S08.E01: Return Of The Champions

[Quilt Fairy]

Return of the Champions: Face Off Season 8 Welcomes Back Three Season Winners

Get ready, Face Off fans: Your favorite special effects make-up competition show is getting a make-over.

The upcoming eighth season (it's coming January 13 at 9/8c) will once again feature an entire new crop of artists showcasing their knack for special effects make-up, but this time they'll be joined by three returning Face Off champions: Laura Tyler (Season 5), Anthony Kosar (Season 4) and Rayce Bird (Season 2).

The returning champions will pick a few of the new crop of artists to coach. While Laura, Anthony and Rayce won't be competing in the season's challenges themselves, they'll be a source of guidance and wisdom as they help the new artists of Season 8 conjure their many make-ups to the best of their abilities.

Even though the champion trio aren't official competitors, they do have a bit of a stake in the game: Whatever artist emerges as the winner of Face Off Season 8, their corresponding mentor will also take home top honors as well.

 

 

Hmmm, former winners as team leaders?  Let's hope this isn't in the mold (no pun intended) of the less than successful Under the Gunn.

[OakGoblinFly]

It sounds more like The Voice than Under the Gunn.

[needschocolate]

I hope we still get to see Mr. Westmore give his suggestions.

[Quilt Fairy]

I don't really believe it will be like Under the Gunn, I just needed something to write along with the first episode description and the superficial similarity in format came to mind. If we've seen anything at all from Face Off, it's that these contestants are always ready to help each other and know that learning to work in a team environment is essential to succeeding in the business. They also realize that rather than establishing their own dynasty they are participating in an extended on-air job interview.

Edited January 6, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[hincandenza]

It sounds more like The Voice than Under the Gunn.

 

 

Face Off has been a cut (several cuts, actually) above the other shows like it, so I have confidence they will not sink to the "Under the Gunn" level with this structure.  The mentors are pretty nice people, as I recall, and so talented that the new people would benefit from their instruction.  I am looking forward to the upcoming season.  I just hope they have some interesting challenges--the fun, for me, is to see how imaginative the participants are.

 

Completely agree; I didn't see Under the Gunn but have seen all of The Voice, and this new format does sound very similar.  However, while I enjoy The Voice it has some real problems, "Face-Off" is honestly the single best run competitive reality show I've ever seen. 

 

• The contestants- with extremely rare exceptions- are sane, competent, skilled craftspeople who are utterly passionate about their work. 
• The judges are genuinely gifted, brilliant, and accomplished in their field- but unlike The Voice they aren't so super rich and famous in a larger cultural way that they are aloof or disconnected (loved the Face-Off Judge Competition Special for example!  We all gained a new appreciation for Glenn after that, too). 
• The show edits out silly drama and instead focuses on the sheer nerdy appreciation of great craft. 
• The critiques are specific, detailed, fair, and consistent, and the reasons for an elimination are wholly understandable to the contestants and audience alike. 
• Finally, the camaraderie and spirit of helpfulness on the show is just a joy to watch, including/especially those beautiful moments when they pitch in to help a flailing colleague with a tricky mold.

 

I'm basically just belaboring the excellent points made by whimsey98 that I quoted below, but I'd add to that the track record of this show once the cameras are off.  When you look at how much work the contestants later get with people like Ve on serious, major motion pictures, or how contestants have learned from each other such S7 champion Dina learning at the studio of S4 champion Anthony, it makes our arguments over in the The Voice section about which of Blake or Adam is more "committed" to their alumni seem laughable.

 

After 7 seasons of consistency, I'd say I have almost as much faith that the FO brass will do S8 up right, as I did that Vince Gilligan would steer the "Breaking Bad" ship safely into port after 5 seasons... which if you knew me, you'd know is saying a lot! :)

 

 

I hope we still get to see Mr. Westmore give his suggestions.

