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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

Bravo's Schedule: Runway in July, Shows on Mondays, More

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:30:27 -0700

Yesterday, we got a sense for what Lifetime has planned for Project Runway when it gets the rights to air the show in November (pending a lawsuit, of course). Today, we got a taste of what Bravo has in mind for the fifth season of Runway - plus the rest of the network's programming plans, including more Shear Genius and Top Design.

Runway's fifth season is now set to premiere on Bravo in July, presumably with the final designers showing off their collections at New York Fashion Week in September. While that seems like it will be a quick turnaround between the Bravo and Lifetime seasons, it's actually about the same amount of time the show took off between seasons two and three.

Among the other announcements:

Bravo has launched MoviesWithoutPity, a spinoff of TelevisionWithoutPity.
Flipping Out, My Life on the D List, and Shear Genius all will return this Summer.
Bravo will start having original programming on Monday nights for the first time.
Both Real Housewives series - Orange County and NYC - will return, and they'll have a third spinoff: The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Speaking of Housewives, Jo De La Rosa's dating show is a go. Date My Ex, as it's known, will follow Jo looking for love - apparently with her ex, Slade, right by her side.
Top Design will return in the Fall with new host India Hicks - though Todd Oldham is sticking around as a mentor to the designers. All the judges from the first season will be returning, too (hooray, more questionable fashion from Kelly Wearstler!).
The Millionaire Matchmaker, Million Dollar Listing, and Tim Gunn's Guide to Style all will be back at some point.

Bravo also announced a couple of new shows in development. To see what they are, just read more.

The Rachel Zoe Project - this show about the famed stylist will officially be airing, though no premiere date has been set.
Donatella - This series will focus on Donatella Arpaia, a New York restaurateur and Zagat-dubbed "hostess with the mostess" as she attempts to triple her culinary empire over a six-month period.
Miami Social - This South Beach-set series will follow young Miami professionals as they work hard and play harder.
Tabatha's Salon Takeover - Yay, Tabatha from Shear Genius is still working on her very own show! This is just a tentative title, but it basically explains the concept: Tabatha travels around the country to rescue troubled salons.

What do you think? Do any of the new shows sound like winners to you?

Photos courtesy of Bravo

Bravo Signs Up Shear Genius, Top Design, Hey B*tches!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:29:14 -0800

From Top Chef to The Real Housewives of Orange County to Project Runway, reality programming has been Bravo's strong suit of late. The network just announced a winter lineup chock full of what it does best, and it's also bringing back two of its attempts to clone Runway - Top Design and Shear Genius - for another round. Some of the highlights:

Top Design, the seriously lackluster interior design show that I watched faithfully every week despite its mediocrity, is getting another chance - but not without a makeover of its own. Magical Elves, the folks behind Runway, are taking over the production on the show. No word on whether Todd Oldham and Jonathan Adler are returning.
Shear Genuis, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be getting any major changes for its second season, and that's just fine with me. Despite my initial resistance, I loved this show's over-the-top craziness, not to mention Dr. Boogie's booties.
Bravo has two new reality shows scheduled to start in January: Millionaire Matchmaker, a Flipping Out-style show focusing on high-end matchmaker Patti Stanger, and Make Me a Supermodel, a modeling competition hosted by Niki Taylor and Tyson Beckford. Supermodel will air Thursdays at 10, while Matchmaker will take over the Real Housewives time slot after its season finale.
Bravo also has a pilot in the works for Hey B*tches!, a show based on YouTube video blogger William Sledd and his "Ask a Gay Man" show. The potential show would focus on his move from Kentucky to New York City.

Want to know what Sledd's all about? You can watch a clip of his YouTube show if you read more

Photos courtesy of Bravo

News Flash: Bravo's Reality Contestants Aren't Guaranteed Success

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 13:49:30 -0700

Got 15 minutes? Then grab a cup of coffee and curl up with this interesting New York Magazine cover story about the plight of contestants from "Project Runway," "Top Chef," and Bravo's other competition reality shows.

Here's the gist: Appearing on one of these shows - and even winning - is far from a ticket to fame and fortune. First "Project Runway" winner Jay McCarroll is still couch-surfing in New York; fan favorite Andrae Gonzalo from season two has been capitalizing more on his fame as a reality star than on his skill as a designer. Prize money sometimes comes with strings attached, as it did for McCarroll in season one; even when it doesn't, Bravo still retains a lot of control over contestants' public exposure and career opportunities. An excerpt:

For the contestants, the implicit promise of these shows is that they’re time machines, compressing the brutal urban mechanics of getting ahead-the political maneuvering, the grinding incremental labor-from a matter of years to months. The problem is that reality-show success is no substitute for real-world experience. "There is something a little bit cruel about all the attention," says Ted Allen, the dignified cooking guru of Bravo’s "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and a recurring judge on "Top Chef." "Because during the season you’re in one of the shows, you are famous for a while, and you get to enjoy all the fun of that. But you’re not someone who has any sort of expertise that’s going to keep you on television. There’s no certain road map for translating that kind of ephemeral success into a life of yachts and bling."

