Plot Synopsis

Aspiring special-effects makeup artists compete in elimination challenges for their shot at stardom by showing unlimited imagination that allows them to create amazing works of living art. The winners of Seasons 3-7 earned $100,000 in seed money to help encourage their special effects career and the coveted exposure to help launch a career. The contestants are tasked with elaborate feature challenges that require a wide range of skills -- effects makeup, prosthetics, 3-D design, sculpting, eye enhancers, casting and molding. At the end of each episode, one contestant is sent home by the panel of expert and celebrity judges. Judging the series are: multiple Academy Award winner Ve Neill; famed special makeup effects artist Glenn Hetrick; and blockbuster creature designer Neville Page. In Season 1, the winner was Conor McCullagh, and guest judges includes: Sean Cunningham; revolutionary body painter Filippo Ioco; Greg Nicotero; and Michael Westmore. Rayce Bird won Season 2, which featured the following guest judges: actor LeVar Burton; renowned makeup artist Greg Cannom; actress Vivica Fox; actress Catherine O'Hara; musical artist Asher Roth; and noted horror makeup artist Tom Savini. During Season 3, which was won by Nicole Chilelli, the guest judges included: Brian Grazer, Kevin Smith, Gale Anne Hurd, Sean Astin, LucasFilm collaborator and actor Matthew Wood, Paul WS Anderson, boxer Laila Ali and Oscar-nominated makeup artist Barney Burman. Season 4, which premiered with a 90-minute episode on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 9pm, featured an official contest mentor, Michael Westmore, who is a world-renowned Hollywood makeup artist and the father of the FACE OFF host, and guest judges, including Bryan Singer, Gale Anne Hurd, John Landau, Michael Nankin and John Rhys-Davies.FACE OFF returned for its sixth season on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT on Syfy. Season 6 guest judges included: Tami Lane, Stephen Sommers, Scott Stewart, Oren Peli, Howard Berger, creature actor Doug Jones, former FACE OFF series judge Patrick Tatopolous, author Roald Dahl's daughter Lucy Dahl, Valli O'Reilly, Len Wiseman, Kazuhiro Tsuji, anime artist and sci-fi illustrator Hidetaka Tenjin and music producer Rusko. On Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT on Syfy, FACE OFF returned for a seventh season themed "Life and Death." Each week the contestants face creative challenges designed to inspire them to explore life, death, rebirth and mortality. Each week of Season 7, Syfy calls on viewers to tweet about their favorite contestant using #FaceOff. Viewer tweets determine who the weekly fan favorite is, and at the season's end, the contestant who ranked the overall most favorite will be rewarded with $10,000. On Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT on Syfy, FACE OFF returned for an eighth season themed "Return of the Champions." The Season 8 premiere is super-sized over two episodes, during which makeup super-legend Rick Baker appears, first mentoring the artists and then appearing as a guest judge. In a twist on the show's traditional format, three former champions -- Rayce Bird (Season 2), Anthony Kosar (Season 4) and Laura Tyler (Season 5) -- return in the premiere and select teams of five new artists who they coach throughout the season. Season 8 also features the full-time return of fan-favorite judge Ve Neill. FACE OFF returned for its ninth season on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT on Syfy, with host McKenzie Westmore and judges Ve Neill, Glenn Hetrick and Neville Page all returning for the new season. For Season 9, Hollywood makeup legend Michael Westmore serves as the contestant mentor. Season 9 begins with a cosmic bang as sixteen new talented artists work in teams of two to construct original alien animals that incorporate two models into one massive creation. Then, weeks later on August 11, FACE OFF celebrates its 100th episode in style, as the artists turn real-life engaged couples into whimsically undead duos. Following the challenge, host McKenzie Westmore, recently an ordained minister, will marry the couples as they say their vows in front of friends and family. Season 10 of FACE OFF premiered on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT on Syfy, as a new group of contestants vie for the chance to win $100,000, a 2016 Fiat 500 