Antoni Porowski takes viewers on an insider’s tour of four major cities in Best of the World

In his new series, National Geographic’s Best of the World With Antoni Porowski, the Queer Eye alum visits some iconic gems around the world. The series — which highlights unique experiences in Paris, London, New York City and Mexico City — is, for the most part, a relaxing jaunt through well-known must-sees and hidden discoveries. And then, just when you think you know what to expect from the show, comes an unexpected left turn, such as his visit to the Island of the Dead Dolls, just south of central Mexico City. “No one’s accusing that island of being soothing,” says Porowski, who was not forewarned about the excursion to the popular destination for dark tourism, where hundreds of dolls are suspended from trees. “It’s just a reminder that off every super-touristy thing that you can do when you travel, there’s always a beautifully weird thing that you can experience. And, although it was uncomfortable, it was still such a unique thing that I’ve been telling friends about since I was there. I think that’s the point of travel — allowing yourself little moments to get lost, or in my case, let production tell you where to go without giving you a heads up so they can see the reaction on your face.” TV Week spoke to the Montreal native about his new show and the surprises that can arise out of even the most familiar of places. 

Last we spoke, you had filmed No Taste Like Home for Nat Geo. Does this show represent an evolution from that?

One of the notes that I got was that they loved the journey that we took with these celebrities. My journey before that, on Queer Eye, was focusing on the [hometown] hero. With No Taste Like Home, it was focusing on this person that I was taking back to their country of origin. With Best of the World, there was a strong existing IP, but the throughline for me is always the human story behind every single thing that I do, whether it’s an institution that’s adored by millions — if not billions — to the hole in the wall that Gen Z TikTokers haven’t found with their little stick yet. That’s the stuff that gets me interested. When I’m having a bite somewhere that’s special, I’m like, “I’ve got to talk to the person who made this.” That’s something that I do with a camera crew on Best of the World and it’s something that I do in my personal life as well.

If you didn’t meet the people behind the phenomenon, you are just going around basically thinking of different ways to say, “Wow.”

There are only so many synonyms for “Wow,” and when you get to know someone, it changes everything. One of the scenes that I pushed for — that no one else was as excited about, but I’m deeply passionate about — was to go to Le Mobilier National [in Paris], where they basically curate and restore all these furniture pieces from pre-Napoleonic times. I’m talking to this girl, who’s working on a rug commissioned by the government that she’s going to be literally working on for eight years. She was so shy to be on camera. And then I noticed that she’s got her little AirPods on. I’m like, “What do you do for eight hours?” She’s like, “I listen to music.” I’m like, “What do you listen to? “She’s like, “Taylor Swift.” And it’s like, “Oh, fellow Swiftie! Are you a Reputation girly?” And then a human conversation was drawn from there and she suddenly opened up to the camera. We didn’t have to coach her on anything, because we had this human connection with this person who’s dedicated their life to restoring rugs.

What was it like to rediscover cities you’re already familiar with?

In Paris, I stayed at a really cute little Japanese hotel. I was having noodles at a Chinese place, Vietnamese spring rolls and then wonderful Japanese food at the hotel. It was like, steak au poivre and foie gras, those things are really important . . . [but] Chinese food in Paris is very different than it is in New York. The produce is different. The technique is different. Their journeys are different. With globalization, there are a lot of cons, but the pros are that if we’re mindful about how we research and how we approach new environments, we can learn so much.

Also, it’s a real city with real people. You can only eat so much steak.

I could have a shocking amount of steak. I think you’d be surprised. But you’re definitely right.

What was it like to delve deeper into New York, which is your adopted hometown.

 With New York, I have avoided the New York City Marathon ever since I moved here — never participated, never volunteered, never cheered anyone on. I stayed at home or I left to the country to go touch some grass, because it’s just too many people and social anxiety is a real thing. Having my partner run in it was definitely special, but then meeting the volunteers and, especially with everything that’s going on, to have something where for one day we’re all united in these runners, yelling people’s names that you don’t even know personally, but their names are etched on their lanyards or on their vests.  Having them look at you appreciatively and grateful for encouragement — that kind of human connection reminded me of all the things that I love about New York.

In Paris, what did you find new and exciting?

The psychology of people is always what really sucks me in. With the French — I say this lovingly — I have to fight for their affection and as soon as they finally open up, they’re yours. They’re like a cat. And I think part of that has to do with the fact of that they excel at excellence, whether it’s a family-run cheese shop that has bricks from Notre Dame, or the Hôtel de Crillon, where a young girl is the head butler and she moved to Paris because she saw a Céline Dion performance — who’s French Canadian. Like, how quirky and weird. And then, it’s the precision and the detail. I mean at Moulin Rouge, where you think, “Oh, the costumes are the same. They’ve been doing them for decades.” No, there are couturiers that have worked for them, like Karl Lagerfeld, who were there sewing every single sequin, spending thousands of hours to execute and continue this institution. It’s like there’s an obsession with perfection, doing things properly and correctly. You see that in the cuisine, in the art, in the people, in the culture, fashion, all of it. And it just helped me understand the people better and as a result, I respect them so much more.

You came to New York wanting to be an actor and here you are, our guide to all things food and culture. How do you feel about where you landed?

Nothing in life tends to turn out exactly the way that I want. I’m starting to learn that that’s the point, but it all makes sense when I look back. When I think of my upbringing in Montreal, the diversity that I was exposed to and all the different cultures at school. The way that we traveled with my family — always seeking out places to eat as our anchors and having free time to explore in between — to my psych background at Concordia, teaching me a little bit of bedside manner. Or having parents that are physicians and trying to understand how people’s brains worked — it’s all suited to the career that I’ve had, whether it’s on Queer Eye, No Taste Like Home or Best of the World. I always think other people are so much more interesting than I am, and I just have a million questions for them. I selfishly become a better person because I get to understand a different way of looking at things, which I think is the point of life.

Best of the World With Antoni Porowski, streaming on Disney+