfortable, but not in a bad way.
I've just always felt very lost.
If you just keep doing you, the right people will find you.
You're never alone.
Having to constantly explain myself and not always having the answers,
most of the time not having answers,
just kinda, like, puts you in this downward spiral.
Going back to school in New Orleans after Katrina was…
That wasn't happening.
I was not gonna go to one of these high schools set up like a prison.
Once I got the GED…
Getting into college is really hard when you have a GED.
Once I got in, they made me take extra courses
because I don't have a diploma.
You did all that?
I just graduated with my bachelor's in sociology.
- Yeah! - Thank you.
But in spite of all that, you did all that.
- And you graduated. - Just graduated, yeah.
- All right, let's turn the page. - There you go.
What do you wanna do next? What's next?
Next is going to Loyola to do their Master of Environmental Law program.
- Very nice. - Because you wanna do what?
Be executive director of the nonprofit I work for.
Your journey ain't over.
You're still learning. You're still going forward.
You know, you're a pioneer.
You might not call yourself that, but that's what you are.
You're practicing pioneership.
- Ever been called a pioneer? - Never thought of myself that way.
That's a great way to describe you, a pioneer.
And the thing to remember is, in spite of what you're going through,
some kid is watching.
Yes.
Uh-oh.
- What's going on? - I'm good.
- You sure? - Trying to be present.
- And not in my head. - Okay.
It's weird for me to, like, be this person that's, like, out in the community
and actively trying to get more Black people into growing
and organize and, like, create spaces like this,
but to feel weird in them because I have never been in them.
I'm usually the only person of color in a lot of rooms I go into.
Most of the time, I'm the only person of color in the room I'm in,
and that's been that way for a long time, in my life.
That's power. You can redirect that as a power move.
You can't lead if you ain't uncomfortable.
You growing in ways you probably don't even realize, man.
- Just… just being present. - Wow.
All the stuff you were talking about is so valid. It's about reframing it.
No matter what you do, you will be the first one to do that.
Bossed up, you know.
When you wake up, look yourself the eye and be like,
"I'm a pioneer, and I'm a boss," and smile and be like, "I'm a boss."
- Say it. - Yeah. I'm a pioneer, and I'm a boss.
- I like that. You look like you meant it. - Look at his eyes, that smile!
- Yeah! - Exactly.
Knowing a lot of the things that Michael went through in the past,
he probably hasn't had a lot of guidance on how to set up your home to really grow.
That's exactly what I've done for Michael.
I have turned his home into a place that is not filled with work,
but filled solely with things to recharge and renew.
Oh my God, we're here at this gorgeous salon.
Come on in. Take a seat.
- Hello, gorgeous. - Hey.
How do you function
being this handsome every day of your life?
- I just wake up. - Just walking around, looking this cute?
Yeah, I woke up like this.
I need to get you a chiropractor
from carrying all the weight of this handsomeness on your back.
- Can I touch your hair? - Yes.
Okay, I'm gonna get in here.
Oh yes, honey.
You are so cute.
You're pretty cute yourself.
Thank you, honey.
Am I blushing because Michael is kind of, like, flirting back with me?
No!
I'm not, Michael.
I'm very happy
that, for someone who's doing so much for your community…
Your heart is so big. I'm obsessed with what you're doing.
Sometimes I feel like people who are very hot are bad people.
- You know? And that's annoying. - Yeah.
Michael has identified his purpose and passion in life.
His priority has not been how to take care of his hair.
So I wanna retain his length, but give him what?
Shape. You guessed it.
So I definitely want fro.
- I'm gonna cut some of it dry. - Okay.
Then I'm gonna wash it.
How much time are you willing to give, like, in the morning?
My morning routine is pretty lax.
It's something else that I've tried to incorporate,
some type of, like, satin head wrap to keep my curls together.
Your lips to God's ears, honey.
We should just do, like, a full-on bonnet.
You're someone who is not buying into these, like, historical gender norms.
- No, not at all. - Let's do a bonnet.
- Yeah. - Mm.
I love that Michael
does not have time for these rigid ideas around the gender binary.
He wants to rock his long hair,
and releasing some of that weight from his ends
is gonna make his coils so springy, so bouncy. Let's go!
- Hi. How are you? - Nice to meet you. I'm Darren.
Nice to meet you. What I wanna do on him, I just really wanna clean this part up.
- Just, like… - All right.
And then I just wanna take all this off. Okay, so you're ready?
- I'm ready. - Do it.
- So we're knocking it all off? - Get rid of it.
Why? Do you think that that's a terrible mistake?
- I mean, a fresh start is always good. - You're so right. Come on.
Honey, you better work.
Look at him. My timbers, shivered.
