Local ‘Face-Off’ contestants fare well
“Face Off” judge Ve Neill called it a “subterranean dinosaur.” Her colleague Glenn Hetrick added, “I love this thing.”
Yep, Jordan Patton of Mount Washington was off to a strong start.
Paired with Ben Ploughman in the first challenge of season nine — which premiered Tuesday on Syfy — Mr. Patton said he was thrilled. “It couldn’t have gone better for Ben and me. We worked extremely well together.”
The spotlight challenge was to take inspiration from elements from a natural history museum and, using two models, create something that seemed organic. Almost as a last-minute decision, Mr. Patton chose to drape fabric around the back and front of their horned creature, which served to cover up some bare spots in the design.
Only one of the team members could be named the winner, however, and Mr. Ploughman got the nod. Mr. Patton, a West Virginia native and a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, said he was fine with that. In fact, he was just relieved it was such a positive experience.
“With the team challenges, you never know what to expect,” he said.
With everyone scrambling to make it to the stage on time (“The amount of work is just soul-crushing,” Mr. Ploughman said.), Clairton’s Nora Hewitt still made time for a selfie with her partner and one of the made-up models.
She and Scott Fensterer of Orlando, Fla., were praised for their zoologically based creation as well. “Everything turned out fine, but ‘nervous’ is an understatement,” she said.
Ms. Hewitt attended the Tom Savini Special Make-up Effects program at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen. Others from the program are on the show, including Ricky Vitus of Bellport, N.Y., and Evan Hedges of Boulder, Colo.
Mr. Hedges was among the top four designers in the season premiere, creating a carbon-and-mineral-based creature with swishing tentacles, a touch the judges applauded.
Because this was deemed such a massive first challenge, none of the designers was eliminated.
More reality TV
• Last year, Pittsburgh native Shoshana B. Roberts starred in a viral YouTube video as she walked the streets of New York City for 10 hours and was subjected to various forms of catcalls. It’s been watched almost 41 million times. Ms. Roberts has been interviewed by CNN for a piece on viral videos scheduled to air Aug. 11.
On a happier note, Ms. Roberts is going to be at Kleinfeld Bridal in Brooklyn this weekend for a taping of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress.” Her wedding is scheduled for 2016.
• Pittsburgh was recently featured in The New York Times’ Sunday “36 Hours” column. But we missed making the grade when The Travel Channel chose six cities for a debut season of a television version.
“36 Hours” premieres 8 p.m. Aug. 17, beginning with Berlin. Hosts are Kristen Kish and Kyle Martino. Other cities in the spotlight will be Boston, Nashville, Tenn., Portland, Ore., Barcelona, Spain, and Istanbul.