It should be interesting to see how the show morphs from the last all-original season to the upcoming season, as the network is calling season six the boldest season yet. No specific details about season six have been released, aside from the fact that there will be 14 contestants, so it could really go anywhere and do anything at this point.

The current season of Face Off, which pits veterans of the series against newcomers, is set to conclude on November 5th with the final three being tasked to create two characters: a woman transforming into a swan and the sorcerer responsible for the spell that did this to her. The makeups will then be used in a performance of Swan Lake by the Los Angeles Ballet. Remaining in the competition are four veterans – Laura, Roy, Miranda, and Tate – and one newcomer – Laney.

Face Off airs Tuesdays at 9:00 on Syfy.

What do you hope to see from the sixth season of Face Off? How would you tweak the show from its last season of all new cast members? Who is going to win the current season: Miranda, Tate, Laura, Laney, or Roy?

The post Face Off Renewed for Season 6 by Syfy appeared first on TVHackr.

Guest judges this season will include Bryan Fuller, Catherine Hardwicke, Academy Award winning makeup artist Bill Corso, Kevin Grevioux, Lin Shayne, sculptor and concept artist Jordu Schell, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), former Face Off series judge Patrick Tatopolous, and Academy Award winning makeup artist Valli O’Reilly. Spotlight challenges will range from creating a futuristic Frankenstein and his bride to a Mother Earth figure inspired by the contestants’ mothers, a flying creature/human-hybrid, and a reimagined classic Halloween character.

The finale brings the final three to the ballet, as they’ll be tasked with creating two unique looks that will be put to the test in a performance of Swan Lake by the Los Angeles Ballet. Cast bios are available on Syfy’s website.

Although the show gets credit for attempting a “special” season to break up what could have been another routine competition, I’m not sure that having a season with this structure is the best idea. The eight former contestants have a distinct advantage in knowing what the judges respond to, being acclimated to time on camera, and little tricks of the trade they picked up during their original time on the show, especially since half of them finished in the top 4 of their respective season. While the newcomers won’t have as much pressure to perform as the veterans, who face potential embarrassment in losing to those with less experience in make-up and television than they have, I feel as if the show should have either put on a full All-Star competition or sought out contestants either with great potential or who flamed out early. The prior could have been a showcase for the best and the brightest the competition has produced thus far, really showing why this is one of the best reality shows on television, while the latter is as fair as you can get with this type of format, allowing the contestants to be on fairly equal footing to begin the competition.

With the format that season five will have, though, you can already eliminate half of the contestants from contention before the first episode airs. What would make things interesting, and the format worthwhile, is if the veterans collectively stumble out of the gate and more than one of the newcomers manages to acclimate well to the pace of Face Off. This would even out the odds quite a bit – and make the show more entertaining in the process.

The fifth season of Face Off is set to premiere Tuesday, August 13th at 9:00 on Syfy.

Will you be watching Face Off next season? What do you think about the return of eight contestants? Did the show choose the right veterans to compete for another shot at the title?

The post Face Off Season 5 to Feature Contestants From Past Seasons appeared first on TVHackr.

was Anthony, who created a harmonious duo of a dream thief in search of a soul and a princess desperate to protect herself. The judges praised him for listening to them about proportions and creating a female who looks realistic while maintaining an alien beauty, while his male makeup carried the sinister theme more clearly and featured intricate sculpting. Though Anthony rattled off four wins in a row to kick off the competition, he hit a rough patch beginning with the insect challenge; he may have won two of the last three pre-final challenges, but you didn’t know if he would show up for the finale once the pressure of the moment kicked in.

Anthony ended up choosing Eric Z. and Autumn to complete his finale team, while Wayne called on Eric F. and Meagan to help create a pair of supernatural creatures and Kris selected Alam and House to aid him in making two celestial makeups. While the judges had a lot of praise for both teams, with Wayne’s sculpting and an inventive horn idea and Kris’s color choices and sleek design earning the most raves, they were undone by a few elements. The judges may have liked how distinct Kris’ makeups were, but they chided him over the disconnectedness of the orange female and the silver male; meanwhile, Wayne’s makeups had strong elements that didn’t translate into full pieces that stood up to Anthony’s.

The fifth season of Face Off kicks off production next month for an August 27th premiere.

Did you agree with the judges’ decision tonight? If not, who do you think should have won? What would you like to see the show do different for season five?

