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TV Tonight: Shear Genius

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:15:08 -0700

I surprised myself last year by really coming to love Shear Genius, Bravo's Project Runway knockoff about hair stylists. I'd been expecting to find the competition just more of the same, but all it took was one haircut with hedge clippers and one contestant named Dr. Boogie to get me hooked.

Tonight, the show is back for a second season, and I'm curious to see if Bravo's managed to recapture the offbeat magic of season one. Unlike the network's Top Design, which is getting a total makeover for its second season, Shear Genius has brought its principal people back for another round, including host Jaclyn Smith and mentor Rene Fris. It remains to be seen if any of the new contestants can top the antics of the scrubs-wearing Dr. Boogie, but Oshun (who's styled hair for NBC's ridiculous soap Passions) and Paulo (whose salon's name is Ego Mechanix) seem like early favorites to bring some drama.

Will Shear Genius make the cut (yuk yuk) for your viewing schedule? To watch a clip from the first episode, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

TV Tonight: The "Shear Genius" Finale

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 May 2007 04:45:00 -0700

Why, it seems like only days ago that our "Shear Genius" was performing its first hedge clipper haircut. Alas, the wackiest reality show on TV wraps up its season tonight, with a final three of Daisy, Anthony and Ben competing for $100,000 in front of a panel of judges that will include Vidal Sassoon himself. Despite my initial skepticism, this show has won me over completely; I hope Bravo brings it back for a second season, though I can't imagine how the producers could find a new cast as wonderfully bizarre as this one.

I'm curious to see how tonight's finale plays out. Daisy either has the capacity to be brilliant or awful; Anthony is consistently good; and Ben, while being my favorite personality left in the competition, doesn't really seem to have the skills. Then again, this is the show that knocked off two of the best stylists in one fell swoop, so anything can happen. To watch a video preview of the three finalists receiving their instructions, read more

Photo and video courtesy of Bravo

"Shear Genius": One Wet Cat To Rule Them All

Molly — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:19:23 -0700

After last week's unceremonious booting of two of the strongest stylists in the competition, "Shear Genius" was back this week with the second to last episode. Wow, time flies when you're learning the cutthroat world of hair art. Onwards and upwards, let's recap our penultimate hair cuts (both figuratively and literally):

At the beginning of the show, the four remaining contestants were thrown right into their first challenge - styling an African American woman's hair. This threw Ben into a tizzy, just slapping product after product on his poor model, resulting in a heavy gross-looking mess until about two seconds before the time was up. It ended up mediocre, but needless to say, he did not win the challenge. Anthony won, allowing him to hand out the assignments in the elimination challenge.

For the final challenge the contestants had to style hair in a particular "mood" for a photoshoot. Which was was fun! Yay! BUT before that nonsense, they each got heartfelt video messages from loved ones. Which made Boogie and Ben cry. Especially Ben. Anyway, back to the hair.

Daisy, whose assignment was "Sex Kitten" (but really more like wet cat) was up first and had to style her models hair while it was wet. It looked easy, it went smoothly, the model was probably posing for Maxim. Moving on. Next up was Anthony, who had "Retro Glamour" which mostly meant "Give this woman fake blonde extensions and please don't let us see her darker hairline." He mostly failed in that second part. The photographer looked very displeased.

To hear how the rest of the contestants faired, see the before/afters, and learn who won, who lost, and who wore surgical booties (OK, that one was easy) just read more

Dr. Boogie, who had "Diva Star," deemed himself the "fastest weaver in town" (which I assume pertains only to hair, not baskets) came into the shoot looking strong, but would not stop fussing with his model. In the end it looked like she was wearing about 50 lbs of extra hair when she was supposed to look breezy and windblown. Whoops.

Ben had "Rebel Rocker" and pretty much gave up on himself halfway through the pre-styling when he was told to "make it stick straight up." Somehow halfway through the shoot it worked out. I think most of the credit should go to the model.

View 4 Photos ›

As for the judging, it went pretty much as expected. The judges loved Ben and Daisy. Daisy won (which seems like a cop out because it looked the easiest) and for whatever reason was given a jean baseball cap. Who knows.

As for the ol' heave ho? Farewell Dr. Boogie. You will be missed. At least you left how you entered - in scrubs. Also, I think he was kind of happy to be sent home.

Next week, the finale! Wheeeeee! What did you guys think? Who will be a cut above the rest? Somehow I'm feeling like it's Daisy's game to lose...

Photos courtesy Bravo

"Shear Genius": I'm a Ninja - Just Putting That Out There

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 07:15:04 -0700

Let's all think together: Has there ever been another reality show where a contestant has shown up at a mall dressed like a ninja? I think that's yet another first for "Shear Genius."

