As I hunkered down before the TV on Wednesday to watch the Shear Genius finale, I was struck by a thoroughly novel feeling: the realization that I would be okay with any of the finalists winning. I didn't really have a dog in the fight, and I didn't have anyone that I was rooting against. Reality TV producers might find this an alarming situation, but I welcomed it because it meant that I could focus on what the finalists were doing rather than muttering, "Anybody but ____, anybody but ____."
So in a way, everybody won -- even me!
Anthony, Ben and Daisy meet with Rene to learn of their final challenge.
If you don't feel like watching the preview video again, here's the gist: The stylists will have 3 hours to create 3 looks on 3 models. One of these looks must be the "Nancy Kwan" bob pioneered by Vidal Sassoon, and at least one of the looks must involve color. The third look is totally of the stylist's choosing. However, their styles must work with the clothes provided by 3 different designers (each stylist gets to pick a designer) and they must "tell a story."
I had no idea that hair was supposed to tell a story. The story of my hair goes something like this: "Around mid-May, it simply became too hot to blow-dry her hair in the morning. Given the choice between having scraggly hair and sweating through her makeup, she constantly chose the former, figuring that she couldn't exactly put her face up in a ponytail."
But before the stylists have to work on their plans for the final challenge, they're given a major treat: they get to meet Vidal Sassoon.
They're amazed. Daisy gasps, Ben tears up, and Anthony becomes airborne. This is major.
And Sassoon is just lovely: a warm, friendly walking encyclopedia of haircutting and hair fashion. He's been in the hair industry for 65 years now and has spent a large part of that time on its leading edge. Sassoon isn't there just to chat with the stylists, though; he's also there to promote his charity, Hairdressers Unlocking Hope, that (I think) encourages hairdressers to give back to the communities they serve. (He mentions the URL whodoesyourhair.com, but that site doesn't look like it's operational yet.)
On a similar note, one of my eight readers has passed along the info that the folks who produce Shear Genius have donated a bunch of show goodies to be auctioned on eBay, with the proceeds going to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation. The items include Wall of Fame posters, nameplates from the stylists' stations and mannequin heads from the first show. I keep on getting misty over the just-plain-goodness associated with this show. My reputation as a bastard is in mortal peril!
After talking with Sassoon, the stylists draw scissor boxes to see who gets to pick a clothing designer first. All three of them look through the racks of clothes, then Daisy picks a rack of black-and-white graphic print dresses by Luca Luca. Anthony chooses a rack of Cynthia Rowley clothes that looks colorful, yet he picks outfits in gray and black. And Ben, after joking about which rack to pick, selects three dresses in varying shades of green from Dina Bar-El.
As they choose their clothes, the stylists start crafting their stories. (Inexplicably, nobody goes with my blow-dry narrative.) Anthony wants to focus his looks on something he calls "modern movement." That sounds more like a theme than a story to me, but I'm always biased in favor of plot. Daisy chooses "the evolution of the curl," while Ben has what I think is the most interesting story: "outer beauty to inner beauty," about a woman who starts off as a Hollywood glamazon but ends up as a cool indie chick.
We're shown footage of the stylists preparing for the next day's challenge, and learn a bit more about them. Anthony reveals that his mother died giving birth to his younger sister (and that's gotta be just horrible for a child to deal with) and that he moved to a new country (I think he means the UK, but he could mean the US) at age 24 and had to start all over. Wow. What a lot for one person to go through, and how impressive that he went through it and came out so incredibly cool.
Daisy talks about her family and her girlfriend, and how much she wants to win the competition. "If you really want something, the universe works to give it to you," she says. Oh, dear. Saying that sort of thing on-camera is like tempting fate. I start to worry for Daisy.
Ben talks about how delighted he is to be in the final 3, how much he's learned along the way and how much the past few challenges have strengthened his confidence. I've gotta say, Ben has improved a lot over the course of the competition, and strikes me as one hell of a fast learner.