The post Face Off: Who Won Season 4? appeared first on TVHackr.

On the season finale of Face Off, Anthony has selected Eric Z. and Autumn to be on his team and the two are having trouble with a mold. While it’s nice to see that the former enemies have been able to put their past altercation aside for the sake of Anthony’s chances, they might not have been the best choices to earn him the position as a guest lecturer at the Make Up For Ever Academies in New York and Paris, the 2013 Fiat 500, and $100,000. Both have their positives, but Eric’s inexperience and Autumn’s inability to take direction could lead to Team Anthony imploding before their designs make it to the stage of Le Reve at the Wynn.

The two-part season finale of Face Off finds Anthony, Wayne, and Kris having to design waterproof makeups that can withstand an intensive, aquatic Vegas show, so a messy mold might not be the end of the world. If it comes out not looking ideal, it can be patched up, though the paint job and waterproof will become that much more important. With the final three being as close as they are, every little tear and imperfection will be intimately examined and the judges will have to decide how they’re going to look at the finale creations. How much weight will be put on completing the task vs. the season as a whole when decided who takes home the title?

The fourth season finale of Face Off airs Tuesday at 9:00 on Syfy. The show has already been renewed for a fifth season, which is set to premiere this summer.

Who do you think will win this season of Face Off? How do you think season four has compared to the previous three? What do you hope to see from the fifth season this summer?

The post Face Off Season 4 Finale Sneak Peek: Living the Dream appeared first on TVHackr.

In the season four finale, the top three are tasked with creating waterproof makeups for Le Reve: The Dream at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. Currently, the show is down to its final four in Anthony, Kris, Wayne, and Eric F., one of whom will be eliminated in tomorrow’s penultimate episode of the season. There, they’ll be creating alien hybrids based off of two of the seven species featured in upcoming Syfy drama Defiance, to be shown off for the show’s director Michael Nankin.

“Face Off continues to prove itself as a ratings hit, earning critical and viewer accolades alike, and we are proud to bring the series back for another stunning season,” said Mark Stern, President of Original Content, Syfy, and Co-Head of Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.

All three judges (Glenn Hetrick, Ve Neill, and Neville Page) will be returning for the fourth season, which begins production in April, while contestant mentor Michael Westmore is also set to return. It will be the Academy Award winner’s second season making the rounds in the workroom and attempting to guide the aspiring artists in a direction that best serves their vision.

Season four of Face Off currently airs Tuesday nights at 9PM ET/PT on Syfy. In its fourth season, Face Off is averaging 1.6 million viewers 18-19 and 2.7 million total viewers in Live +7. You can check out the top 7 power rankings TVHackr did for the show here.

Who do you think is the favorite heading into the homestretch of season four? How do you think the fourth season has been in comparison to the first three? What type of challenges would you like to see this summer in season five?

The post Face Off Renewed for Season 5 by Syfy appeared first on TVHackr.

The final seven have been divided into three categories depending on their status in the competition. The first group is who I feel are in the best position to make the final three, both in terms of performance thus far and artistic potential. Next comes two artists that could feasibly join the top group if they perform to their capabilities and one of the (presumed) top three stumbles late in the game. Finally, there are two artists on the chopping block with little to no chance of making it to the live finale. Each contestant has their accomplishments to this point listed, in addition to why they’re in the place they are and how they could move up or down, depending on where they are.

The Top Three (At This Point)
1. Kris
Wins: 3
Times in the Top: 1
Times in the Bottom: 0
The Good: Kris is on a major hot streak, winning three of the past four weeks and becoming a factor after spending the first three weeks of the competition in also-ran status. He’s performed well enough to never draw the ire of the judges, his personality has been genial enough to never be edited badly, and in each team challenge, his work has been singled out as being professional grade, visually interesting, and executed well. Kris doesn’t really have any gaping weaknesses in terms of what he can do in the workroom, as he’s a strong sculptor with a sophisticated color palette and plenty of imagination that he can channel – within reason.
The Bad: However, Kris hasn’t exactly lit up the screen during his time in the work room and his talking heads. He’s either the most centered, soft spoken artist they’ve had on the show or he’s not an interesting enough personality for them to feature often, which could stunt any chance of him taking home the victory in a live finale. If there’s no live finale, his edit to this point has been decidedly un-winner-like, so could a crash be coming soon? Plus, going from middle of the pack  to being an arguable favorite places expectations on his future work. Can he live up to the recent standard he’s set?

