Face Up

HEYAREYOUWATCHINGFACEOFF? YOUSHOULDWATCHFACEOFF! Sorry, that came out a little more aggressively than I expected. But I can’t help it because “Face Off” has been my secret obsession for several years now. The Syfy reality competition is about finding the best new special effects makeup artist. But if you think this is just applying a little blush and eyeliner, oh child, sit down and let me educate you.

First of all, “Face Off” is one of those reality shows based on talent and talent alone. It is not about personality or gamesmanship or hot tub hookups. It’s just about the ability to create amazing shit out of nothing each week. There’s also hardly any backstabbing and an unbelievable amount of camaraderie on the series. They’re helping and complimenting and supporting each other constantly. There’s no time for bullshit, they have to make monsters…or superheroes…or robots…or every imaginable (and unimaginable) fantastical creature out there.

Why am I telling you all of this now? Well, for one Season 7 premiered on Tuesday (don’t worry, it’s On Demand and streaming so you can catch up). And this season has an out female contestant, Stella Sensel, a 34-year-old freelance makeup artist who lives in Brooklyn with her wife and their dog. (Yeah, that is her below.) They met at an “Amateur Female Jell-O Wrestling match,” so clearly I am rooting for her already.

The other reason is that I will be doing mini-recaps of the series for AfterEllen to track her progress. So you can read them on Wednesdays over at AE. Oh, have I mentioned, YOUSHOULDTOTALLYWATCHFACEOFF.