July 25th, 2008 by Remcyl

I must say, after being inspired to be a stylist by the Blow Out show with Jonathan Antin, I was really excited with this show to air here in the Philippines.

So without further ado, let’s start my review of the show.

12 contestants are on the show that Jaclyn Smith hosts to compete for the title of Shear Genius.

I really didn’t know why they chose Jaclyn Smith to host this specific show since I really don’t see her as an icon in the hair industry to begin with. She is classic beauty we’ll give her that together with her great hosting skills, but she’d be better off in another reality program.

The introduction was very straight forward which I loved! No bells and whistles just straight on to the competition immediately. They entered this fabulous Shear Genius “salon” provided by Nexus where they will be doing every single one of their challenges.

The entire show is pretty much based on how Project Runway runs if you ask me. From how challenges are introduced, how models are picked, the preparation for the challenges (shopping for hair accessories), their own version of Tim Gunn, and how eliminations are made. So if you’re a fan of the Runway, then it’s not that hard to love this show. But is it good enough entertainment? Is this another cut-throat series we’d love to sit and watch for a complete hour?

The contestants varies from the rookies to the pros showcasing their talents on two challenges each episode. The first of which is the Shortcut Challenge which doesn’t eliminate anybody but are judged with their technicality using a manikin’s head. The second is called Elimination Challenge where their skills are now proven on real models where they have to style them according to the requirement or goal.

And here’s a peak into the judging of the contestants’ work.

Overall, the show was really entertaining. The Philippines is definitely ready for this kind of show given that our own folks are as skilled as any of the guys on this show.

All I know is, the person behind the concept of this show is Shear Genius! (Come on and laugh your heart out!)