Few things in this story really shock me, but it is interesting to consider what (if anything) reality contestants are owed, so read more

Reality TV doesn't change the fact that succeeding in a skill-driven field still depends mostly on, you know, skill; fame tends to come later. Unsurprisingly, the Bravo alums who have done the best so far already had a business before the show: Jeffrey Sebelia, who won the most recent season of "Project Runway," had a boutique established, while Tabatha from "Shear Genius" used the exposure from the show to take in more customers at her existing salon.

Writer Jennifer Senior makes the point that Bravo owes much of its recent success to these shows and their telegenic and talented stars. And it looks like Bravo is starting to recognize that it's a two-way street: Contestants on the shows (except "Project Runway," which Bravo doesn't own) now will be offered a chance to sign with a management company that will help the insta-celebs navigate the wild waters of post-show life.

But what does Bravo - or any network that helps regular people rise to fame - actually owe its contestants once the show is done? Should the network be required to give those stars more assistance? Or should chefs, designers and stylists who appear on reality shows be savvy enough to know what to do when the show's over, even without the network's help? I lean toward the latter; I think anyone who goes on reality TV these days has to know that it doesn't guarantee success. But I suppose I can also understand why ex-contestants feel ignored while the network profits off their work. What's your take?

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"Shear Genius": Well, That Was Anticlimactic

Molly — Thu, 31 May 2007 17:06:15 -0700

Well folks, last night was the finale of "Shear Genius," what did you think? I'll start off by saying I'm having a hard time even really remembering what happened since it was so completely anticlimactic. But that's just me, and I was hoping for hair fireworks (hairworks?). I mean, they totally should have saved the wacky hair art challenge from the first episode for the end. Boo. Here's what went down and who won the title of Shear Genius:

The show started off in typical reality TV finale fashion with the 3 final contestants -- Anthony, Ben & Daisy -- talking about how completely thankful they are to have gotten this far in the competition. Awww! Right, from there they were introduced to the totally surprising shocking ohmygodisthatreallyhim special guest, who we all knew was coming, Vidal Sassoon!! After feigning surprise for a little, the contestants sat down and listened to VS talk a bit about his Katrina Hairdresser Charity and then introduce the final challenge.

For the final challenge the three contestants had to style three women. One woman's hair had to be colored. One woman had to get Vidal's signature haircut -- the Nancy Kwan cut. And one was their own inspiration. Together the three were to tell some sort of a story and somehow wardrobe was involved -- but come on, that was clearly make-up stuff to make the challenge look more complicated.

From there, it was reflection time for the three (seen above), in which they found inspiration -- in nature, obvs -- and Ben probably just thought about money. Because he wouldn't stop talking about it.

To see what happened, and check out all the final hair, plus learn the winner (yay!) just read more

The styling part was totally boring. Renee said "Let's Shake It Out" for no reason which for some reason bothered Ben to no end. Daisy's curling irons weren't on, which was probably her fault, but put a kink in her "story" which was about "The 'S' Shape." As you can see, thrilling stuff.

So here is the hair. With the themes. Aren't they totally obvious?

Anthony's Final Hair -- Modern Movement

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Ben's Final Hair -- From Glamorous to Natural

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Daisy's Final Hair -- The "S" Shape

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The story part was pretty non-existent, and Daisy's hair was kind of a mess.

In the end, Anthony took the prize, which is boring, but probably the right move on the judges part.

There was champagne. The end.

What did you think? Were you as bored by the finale as I was? Do you think Shear Genius will be back for another Season? And most importantly, does Evangelin still cut hair with hedge clippers?

Photos Courtesy 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

The Highlight Reel: The Week's Best and Worst TV

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 May 2007 13:01:49 -0700

Every Friday in the Highlight Reel, I round up the week's best, funniest, strangest, and most embarrassing moments in television for your amusement.

Dr. Boogie - who got cut from "Shear Genius" this week - talks his way, cuts hair his way, and apparently cries his way too. After seeing a cute message of encouragement from his son, Boogie said: "I just boo-hooed, and tears just ran out my nose."
"I'm just glad you taste like hot dogs." - Homer Simpson, after Bart was released from the grip of evil on the "24 Minutes" episode of "The Simpsons."
On "The Girls Next Door" this week, Hef and the girls celebrated Hef's 81st birthday in Las Vegas with a photo signing, where Bridget mused, "It's an unexplainable experience on how many lives we've affected and how many people look up to us as role models... People know who we are and we're not just a blonde chick, we're people now!"
This is a photo of Joel Bernabel from the first audition episode of "So You Think You Can Dance." This is a photo of Jemaine Clement from Eagle vs. Shark and "Flight of the Conchords." Coincidence? I think not.
And now, like your favorite shows, the Highlight Reel will be on hiatus until the fall. But don't worry - as "Brothers & Sisters" taught us this week, not all finales have to be sad.

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"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.

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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.

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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:

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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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