At the start of the episode, the stylists discovered three ledger books waiting for them in the apartment. Three books for six contestants? Smells like a team challenge! For the short cut challenge, the stylists had to pair up and solicit haircuts from random mall shoppers; whichever team had the most money at the end would win. As the winner of the last challenge, Tyson got to pick his partner first, and he went with Tabatha, because obviously the poor boy can't interact with anyone who isn't platinum blond. Daisy and Anthony paired up, and Boogie and Ben formed the third team, which frustrated Boogie, given that Ben had shown up dressed as a ninja and thus might freak out potential clients. No, that was never fully explained, but really, if you had a ninja outfit, wouldn't you wear it everywhere?

Anyway, Ben and Boogie pitched themselves as $10 bargain haircutters, while Tabatha and Tyson insisted they stay upscale. At first, that landed them a big ol' zero in the ledger book, but eventually Tyson turned on his, er, charm (consisting of lines like "you've got lovely hair; might I touch it?") and they ended up earning the most. That doesn't mean they suddenly liked each other, though, so read more

For the elimination challenge, the stylists had to keep their same teams to design hair for a wedding party (bride, maid of honor, mom). Boogie switched between ignoring Ben and making Ben his lackey, while Tabatha and Tyson griped about each other in front of their clients and created one of the ugliest French twists known to man. Daisy and Anthony, on the other hand, actually acted like professional adults. Imagine!

The results (from top to bottom, left to right, starting in the upper left):

Boogie & Ben's maid of honor; Boogie & Ben's bride; Tyson & Tabatha's maid of honor; Anthony & Daisy's mom; Tyson & Tabatha's bride; Tyson & Tabatha's mom; Anthony & Daisy's bride; Anthony & Daisy's maid of honor; Boogie & Ben's mom.

View 9 Photos ›

At the judging, Tabatha sold out Tyson, telling the judges she'd seen better French twists in her life. Why would she say that? "Probably because I don't care for him very much." Oh, that explains it. The obvious winners were Daisy and Anthony, and once again, I wish they'd shot the photos from the back, because the bride's look was gorgeous - kind of like a woven ribbon. Ben and Boogie survived because of Tyson and Tabatha's total implosion; even though the Bizarro Twins been the strongest stylists up to this point, this was their final cut.

Next week: The final four! Will Boogie remain? I just know I'm already excited for the reunion.

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"Shear Genius": Weasel Boy, Fig Jam and More

BuzzSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 05:40:12 -0700

Everyone on "Shear Genius" is pretty Grade-A crazy, huh? This week really brought out the nuttiest in the seven remaining stylists, including Tyson conjuring visions of Queen Elizabeth's hairdresser. Wow. Just - wow.

For the short cut challenge, the contestants were told to report to a barber shop, which convinced Tabatha they'd have to cut dogs' hair. Yup, that makes sense. Instead, the stylists get to cut men's hair - but not just any men, oh no. These were men who hadn't seen the inside of a barber shop for a very long time, resulting in 'dos ranging from "casual headbanger" to "that guy from Silverchair circa 1995." Tabatha won by giving her guy a haircut that made him look like a 14-year-old skater boy instead of a 12-year-old skater boy. She also introduced us to the most fabulous expression ever, calling Tyson "Fig Jam" - or, as she explained, "F--- I'm Good, Just Ask Me." She later called him "weasel boy," but that's not nearly as catchy.

For the elimination challenge, the stylists had to design a hairstyle emblematic of a certain era. Tabatha got to pick her era first, plus dole out eras to the rest of the stylists. She gave Tyson the Elizabethan era in an effort to trip him up, but the most confused folks seemed to be Danna, who couldn't get her mind around '40s glamour, and Boogie, who spent a portion of his time "researching" the Medieval era by rubbing Tabatha's rear.

By the way, why has Rene Fris made his catchphrase "let's shake it"? What does that even mean? To see whose "hair era" was a disaster and talk about what Boogie wore, read more

First of all, not only was Boogie back in scrubs, but he also wore a pair of fringed, tie-dyed pants for the elimination. Nice.

Here are the results:

View 7 Photos ›

From left to right, starting with the top row: Daisy (Victorian), Anthony ('60s), Tyson (Elizabethan), Tabatha ('80s punk), Dr. Boogie (Medieval), Danna ('40s), Ben ('20s).

The guest judge was Ken Paves, who extricated himself from his celebrity clients long enough to babble for a few minutes. Seriously, was he on uppers? To be fair, he might have needed them to counteract Anthony's yawn-inducing take on the '60s. The judges also seemed bored with Tabatha pulling out her second mohawk-ish 'do of the competition, but I was just impressed that she got her model's looooong hair to stand on end like that.

