Jon, You Are Shear Genius
07 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in TV
I love reading great literary works, meandering through museums, and, well, watching bad reality TV. To me, it’s as sweet as a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie. I’m not exactly sure why I find bad reality TV so appealing, but I figure it has a lot to do with the fact that, as a writer, I’m curious–especially curious about human interaction. And while my DVR is no stranger to episodes of the Real Housewives of OC and New York, I’m most interested in reality TV competitions. I’m a fan of the fashion shows (can we say fierce?), and I’m not afraid to admit I have a little crush on Tom Colicchio of Top Chef fame. But my all-time favorite show is Shear Genius. Yes, I’m publicizing this little-known fact about me: I watch a hair cutting reality show, and I like it.
According to the Bravo TV site, here’s the 411 on the show: “Bravo has assembled 12 remarkably talented individuals who will raise the level of competition as never seen before. The winner will receive $100,000 in prize money furnished by Nexxus Salon Hair Care, an apprenticeship with Nexxus and the chance to style hair for an Allure magazine photo shoot.” And while the show has its fair share of drama, I love watching the stylists go through each week’s challenge, styling hair in a shortcut challenge that usually only lasts an hour, and then progressing to an elimination challenge that usually lasts a couple of hours. The latter challenge is what the judges base their decision on to eliminate a contestant per week.
Unfortunately, last week, my favorite contestant was eliminated. Jon, from Tennessee, was my favorite. His strength was his ability to cut and color hair. And while he wasn’t the best at styling hair, he never gave up during any of the challenges. What I liked most about him, though, was his seeming sincerity. Yes, I realize this is a TV show, so I’ve never met him in person, and the show was definitely edited. But, week after week, throughout the competition, he seemed so Jon, so real. As he was eliminated, he remarked about how he thought he’d never make it to the final four and how proud he was that he’d made it that far. This week wrapped up season 3, and while I agreed with the judges’ final decision, Jon is still my favorite. Being real is genius. Way to go, Jon.