Ooh. With the this, but with the this. It's…
Ooh. The way you licked your lips, you better stop it!
I've never been obsessed with anyone more.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Gonna wash your hair.
Okay, I'm gonna show you how to do a slut drop.
When you really wanna impress Kaila, what you're gonna do
is you're just gonna walk in and you're gonna go, "Hey, babe."
Huh!
Uh.
You give 'em all that ass as you walk away, you know?
The spirals in your hair are giving me such life,
and they are gonna look so good.
So we are still our gorgeous Michael,
but with a little bit of a zhuzh.
Without any further ado, here's the new,
slightly improved, if I do say so myself,
Michael.
Oh my gosh.
I look so different.
I love my hair.
- I love it. So nice. - You do?
I love it so much.
- You feel handsome? - My curls are popping. This is hair goals.
- It's hair goals, isn't it? - Yes. I love this so much.
- Oh my God. The back of it is amazing. - That shape?
It actually has a shape!
That's what I've always wanted, but I just didn't know how to get there.
You didn't cut much off my hair, but it feels so nice.
Have fun with it.
I really like that I can do, like, tighter curls,
a little bit looser curls if I want.
I feel like your body language just changed.
I'm looking at me, and it's, like, not real. I'm like, "Is that really me?"
I feel different.
- I feel like I look really good like this. - Don't you?
Also, I liked it when you just did that. That was kind of hot. Bring it up.
Ooh!
I'm blown away.
You look awesome,
and I'm glad that you feel awesome as well.
- Oh, the kids are here. - They're here. Oh, they're here.
Hi!
I brought a supermodel!
- You look so handsome. - Thank you.
Hi, sweetheart. Good to see you. How are you?
Your face looks so handsome.
- He's so goddamn good-looking! - Are you ready?
Come on in.
What?
Oh… my… gosh.
What?
- This is not my house. - It is your house.
You got rid of that grow house, and you have a home now.
My breath is literally taken away.
I feel short of breath right now.
Holy shit. This is incredible.
The home of an executive director.
This is the home of a pioneer and a boss.
Yeah!
I am obsessed with that.
That is a gorgeous affirmation. That was amazing.
- What, Tanny? - I love the sofa.
The last time we sat on the sofa, I couldn't get back up. We fell into it.
- This is so nice. - Look at the support.
Right?
It's super deep, and when you take the back cushion off,
friends can crash here.
So nice.
- It's basically two twin-sized beds. - Love that.
- Moving in? - Yeah. This is my home.
Tan and I are moving in.
- Ready to see more? - Yes.
- A luxury mansion? What is this? - Custom artwork.
You can now actually have friends over and entertain for dinner.
Yeah, and not be, like, embarrassed we don't have any space.
- You don't have any soil on the floor. - I don't have to borrow chairs.
This is not a kids' home. People would wanna come and have an adult...
- A grown-ass man's home. - Yeah, for real.
All right, keep going this way.
- We zhuzhed up the kitchen. - Wow.
Oh my gosh. You had room for an island in here?
I didn't think we did. Kaila always wanted one.
Now we got rid of the soil.
Can you imagine yourself cooking in here more?
Definitely.
Let's head to the bedroom.
Oh my gosh.
Wow!
It's like a hotel room.
This is so, like, sleek and bold and dope.
- Sensual. - Like, this is ins… Yes.
Got a desk here for you while you're back in school.
Oh my gosh. That's great!
This is where you can come in and focus and really get shit done.
Yeah. I love this.
- To take a complete U-turn. - It's incredible.
- Yeah? - You outdid yourself. Thank you so much.
We're gonna have the fundraiser tonight at y'all's space.
I'm gonna make sure you're dressed in a way that makes you feel comfortable.
- Okay. - It's gonna be extra though.
- Sounds like my style. - Okay, good.
We're gonna dress you up for tonight. Shall we just try on?
- Yeah, let's try some stuff on. - I wanna go balls to the wall.
Yeah, I'm ready for it, a hundred percent.
Let's do it.
- Kids? - Hi.
- Ready? - Yeah.
We are.
I'm really ready.
- Come join us, my sweetheart. - Model casting number one.
- Ooh! - Oh!
Hello!
- I love this vibe! - I was not even prepared for this, Tanny.
It's like Harry Styles and Bruno Mars had a baby, and the baby was tall.
You're literally sparkling. I feel like I'm starting to know you.
I had no idea there was this side of you, and I'm obsessed.
Do the thing I taught you.
Yeah!
- Where did that come from? - I taught him.
- Jonathan taught me yesterday. - I taught him yesterday.
Oh!
- Oh my God! - I'll be here all week.
Second look.
Oh!
Michael!
Wow!
I love the shoes!
