Fez (That '70s Show)

Fez was born on August 4, 1960. His real name is deemed unpronounceable by his friends, so they call him "Fez" (short for Foreign Exchange Student). The series' official web site explains the spelling "Fez", as opposed to "Fes", as "poetic license".[2][3] Red usually calls him "the foreign kid", or by a random foreign or Native American name from various backgrounds (e.g., Hadji, Tonto, Anwar, Sabu, Muhammad Ali, Ali Baba, Pelé, Ahmad, Tutankhamun, etc.), which Fez does not mind, with one exception: he hates being called Tarzan, because Tarzan is a white man. Eric's grandmother calls him "Desi".

A flashback episode shows when Fez first meets the others, except Jackie. In 1976, Kelso, Hyde, and Eric rescue him from a janitor's closet where several bullies have hung him on a coat hook. The bullies had asked him if he wanted to hang out, and he explains to the group he "shouldn't have said yes." Moments later, he states his real name, which is drowned out by a long, ringing school bell. What Valderrama was actually saying was the first names of the main actors who appear in the show. After hearing the name, Hyde says: "Ok, I'm not going to remember that." He, along with Hyde, later walks in on Donna naked in the episode when he first met her in 1976. Kelso unfortunately misses the opportunity to see her naked. Jackie met him in the pilot episode at The Hub as the gang are planning to go to a Todd Rundgren concert. The only known fact about his name is, as he states in the episode "Killer Queen", the first five K's of his last name are silent. His name has no consonants, only vowels.

Valderrama has stated that he fabricated the accent he used on the show so that no one could identify which country his character is from, a mystery the show creators deliberately kept a secret.

Fez's host parents, Matthew (Kevin Farley) and Rebecca Erdman (Shannon Holt) appear in episodes "Career Day" and "Drive In". They let Fez stay with them until he graduates from high school, and as they are Christian fundamentalists, they forbid Fez from listening to rock music since they believe it is "the devil's music". In season 7, they found out he graduated a year ago and kicked him out of their house, thereby forcing Fez to rent an apartment along with Kelso and later Jackie in the final season.

Fez's country of origin is one of the longest running gags on the show.[4] Through all eight seasons, Fez's nationality remains a mystery, even to his closest friends, and the continual hints and clues Fez drops about his country only leave them more confused. In the episode "Eric's Birthday", Kitty, fantasizing about Eric's friends causing trouble, imagines Fez saying, "in my home country of...wherever it is I'm from; I can never tell..." Much is revealed in the episode "Love of My Life", where Fez's old friend Andrew (played by Justin Long) comes for a visit. In the first teaser, when Andrew suggests that he goes back home, he says "Yes, I will go to Brazil...and then catch a flight home." In the final teaser, when Hyde finally asks them, "Where the hell are you guys from?", Andrew says that the name depends on whether you ask the British or the Dutch. But the British won't say it, Fez explains, because they hate the island, and no one understands a word the Dutch say. Andrew has a heavy British accent; Fez's explanation to this is that his friend is from the west side of the island. We also see throughout the show that Fez almost says where he is from but then stops right before he says it.

Fez is often assumed to be of Hispanic or Latino descent; it is never revealed if this is so, though earlier episodes, such as "Sunday, Bloody Sunday", imply he can speak Spanish. In "Eric's Burger Job", during a job interview at Fatso Burger, Fez claims he can speak Dutch. In "The Immigrant Song", Fez retells his catch phrase ("I said good day!") in his native tongue, which sounds like gibberish. On "A Legal Matter", he says 'Amedica' instead of America (though he can say United States as well as "Eric" without pronouncing the r as a d).

Initially burdened by cultural barriers, Fez is fascinated by American life and thinks the knowledge he gains from America makes him superior to other people from his island. In an early episode, he suggests he would one day return to his home country "and rule with an iron fist." Fez is openly regarded as weird by his friends. He exhibits a creepy side, which manifests itself in Fez spying on Kelso and Eric when they are making out with their girlfriends (with Kelso even allowing him to do so). More than once he is caught hiding in Donna's closet, and towards the end of the series she doesn't even bother to kick him out because it happens so much. He frequently complains about being lonely and love-starved.

Later on, Fez develops metrosexual habits, appreciating stylish clothes and at times appearing vain and narcissistic about his looks. He shares an antagonistic relationship with his landlord Fenton (played by Jim Rash) because of a previous dispute over what Fez described as "a pair of pants that made my butt look like an oil painting." Fez shows off his superior dancing skills in numerous episodes. Sometimes he much prefers sex through payment as he mentions his dream job is to be a gigolo.

Fez worked at DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) from season 5 to season 7, where he met Nina his short stint girlfriend. With Nina, Fez managed to lose his virginity. Fez continued to work there after finishing school and being granted a green card. In season 7, he chose to quit and work at a local hair salon as a shampoo boy. He stayed there until the finale.

• Mastro, Dana. and Morawitz, Elizabeth. Latino Representation on Primetime Television: A Content Analysis, Section Stereotypes of Latinos, pp. 7.
• Thanu Yakupitiyage Battling or Creating Stereotypes in ‘Aliens in America’?, October 19, 2007, Racewire.
• Ben Megargel Reality spin-off falls into familiar traps, The Michigan Daily, February 6, 2007.