Some people have the best gossip sessions under a cape, getting snips, foils and whatever else done to their heads by their stylists. Today, however, we get the dish on two Dallas 'do-ers from Bravo as the network pimps the second season of Shear Genius (think Top Chef for hair stylists and hosted by Jaclyn Smith -- and, yes, that Jaclyn Smith).
Seems Matthew Tully, former Best of Dallas™ winner, caught the eye of Bravo’s casting peeps and temporarily abandoned his post at Matthew Tully Hairdressing for a go on the show. Joining him will be Daniel Lewis, co-owner of the Green Peridot Salon in Frisco.
We don’t know much about Lewis, save that his bio claims that, among other places, he’s done hair on a cruise ship, so I’m guessing cameras, mayhem and probable catfights are old hat. But Tully has styled some familiar names in the area, ranging from all-star athletes to well, non-famous people I know with really good hair … like, oh, my sister. He’s a normal guy (I once ran into him -- literally -- at Which Wich), and he works the Uptown salon along with his spunky wife, so I’m curious to see how the whole reality TV thing affects him.
The show’s set-up is much like Top Chef in that there are two challenges per show -- a smaller challenge for immunity and a subsequent, more balls-to-the-wall elimination challenge. The prize is 100-grand “seed money” from Nexxus Salon Hair Care, a Nexxus apprenticeship and styling hair for an Allure magazine feature. The judges have changed, however. Kelly Atterton comes from Allure, and celeb stylist Kim Vo (that sorta creepy guy from Extreme Makeover) replaces Sally Hershberger as head judge.
Shear Genius premieres June 25 on Bravo. If Season 1 was any indication, set your DVRs for sylists banging their head against walls during challenges like, “Here, style this Barbie head that’s nothing like a human's,” “This client will never be satisfied” and, my personal favorite, “Even our judges can’t believe you have to do this.” --Merritt Martin
