A very interesting Face Off challenge led to the most disastrously comic makeups that I can remember. Pairs of artists randomly chose a gate, and created both the gatekeeper and the creature being guarded by the gatekeeper. (The foundation challenge—creating characters using Rorschach inkblots as inspiration—was also inspired.) Jason described his gatekeeper character as “a… continue reading
Face Off winner Laura Tyler on why she returned as a mentor
Face Off concludes its eighth season tonight after a strong season overall. That’s thanks to the challenges, the returning champion mentors, the contestants, and the work. The challenges, some of which we’ve seen before, were interesting and often produced creative work: dolls come to life; steampunk characters from a western; creatures designed by children. I… continue reading
Time for a Face Off facelift, but please keep Lois Burwell
Face Off ended its seventh season last night, and the finale had hints of next season’s twist: three past winners returned to work with the finalists. Alas, that didn’t work, at least not as television; there was no real reason for them to be there, and their contributions mostly faded away. I hope the coach twist… continue reading
Face Off’s new twist: borrowing coach twist from other shows
Syfy’s Face Off will get a new format for its next season, one that borrows heavily from shows such as The Voice and Big Brother by having returnees coach teams of contestants. Ve Neill is also returning. The “Return of the Champions” season will have three former winners who each will be in charge of a a five-contestant team. The… continue reading
The annoying “not-yet-on-the-show” twist; remembering Eco Challenge
After watching the latest season premier of Face Off I was struck at how common these “twists” of “you’re not on the show yet” and “this is actually your final audition” are getting and was wondering what your opinion was on it. Personally, I think that it’s incorrect to say that people who are being… continue reading
“Severly burned” Face Off stunt performer sues Syfy
Stunt performer Tamiko Brownlee has sued Face Off producers Mission Control Media, T-Minus productions, Syfy Media Productions, and others, claiming she was “severely burned over multiple parts of her body while participating in the television show ‘Face-Off.’” Deadline published the full complaint [PDF], which says she was “surrounded and consumed by a fireball.” The complaint… continue reading
The new best reality competition series is Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge
Syfy’s Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge is the next great professional talent competition series, despite the fact that it basically is identical to an aging Syfy show, Face Off.
The real reason Laney left Face Off: guilt
Laney Parkhurst left Face Off during last week’s episode, becoming the first person in the show’s history to leave voluntarily, and leaving four returnees as the show’s final contestants. Her departure seemed to be because of homesickness, but she says it was because of something else, and not a desire to relieve us of her… continue reading
The one thing Face Off needs to do next season: change everything
SyFy’s competition series Face Off has been renewed for a sixth season, and that’s great news: it consistently shows off strong talent and impressive challenges, and is a solid competition show. The network also ordered two specials: Nov. 12’s “Naked and Painted,” which is about body painting, and Nov. 19’s “Top 20 Countdown: Judges’ Favorites,… continue reading
Face Off’s mysterious “rules violation”
Last night’s episode of Face Off ended with a statement in the credits that said there was a rules violation that was remedied by producers, but gave no specifics. The mysterious statement appeared above the normal “Contestants are informed of the rules…,” which appears at the very end of the credits, and said: “During the… continue reading
Face Off needs to take off its inflexible mask and free McKenzie
SyFy’s Face Off ends its fourth season tonight, having already been renewed for a fifth season that will air this summer. It remains a strong competition with a lot of talent and some really impressive work. But it has a problem. Like makeup done that doesn’t allow the actor to emote or even more their… continue reading
Face Off adds Redemption Island, so its surprisingly weak contestants get a second chance
Top Chef borrowed Redemption Island from Survivor–and won an Emmy for its online “Last Chance Kitchen” series–and now SyFy’s Face Off is doing the same thing, and using the same subtitle, Redemption. While its version is still stiffly hosted by its alpha male head judge, with Glenn Hetrick following Tom Colicchio’s example, the structure is… continue reading
Hot Set: SyFy’s set design competition is a great partner for Face Off
SyFy’s new competition Hot Set, which is basically Chopped for set designers, has been paired with its competition series Face Off this season, and it’s a good match. The new show–which concludes tonight and is also produced by Mission Control Media–isn’t perfect, but it’s fun to watch what talented production designers and their crews create… continue reading
Face Off will return for a third season this summer
SyFy’s terrific Hollywood effects makeup competition series Face Off will return for its third season this summer, the network announced Tuesday. Its second is currently airing, and while it hasn’t changed much since season one, it remains consistently entertaining, and ratings are increasing compared to the first season. (Past episodes are online.) Like most competition… continue reading
SyFy’s great SFX competition series Face Off renewed for a second season
SyFy’s competition series Face Off, which is basically Top Chef for special effects makeup artists, concludes its first season tonight, having just been renewed by the network for a second season. What I’ve seen of the show is pretty great: Talented people demonstrating their craft in creative challenges, such as creating a horror film villain… continue reading