 

 

You would think the same would be true of contestants on other reality shows....the fashion industry and the restaurant industry are larger, true, but they still have their networks and I can't imagine hiring some of the people who act so poorly on the shows (even knowing they are provoked into acting that way; one has a choice).  I think the Face Off producers must have sense, even if they don't read all the social media stuff, that their fans like to see talent, not temperament, on display.  Face Off is the only reality show I actually pay to see every season because I get too anxious to wait for the free version to become available.  That probably says something sad about me.

 

And I agree that I hope we have the continued presence of Mr. Westmore to look forward to.  He's a jewel.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news- and I hope I'm mistaken- but I'm afraid Michael Westmore is not returning for this season. :(

[Taeolas]

You would think the same would be true of contestants on other reality shows....the fashion industry and the restaurant industry are larger, true, but they still have their networks and I can't imagine hiring some of the people who act so poorly on the shows (even knowing they are provoked into acting that way; one has a choice).  I think the Face Off producers must have sense, even if they don't read all the social media stuff, that their fans like to see talent, not temperament, on display.  Face Off is the only reality show I actually pay to see every season because I get too anxious to wait for the free version to become available.  That probably says something sad about me.

 

I think the difference in industries is the key element. While Fashion and Culinary industries are collaborative too; you won't get far wtihout working with others; they are also more prone to the Big Name effect. If you hit it big in those industries, you become a Name and that carries a LOT of weight beyond the industry. (Think of all the famous Chefs and Fashion Designers people know even if they aren't fashionable or if they don't eat much more than typical Fast Food fare).

 

In the FX industry, it's more collaborative and the big names are NOT likely to get famous beyond the industry. Sure they get their names in the credits, but most people won't recognize their names in the street. Their work is often obvious, but it's tied to the TV Show/Film/Commercial/Video, not to the artist. So Big Egos don't have as much room to grow in that industry, and there's much more importance put on working together and getting a common look for the production. Reality is, a lot of the contestants on Face Off are not that much lower than the Judges, and everyone's aware of that. Just from how many FO contestants went on to work with the judges on big productions is incredible. If someone ran the numbers, I suspect FO probably has one of the highest contestant to Big Production post-show rates of any competition.

 

In any case, new season coming up and I'm looking forward to it. Sad if Westmore isn't around, but 3 former contestants as winners should be a bit of a balance. These Mentors have been through the wringer before, so they should know the tips and tricks to handle the time crunch. I just hope the judges don't need to get too blatant with team balancing eliminations.

[Portia]

Gregory creeps me out. "I'm going to fabricate this piece to impress Laura...and if that doesn't work, I'm going to shoot Ronald Reagan."

[Ananayel]

I tentatively approve, though I don't think I like the coach of the winner getting a "repeat champ" title. Cash prize or car or something, sure, but another title is too much.

 

Yay to Mr. Westmore being back, and yay to Rick Baker slinging shade at Glenn.

 

That was a heck of a lot of twists, but the team format should help mitigate the effects. And I hope it allows for more polished work. There are too many contestants to keep up with right now, but I didn't sniff out a Crazy Joe or an Autumn, at least not yet. This did drive home how respected this show is within the industry, and how much of an effect it has had. It seemed like every other person was saying they were inspired to get into it/keep at it by this show.

[Ketzel]

I was a little surprised at the number of contestants who had less than two years of experience - there were at least three, or possibly four. (I have a hard time keeping track of the crowd at the beginning of these elimination shows.) Seems to me that a complex craft like special effects makeup, which demands such a wide range of skills, would require more time than that simply to be a viable candidate, let alone a seriously competitive one. Drawing, sculpting, painting, molding, finishing, handling tools, and much more -- any one of those skills takes a lot of time to master. I guess we'll see if the less-experienced are the earliest ones eliminated.

[Maelstrom]

Not being much of a reality competition viewer, the whole team challenge thing is new territory for me so I'm not quite sure what I think of it yet. Though considering how collaborative the FX industry is, I can understand why they've gone with it. And I'll never complain about getting to see Anthony, Laura or Rayce again.

 

Was I the only one with one eye on the clock wondering why the heck they were starting the spotlight challenge with only 20 minutes left? Darn cliffhanger episodes.