2. Anthony
Wins: 3 (1 Foundation win)
Times in the Top: 1
Times in the Bottom: 2
The Good: The beginning of the season belonged to Anthony, as he took home four wins in a row for his clean, technically strong work. His time management skills have been better than most this season and he very rarely gets rattled, which could help him outlast his opponents and take home a win, should they not be able to handle the moment. Also, the judges do like his aesthetic and know what he can do when he’s firing on all cylinders, so if he can live up to what he showed at the beginning of the season, he could become the favorite once again.
The Bad: Anthony’s been in the bottom for the past two weeks and seemingly lost the spark that he had at the beginning of the competition. It might be a case of being too good too early and never being able to live up to a standard that he set for himself with the judges, that success psyching him out to the point that it messed with how he approaches a challenge. Now that the chaff has mostly been culled, he won’t be able to fall back on those past accomplishments to keep him safe from elimination, so unless he course corrects in a hurry and brings his confidence back, the former favorite could be going home soon.

3. House
Wins: 0
Times in the Top: 4
Times in the Bottom: 0
The Good: House has been the most consistent of the upper tier of contestants this season. Though he’s yet to win a challenge, he’s been at or near the top of the leaderboard for the duration of season four, thanks in part to a keen eye for production design and a clear, confident point-of-view. He might be considered the most dangerous contestant remaining in the season for the fact that if one of the others fails to show up, they know that he will. House may not win, but he won’t beat himself and at this stage, that can be intimidating.
The Bad: The fact that he’s yet to win is troublesome and could be due to less than stellar execution of certain pieces. You could argue that House has the most interesting aesthetic of the remaining contestants, but no look has ever been fully and completely executed, meaning that either he needs to slightly pare down his ambition/control issues or he simply might be a better designer than an artist. If he can pull off a knockout piece in the coming weeks and go toe-to-toe with the other designers, I would be willing to move him up; until then, he’s a comfortable third in my book.

Next in Line:
4. Eric F.
Wins: 1 (1 Foundation win)
Times in the Top: 3
Times in the Bottom: 1
The Good: The Face Off judges have shown that they like people who take chances and Eric F. is the riskiest, most ambitious contestant of the season. He has consistently tried to outdo himself and expand the limits of what can be accomplished on the show with an in-your-face style that none of the others have. Couple that willingness to go big with a jovial, TV-friendly personality and he could be a winner that both fans and people in the industry would latch on to. Plus, if the show is looking to go for someone unlike each of their three winners, he’s their best bet for someone to make a splash after the season wraps.
The Bad: Eric F. gets in his own way and that will be his downfall. He goes for too much and can’t execute everything in his plan due to a lack of time/resources; he often puts what’ll look “cool” over what’s functional for filming and while he does go big, not every idea lands as well as it could. Wanting to (and being able to) do a lot of work in a little amount of time is a key trait of doing well on competitive reality TV, but disappointingly, Eric doesn’t know how to play the Face Off game and work within his means, opting to self-destruct vs. practicing smart time/workload management.

5. Wayne
Wins: 0
Times in the Top: 4
Times in the Bottom: 1
The Good: After beginning the season on a bum note, Wayne has become a competitor like House; he does what he does and he does it well, making it to top looks four of the last five weeks and getting pretty solid feedback  from the judges. Wayne could have easily folded early, but he’s improved as he’s gone on and proved to be a threat, so he has momentum on his side. He’s one of the better sculptors in the entire 14-person cast and he’s shown ingenuity, intelligence regarding form/design, and a willingness to go big without sacrificing the overall look. Additionally, he’s improved on his painting and has one of the more placid demeanors  of the remaining contestants, never having gotten into a workroom conflict and seemingly able to take criticism well.
The Bad: Like House, Wayne has yet to win anything, potentially a sign that while the judges do appreciate what he can do, they’ve not been as bowled over impressed as they’ve been with others. Consistency and having a strong baseline is one thing, but with the numbers this low, he’ll have to step up in order to have a chance to take home the title. When working alone, Wayne has shown poor time management skills that have dragged down his overall looks  on more than one occasion. Going forward, being able to delegate and figure out how to spend your time become much more important, so if he wants to crack the top three, he’s going to have to have a clearer idea of what he’s doing.

