''Face Off'' is an American

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...

program on the

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

cable network channel in which a group of

prosthetic makeup Prosthetic makeup also called special make-up effects and FX prosthesis) is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects. Prosthetic makeup goes back to the beginning of film makin ...

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

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama. ...

, and

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

s. One or more challenges are featured in each episode, with the work reviewed by a panel of judges who eliminate one or more artists each week until a final winner is chosen. Actress

McKenzie Westmore McKenzie Kate Westmore (born April 26, 1977) is an American actress and singer most popular for having played the role of Sheridan Crane Lopez-Fitzgerald on the television soap opera ''Passions'' from 1999 to 2008. Early life Westmore was born A ...

, known for her role as Sheridan Crane on the former

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. ...

soap opera ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and pr ...

'' and a member of the

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 firs ...

of makeup artists, serves as the show's host. For each assignment, the contestants' work is individually evaluated by a panel of professional special effects makeup artists who serve as judges. These judges have included television and film makeup artist

Glenn Hetrick Glenn Hetrick is a special make-up effects artist/designer, actor and producer. Hetrick is CEO of Alchemy FX Studios, a special effects studio which has worked on over 100 film and TV credits, such as '' Star Trek: Discovery'', ''Hunger Games'', M ...

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

- and

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

–winning makeup artist

Ve Neill Ve Neill (born Mary Flores; 1951) is an American makeup artist. She has won three Academy Awards, for the films ''Beetlejuice'', '' Mrs. Doubtfire'' and ''Ed Wood''. She has been nominated for eight Oscars in total. Early life Neill recounts t ...

, creature designer and director

Patrick Tatopoulos Patrick Tatopoulos (born September 25, 1957) is a Greek- French production designer and director who lives and works in the United States. His designs have appeared in numerous motion pictures, including '' Pitch Black'', ''Underworld'', ''I, Ro ...

(seasons 1–3), and creature and concept designer

Neville Page Neville Page is a British-American film and television creature and concept designer. Born in England, he was raised in Manchester, and Chicago, Illinois. He was inspired by science fiction, including ''Star Wars'', and makeup artist Rick Baker ...

(seasons 3 – 13). Industry figures and artists including

Brian Grazer Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer and writer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated fo ...

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...

Paul W. S. Anderson Paul William Scott Anderson (born 4 March 1965) is an English filmmaker who regularly works in science fiction films and video game adaptations. Anderson made his feature film debut with the British independent film ''Shopping'' (1994), and ...

Greg Nicotero Gregory Nicotero (born March 15, 1963) is an American special make-up effects creator, television producer, and director. His first major job in special effects makeup was on the George A. Romero film ''Day of the Dead'' (1985), under the tutel ...

Rick Baker Richard A. Baker (born December 8, 1950), known professionally as Rick Baker, is an American retired special make-up effects creator and actor. He is mostly known for his creature designs and effects. Baker won the Academy Award for Best Makeu ...

, Doug Jones,

Len Wiseman Len Ryan Wiseman (born March 4, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his work on the ''Underworld'' series, ''Live Free or Die Hard'', and the 2012 film '' Total Recall''. Wiseman runs the production company Sketch Films. Early ...

Gale Anne Hurd Gale Anne Hurd (born October 25, 1955) is an American film and television producer, the founder of Valhalla Entertainment (formerly Pacific Western Productions), and a former recording secretary for the Producers Guild of America. Early life Hu ...

and

Marcus Nispel Marcus Nispel is a German film director and producer, Fulbright Scholar, best known for several high-profile American remakes such as ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'', as well as an extensive career in television commercials and music videos. H ...

have served as guest judges. ''Face Off'' premiered January 26, 2011 on

. In August 2017, Syfy aired the first season of spin-off series '' Face Off: Game Face'', which brings back four all-stars from previous ''Face Off'' seasons for each episode and pits them head-to-head in three rounds for a chance to win .