 

The beginning of the season is always tough for me to spot the standouts in the horde, but I did like the ballerina makeup - that gal seems promising. (Darla?)

 

I'm with Ananayel - getting another champion title seems a bit much, but we'll see how it goes. Glad to see Michael Westmore again, and Ve! She is awesome.

 

Zing Rick Baker! Alien-looking, like Glenn. Hee.

[Merneith]

I do hope they bring Lois back, too, even if Ve can make it more this season. No reason we can't have two female judges.

 

I was not amused with them messing with the show's format but hopefully it will work out in the end. This show succeeds because it avoids reality show nonsense so it's worrisome to see it getting more game-showy.

[niklj]

Not really liking Face Off: Junior so far. I watch these shows to see professionals do what they're good at, not students learning the craft. It's like everyone contestant this season is that dad from last season that took that one SFX class with his son. Hm.

 

And aliens...yay. But now with 100% more monkey!

 

As long as I'm watching, though, Team Anthony all the way. His protegee Dina was terrific last year, so I am hoping he does wonders for these kids as well.

[GaT]

I'm not sure how I feel about them working in teams, I'll have to wait & see how this works out. Nobody is standing out to me yet, especially since they didn't finish the challenge yet.

 

Was I the only one with one eye on the clock wondering why the heck they were starting the spotlight challenge with only 20 minutes left? Darn cliffhanger episodes.

 

 

 

I thought my DVR screwed up & it was supposed to record 2 hours instead of 1.

 

Was it just me, or did anybody else think Michael Westmore was tougher than he usually is? 

[Sharpie66]

I liked the ballerina designer's thinking about what was wrong with her makeup and choosing just the right thing to cover it up. Oh, I am rooting for Stephanie because she's from the town just north of where I grew up and it is also where my dad lives now.

[eurekagirl mOo]

Oh my little heart sank when I heard "returning champions" and "working in teams with a mentor" Like a lot of you I got an Under The Gunn shiver up my spine.NOOOOOO..BUT Face Off, once again, showed reality tv how to do it with grace and class. Welcome back Face Of..You've been missed.

[Toaster Strudel]

This is a lame post and all, but I just want to shout out...

[blink]YAY! My favorite show is back![/blink]

[Tech Noir]

 

I watch these shows to see professionals do what they're good at, not students learning the craft.

I was a little surprised at the number of contestants who had less than two years of experience - there were at least three, or possibly four. (I have a hard time keeping track of the crowd at the beginning of these elimination shows.) Seems to me that a complex craft like special effects makeup, which demands such a wide range of skills, would require more time than that simply to be a viable candidate, let alone a seriously competitive one

 

I think the thing is this - this type of make-up artistry is a relatively small field.  Face-off runs a season twice a year. So they are looking to get 24 people on the show every year. They have to be American, so that whittles it down even further. And auditioning is quite a process. Most professionals are working too much to have the time to do a show like this (assuming they are even interested). Personally, I think if they only did one a year they would get a slightly more experienced group.

[Primetimer]

Face Off brings back three past season victors to lead teams of up-and-coming effects designers for its 'Battle Of The Champions' season. Hope you love watching lots of people give advice and build consensus!

Read the story

[PepperMonkey]

Even though it's kind of soon: YAY! It's back!!

 

They should only do one season a year though; it's like they're getting really low on talent and even though these guys are way WAY more talented-er than I would ever be at this sort of thing, they just do not seem up to snuff with past casts.

 

Laura! Awkward as ever!! Anthony!! I have one thing to say about him and that's DINA!!! Rayce: I don't follow him much, but I've never seen a contestant or winner on this show that I did not like.

 

VE!! Rick Baker!! Talking some smack about Glenn being alienesque!! Mr. Westmore!! I thought he was tougher too, but then again, these guys are not quite showing skills that other contestants have in the past, plus, he's always been unfailingly honest in his critiques.  I wish Lois were back, too; I loved her last season, so here's hoping she may appear before this season comes to a close.