and a VIP trip courtesy of Kryolan Professional Make-Up to one of their 85 international locations. McKenzie Westmore returns to host, as do the judges: multiple Academy Award-winner Ve Neill, industry veteran Glenn Hetrick, and creature designer Neville Page. World-renowned Hollywood makeup artist Michael Westmore (Star Trek) continues as contestant mentor. Guest judges for Season 10 include: iconic actor, writer, producer Paul Reubens; executive producer Gale Anne Hurd; Rob Kazinsky; Oscar nominated and Emmy Award-winning producer Jason Blum; Lance Henriksen; Academy Award-winning makeup artist Bill Corso; Academy Award-winning makeup artist Lois Burwell; and more. FACE OFF returns for Season 11 on Tuesday January 24, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT on Syfy, with 16 all-star contestants vying for a grand prize and the honor of being Hollywood's next great special effects make-up artist. Hosted by McKenzie Westmore, the series returns with elaborate never-before-seen challenges to test their skills as they battle it out for a coveted second chance at victory. Returning judges for FACE OFF: ALL STARS are Ve Neill, Glenn Hetrick, and Neville Page with Michael Westmore again serving as contestant mentor. Season 11 also features entertainment industry leaders as special guests, including Director John Landis, Writer/Diretor Paul W.S. Anderson, Producer Suzanne Todd., Director Marcus Nispel and Stunt Coordinator Jeff Wolfe. The 16 contestants for Season 11 include (in alphabetical order by first name): Adam Milicevic (Season 8; Los Angeles, CA); Ben Ploughman (Season 9; Los Angeles, CA); Cat Paschen (Season 6; Los Angeles, CA); Cig Neutron (Season 7; Los Angeles CA); Emily Serpico (Season 8; Orlando, FL); Evan Hedges (Season 9; Boulder, CO); Gage Hubbard (Season 1; Los Angeles, CA); George Troester (Season 7; Los Angeles, CA); Jasmine Ringo (Season 9; Las Vegas, NV); Keaghlan Ashley (Season 7; Los Angeles, CA); Logan Long (Season 8; Salt Lake City, UT); Melissa Ebbe (Season 10; Milwaukee, WI); Niko Gonzalez (Season 6; Los Angeles, CA); Rachael Wagner (Season 7; Los Angeles, CA); Stella Sensel (Season 7; New York, NY); and Tyler Green (Season 6; Litchfield, CT). On Tuesday, June 13, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT, Syfy premiered the twelfth season of FACE OFF, immediately following a 14-hour marathon (7am-9pm) of encore presentations of all episodes from Season 11. For the new season, titled FACE OFF: DIVIDE & CONQUER, McKenzie Westmore, Glenn Hetrick, Ve Neill and Neville Page all return and welcome 12 artists, who are divided into two make-up effects shop, and the first assignment is to design a werewolf pack. Guest judges this season include Elizabeth Mitchell and more. The artists this season are: Nicolas Fischer (hometown: Wildwood, IL); Joseph Droboezko (Mt. Holly, NJ); Nelson Cooper (Ventura, CA); Kiersten LaPatka (Andover, MN); Jill Burgner (Stow, OH); Andrew Freeman (Glendora, CA); Laura McCormick (Marlow, OK); KC Mussman (Israel); Suzanne Bostwick (Stevens Point, WI); Philip Harrah (Galloway, NJ); Alan Tuskes (Cleveland, OH); and Faina Rudshteyn (Brooklyn, NY). The most talented artists from past seasons return for FACE OFF's thirteenth and final season: FACE OFF: BATTLE ROYALE. In this All-Star season, fan-favorite artists from past seasons are paired against one another for the first time ever, as teams battle it out each week, with two contestants eliminated every other episode. McKenzie Westmore returns to host FACE OFF: BATTLE ROYALE. In her 13th season with FACE OFF, Westmore is joined by judges Ve Neill, Neville Page, and Glenn Hetrick. The All-Star Artists include: Derek Garcia; Graham Schofield; Sasha Glasser; Damien Zimmerman; Kelly Harris; Jordan Patton; Kevon Ward; Mel Licata; Walter Welsh; Yvonne Cox; Kayla 'Jo' Holland; and Matt Valentine.
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On Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT, Syfy premieres "Through the Looking Glass (Part 2)," a finale of FACE OFF: BATTLE ROYALE and the series finale of FACE OFF. In the finale, the artists and their teams create their short film, and one is crowned champion. One week earlier in Part 1 of the two-part finale, the finalists learn that they will be creating characters for an original short film based on the book "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There."