On the Chopping Block:
6. Eric Z.
Wins: 0 (1 Foundation win)
Times in the Top: 1
Times in the Bottom: 2
The Good: Eric’s all about potential. He’s not been especially impressive during his time on the show, but there have been flashes of brilliance in some of his looks that hint at the type of artist he could be one day. He seems willing to learn and soak up as much information about doing make-up that he can, a good sign going forward and a hint that he might be ready to expand his field of vision and general aesthetic in the near future.
The Bad: The main problem with Eric is that he’s young and young artists tend to not set this competition on fire. Be it from a lack of references, inexperience in certain mediums, or simply being overmatched by more credentialed opponents, a young make-up artist has a certain Face Off shelf life and Eric’s might be up. After everything that happened with Autumn, he has a bigger microscope on his demeanor and the finished product that he puts on stage and if that’s not demonstrably better than what he’s been sending to the judges (okay/safe but nothing noteworthy), he’ll be in trouble. He might be more consistent and capable than many of the contestants of season four, but his highs haven’t reached the highs (or the ambition) of the people above him on this list, meaning that it could take some stumbling for him to make it through the double elimination next week.

7. Meagan
Wins: 0 (1 Foundation win)
Times in the Top: 2
Times in the Bottom: 3
The Good: Meagan’s the final female contestant remaining and in order to avoid the show becoming too male-heavy, that could buy her an additional week or two. She’s done well in team challenges, which gave her an immunity and her two trips into top looks, and if they pull out a beauty makeup while she’s still around, she could surprise with her longevity in this competition.
The Bad: Meagan’s talent level is decidedly below the other six contestants and she struggles when not paired with a strong partner in a team challenge or when having to work out of her comfort zone in an individual challenge. With the competition narrowing down to the best of the crop and three trips to the bottom to her credit, the additional pressure can’t be good for an already fragile workroom personality with a shaky, undefined aesthetic, meaning that it’ll be even more difficult for her to raise her game in hopes of sticking around. Had she applied for the show when it had a more diverse challenge allocation, she could have trudged her way to a top 5 or so  finish, but unfortunately, unless more than one person above her stumbles badly, her time on the Face Off stage is over.

Face Off airs Tuesdays at 9:00 on Syfy.

Who do you think is the favorite at this point? How does the season four cast compare to past seasons? Which eliminated contestant would you like to see return for season five?

The post Face Off Season 4 Power Rankings: The Halfway Point appeared first on TVHackr.

The winner of the fourth season of Face Off will be taking home $100,000, a 2013 Fiat 5100, and the chance to become a guest lecturer at Makeup For Ever Academies in New York and Paris. Guest judges will include Bryan Singer, Gale Anne Hurd, John Landau, Michael Nankin and John Rhys-Davies, all ready to evaluate the contestants on their attempts at creating fantasy goblin kings, original comic superheroes, and two-headed giants.

Listed below are the names, ages, and hometowns of each of the 14 contestants. Information on all contenders can be found on Syfy.com.

Alam Park, 25 – Seattle, WA
Alexandra McCoy, 31 – Orlando, FL
Autumn Cook, 35 – Pittsburgh, PA
David “House” Greathouse, 41 – Hometown, Cleveland, OH; Resides in Crestline, OH
Eric Fox, 37 – Hometown, Georgia; Resides in Riverside, CA
Eric Zapata, 22 – Hometown, Victoria, TX; Resides in Austin, TX
J. Anthony Kosar, 26 – Hometown, Lisle, IL; Resides in Westmont, IL
Jenna Green, 40 – Hometown, Sacramento, CA; Resides in Buda, TX
Katherine “Katie” Machiek, 26 – Hometown, Owls Head, ME; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
Kristian Kobzina, 41 – El Segundo, CA
Meagan Hester, 29 – Hometown, Ossining, NY; Resides in NY, NY
Michael Garcia, 31 – Austin, TX
Troy Rivers, 34 – Hometown, Indianapolis, IN; Resides in Avon, IN

Face Off’s fourth season, its third in the last 12 months, will be joining a packed winter 2013 line-up on Syfy, which includes the U.S. debut of Canadian import Continuum, the final series of Merlin, the premiere of Robot Combat League, and the returns of Being Human and Lost Girl, among many other slated offerings.

Will you be watching Face Off this season? What do you think about Michael Westmore joining the show as a contestant mentor? Based on the bios, photos, and videos, who is the favorite going into the competition?

The post Face Off Season 4 to Premiere Tuesday, January 15th appeared first on TVHackr.