Face Off is an American reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 game show

Game show

A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...

 on the Syfy

Syfy

Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...

 cable network in which a group of prosthetic makeup

Prosthetic makeup

Prosthetic makeup is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects...

 artists compete against each other create prostheses such as those found in science fiction

Science fiction film

Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...

 and horror film

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

s. Actress McKenzie Westmore

McKenzie Westmore

McKenzie Kate Westmore is an American actress and singer most popular for having portrayed the role of Sheridan Crane Lopez-Fitzgerald on the television soap opera Passions from 1999 to 2008. To fans of Passions, Sheridan is well known for her popular pairing with Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald, portrayed...

, a member of the Westmore family

Westmore family

The Westmore Family is a prominent family in Hollywood make-up. Led by their patriarch, George Westmore, the family has had four generations serve Hollywood as make-up artists in various capacities since George's establishment of Hollywood's first make-up department in 1917.-Careers:The English...

 of makeup artists, serves as the show's host, with judges being Academy Award-winning makeup artist Ve Neill

Ve Neill

Ve Neill is an American makeup artist. Her real name is Mary Flores. She has won three Academy Awards, for the films Beetlejuice, Mrs. Doubtfire and Ed Wood...

 (Ed Wood

Ed Wood (film)

Ed Wood is a 1994 American comedy-drama biopic directed and produced by Tim Burton, and starring Johnny Depp as cult filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau...

, Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros...

), television makeup artist Glenn Hetrick

Glenn Hetrick

Glenn Hetrick is an actor and special effects makeup artist/designer originally from Hellertown, Pennsylvania. He has worked extensively in film and television, including films like The Prestige and Legion and on many television series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Crossing Jordan,...

 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Babylon 5

Babylon 5

Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...

), and creature designer and director Patrick Tatopoulos

Patrick Tatopoulos

Patrick Tatopoulos is a French-Greek production designer, who lives and works in the United States. His designs have appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Pitch Black, Underworld, I, Robot, The Chronicles of Riddick, Independence Day, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Stargate, Spawn, Godzilla,...

 (I Am Legend

I Am Legend (film)

I Am Legend is a 2007 post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith. It is the third feature film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, following 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man. Smith plays virologist Robert...

, Resident Evil: Extinction

Resident Evil: Extinction

Resident Evil: Extinction is a Canadian-British 2007 science fiction action horror film also categorized as a doomsday and zombie film, and is the third installment in the Resident Evil film series, which is based on the Capcom survival horror series Resident Evil...

, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a 2009 American film directed by Patrick Tatopoulos. It is the third installment in the Underworld series, focusing primarily on the origins of some characters and the events leading to the Vampire-Lycan war, depicted in the previous films Underworld and...

). Industry figures and artists including Sean S. Cunningham

Sean S. Cunningham

Sean Sexton Cunningham is an American film director, producer, and writer. He is best known for creating the Friday the 13th series of horror films, which introduced the fictional killer Jason Voorhees...

, Filippo Ioco, Greg Nicotero and Michael Westmore

Michael Westmore

Michael George Westmore is an American make-up artist best known for his work in various Star Trek productions, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and four feature films.Born in Los Angeles, California, Westmore is the son of Monte Westmore,...

 serve as guest judges.

Each week the artists will face a "Spotlight Challenge" and in some weeks a "Foundation Challenge" where the Foundation Challenge winner receives an advantage in the Spotlight Challenge. The Face Off winner will receive $100,000 and a year's supply of makeup, a "grand prize that will launch a career". Face Off premiered January 26, 2011 on Syfy

Syfy

Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...

.

Syfy announced March 16, 2011 that Face Off has been renewed for a second season. Casting was slated to begin later the same month. The new season is slated to air January 11, 2012, and will include 14 contestants.

Contestants

Contestant	Age	Hometown	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Conor McCullagh	40	Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...	WIN	LOW	WIN	IN	HIGH	HIGH	IN	WIN
Gage Hubbard	26	Willard, Utah Willard, Utah Willard is a city in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,772 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Willard is located at ....	LOW‡	IN	HIGH	HIGH	IN	IN	HIGH	RUNNER-UP
Tate Steinsiek	31	Henryetta, Oklahoma Henryetta, Oklahoma Henryetta is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,096 at the 2000 census.Henryetta is notable as the high school hometown of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman...	HIGH	LOW‡	IN	HIGH	HIGH‡	WIN	IN	RUNNER-UP
Samantha "Sam" Cobb	32	Decatur, Georgia Decatur, Georgia Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	IN	WIN	OUT
Megan Areford	24	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...	IN	IN	LOW	LOW	WIN	LOW	OUT
Tom Devlin	29	East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg is the most populous municipality in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Poconos region of the state. Originally known as "Dansbury", East Stroudsburg was renamed for geographic reasons when the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad opened a...	HIGH	HIGH	LOW	WIN	LOW	OUT‡
Anthony Pepe	35	Queens, New York	IN	WIN	LOW	LOW	HIGH	OUT
Kayla "Jo" Holland	21	Hilo, Hawaii	LOW	HIGH	HIGH	IN	OUT
Marcel Banks	24	Tacoma, Washington Tacoma, Washington Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...	IN	IN	HIGH	OUT
Frank Ippolito	32	Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...	HIGH	IN	OUT
Sergio Guerra	31	San Antonio, Texas San Antonio, Texas San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...	LOW	OUT
Jessica Kramer	26	Scottdale, Pennsylvania Scottdale, Pennsylvania Scottdale is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. Scottdale is the home of the Southmoreland Scotties. Early in the 20th century, Scottdale was the center of the Frick coke interests...	OUT