The best of the bunch: Tyson - looks like Tabatha's strategy backfired - whose elaborate Elizabethan style was made better by the ridiculous dress the costumers found for his model.

The worst by a mile: Danna's '40s style, which was way too conservative and not glamorous at all; her model looked like a schoolmarm. (The business suit didn't help.)

Next week: Ben dresses as a ninja. I think I love him.

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"Shear Genius": Seriously, Put the Hedge Clippers Down

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 May 2007 05:00:03 -0700

This week's "Shear Genius" featured one of the greatest yelling, screaming, obscenity-laced fights I've ever seen on reality television, and it was all because of ... hedge clippers? Yeah. Evangelin got a little too attached to her gigantic shears this week and insisted on continuing to cut hair with them, thus leading Danna and Tabatha to school her on the difference between "a technique" and "a gimmick." Rene Fris finally let her down gently by pointing out that it's slightly unprofessional to point hedge clippers at an unsuspecting client's head just because you can, but I wouldn't be surprised if people who go to Evangelin's salon will be getting hedge cuts from now on. And that's one of many reasons why I'm never going to Evangelin's salon.

For the Short Cut Challenge, the stylists had to cut their models' hair into a style that could go from day to evening in under five minutes. Boogie - who, to my great disappointment, did not wear scrubs in a single scene this week - attempted to bring the mullet back, while Ben basically gave his model the same haircut she had to start with. His model's evening look was cute, though, so I'll give him a pass. Danna's cute braided 'do got top honors, which I support, because it meant getting to hear more of her awesome accent.

The elimination challenge was to create a red carpet look for Vanessa Williams, who I expected would lay the smack down on anyone who threatened to give her a "hair don't." She was surprisingly mild-mannered, though - no Wilhelmina Slater here! - which was disappointing, because wow, some of those stylists did some really bad prom hair. To see for yourself, read more

Here are the results (top row: Daisy, Dr. Boogie, Ben, Danna; bottom row: Tyson, Tabatha, Evangelin, Anthony):

View 8 Photos ›

I'm pretty bummed that these pictures weren't shot from the back, because that's (to quote "Ugly Betty") where the tragic happened. Ben's updo melted into a puddle of gross, while Boogie's looked like some sort of futuristic helmet. Evangelin had the worst disaster of all, with weird straight-then-curly tendrils and a big poofy top and a horrid rat tail in the back. Unsurprisingly, she was eliminated.

Danna won with her elegant updo that reminded me of woven ribbons. Yay, more accent!

Next week: From the looks of the preview, it'll be a battle of the platinum blonds - Tabatha and Tyson. I would not want to get in Tabatha's way; that woman is fierce.

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"Shear Genius": Why Didn't Anyone Get a Weed Whacker?

Molly — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:40:08 -0700

"ANTM" was a lame recap episode this week, so I'm here to cover "Shear Genius" instead. If you’re not watching "Shear Genius," you should be. Last night’s episode was exactly the kind of fun I want from a Contest Reality Show. Random eliminations the contestants weren't warned about! Challenge winners forcing the others to suck up for favors! Random items usually found in the garage used for beauty procedures! I smell an Emmy!

For this week's Short Cut challenge all the little wannabes were forced to cut their creepy doll's hair into the infamous Meg Ryan Cut. That’s all well and good, but lest you forget that the judge is Sally Hershberger, the woman who gave Meg Ryan the Meg Ryan haircut (as you can tell from the pic above, she means business). After a demonstration from Sally, the cutters went to work and with about half an hour left, they were randomly told this would be an elimination challenge. The horror! Whatever, the haircuts all looked similar (duh), but Lacey got the ax. Good call, she should have been gone a long time ago.

Tyson won the Meg Ryan challenge, which gave him the first choice of model as well as ... wait for it ... hair cutting tool. Yes, this week the contestants had to use unconventional tools to style their women. Between last week’s celebrity hairstyle challenge during which many poor girls' hair was ruined, and then this, I'm starting to feel sorry for their models.

To check out the before/after pics, learn who won and who I deemed best wide-legged pants, who used what ridiculous tool to cut hair, and my two cents just read more

(From left to right, starting with the top row)

Tyson - Household Scissors
Theodore - Butchers' Shears
Tabatha - Child's Safety Scissors
Evangelin - Hedge Clippers
Dr. Boogie - Household Scissors
Danna - Household Scissors
Daisy - Box Cutter
Ben - Gardening Shears
Anthony - Wire Cutters

View 9 Photos ›

Evangelin won, which is pretty on point considering how impressive her model looked with such a difficult tool. I still contend, however, that the child safety scissors were the hardest (can't even cut paper with those things).