 

All in all, it's good to see the camaraderie and general good natures of the Face Off contestants. It remains to be seen whether anyone will rise to the level of any of the past winners, but there are a couple from whom I'm excited to see more.

[Lamb18]

Question: what network is this on? I thought it was Game Show Network so I turned over to GSN at 8:00 central last night and Idiotest was on with something else (not Face Off) at 9:00.  So I thought maybe the premiere is Wednesday and not Tuesday.

 

ETA:  I was thinking of Skin Wars which I saw on GSN last year.  But I'd still like to know what network has Face Off.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Lamb18

[Quilt Fairy]

Was it just me, or did anybody else think Michael Westmore was tougher than he usually is?

I didn't think he was necessarily tougher, but as the seasons have gone on he's certainly gotten more specific and deeper into his critique and advice. It truly shows he is a mentor, probably the best use of one on any reality competition. Also, they give him much more air-time than they did originally.

 

Question: what network is this on?

It's on SyFy.

 

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news- and I hope I'm mistaken- but I'm afraid Michael Westmore is not returning for this season.

Based on how his name appeared in the credits, I suspect we'll be seeing him,  but much less often.

 

 

even though these guys are way WAY more talented-er than I would ever be at this sort of thing, they just do not seem up to snuff with past casts.

I noticed that the mentors weren't very happy about the pool of remaining contestants they had to pick from in the last two rounds; it was a huge contrast from the enthusiasm they showed at the beginning.

[Bella]

I'd still like to know what network has Face Off.

 

As noted, it's on SyFy. And since SyFy typically runs the previous week's episode as a repeat before the new episode, you should be able to catch up next week.

[hincandenza]

Really liking the format of the new season so far- excepting of course the to be continued. That leaves me still unclear how eliminations will work for the team efforts as well as for future solo challenges. Will the judge's pick one person out of the losing team as "worst contributor" like they do for duos, or will those team cases be decided by their own coaches since they have a better read on whom of the 5 didn't pull their weight.

We should decide on a nomenclature to avoid confusion: the Judges are Glenn et al, the Coaches are Rayce, Anthony, and Laura, and the guests/Mentors are people like Michael Westmore, Rick Baker, Doug Jones. At least, thats how I see it.

I particular liked the "first impression" way of picking teams with the foundation challenge, which is not far from how supporting artists would be hired. Once again, Face Off shows how it can find a way to be meaningfully competitive but still fun to watch. The champion coaches/mentors also mean we won't suffer through as many rookie molding or color choice mistakes; there was one point this episode where Anthony was giving detailed instructions on proper mold casting for later, I think. There seem to be quite a few noobs this season (year and a half experience, 8 months experience, just wandered in off the street and who are you people, etc) who normally would crash and burn early over a lousy paint palette or miscast/incomplete mold. I do wonder if, by having such good mentoring, we won't see the natural ascension of balanced winners like Rayce, Anthony, and Laura. Or maybe the working in larger teams means we won't get the black widow contestants, who sees all his/her partners go home because they all but emotionally check out over "drama" (looking at you, Sasha!). In a team of 4 or 5, it'd be your lazy, passive ass going home instead. :)

I like that they gave us a good personal intro to everyone- take that, The Voice! Did that one woman Jamie have a picture of Ya-Ya, from Heroes of Cosplay, in her demo photos? So incestuous, SyFy. :) A lot of people also mentioned they were either in some way involved with show alumni, or claim they were inspired to this profession by watching this very show, which is cool. As was said above, the show must be respected in the industry, since we get more heavy hitters these days.

Rick Baker is a huge deal, even I know that. Any two of his credits is usually the capstone to anyone else's career when McKenzie introduces them, and it was adorable to watch them be truly starstruck from the moment they saw that silver ponytail. Two of them- Emily and Rob I think- were practically in tears. :) The show feels in several ways to have gone up a notch in budget and polish so far. Loved Rick's little alien dig against Glenn, you know that comes from a place of affection and mutual respect. This show, gah! It's soooo good...