I thought you would put him in a suit. This is still professional.
- Yes! - Thank you for breaking the norm!
To be fair, this is not his look for tonight.
This is not? This looks good!
He could wear this to a meeting.
- I would not be upset about it. - Not at all.
This is a women's cardigan from a women's store.
These are both wild outfits.
Like, is there one that feels more like you?
It's very different vibes, but they're all me.
We have not got time to waste. We're getting the event ready at our loft.
Whilst you're getting ready, we're gonna set up.
- Okay, sounds good. - Bye!
- Let's go! - Get the car running.
- I'm gonna get his outfit ready. - Okay!
Move it over this way.
Lift with your lower back, never your knees.
- Like this. - No, wait.
Yes, Tan, you're doing great.
- Perfect, put the middle of it. - Use your core.
Good job, Tan.
Teamwork makes the dream work. Come on!
I'm in charge of appetizers,
and, yeah, you better believe that these vegetables are from their garden.
We have mini eggplant parm on skewers,
really cute miniature garden-delight salads,
tons of microgreens, edible blossoms.
We also have one of Michael's favorites, roasted okra,
served with a lemon-zest dipping sauce.
I really wanna showcase the great work Michael's doing at the farm.
That's something incredibly powerful.
If people get to see and taste that, they're gonna bust out their wallets.
Hi.
Oh my God!
Look at you!
- You're giving me Prince vibes. - Yeah.
- What do you think about the hair? - I love it.
All right.
- Oh! - Isn't it overwhelming?
- So overwhelming. I can't breathe. - So beautiful.
- That's exactly how I felt! - I can't breathe.
- It's like an adult bedroom. - Right?
I love all the pictures.
Oh my God.
- You ready to see some more? - No!
No?
We can take a minute.
- It's a lot to process. - It's a lot.
- It's so much to take in. - It's surreal.
- I can't believe this is our house. - I know.
It's been a wild week.
- I missed you. - I missed you too, babe.
It's been a lot of fun. I wish you were along for the ride,
but it was really cool to kind of set myself up
for, you know, a better and brighter future.
Yeah, be the confident man that you deserve
and that I deserve to be.
- Hello! - How's it going?
Well, hi!
How are you? I'm Karamo.
- Hello. - Everyone, Michael's here!
Hi!
Oh my God. Look at Kaila!
Oh, look at Michael!
Can I just say, mission accomplished on this makeover.
- Is that you? - It's me. It's me. I know.
This outfit is giving me everything I expected.
Emily!
It's giving me A$AP. It's giving me Justin.
It's giving me Tyler. He nailed it.
We're gonna detach this Michael and farm Michael.
- We're gonna keep them separate. - Yes! Yes!
Yes.
He has the capacity to be everything.
He could be a model who can also be about urban gardening.
Fresh food, urban gardening,
slut dropping, better hair, SPF.
Yes, honey!
So I'm gonna give the mic to the man of the hour.
Michael, take it from here.
First, I really appreciate y'all coming
to celebrate the gospel of food sovereignty
and just really helping to make New Orleans a better place
and hoping that ripples out and affects this country,
and eventually, the world.
Michael is confidently saying,
"I am here, and I am ready to keep moving forward."
I can't thank y'all enough. This week has been incredible.
It's been extremely transformative. The work has just begun. I know that.
But this is a new chapter.
This is a new lease on life I've been given,
and I'm gonna pay it forward for sure.
He went from this guy who didn't really know what the next steps were
to now there's a confidence.
Like, who is this guy? Where did he come from?
He looks like a star.
Tonight is a fundraiser.
Open your hearts and your checkbook.
- Make that money! - Where's your wallet?
When we showed up this week, Michael was unsure of himself,
Michael did not know his own value,
Michael had imposter syndrome.
Just because your journey is different,
it doesn't mean your destination will not be success.
Congratulations.
It's so exciting! Yay!
He's just smiling ear to ear. It's awesome.
He can give himself energy and love so that he can continue to show up
and give his community that same energy and love.
- Thank you so much for nominating me. - You deserved every single bit of it.
And I did nothing.
It was all you.
To be where I am today is just… It's incredible, and I'm proud of myself.
The first thousand-dollar donation's been made,
so, yay, donations!
Whoo!
Struggling with knots?
Not today!
So when we're washing our hair, we're not going like this.
Never!
Always vertical.
Like, be gentle with it, you know?
And when it comes to conditioner, apply it from your mid-lengths to ends.
Then I take my wide-tooth comb to distribute that conditioner evenly.
Then you put your hair up on top of your head
and you finish up your shower.
When you're all done with your shower, thoroughly rinse and go attack your day.
Yes!
- Oh, yeah, you're right. - Yeah, keep that.