Format

''Face Off'' is presented as a progressive elimination competition between 12 and 16 make-up artists. Each week, the artists face a "Spotlight Challenge" that tests their artistry and techniques to create a full makeup character to match a theme over the course of 3 days. The first day allows for concept design and sculpting for five hours, a second day of 9½ to 10 hours for work in finishing the molding, and a final day of 4 hours in applying the makeup before a one-hour "Last Look" for touch ups. The judges then have the opportunity to look at the makeups from afar and up close, and decide a series of top and bottom looks for the week. One artist will be deemed the winner, sometimes receiving a special bonus prize such as immunity from elimination or a cash reward, and one artist will be eliminated from the running for the grand prize. Some episodes also feature a "Foundation Challenge", a smaller challenge that introduces a new technique on a smaller scale, and the winner is awarded an advantage for that week's Spotlight Challenge, ranging from immunity from elimination to receiving a first choice of theme. More recent seasons have included a "Gauntlet" challenge, where the artists must complete in three rounds of challenges over two days, with either rounds scored on a point system to determine the winner and loser, or the winners of individual rounds considered safe and do not need to participate in the future rounds. The elimination format proceeds until three or four contestants are left. At this point, they get a larger assignment typically involving makeup for two or more actors for a short film or similar setpiece to feature their work. The judges review the make-up within the context of this final setpiece to determine the winner. The ''Face Off'' winner receives 100,000 and a year's supply of makeup from Alcone (changed to 25,000 of makeup in season 2), a "grand prize that will launch a career". The second season added the 2012

Toyota Camry Hybrid The Toyota Camry (XV50) is a mid-size car produced by Toyota from August 2011 to March 2019. Replacing the XV40 series, the XV50 represents the seventh generation of the Toyota Camry in all markets outside Japan, which follows a different genera ...

to its prize package. The Season 3 grand prize winner will receive the same US$25,000 of Alcone makeup and US$100,000 cash prize, in addition to the opportunity to become a guest lecturer at the "Make up for Ever Academy" in New York and Paris, and the

Toyota Prius v The Toyota Prius ''v'' (for versatile), also named Prius α (pronounced as Alpha) in Japan, and Prius+ in Europe and Singapore, is a hybrid gasoline-electric automobile produced by Toyota introduced in Japan in May 2011, in the U.S. in October 2 ...

. The prize package for season 4 remains the same with the exception of the 2013

Fiat 500 The Fiat 500 ( it, Cinquecento, ) is a rear-engined, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975 over a single generation in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon bodystyles. Launc ...

replacing the Prius V as the prize vehicle.

Production and development

Syfy began the development of ''Face Off'' in March 2010 in association with the 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 Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rel ...

and accepted audition videos through 15 September 2010.

Seasons

Season 1 (2011)

The first season of ''Face Off'' was won by Conor McCullagh of

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...

. ''Face Off'' Season 1 drew an average audience of 1.4 million viewers per episode during season 1. Contestants on season 1 were: Megan Areford, Tom Devlin, Kayla "Jo" Holland, Sergio Guerra, Frank Ippolito, Jessica Kramer, Marcel Banks, Samantha "Sam" Cobb, Tate Steinsiek, Gage Hubbard, Anthony Pepe, and Conor McCullagh (Winner).

Season 2 (2012)

The second season of ''Face Off'' was won by Rayce Bird of Shelley, Idaho. Season 2 premiere episode posted the best ratings performance for any Syfy original series since November ‘09, even increasing from those ratings in subsequent episodes. The finale drew over 2.4 million viewers, and was SyFy's most watched unscripted telecast ever. Contestants on season 2 were: Miranda Jory, Greg Lightner, Jerry Macaluso, Beki Ingram, Heather Henry, Ian Cromer, Robert "RJ" Haddy, Sue Lee, Tara Lang, Matt Valentine, Nicholas "Nix" Herrera, Brea Joseph, Athena Zhe, and Rayce Bird (Winner).

Season 3 (2012)

held open call auditions for the third season on November 19, 2011 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and

. Filming began during the spring of 2012 to be ready for a summer release. The third season of ''Face Off'' premiered on August 21, 2012. The selected contestants were revealed to the public on June 29, 2012. This is the first season of the show where two relatives have been selected as contestants: fraternal twin brothers Eric and Derek Garcia were among those chosen to participate. While Neill and Hetrick remain as judges, concept designer Neville Page became a replacement judge with Tatopoulos appearing in the season premiere, a subsequent episode, and the finale. The season finale was broadcast live on Halloween, October 31, 2012 and viewers voted for the winner. Halfway through the season the first five eliminated contestants (excluding Joe Castro who was the first contestant ever disqualified from the competition in the season premiere) were allowed to compete in a foundation challenge, with the victor returning to the show. This challenge was won by Nicole Chilelli of

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, California, who went on to become this season's champion. Contestants on season 3 were: Thomas "Tommy" Pietch, Joe Castro, Sarah Elizabeth Miller, Alana Rose Schiro, Roy Wooley, Laura Tyler, Rod Maxwell, Jason Milani, Derek Garcia, Eric Garcia, Carpucine "C.C." Childs, and Nicole Chilelli (Winner).