The contestant won Face Off.

The contestant was a runner-up.

The contestant won a Spotlight Challenge.

The contestant was part of a team that won the Spotlight Challenge.

The contestant was in the top in the Spotlight Challenge.

The contestant was in the bottom in the Spotlight Challenge.

The contestant was eliminated.

‡ The contestant won the Foundation Challenge.

Episode 1: "Welcome to the Jungle"

• Foundation Challenge: Create an original face makeup incorporating at least one item from the introductory reception room
• Foundation Challenge Winner: Gage
• Spotlight Challenge: In teams of two, create a human-animal hybrid based on either a black beetle (Sam and Marcel; Frank and Tate), ostrich
  Ostrich
  The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
  
   (Jessica and Jo; Anthony and Megan) or elephant
  Elephant
  Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
  
   (Sergio and Gage; Conor and Tom)
• Spotlight Challenge Winner: Conor
• Bottom Two Teams: Jessica and Jo, Sergio and Gage (Gage immune from elimination)
• Eliminated: Jessica

Episode 2: "Naked Ambition"

Contestant	Backdrop
Anthony	Petrified wood Petrified wood Petrified wood is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree having turned completely into stone by the process of permineralization...
Conor	New Orleans
Frank	Elevator Elevator An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
Gage	Museum Museum A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
Jo	Ocean Ocean An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
Marcel	Waterfall Waterfall A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
Megan	Abstract colors Abstract art Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
Sam	Bookcase Bookcase A bookcase, or bookshelf, is a piece of furniture, almost always with horizontal shelves, used to store books. A bookcase consists of a unit including two or more shelves which may not all be used to contain books or other printed materials. Shelves may be fixed or adjustable to different positions...
Sergio	Tornado Tornado A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
Tate	Rainforest Rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
Tom	Stairway Stairway Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...

• Foundation Challenge: Design an original tattoo that has meaning for you
• Foundation Challenge winner: Tate
• Spotlight Challenge: Body paint
  Body painting
  Body painting, or sometimes bodypainting, is a form of body art. Unlike tattoo and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, painted onto the human skin, and lasts for only several hours, or at most a couple of weeks. Body painting that is limited to the face is known as face painting...
  
   a nude model for a magazine cover photo shoot
• Guest Judge: Filippo Ioco
• Spotlight Challenge Winner: Anthony
• Bottom Three: Sergio, Conor and Tate
• Eliminated: Sergio

Episode 3: "Out of This World"

• Spotlight Challenge: Create an alien inspired by the environmental conditions speculated to exist on Gliese 581 g
  Gliese 581 g
  Gliese 581 g , also Gl 581 g or GJ 581 g, is a hypothesized extrasolar planet proven nonexistent by the Geneva Team, orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 581, 20.5 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Libra. It is the sixth planet discovered in the Gliese 581 planetary system and the fourth...
  
  
• Guest Judge: Michael Westmore
  Michael Westmore
  Michael George Westmore is an American make-up artist best known for his work in various Star Trek productions, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and four feature films.Born in Los Angeles, California, Westmore is the son of Monte Westmore,...
  
  
• Spotlight Challenge Winner: Conor
• Bottom Two Teams: Anthony and Frank, Tom and Megan
• Eliminated: Frank

Episode 4: "Bad to the Bone"

Contestant	Movie title	Villain	Tagline
Anthony	London Twilight	Mad doctor set in Victorian England	The Doctor Is Out...Of His Mind
Conor	Voodoo Dawn	Vengeance demon	Death Is Just The Beginning
Gage	Cautionary Point	Undead lighthouse Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....  keeper	Heed The Warning
Jo	Confession	Murderous Nun Nun A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...	Confession Will Not Always Save You
Marcel	Final Skate	70s era roller rink Roller rink A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...  operator	The Class Of '78 Is Going To Pieces
Megan	Chester's Photography	Deranged photographer	A Picture Says A Thousand Words...His Victims Say None
Sam	Baby Doll	Porcelain doll-influenced killer	Daddy's Little Secret Has Come Back To Life
Tate	Him	Genetic anomaly	Your Mind...His Playground
Tom	Teddy Told Me To	Child-like; yo-yo weapon	It's All Fun And Games Till Someone Dies