The next day everyone dresses up nicely and meets in the salon. Rene walks out their 9 models, who have already been assigned to the clothing designers and, hence, the stylists. There's a huge variety of hair colors and body shapes and sizes, but I think it's all Caucasian hair, so there's no African-American challenge element built in here (or Asian challenge). "Go shake it!" Rene commands them, and the 3 hours starts counting down.
Right out of the gate, Ben and Anthony run into some obstacles when each has a model say she doesn't want to lose too much length. G'bugh? Wha? Isn't that... part of being a hair model? Maybe it's a curve the producers threw them to see how skillful they were at merging their vision with their clients' concerns. Still. Weird.
Speaking of bizarre, probably manufactured drama, we're shown a "coming up" preview that indicates that Anthony will pitch a fit over Rene. Only he doesn't. Rene asks him a couple smart-ass questions in a teasing kind of way and Anthony shoos him off while grinning, and I can't help but think they're flirting with each other a little bit or at least taking the piss like a couple of mates (um, say that last part in your best British accent). But it's nothing like the "Rene goes too far! Anthony reaches his breaking point!" sturm und drang that the background music is trying to sell you.
Daisy talks about her plans to show curls emerging in styles, with the first look being the Nancy Kwan bob plus a "Marcel curl" on it. The second look will have more exaggerated curls, and the third will be curl-a-palooza. Unfortunately, only one of her three Marcel irons is working. It also looks like her can of hair spray is either out or has a clogged nozzle (and we all know how painful that can be). And her pin-curls aren't drying. Then things take a real turn as she drops a bowl of mixed color on the floor -- then gathers it up and puts it on the model's head. Ew! Is that even ... I dunno, legal? Is it a violation of some state code or something? It feels kinda like it should be.
Daisy isn't the only one making questionable decisions, though. Ben, I love you like a brother, but now is not the time to go for an updo! They're just not your forte, and this is when you want to show your strengths, right?
Finally, Rene calls time. Repeatedly, in fact, because Daisy is still spraying a client's head. I almost wonder if she'll get disqualified; that's how long she keeps spraying. But she finally puts her can down and all three stylists hug each other in the center of the room before preparing for the hair show. I cannot express how much I love their camaraderie; it's seen so rarely on TV as a whole, let alone on a competitive show.
This is the final hair show, y'all. Time to see who walks away with 100 large!
Why am I showing you the back of a model's head? To show you how freaking precise Anthony's take on the Nancy Kwan bob is! The color's a little flat; I agree with Vidal Sassoon that he should have just enhanced the model's original dirty blond color. But the lines are impeccable.
Sally Herschberger says that the bangs Anthony cut were a good choice for a round face. I've always heard the opposite, but what do I know? I wear a ponytail most days. I will say that the color looks great and, once again, the lines are awesome. I'd say Anthony chose these cuts to appeal to Sassoon, and I salute him for the good thinking.
This is the model who didn't want to lose any length at all. But you probably already read that in her face. While I think the cut would look good on another woman, the makeup and this model's facial structure combine in such a way that all I can think is "Courtney Thorne-Smith circa Melrose Place!" I really need to get out more.
Ben. Ben, Ben, Ben. Why the updo? I know you were trying to convey "rote Hollywood glamour," but you could've done that just as well with exquisitely colored hair fashioned into a big poufy style. Let's look at the back...
....oh, dear.
Ben's bob is pretty interesting. He didn't do an exact re-creation of the Nancy Kwan, but cut some pixie-ish bangs into it, giving it a kind of joyful randomness that is practically Ben's trademark. That said, I think one side is longer than the other, and the judges think so too.
This is Ben's end product in the journey from outer to inner beauty. He tells the judges that it was designed with a budget-conscious Midwesterner in mind. And honestly, I have the greatest respect for that. In terms of his marketing vision, Ben is kind of the anti-Dr. Boogie. While Boogie fixated on stars and celebrities, Ben seems much more interested in the kind of regular folks who already frequent his shop. But while I dig the populism, the haircut itself is a bit lost on me. It's just kinda there.