 

Edited to add: These tweets from Rick Baker :)

https://twitter.com/TheRickBaker/status/555400554306744321

"Who was that old guy on #FaceOff making wise cracks about @glenn_hetrick ? Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I do think Glen is a great judge"

https://twitter.com/TheRickBaker/status/555400619456876544

"For an Alien"

 

I was wrong about Michael Westmore too, he's back! Yay! And more great feedback from him of course, although I agree he was a little tougher, that's a net good thing. Really, they were all getting such fantastic and specific useful feedback from every single judge/coach/guest; I think it was Emily again who in her talking head said that even at this point, spending three days in this environment is already an incredible experience. Heck, it's one they'd have gladly paid to be part of: work in a team for 3 days to make three awesome costumes with guidance from established industry insiders; then, get feedback and constructive criticism from mentors and a judging panel who have double-digit Oscars between them, and who if they are impressed might one day call, offering a job. And all but one of them gets to do it again in a couple of days! This show might arguable be the best reality show pipeline for its niche, in terms of viability and industry respect.

And at this level of involvement and guidance, we better see some epic costumes this year! :)

Again, solid first show despite the cliffhanger, diverse cast, and the show is keeping itself fresh while improving quality. It's only been a couple of months, but I'm glad this show is back!

Edited January 14, 2015 by hincandenza

[Kaoteek]

I'm glad to have the show back, and I'm not against that Face Off : The Voice Edition gimmick, but so far, not really impressed by the newbies. I guess I'll have to wait and see if any impresses along the way, but in the meantime, I'll be in it for the vets, and I probably won't be invested as much as I used to be in the show.

[Quilt Fairy]

I'll be happy if they balance out the monster challenges with some that require beauty makeup, like painting the models into the background. They did try last season, but a lot of the contestants monsterized everything because that's their sole experience. Based on seeing

a bunch of nude guys

in the season preview, I have high hopes.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[Darian]

Glenn's a good sport (not surprised)! 

 

If they want to keep the same schedule, the retool is a good way to deal with contestants that may not have made it onto the show in years past. I've always loved watching the process of what they do, and seeing artists challenge themselves and improve, and with the coaching, there should be plenty of both. I do hope Michael Westmore continues to mentor.     

 

I'll admit, one of my favorite things was seeing highlights from the coaches' resumes when they introduced them. It was nice to see that Rayce, Laura, and Anthony have been doing well. I like all three.   

[carrps]

Since everyone has already said something similar to what I was going to say, I'm just gonna snark.

 

The woman with the lavender hair really fooled me. When I saw her in the intro, I thought for sure she was their token 40+ yo contestant. I was shocked she was still in her 20s. So far, she's the only one who borderline annoyed me. That's an awesome score for 99% of reality competition shows out there.

 

hincandenza: thanks for the Rick Baker tweets -- too funny!

 

Edited because I'm too old to multitask!

Edited January 14, 2015 by carrps

[bobbyjoe]

I'd be really, really sad if they screw up Face Off since, as many have noted, it's the one reality competition with integrity (and the one where we don't have to endlessly listen to contestants complaining or attacking one another).    I was  okay until the cliffhanger, but at that point I started to get a bit worried about a desperation level.  Announcing one twist (teams) is alright (though I've absolutely hated team seasons on other shows) and, like others, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt right now, but ending on a cliffhanger starts feeling a little too much like they're throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.  I hope all this isn't network interference, where the network is demanding they shake things up, because while I love, love, love Face Off, I often hate, hate, hate SyFy, whose administration has made some blisteringly idiotic decisions over the years.   The further SyFy's higher-ups stay away from Face Off, the better.    

[phoenix780]

I wasn't ready for the episode to end, so the cliffhanger threw me off a bit. 

 

I like that they brought on mentors to hopefully help out the noobs, as it were.  I think it was a smart twist, and it brings on some fan favorites without another season like the one with a contingent of veterans.  I also enjoyed how teams were picked, and that they didn't really dwell or comment on the people who were picked last.