• Spotlight Challenge: Create a concept for a horror movie with an iconic villain
• Guest Judge: Sean S. Cunningham
  Sean S. Cunningham
  Sean Sexton Cunningham is an American film director, producer, and writer. He is best known for creating the Friday the 13th series of horror films, which introduced the fictional killer Jason Voorhees...
  
  
• Spotlight Challenge Winner: Tom
• Bottom Three: Marcel, Megan and Anthony
• Eliminated: Marcel

Episode 5: "Switched and Hitched"

• Foundation Challenge: Create a realistic facial hair makeup matching the model's costume
• Foundation Challenge Winner: Tate
• Spotlight Challenge: Take an engaged couple and make them up so their genders are switched
• Guest Judge: Steve La Porte
• Spotlight Challenge Winner: Megan
• Bottom Team: Tom and Jo
• Eliminated: Jo

Episode 6: "The Dancing Dead"

• Foundation Challenge: Create stage blood
  Theatrical blood
  Theatrical blood or stage blood is anything used as a substitute for blood in a theatrical or cinematic performance. For example, in the special effects industry, when a director needs to simulate an actor being shot or cut, a wide variety of chemicals and natural products can be used...
  
   using grocery items
• Foundation Challenge Winner: Tom
• Spotlight Challenge: Create a zombie character to work in a choreographed dance routine with the other contestants' creations
• Guest Judge: Greg Nicotero
• Spotlight Challenge Winner: Tate
• Bottom Three: Anthony, Tom, Megan
• Eliminated: Anthony, Tom

Episode 7: "Family Plot"

• Spotlight Challenge: Create a makeup to become unrecognizable to a loved one
• Spotlight Challenge Winner: Sam
• Eliminated: Megan

Episode 8: "Twisted Tales"

Contestant	Fairy Tale	Theme
Conor	The Frog Prince The Frog Prince (story) "The Frog Prince; or, Iron Henry" is a fairy tale, best known through the Brothers Grimm's written version; traditionally it is the first story in their collection. In the tale, a spoiled princess reluctantly befriends a frog , who magically transforms into a handsome prince...	Ghost story Ghost story A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
Gage	Hansel and Gretel Hansel and Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...	Industrial
Sam	The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince...	Psychedelia
Tate	Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....	Post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...

• Spotlight Challenge: Reimagine two fairy tale characters in a different genre
• Face Off Season 1 Winner: Conor

Production and development

Syfy began developing Face Off in March 2010 in association with production company Mission Control Media. Syfy confirmed that it had ordered the series in May, and announced the host and judges in November. Producers held open casting calls in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and Orlando

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

 and accepted audition videos through September 15.

Critical reception

Drawing comparisons to similar fashion- and cooking-themed competition series, Wired.com reviewer Scott Thill found Face Off "more interesting than watching cooks or clothiers create cold fine dining or hot runway messes". In examining hitherto unexamined aspects of pop culture, Face Off helps a television genre Thill categorizes as nearing "creative exhaustion" stay relevant. Thill sharply criticized the series for "mining its subjects for tortured psychodrama", calling it "an uncomfortable viewing experience but also a pathetic commentary on how desensitized we are to pimping out our fellow humans for humiliation". Mike Moody of TV Squad also noted the format similarities to series like Project Runway

Project Runway

Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...

 and HGTV Design Star

HGTV Design Star

HGTV Design Star is an American reality competition show airing on the cable television network HGTV. It premiered July 23, 2006, and has been renewed for a sixth season.Clive Pearse served as host for Seasons 1-4...

, dubbing it "pretty routine". He praised the series for highlighting the creative talents of its contestants and the "sharp and articulate" judges. Writing for FEARnet, Alyse Wax found host McKenzie Westmore "a little underwhelming....She comes across as a generic host: pretty girl with a nice smile, whose connection to the industry is tenuous." However, Wax was effusive in praising the contestants, who "creat a variety of really fascinating creatures, each with their own backstory, displaying an abundance of talent and skill among the competitors". Despite some initial stiltedness, Wax found that the series has good potential. Sharply dissenting was Tom Conroy of Media Life magazine: "The programmers at Syfy should congratulate themselves for finding a competition show that aligns with their brand. That doesn’t mean they had to air it."

Face Off drew an average audience of 1.4 million viewers per episode during season 1.