Photo Credit: Nicole Wilder/Syfy
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
There’s just something about watching a group of (mostly) very talented artists transform people with makeup and prosthetics every week. I like to see how the contestants attack each challenge, what they’re daunted by and how they pull their looks together in the end. I like creative types and I’m always impressed with these artists every week. It’s interesting to watch their process and discover how their brains work. This season I’m looking forward to seeing even more fantastical creations. What’s season six of Face Off got in store for us?
From Syfy:
The most extreme season of Face Off begins when 15 contestants must pair beauties with beasts of their own creation.
Season six presents the most extreme challenge creative for the series yet, compelling the contestants to push the possibilities in nearly every aspect of their makeups to inspire the most magnificent characters and creatures in Face Off history. The season’s first Spotlight challenge is a “Beauty & the Beast” makeup in which the contestants must create an original Beast who would live in a chosen castle with its Belle. Additional challenges include the creation of an intricate Medieval dragon warrior that breathes not only fire, but also elements like ice and poison; an outlandish rock ‘n roll guitarist character; an original wizard inspired by an array of unique wands on display; a whimsical creation inspired by Roald Dahl characters that have been written about, but never-before-seen on-screen; and a futuristic robot that has replaced humans in the workforce, complete with functional advantages in a particular field. Continuing the Face Off tradition, the season culminates with another visually spectacular and elaborate finale event – an amazing electronic, nightclub-inspired light show featuring the world-famous DJ Rusko.
The contestants:
Bethany Serpico
Age: 22
Hometown: Delaware County, PA
Residence: Astoria, New York
Occupation: Freelance Makeup Artist
Bethany’s makeup career has untraditional beginnings. Initially a video game designer, she began to sculpt the creatures that were featured in her games, finding a new outlet to further express her unwavering passion for the arts. Historical figures, anatomy and nature all serve as major influences in her designs. Serpico’s talents were recognized early, and immediately following graduating from the Makeup Designory she began her freelance business with work on haunted houses. Through this experience, she made connections that brought opportunities in film and television, including effects work for the LIVE with Kelly and Michael show and National Geographic Brain Games. Serpico’s fiery and ultra-competitive personality keeps her focused on not only winning the show, but also on putting her winnings towards her growing freelance career.
Cat Paschen
Age: 25
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Residence: North Hollywood, CA
Occupation: Lab Technician at Make-Up Designory
Cat is no stranger to adversity. On her own since, 18, she worked her way through college at San Francisco State University, where she earned a BA in communications studies while prepping to attend law school. Defying her dad’s wishes, she opted to chase her dreams as a makeup artist instead. After being hired at MAC cosmetics, she knew make-up was her future. She decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue her dream to become a professional make-up artist and attend Make-Up Designory. Fiercely driven by her ambitions, Cat’s detail oriented and meticulous approach to design combined with her blending expertise, has molded her into a technical, well-versed makeup artist. Her future ambitions include opening her own SFX shop with her boyfriend, fellow season six contestant Nicolas “Niko” Gonzalez.
Chloe Sens
Age: 22
Hometown: Austin, TX
Residence: Hollywood, CA
Occupation: Freelance Special Effects Makeup Artist
Chloe was raised by a family of talented artists in Austin, Texas who always encouraged her artistic passions. Upon graduating high school and being awarded culinary student of the year, Chloe pursued a career in the baking and pastry arts. After being the executive pastry chef in one of Austin’s oldest bakeries, Chloe soon realized that what she loved was really the art of large cake design and decoration. Shortly after, Chloe was introduced to special effects makeup and started watching Stan Winston School videos and practicing the craft. In 2012, she was granted a work study internship at Cinema Makeup School. Chloe then built a female gill man that won first place at Monsterpalooza and earned her a scholarship to the school. It was there that she met her biggest mentors — Mike Spatola, Don Lanning, and Lee Joyner. Face Off will allow Chloe the opportunity to elevate her skills and her career. While she has less experience than her competitors, her fresh ideas, talent and perseverance are sure to impress the judges.