 

The additional twist...I'm OK with, because having 2 looks for 5 people seemed a little light to me, compared to previous seasons.  I don't think it was necessary, though, and I'd probably have preferred a longer premiere (though I might then bitch about seeing a 2-hour recording on my DVR).

 

Really liking the format of the new season so far- excepting of course the to be continued. That leaves me still unclear how eliminations will work for the team efforts as well as for future solo challenges. Will the judge's pick one person out of the losing team as "worst contributor" like they do for duos, or will those team cases be decided by their own coaches since they have a better read on whom of the 5 didn't pull their weight.

 

 

I'm guessing the final verdict will come down to whatever works for dramatic purposes.  So when it's a painful, emotional choice for a coach, they'll have to make the final cut, otherwise it'll be the judges.  I'm cynical about this though because I watched that other show people mentioned upthread (Under the Gunn).  

[Texasmom1970]

I am glad this show is face but also was not prepared for the cliffhanger. Hope they don't do that every episode!

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm guessing the final verdict will come down to whatever works for dramatic purposes.  So when it's a painful, emotional choice for a coach, they'll have to make the final cut, otherwise it'll be the judges.  I'm cynical about this though because I watched that other show people mentioned upthread (Under the Gunn).

Don't even whisper that!  UTG seemed like it was making the rules up as it went along. I would lose a lot of respect for this show if it went that route.

[snakenax]

 

I noticed that the mentors weren't very happy about the pool of remaining contestants they had to pick from in the last two rounds; it was a huge contrast from the enthusiasm they showed at the beginning.

Well the show has always had a fair amount of cannon fodder and this season doesn't look that different(though I was a bit surprised by call out order in some places, like I figured the guys who made the horrible all black DJ cyborg and the hideous fish drag queen would have been called last).  But hey, it still looks like a better crop than season 4.

[morakot]

I don't mind piercings in general, but I really cannot take someone seriously who has what looks like metallic snot hanging from their nose. "Not attractive, dear. You would be so pretty without it." /old lady 

 

I had to try really hard to overlook it when assessing the talent of hipster knit hat and lavender hair.

[needschocolate]

I expect this show to not be like other reality competition show, I expect it to be above the manufactured drama, snarky judges, and completely unrealistic challenges that happen on other shows.  My expectations are high, but Face Off has never disappointed me. So I have decided not to worry about this show becoming like other shows until they actually do something as horrible as the other shows.  

 

I don't mean to imply that all of the Face Off "twists" and "tweaks" have been winning ideas - pitting newbies against returnees that one season was not a good thing, but they haven't done it since.  This team thing may also prove to be a bad idea, but Face Off will likely do it with as much class as possible.  

 

I am not bothered by the addition of another character - they had 5 people working on two characters, it was a bit too easy.  Actually, this "twist" reinforced my belief that Face Off will continue to be different from the rest of its genre - other shows would have waited until the middle of the second day, at the earliest, before springing this twist on them.  But Face Off stayed true to itself and told them about the additional character before they went home the first day, giving them the evening to think and plan.  

 

Since everyone has already said something similar to what I was going to say, I'm just gonna snark.

 

The woman with the lavender hair really fooled me. When I saw her in the intro, I thought for sure she was their token 40+ yo contestant. I was shocked she was still in her 20s. So far, she's the only one who borderline annoyed me. That's an awesome score for 99% of reality competition shows out there.

 

I also thought she was older.  I think it is partially because there is a fine line between lavender and grey.  Years ago, I needed purple paint, so I mixed together red paint and blue paint.  Makes sense, right? I ended up with grey paint (it was all oil based wall paint, I am not sure the same thing would happen with acrylic or latex).  One of my kids once had lavender bands on her braces, by the next orthodontist visit, they had faded to grey.  One of my neighbors painted his house lavender years ago (this was a typical mid-1980's style house, not a Victorian).  We speculated that he had gotten the paint on a clearance sale or maybe for free.  His wife later told me that she was so glad when they finally repainted, said the color looked more grey when they were picking it out (it may have had something to do with the color of the house before the lavender paint - it may have looked more grey next to the original paint color)

 

If I recall correctly, lavender was the only atypical hair color.  How long has it been since we have had a season without crimson or hot pink hair?