Huh. This was supposed to be the Nancy Kwan with the single curve on the side, but it doesn't bear any resemblance whatsoever to a curl or a curve or anything involving the "S shape" that Daisy keeps talking about. In fact, the thing it calls to mind the most is Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau saying, "You have a bimp on your head." The color's freaking gorgeous, though.
Wow! The second look is great, especially considering how thick and course the model's hair was. This is total va-va-voom hair, and the model looks thrilled to have it. This is probably my favorite cut out of all the stylists' cuts.
Whoa. And this is the worst. That poor model looks like Baby Jane Hudson. I don't even...
.... wugh. Yeah, Daisy's toast. Not even the va-va-voom hair could overcome this rat's nest.
The judges deliberate over what they've seen. Everyone was mystified by Daisy's first and third looks and Ben's choice of an updo. Michael Carl complains that he wasn't overwhelmed by anything he saw and Vidal Sassoon lays the smackdown perfectly: "To do cut and color on three models in three hours was a very difficult challenge; you try it some time!" It's official: I love Vidal Sassoon.
And sure enough, Daisy is informed that she's out of the running first. Then, after a tense moment or two, we are informed that the winner is... Anthony!
What I love most about that picture isn't Anthony's ecstatic cheer (although I do love that), it's Ben's smile for him. There's nothing sour or rueful on his face, just gratitude for being in the top 2 and happiness for Anthony. And I'd like to think that however the finals had turned out, the person in the runner-up spot would have a similar expression for the winner. (I'm losing cynical points by the truckload here, aren't I.)
So everyone (except, regrettably, Daisy) gathers round for a toast to Anthony, Ben and the show. And holy hot rollers, I hope they have a second season! Thanks for watching with me.
Loved. It. Lots. Tons. Can't say enough good things. And I totally agree about the camaraderie thing - it worked and was touching and a beautiful thing in a reality competition. I felt almost the same way when Yul won survivor (although he was the clear winner, I wouldn't have had a problem with either of the other two winning. Although I didn't like Ozzy, he certainly played a good game. But I digress...)
And speaking of digressing, did you see the ads for a Top Chef 1&2 competition, with I think the final four from each season??? I'm actually looking forward to the return of Tiffani - season 2 left such a bad taste in my mouth. We'll see how that goes!
Posted by: Mindi | June 02, 2007 at 06:38 AM
I am with you 100% on this show. I'm so pissed that I'm overseas visiting in-laws and missed the finale. I thought Shear Genius was the only reality show with true class, even though I was made Tyson got cut earlier than he should have. After liking Top Design, I still find Shear Genius much more humane and uplifting. Maybe hairdressers are inherently more fun than interior designers. Wouldn't you rather party with Evangeline, Theodore, Ben, Boogie or Daisy, before you'd want to party with Michael (oh yuck!), Andrea (snore), Goil (um, what the Hell?), or Matt (snot)?
Your website has been a great joy to me and my family for the last few months, though. Please keep up the good work and blog us all the way through the end of Charm School, I Love New York 2, Top Chef, and beyond!
John
Posted by: BronzeMan | June 02, 2007 at 10:22 AM
Poor Daisy... I could see telling the story the evolution of the curl, but she needed to commit to it. She should have totally marcelled that first model, not just aim for one s-shaped bump. And that third one scared the hell outta me, and not just the hair, the face was frightening. Nope, Daisy got ousted and she deserved to, but I'd still choose her to do my hair of the three.
Posted by: LurkerNan | June 05, 2007 at 12:56 PM
That updo looks like something my cat coughed up this weekend. Now, if you're going to be a hairdresser, WHY would you choose to specialize in MALL HAIR? I'm lost. But if I had to choose, I'd be on Daisy's train. That spooky nest does need some bangs though. Unless she was going for the intense clairvoyant look. (get her out of my head!) GAH!
Posted by: SueBee | June 11, 2007 at 02:03 PM
where can I learn how to do the "Kwan Cut"
Posted by: omar | June 11, 2007 at 06:26 PM