Photo Credit: Laspata DeCaro

Oxygen Media, most recently awarded a 2012 Gracie Award for Outstanding Reality Show for its series The Glee Project, today announced its latest foray into unscripted programming: The Face, a new reality competition series along the lines of America’s Next Top Model or Project Runway, will showcase the efforts of three teams of up-and-coming models competing for the chance to become the spokesperson for a nationally recognized brand. World-renowned supermodel and businesswoman Naomi Campbell will be one of three supermodel coaches, who will each scout and choose their teams from the ranks of young models striving all over the world, then mentor and guide them through a series of trials representing the steep ladder to success in the fashion industry.

The Face will be produced by Shine America, a producer and distributor of many well-known hit series such as The Biggest Loser, The Office and Ugly Betty. Oxygen has formerly been home to cycles of America’s Next Top Model and, in its stated purpose as “a leading force in engaging modern young women,” is undoubtedly a good home for this new series. As Eden Gaha, President of Shine America says, “We are pleased to bring The Face to Oxygen, which we believe is the perfect fit for this new competition series that will take viewers behind the scenes of the glamorous and fast-paced world of modeling. It’s an incredible opportunity for these young models to work with and learn from an industry icon such as Naomi Campbell and the chance to become ‘the face’ of a national brand will be an exciting and meaningful start to their career.”

The Face is reportedly part of a fifty percent increase in Oxygen’s original programming, and the presence of a star like Campbell should attract plenty of viewers. Fans of scandal and drama would do well to hope for some onscreen displays of her legendary temper, though it is doubtful she will actually assault anyone, as has so often been alleged in the past. At any rate, even without the possibility of such histrionics (and only time will tell), the series should provide plenty of entertainment for fashion junkies everywhere. As Campbell says, “With The Face the audience will get a real insider’s look at this exciting industry that has been so good to me. One lucky girl will become the face of a major brand.”

Since the advent of reality television took place in the mid-90s, I’ve been fascinated with what it’s done to the entertainment industry. I remember watching “The Real World: Seattle” as a young teenager and was transfixed by this fledgling genre blooming before my eyes. Looking back, I think I was most captivated by watching people older than myself placed in situations without a script. I probably thought this is what college was like. Granted, the early days of reality TV were much more true to life than the orchestrated trash America eats up these days. Nevertheless, regardless of what you’re doing, if you’re on TV long enough, you’re going to become recognized. But we’ve always treated this recognition differently. What defines “celebrity?” Are news anchors celebrities? Are food network hosts? Funny enough, I ended going to college at the same time as an individual from the cast of “Real World: Seattle.” A friend pointed this person out on campus and I was mildly interested. This was a reality star from a different era. The reality stars of today aren’t people from everyday life — we’ve turned them into celebrities.

But they are indeed now “stars” of the bustling media universe, with all the benefits — and baggage — that entails. And their celebrity viability has consequences for traditional performers, inasmuch as “The Bachelor’s” betrayals and Jon and Kate Gosselin’s marital woes regularly grace tabloids and magazine covers, with no line of demarcation between them and what we used to think of as “stars.”

Only now, because of the unquenchable demand for programming and recognizable “talent,” they aren’t being disposed of. Instead, they’re recycled, creating a permanent reality-TV class accustomed to living their lives on camera — the ever-ready-for-primetime players (and on a budget!).

Their ascension within celebrity circles can be easily chronicled simply by flipping through the pages of US Weekly and People. And while interest in these newly minted stars hasn’t dampened enthusiasm for actor gossip, the migration into spheres once reserved for performers should send shudders up the spine of anyone holding a SAG card.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant cleverly mocked the genre in season two of “Extras” and to me, that’s the most biting commentary I’ve seen on the topic. Still though, who are the people watching “Extras”? They’re an audience with taste — certainly a taste that is disintegrating in our society as reality programming increases each year. I’m not going to sit here and say that I don’t watch any of the shows. That would be a bogus claim. Fact is, most of us do watch them. I get a kick out of “I Love New York” and “Rock of Love,” only it stops at the humor. The individuals on these shows are society’s most entertaining fools. Are they celebrities? Of course they are. But they are fools because they wanted to be.