[Ananayel]

I don't think this was intended to be a cliffhanger, more like a two-hour premiere broken into two parts. There was a lot more to do than in previous first episodes. They had to introduce all the twists, show the returning coaches, and while they usually breeze through the Foundation Challenge, there were extra stakes to this one, so they had to introduce each contestant more extensively than in the past, and show the coaches' commentary during the challenge. I also think there were a couple more contestants than usual - hasn't it been around 13 previously? Then the team picking on top of that. I was more afraid they would do a fast-forward montage of some sort after Mr. Westmore's walkthrough, just to get us to the reveal stage in time. If we get to know each person a bit more, and see more actual work, I'm fine with it.

[Portia]

I thought the lavender/gray haired lady was older at first, too. Then I looked at her more closely and realized she's young and quite pretty. Then I looked at her really closely and realized that she looks eerily like Michelle Dockery.

[Kromm]

Even with a silly format change, this is still the best competitive reality show on TV. The one we DON'T loathe, featuring talent and effort rather than drama and manipulation.

[sourpickles]

I agree with other posters on here, this is one of the few shows with integrity and fairly normal people AND a lot of talent. BUT. My heart sank when I saw the whole "Return Of The Champions" tag, which I guess is a hangover from PR Teams and the latest Ink Master Rivals gimmick. I DID like this first episode, though I wish we'd known it would be two hours. I liked the slower pace and being able to figure out who was who and all. I would rather see what people could do on their own but some in this batch seem to have so little experience it would make more sense, for now, to have teams. I guess. I would hate to see this disintegrate into halfass territory, but who knows. If any show can make this work (no pun), it is Face Off. My only complaint against SyFy, is....after every season they never rerun it again, like it never existed, and none of it is on DVD. Anyone know why? I would think they would market the hell out of this show, since it is so good. I would buy it.

[Linderhill]

 

If I recall correctly, lavender was the only atypical hair color.  How long has it been since we have had a season without crimson or hot pink hair?

I was going to post the same thing.  There weren't even any strange hairstyles were there?

[Former Nun]

Are there not better/more talented contestants on this show because "the truly fabulous" are all out there trying to make a living?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

First things first - every time someone said, "Rayce's cello," I kept hearing it as "racist cello," which made me imagine a bunch of instruments in the orchestra pit cringing as an anthropomorphic cello hurled racist epithets at them.

 

I had to try really hard to overlook it when assessing the talent of hipster knit hat and lavender hair.

Ha, it seems like a requirement to be on this show is hats signifying hipster douchitude or Manic Panic hair. One of the reasons that I love Laura (aside from her amazing skills) is that she defied the makeup artist stereotype and doesn't sport any of the cliched accessories I have come to expect from people on this show.

 

* I think in any group/profession, there tend to be trends/looks that become the expected norm and turn into the cliche/stereotype look whether you are talking about yoga teachers or makeup artists. I don't have an issue specifically with hats or crazy colored hair (I live in Berkeley so it's stranger for me NOT to see people with weird hair, tattoos, piercings, AND hipster hats all on the same person).

 

Lavender hair has been a very popular trend (Kelly Osbourne was the first celebrity to do it back in 2012 and Audrina Patridge just it a few days ago) so it makes sense to me that someone in the industry would do it. I personally don't like it because it tends to look grey from a distance (which reads old to me).

 

I was initially worried that I wouldn't like the Voice coach/team concept but on the plus side, I like Laura and Anthony a lot so it's nice to see them back. To be honest, even though I remember Rayce's cello, I don't remember much else about him. Maybe there have been so many seasons since he won. Part of me really likes that the three coaches get to give the contestants more feedback than they would normally get from just Mr. Westmore because that seems like a more realistic circumstance in a professional scenario. On the other hand, I do agree with the above post that this may give some of the less talented artists the ability to stick around longer because of the guidance they get from the coaches to improve their designs. I hope that after this challenge is over, they go back to having each artist create their own design because that gives me a much better idea about their skills at both concept and execution.