Season 4 (2013)

Syfy picked up ''Face Off'' for a fourth season on October 9, 2012 which premiered January 15, 2013. A sneak peek of the upcoming season premiered during the live season 3 finale. Season 4 was won by Anthony Kosar of Chicago,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfo ...

. Contestants on season 4 were: Kristian "Kris" Kobzina, Wayne Anderson, Alexandra "Alex" McCoy, Meagan Hester, Jenna Green, Eric Zapata, Autumn Cook, Troy Rivers, Michael Faust, Alam Park, David "House' Greathouse, Eric Fox, Katie Machaiek, and Anthony Kosar (Winner).

Season 5 (2013)

Syfy picked up ''Face Off'' for a fifth season. During season 4's Face-Off redemption, Eric Zapata won a place as one of the eight returning contestants who are to compete against eight new contestants. This was the second season that a contestant voluntarily left the competition, when Laney Parkhurst departed in episode 11. The season was won by Laura Tyler of

, who was a finalist on season 3. Contestants on season 5 were: Alaina "Laney" Parkhurst, Rick Prince, Eddie Holecko, Steve Tolin, Samantha "Sam" Allen, Adolfo Barreto Rivera, Lyma Millot, Scott Ramp, Alana Rose Schiro, Roy Wooley, Tate Steinsiek, Miranda Jory, Frank Ippolito, Eric Zapata, Robert "RJ" Haddy, and Laura Tyler (Winner).

Season 6 (2014)

Season 6 started January 14, 2014. This season was won by Rashaad Santiago of

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yo ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

. This season had a theme of "extremes". During this season the judges had the power to save one contestant who would have normally been eliminated. This season also featured a trip to

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, where the artists competed in an

Oni An is a kind of '' yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess ...

foundation challenge and found inspiration for an

Anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening o ...

spotlight challenge. Contestants on season 6 were: Margaret Caragan, Graham Schofield, Matt Silva, Tess Laeh, Tanner White, George Schminky, Daran Holt, Bethany Serpico, Niko Gonzalez, Cat Paschen, Chloe Sens, Daniel Phillips, Corinne Foster, Tyler Green, and Rashaad Santiago (Winner).

Season 7 (2014)

Season 7 was announced on April 18, 2014. It premiered on July 22, 2014. This season features a fourth judge, Lois Burwell. Season 7 was won by Dina Cimarusti of Chicago,

. This season also focused on the theme of "life and death" and used this theme for many of the challenges. This season employed the one-time save of an eliminated contestant that was introduced in season 6. Contestants on season 7 were: Rachael Wagner, Damien Zimmerman, Jason Hodges, David "Doc" O'Connell, Drew Talbot, Keaghlan Ashley, Gabby Leithsceal, Scott Mitchell, Cig Neutron, Vince Niebla, Stella Sensel, Sasha Glasser, Gwen Crew, George Troester III, Barry Mahoney, and Dina Cimarusti (Winner).

Season 8 (2015)

Season 8 was announced on October 22, 2014. It was premiered on January 13, 2015. During this season the 15 new artists are placed into three teams of five, each coached by a previous winner of Face Off. The coaches were Rayce Bird (Season 2 Winner), Anthony Kosar (Season 4 Winner), and Laura Tyler (Season 3 Runner Up, Season 5 Winner). If every member of a coaches team is eliminated, that coach leaves the competition as well. This season was won by Darla Edin of

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. She was part of Team Laura, making Laura the first person to win Face Off twice. Contestants on season 8 were: Jamie Leodones, Adam Milicevic, Logan Long, Regina Jiganti, Daniel Prado, Rob Miller, Emily Serpico, Stephanie Masco, Ben Peter, Kelly Harris, Anthony Reyes, Gregory Hewett, Alan Carnes, Julian Bonfiglio, and Darla Edin (Winner).

Season 9 (2015)

Season 9 was announced on April 8, 2015. It premiered on July 28, 2015. This season had a theme of "surprises" and featured two new challenge formats: focus challenges and The Gauntlet. In a focus challenge, the artists are given two days (as opposed to the usual three allotted for a spotlight challenge) to create a makeup that focuses on the face and strong application is emphasized. The Gauntlet is a series of three consecutive foundation challenges, each testing a different aspect of the artists' abilities. The least successful artist after the three rounds is eliminated. The season finale took place on October 27, 2015. The winner of season 9 was Nora Hewitt of Barkhamsted, Connecticut. Contestants on season 9 were: Kevon Ward, Megan "Meg" Wilbur, Jason Henricks, Libby Rose, Melissa "Missy Munster" Stell, Sidney Cumbie, Jordan Patton, Evan Hedges, Scott Fensterer, Ricky Vitus, Jasmine Ringo, Omar Sfreddo, Ben Ploughman, Stevie Calabrese, Brittany Leslie, and Nora Hewitt (Winner).