Mr. Fabulous, Theo, went home. Hey, at least he wasn't showing off his armpit hair this time.

Best Wide Legged Pants: Tabatha!

So what did you guys think?

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"Shear Genius": So Much Better Than I Expected

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 06:58:23 -0700

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was pretty wary about Bravo's haircutting competition show, "Shear Genius." Oh, how times have changed. Somehow, I've become a huge fan - possibly the show's biggest fan, given some of the other reviews I've read.

"Shear Genius" is still no "Project Runway," and not just because it lacks Tim Gunn. But it's the most over-the-top of the Bravo competition shows to date, and that alone is a reason to watch. Here are five more:

Jaclyn Smith's voice. OK, so at first her weird, robotic monotone really got to me, but by the end of last week's episode, I was oddly entranced by it. While she talks, I try to figure out what could be making those noises - because guys, seriously, it's not a person. Is it that weird garbling machine they use to disguise people's voices during interviews on "Dateline"? The robot who records the "no-one-is-here-to-take-your-call" messages on answering machines? An invisible alien baby? Whatever it is, it's fascinating.
The challenges. Simply put, they're ridiculous. In the first episode, the stylists had to incorporate stuff they bought at a craft store into their hairdos, and the winning look involved a treasure chest plopped on a model's head. In tonight's episode, the stylists have to give a long-haired woman a short 'do - using hedge clippers, pinking shears and those wavy-edged scissors people use for scrapbooking. A few more I hope to see: an updo that uses fruits and vegetables; extensions done with ribbon, lace and yarn instead of hair; and something - anything - involving live animals.

Three more reasons - and a clip from tonight's episode - so read more

The pacing. After the plodding, drawn out dullness of "Top Design," "Shear Genius" moves refreshingly fast. The producers squeeze not one but two challenges into every episode, and the judging fits nicely into the final 15 minutes rather than taking a full half-hour the way it did on "Top Design." Plus, the producers have put a big digital clock right in the stylists' workroom, so we can watch the time tick away for ourselves.
Dr. Boogie. The name says it all, right? I've seen some arrogant reality TV contestants in my day, but Dr. Boogie might top them all. I love his penchant for wearing scrubs and his wild exaggerations ("Who is the best stylist working today?" "Dr. Boogie."). And talking about him means I get to say "boogie" a lot.
The potential for disaster. Who hasn't been driven to tears by a bad haircut? When most people sign up to be models for a reality show, I doubt they expect to end up looking like a Thanksgiving centerpiece or a model of the solar system. Someone is going to end up with blue hair. Someone is going to get a horrid chop that will take months to grow out. Someone is going to cry. And while that might be a morbid reason to watch a TV show, it's certainly got me glued.

Here's a video of the moment when the stylists learn they'll have to use the hedge clippers. I can't wait!

Photo courtesy of Bravo

TV Preview: "Shear Genius"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:00:18 -0700

It's not that I have anything against hair styling: I've been known to devour whole seasons of "Blow Out" in a single sitting. But I'm really unsure about Bravo's new competition show, "Shear Genius," which premieres tonight after the "Top Design" finale. I just can't picture how hair cutting could be riveting enough to hold my attention for the next three months. Then again, I would have said the same thing about sewing had "Project Runway" not come along.

But after the lackluster "Top Design" - which won me over somewhat, though it's been a slog - I think Bravo might be spreading itself too thin in the Top Whatever department. For details on "Shear Genius" and to watch some clips, read more

"Shear Genius" looks like it sticks close to the formula: a dozen creative types with explosive personalities, challenges designed to raise the competitive tension, and a host/den mother (Jaclyn Smith, sounding eerily like a robot) who oversees the whole affair. Without a unique spark, "Shear Genius" will need likable - or lovably hate-able - contestants and good pacing (don't spend half the episode on judging, please!) if it's going to be worth watching. I'll check out the first couple of episodes, at least; what about you? Check out this intro to the series and a clip from the first challenge and let me know.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Reminder: Recast "Charlie's Angels"!

BuzzSugar — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 10:23:55 -0800

For this week's Recast challenge, I asked you guys to pick all-new actresses for a TV show that was recently made into a movie: "Charlie's Angels." It's such a fun series that it could definitely stand to be recast again.

If you were recasting "Charlie's Angel's" today, what kickass, sassy women would you put in the three main roles? Any actress is up for grabs - but consider Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu off limits. Leave your entry us in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature next Tuesday, Feb. 20, complete with a "new" cast photo.

Characters to recast:
Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett)
Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson)
Kelly Garrett (Jaclyn Smith)