Many TV viewers got to know Jai Rodriguez during his role on the groundbreaking Bravo reality series “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” As the culture guy, a sort of vague concept, Rodriguez made the best of his title and appeared to be having fun with it. For his new show, “Groomer Has It,” a reality competition show – think “Project Runway” or “Top Chef,” with dogs – on Animal Planet, he takes on host duties. We spoke with Jai shortly before the show had its April TV premiere.

Gay & Lesbian Times: How did you come to be involved with the show “Groomer Has It”?

Jai Rodriguez: At the time when they were originally looking to lock in a name, I wasn’t available. I was doing the “Ultimate Style” show with Daisy Fuentes. They had someone cast and then his schedule didn’t pan out and they reached out to me again, and I did have some free time. It was really a pleasure, because I had been looking to do something involving animals for a while, because I have two dogs. This seemed to be a natural tie-in. I was really thrilled to be a part of it. I did have to audition; it wasn’t a straight-up offer. If you can believe that (laughs), I still had to go in and do the audition thing. It was really crazy.

GLT: What did the audition involve?

JR: For a hosting gig of this nature, it’s usually preparing the script copy, the opening monologue, or they’ll give an example of a challenge. Usually they make them up so that when you audition you have no idea what the show’s content will be specifically. It has something to do with dogs and it was very host-y copy. You read that and then they throw animals at you and you have to improve a little bit to see if you’re quick on your toes and how you’d react in different situations. And then they put it on tape.

GLT: Other than “Groomer Has It,” do you have a favorite competition show?

JR: That’s so funny. I’ll say “(American) Idol” for lack of originality.

GLT: Reality competition shows often have specific types in the competition, such as one who’s cocky, one who’s sweet to everyone, one who’s a cry-baby …

JR: … Right!

GLT: … one who’s street savvy, and so on. Would you say that is true of the competitors on “Groomer Has It”?

JR: Yes, very true. In fact, I remember when they were first casting the show, I think they saw 20 groomers in the last round of casting and they felt that all 20 were such big, bold, colorful, rich personalities, that they had a hard time narrowing it down to the 12 that we got. They got so many talented people submitting themselves and all of them happened to be big personalities.

GLT: Catch phrases have also become popular on competition shows, such as Heidi Klum’s “auf wiedersehen” on “Project Runway.” Are there catch phrases besides “ready, set, groom” and “leave the dog house immediately” on “Groomer Has It”?

JR: “Every dog has its day,” and then, “this day is” or “isn’t your day,” depending on whether you’re staying or going home.

GLT: The episode of “Groomer Has It” that I saw featured a challenge in which the groomers were blindfolded and had to identify nine dogs. Is that a challenge that you could have aced?

JR: No! Not at all! I don’t really know too much about dogs, to be honest. I have two, and I know how to keep them healthy and stuff, but as far as my vast knowledge and skills with other breeds, I found myself to be quite inept when it came to knowing anything about other breeds other than my own dogs. But the show is such a great show because it does teach you about other breeds. But more importantly it’s about the experience of the groomers and the interactions that they have, and the time that they share with these special dogs.

GLT: You mentioned that you have a couple of dogs and in the show that I saw, you referred to the clipped Yorkie Nemo, the Messenger Dog, as your dog. Does he really belong to you?

JR: Yeah, he’s one of my two.

GLT: How did you get him?

JR: It was so interesting. I really believe that dogs find their way into your life when you really need it. It was at the height of “Queer Eye,” I was kind of all over the place and everything was so fast and my life felt like one big tornado and I was in the middle of it. I had a girl friend that had a litter of mixed breed Yorkie pups and she said that if I was interested in a puppy that I should let her know. I thought, “I don’t know.” And then I went to see him and he was so cute and so tiny. She said, “I’m sure he’ll be like four pounds.” I thought, well that’s not that bad. I can travel with him. Now, 11 pounds later, he’s super tall and I knew he wasn’t going to be a Yorkie Yorkie, but he’s great.

GLT: What breed is the other dog that you have?

JR: She’s like a four pound blue Silky Yorkie. With her, I was a little more strategic. I actually found a breeder that I knew was really passionate about finding dogs good homes – a really nice woman who lives out on Long Island.

GLT: Did you have dogs when you were a child?

JR: No, I didn’t and I think that’s why I wanted them now.

GLT: Are you aware of a gay audience, not just for “Groomer Has It,” but for Animal Planet, as well?

JR: Yeah. You know what’s interesting is that “Queer Eye” had very little gay audience. Our show didn’t appeal to the mass-market gay audience. We had a hard time drawing them in. A show like “Groomer Has It,” because it’s competitive and it has gay contestants, and there’s a lot of creativity involved, I think it will appeal to a gay audience and I think they will tune in. I think it will be appointment television for a lot of people, but I certainly think gay people will find a lot in the show to adore.

GLT: Now that “Queer Eye” is a thing of the past, how do you look back on the experience of that show?

JR: During, it was really difficult doing (it), because it’s not something that I do. I was a performer on Broadway and that’s how they found me. They liked my ability to capture an audience. But I can’t say that I was equipped, nor did they really have a defined outline of what my role was going to become. So I felt a little ill at ease when I was doing the show because everyone else was truly professional in their fields. If I had been billed as “Jai – actor-singer,” then it would have been different. But with the “culture” title, it was a lot to live up to as a 23 year old. Certainly it was a difficult and challenging experience, but when I look back now, I’m grateful for the time, because it taught me how to be a producer/host. We were in charge of cultivating our own segments in association with the producers there. I mean, I have an Emmy on my mantle from the show. So I do look back on the show with very positive memories. But during, I remember it being very difficult. It was a lot of hard work and often times more challenging than I thought work should be. But now I feel that the time on “Queer Eye” made me a stronger host and certainly a host who thinks about all aspects of how this is going to translate in the final product.

GLT: With the presidential election on everyone’s minds, what kinds of dogs do you think that the three main candidates – Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama – resemble?

JR: Ooh! This is interesting. McCain, I would say that he is like a Labradoodle. The ultimate white dog, totally. I don’t think he’s snobby at all; he’s got a nice way about him. I’m not going to make him a (purebred) poodle, because he’s got a little Lab in him, kind of playful. I think that for Obama, a German Shepherd or something, because he seems really smart and intuitive. (For) Hillary Clinton, I’m going to say … Hillary’s a hard one, because I like her. She’s been in the spotlight and the media for so long, and I think she’s been a fantastic senator for New York, and was a real wife under pressure in some tough situations. I have a lot of respect for her and trying to relate her to a dog is kind of hard, but if I had to pick one, I’d have to say something all-American that everyone would bend down and pet because of the all-around likeability factor. I would say a Cocker spaniel, a really fun all-American dog that gets along with everybody.