Corinne Foster
Age: 26
Hometown: Dublin, CA
Residence: Whittier, CA
Occupation: Co-Owner and Makeup Department Head at Synapse FX
As co-owner and makeup FX department head of Synapse FX, Corinne has developed strong skills and expertise in application and color matching. She began educating herself at a young age, when she first learned her techniques through various trade programs taking her across two continents. As a business owner, she perfected her skills while working full-time in the entertainment industry as a professional makeup and special FX artist. She prides herself on her time management skills as well as working with strong teams, which has helped her build strong relationships with various makeup artists, including season two Face Off contestant Tara Lang. With her family by her side, Corinne is ready to win this competition.
Daniel Phillips
Age: 44
Hometown/Residence: St. Clair Shores, Michigan
Occupation: MUA, Owner of D.P. Studio
Encouraged to pursue his makeup career by his supportive parents, Daniel has accomplished a lot in the field. After working in a Chrysler factory for over 14 years, Daniel was first encouraged to pursue his movie magic dreams by his father. Motivated by this support, Daniel left the warehouse in 2009 and started his own SFX company, where he fine-tuned his unique abilities with prosthetic work. His specialized talents soon received national attention after he showcased his pieces in movies such as Oz The Great and Powerful and the Hobbit films. Daniel is ready to take his expertise and business and work to win this competition. A union member of IATSE local 38, Daniel has also been happily married for 21 years and is a father of two.
Daran Holt
Age: 41
Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: SFX Makeup Artist
A native of Kansas City, MO, Daran began his makeup career at age 16 when he started working in commercial haunted houses, where he did set building, makeup application and acting. Daran is a self-motivated jack-of-all-trades with a deep passion for doing makeup and special effects and a love for all things monster, science-fiction and fantasy related. Daran graduated from the Tom Savini Special Effects Makeup Program at Douglas Education Center in 2010. He now runs his own business making and selling his monster busts and sculptures online. Daran’s favorite quote is: “If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.”
George Schminky
Age: 38
Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Residence: Walnut Creek, California
Occupation: Freelance SFX Makeup Artist
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, George was inspired to teach himself makeup at the age of 12. After watching the horror film An American Werewolf in London he instantly knew his connection to the makeup world would be long-lived. He honed his skills and craft through reading books about makeup effects and teaching himself every aspect of it. George is a bona fide perfectionist who excels under pressure. Although he’s a very hard critic of his own work, his persistent and tenacious personality give him the aggressive edge needed to compete.
Graham Schofield
Age: 29
Hometown: Boston, MA
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Instructor at El School of Professional Makeup/Freelance Effects Artist
Graham developed his critical eye for makeup through science. A chemist at heart, Graham fuses his keen knowledge of the science and artistry to serve as an instructor at the EI School of Professional Makeup. He loves chemicals and aims to incorporate them in all aspects of his designs. His passion for mold making and life casting, coupled with his cynical attitude, make for his eclectic pieces of work. He hopes knowing the mechanics of makeup and SFX creation will help him outshine any of his competitors and make him one the one of the top contestants.
Margaret Caragan
Age: 32
Residence: Oakland, California
Occupation: Owner, Pandora FX
Margaret is the founder and owner of Pandora FX. She has worked in the Bay Area as a special makeup effects artist for 10 years. Caragan studied Fine Art at the Academy of Art College, earning a Bachelor’s in Sculpture. She spends the majority of her time managing teams as a makeup department head, creating highly detailed makeup effects designs and executing them for commercial and independent film clients. She specializes in casualty and character makeups, creating custom prosthetics for creatures, likeness, old age, injuries and extreme transformations. In her work, Margaret takes pride in taking care of her clients’ needs and enjoys the challenge of a new makeup design. Caragan’s business partner at Pandora FX is co-cast member George Schminky.
