classic quote from "Face Off"

"Face Off" (not to be confused with the Nicholas Cage/John Travolta movie "Face/Off") is a new reality series on the SyFy Channel. Similar in format to any number of elimination contests currently on the air, the show is about a group of hopeful special effects makeup artists looking for their big break. Every week, they'll face a pair of challenges; the first challenge is an "immunity" round, i.e., the winner can't be eliminated that week. The second challenge is an elimination round that will include intensive nitpicking by the show's three judges, resulting in one person being bumped off the show.

The first episode of "Face Off" is currently available at Hulu.com, which is where I watched it. As usually happens during the first episode of these competitions, the contestants are all briefly introduced, each in his or her own words. Putting aside the fact that some of the artists look as freakish as their creations, I had to laugh when one contestant, Tom, confessed that he was very dyslexic and then offered up this howler: "I have a real hard time reading and writing. That's kinda why I chose the arts!" Yes, yes-- I understand what he was trying to say. He wasn't really saying that the arts are the last refuge of the illiterate and the incapable. But still, you have to admit that it came out wrong. Heh.

I'll probably keep up with "Face Off," which appeals to my inner nerd. I'm secretly hoping that Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman might appear later on in the series as guest judges, given their special effects background. It's not likely to happen, though: I'm not sure that Adam and Jamie are as heavily into makeup as they are into making things that explode, slash, punch, or puncture other things. The Mythbusters' Build Team, however, does plenty of SFX makeup work, what with all their casts and molds. I'd be delighted to see Kari, Grant, and Tory on "Face Off," too.


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