Season 10 (2016)

Season 10 was announced on October 27, 2015. It premiered on January 13, 2016. In this season the judges were allowed to save one contestant who would normally be eliminated, a device previously used in seasons 6 and 7. The winner of this season was Rob Seal of

Lake View Terrace Lake View Terrace is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California.

, California. Contestants on season 10 were: Jennifer Bowden, Samuel "Njoroge" Karumba, Melissa Ebbe, Anthony "Ant" Canonica, Johnny Leftwich, Greg Schrantz, Katie Kinney, Anna Cali, Kaleb Lewis, Walter Welsh, Yvonne Cox, Robert Lindsay, Melanie "Mel" Licata, and Robert "Rob" Seal (Winner).

Season 11 (2017)

Season 11 premiered on January 24, 2017. The season featured an all star cast of 16 returning contestants and had all of them working in teams of two until episode 8. From this episode 9, the competition is individual. The winner was Cig Neutron of

, California, who was a finalist in Season 7. Contestants on season 11 were: Niko Gonzalez, Jasmine Ringo, Stella Sensel, Gage Hubbard, George Troester III, Tyler Green, Ben Ploughman, Cat Paschen, Adam Milicevic, Logan Long, Evan Hedges, Emily Serpico, Rachael Wagner, Keaghlan Ashley, Melissa Ebbe, and Cig Neutron (Winner).

Season 12 (2017)

Season 12 premiered on June 13, 2017. This season, 12 new artists were split into two competing FX shops. The winner of this season was Andrew Freeman of

Glendora, California Glendora is a city in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California, east of Los Angeles. As of the 2020 census, the population of Glendora was 52,558. Known as the "Pride of the Foothills", Glendora is nestled in the foothills of ...

. Contestants on season 12 were: Jill Burgner, Suzanne Bostwick, Al Tuskes, Nick Fischer, KC Mussman, Phil Harrah, Nelson Cooper, Faina Rudshteyn, Laura McCormick, Joseph Drobezko, Kierstin Lapatka, and Andrew Freeman (Winner).

Season 13 (2018)

Season 13 was announced on January 6, 2018. An all-star edition consisting of past favorites, it is to be the final season. A petition to continue the show after Season 13 was created May 3, 2018, and has received 26,383 signatures, including

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...

. Contestants on season 13 are: Damien Zimmerman, Kelly Harris, Melanie "Mel" Licata, Yvonne Cox, Derek Garcia, Sasha Glasser, Kayla "Jo" Holland, Graham Schofield, Walter Welsh, Kevon Ward, Jordan Patton, and Matt Valentine (Winner).

Cast appearance chart

Host * Mackenzie Westmore Judges *

(2011 - 2017) *

(2011 - 2014; 2015–17) *

(2012 - 2017) *

(2011 - 2012) * Lois Burwell (2014 - 2015) Mentor *

Michael Westmore Michael George Westmore I (born March 22, 1938) is an American make-up artist best known for his work in various ''Star Trek'' productions, winning nine Emmy Awards, and is a member of the Westmore family. He won the Academy Award for Make-up in ...

Timeline ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:80 top:0 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/2011 till:25/04/2017 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:2011 Colors = id:Judge value:green legend:Judge id:Host value:lavender legend:Host id:Mentor value:blue legend:Mentor BarData = bar:Mackenzie text:Mackenzie Westmore bar:Glenn text:Glenn Hetrick bar:Ve text:Ve Neill bar:Patrick text:Patrick Tatopoulos bar:Neville text:Neville Page bar:Lois text:Lois Burwell bar:Michael text:Michael Westmore PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Mackenzie from:start till:end color:host bar:Glenn from:start till:end color:judge bar:Ve from:start till:22/07/2014 color:judge bar:Ve from:15/01/2015 till:end color:judge bar:Patrick from:start till:21/08/2012 color:judge bar:Neville from:21/08/2012 till:end color:judge bar:Michael from:15/01/2013 till:end color:mentor bar:Lois from:22/07/2014 till:15/01/2015 color:judge

References

External links

* * {{Syfy Shows 2011 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings Syfy original programming English-language television shows Special effects Reality competition television series