Matt Silva
Age: 24
Hometown/Residence: Atlanta, GA
Occupation: Freelance Makeup Effects Artist
Matthew has gained valuable experience in the industry of special effects makeup, including work on The Walking Dead, Big Momma’s House 3 and Zombieland. His work was solicited because of his expertise with encapsulated silicone, foam latex and prosthetic transfer. Matthew also enjoys teaching kids the art of special effects, and enjoys making this contribution to the future of the craft. He is a focused professional with a light-hearted attitude, who’s eager to showcase his abilities on Face Off.
Nicolas “Niko” Gonzalez
Age: 26
Hometown: San German, Puerto Rico
Residence: North Hollywood, CA
Occupation: SFX Makeup Artist
Niko was born and raised in San German, Puerto Rico. Since childhood, he has been involved in theater, dance groups and Tae Kwon Do. In college, he took formal make-up classes and would volunteer to do the makeups for various events and theater productions. This gave him the push to pursue make-up as a professional career and brought him to his current home, Los Angeles. His expressive and passionate personality seeps into his artwork and has allowed him to graduate from Make-Up Designory’s Master Make-up Artistry Program. He next went on to work for the school’s SFX lab, its retail cosmetic store and at the school as a substitute teacher. With knowledge from his black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do, Niko has a keen sense for resources and has the discipline to compete in Face Off. If Niko wins, he will use the money to pay off his loans, open an FX shop with his girlfriend, fellow Face Off season 6 contestant Cat Paschen, and continue to pursue his crafts.
Rashaad Santiago
Age: 24
Hometown/Residence: Bronx, New York
Occupation: Part-time SFX Artist
Kind-hearted, self-motivated and driven, Rashaad is confident his creativity will make him a winner. With his father’s support as inspiration, Rashaad combats any adversity through his artwork. As a self-taught makeup artist, he has gained expertise in sculpting, molding and application. He’s inspired by Stan Winston because of his work on Jurrassic Park and Predator. He feels that he works most efficiently in a relaxed environment, and he enjoys doing celebrity impressions during free-time to lighten the mood. He plans to open his own effects shop where he can create and teach the art of makeup.
Tanner White
Age: 26
Hometown/Residence: San Diego, California
Occupation: SFX Artist
A family-oriented special effects artist and medical fabricator, Tanner believes he gets most of his artistic talent and abilities from his father. His passion for SFX began at a young age when he used to do test trials of makeup concepts on his little sister. As his career progressed, he graduated from Tom Savini’s special makeup effects program. He thrives under pressure and feels most comfortable working with silicone, foam latex and gelatin. He currently does makeup to create battle scene and crime scenarios to assist with military and police training facilities.
Tess Laeh
Age: 25
Residence: Littleton, CO
Occupation: Mannequin maker at Fusion Specialties Inc.
Tess is a fierce competitor and an even better makeup artist. Her inspiration comes from her four-year-old son, whom she gave up for adoption, but in whose life she is still very active and involved. She currently works as a mannequin maker at Fushion Specialties. She’s strong-willed and doesn’t take no for an answer and is a born leader. Tess has a flirty personality and a dynamic edge that stand out. She plans to do the most seamless and beautiful makeup to sweep the judges’ votes to win and pursue her dream to move with her husband to Los Angeles.
Tyler Green
Age: 26
Hometown/Residence: Litchfield, Connecticut
Occupation: Inventor and COO of Creative Genius LLC
Growing up in the historical farm-town of Litchfield, Connecticut, Tyler had his own workspace in his parents’ basement that was given to him as a “fortress of solitude” to inspire his creations. His first creations were completed at the age of 7 using only tape and cardboard. Since then, his creativity has remained just as intuitive, as most of his designs come to him in his dreams. He works well under pressure and uses his detail oriented and meticulous skills as the founder and COO of Creative Genius LLC. He’s ready to use his likeable charm and creative designs to compete in Face Off.
Season six of Face Off premieres Tuesday, January 14th at 9/8c on Syfy.
VIDEO
Sneak peek:
PHOTOS
All photos courtesy of Nicole Wilder/Syfy.