 

I also didn't like the Project Runway twist of having to do yet another look, but since there were originally five people working on two designs, I am going to say it's fine for now.

 

One thing I loved was when they entered the workroom and talked about how awesome it is. Even if you aren't making stuff in your parents' garage, that is still an amazing work space with an awesome amount of supplies. I am not a makeup artist and even I want to go play with all the Kryolan (which is a really great brand that I love!) and the wigs for a few hours.

Edited January 16, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[90PercentGravity]

Um... Earth is a planet ruled by primates. Just saying...

 

I'm looking forward to the team format, but I'm not at all thrilled with this "to be continued" garbage. It's why I stopped watching Hell's Kitchen. I hope that is a one time thing.

 

I was confused by the makeup that they chose to represent Anthony. I don't even remember that makeup at all.

[Rhetorica]

Well crap. I missed it! I saw the previews for next week while watching 12 Monkeys & Helix. It sounds interesting this year from reading your postings.

[Richness]

First of all, welcome back Face Off. I love you, even when you tinker with your format. As talented as the 3 mentors / past winners are (and I do love looking at Rayce), they've had their chance in the spotlight. Let them move on already until you do an All-Stars season. (Speaking of which, if you ever do another one of those, make sure it's all veterans, and no newbies.) As far as the mentorship aspect goes, I suppose I'm ambivalent toward it. I don't guess there's any actual harm, and we should theoretically get better results.

 

However, I'm concerned this mentorship over three teams means that we're in for nothing but team challenges. The challenges I often hate the most are the team challenges because it often protects less talented contestants and sends the more talented ones home. I really want to see them succeed and fail on their own abilities, and not because they were helped or hindered by teammates.

 

Surprisingly though, I completely disagree with who Vee chose to win the Foundation Challenge. The colors were lovely, but I found the ballerina to be bland and boring when compared to many of the others. *shrugs* Shows you what I know.

 

While I was surprised with the cliffhanging two part episode, I wasn't surprised by the twist they threw at them with the primates. Adding another creature in midstream isn't really all that unusual or daring. However, I am glad we got to spend a bit more time with everyone in the beginning, especially to establish the new mentor format.

 

Finally, thank-you Rick Baker for the awesome zinger about Glenn. Alien indeed!

[zxy556575]

I don't enjoy team challenges, either, but on this show each person frequently gets to do his/her own character so it doesn't bother me as much. I'm interested to see what knowledge and help the mentors are able to bring to bear. I have a soft spot for Laura's work so I'm hoping her team prevails.

Edited January 19, 2015 by lordonia

[Kromm]

I do find myself wondering how much winning this show actually means, when outside of all the winners seeming to get an Assistant slot on some Hunger Games film or other, I'm not sure how much work they actually wind up getting. Maybe coming back is the best way to stretch the gig, after all, for them.

[snakenax]

 

I do find myself wondering how much winning this show actually means, when outside of all the winners seeming to get an Assistant slot on some Hunger Games film or other, I'm not sure how much work they actually wind up getting. Maybe coming back is the best way to stretch the gig, after all, for them.

Well IIRC out of the winners their post-show careers have been two employees of Vi Neil, one forming their own special effects teaching school, one going into visual design for major software companies and Rashaad and Dina are too recent and I dunno about Nicole.

[carrps]

I don't mind piercings in general, but I really cannot take someone seriously who has what looks like metallic snot hanging from their nose. "Not attractive, dear. You would be so pretty without it." /old lady 

 

That's exactly what it looks like to me -- shiny snot. Before it was a trend, the only people I knew with nose rings were Indian ladies. Their rings were either dainty gold hoops or diamond studs. No mistaking what they were.

 

I've nothing against the piercings, it's just I have that same reaction. I want to pull them aside and say "Dear, you have a little something hanging...right there."

[Sharpie66]

FYI for anyone not already following them, the latest Extra Hot Great podcast here on p.tv has the little girl Olivia sharing her opinion on the new episode. I love listening to her!