Then the challenge came and it was cooking a dish for 100 Hell’s Kitchen customers–who were all the top chefs in Los Angeles…and I do mean top chefs…all Michelin star and James Beard award winners. Each chef had to cook one dish, with tasting portions of 100. And they had only 90 minutes to do this. It went so fast that I could barely hear what their dishes were, but know Danny made some sort of halibut and it failed miserably, with 76% of the visiting chefs calling it the worst of the three. That same 76% number called Paula’s dish the best. So Paula had a makeover, after some fabricated romantic banter between Paula and Jean Phillippe in the limo. Please! Then Paula had her makeover and she actually looked really good with her hair down, not the plain looking chef we’ve all seen this season.

Meanwhile, Danny was bummed out about how he took a beating in the challenge, and he and Andrea had the task of cleaning up Hell’s Kitchen, including wiping off the big screen TVs. On said TV as they were doing this was none other than Paula and chef Ramsay on the FOX show “Good Day LA.” Ha! Nice going, producers. Danny and Andrea also had to do all the laundry and ironing for the kitchen.

Then it was time for the dinner service and like they do every season at this point, the three chefs took turns at the pass playing the role of Ramsay. Paula and Danny, who are both somewhat soft-spoken, were nervous and fumbling at first. And as they always do, there were tricks meant to stump them along the way, like subsituting halibut for John Dory or squash puree for carrot puree, or not cooking scallops or potatoes long enough. Paula and Danny both rebounded and Andrea started off nicely, with her (let’s face it) big mouth. But she also missed some of the planted traps and then started to get on chef Scott’s nerves by riding him a little too much.

The good thing, though, is that Ramsay was smiling after the dinner service, because it was the best one of the season so far. But then he turned somber, saying he was going to have to send one of them home. He asked the remaining three to go back to their dorms and each choose one nominee for elimination. Not surprisingly, Danny and Andrea chose each other. Was Ramsay going to let Paula choose who went home? Paula, despite being friends with Andrea, chose her based on the entire season, and it was the right nominee because Danny has been mostly rock-solid.

Ramsay asked Danny and Andrea to step forward and state their cases, and then he told Andrea to take off her jacket and leave Hell’s Kitchen. Danny’s sigh of relief could be heard around the world, and I’m glad it’s coming down to truly the two best contestants. Paula should be the odds-on favorite based on how she’s taken the show by storm recently, but Danny is no slouch. This is going to be an interesting final for sure, maybe one of the best the show has seen to date.

I’m not quite sure if we have one or two more episodes, but I’m guessing the latter. Either way, I’ll see you all next week…..who do you want to win?

THE GOOD

Alison Iraheta is only 16 and as Simon Cowell correctly pointed out, she looked out of her element when Ryan Seacrest was interviewing her, and then when she took the stage she was a completely different person. This girl has unbelievable vocal ability at such a young age, and last night she sang Heart’s “Alone.” Randy said she “blew it out of the box,” Kara said Alison doesn’t know how good she is, Paula said she was the best so far (she went fifth), and Simon said she was the best so far by a mile. Alison would not have advanced last week, but with the way last night’s semi-finalists performed, she has a great shot now.

Kris Allen is a 23 year old dude from Arkansas, so you wouldn’t expect him to sing Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” would you? I was scared, but dude pulled it off nicely. It was rough at the start but he really nailed it as a whole and could be a dark horse. Kara said she thought it was the wrong song, Paula disagreed and so did Simon, saying Kris showed confidence, and Randy said he did a nice job without his guitar, as he had done before in Hollywood.

Adam Lambert closed things out with a wild version of The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction.” This guy is a pretty boy who has a theater background, and his voice is just monstrous. But the performance last night was a bit over the top and if he can rein things in a bit, he could go really far. Paula said she loved it and was practically drooling, Simon said parts were excruciatingly bad and parts were brilliant, Randy loved it too but said parts were overdone, and Kara said Adam’s vocal ability is great.

THE IN-BETWEEN

Nick Mitchell (a.k.a. Norman Gentle) sang some song I’d never heard of, but it doesn’t matter what he sings. This guy is all about the show, and he turned in maybe the weirdest performance the show has ever seen, almost making love to the “American Idol” logo. If Nick would ditch the Norman routine for once, he might actually have a decent career, because he can sing. But he doesn’t know how to shut off the theatrics. Simon said it was “atrocious” and that he is praying Nick doesn’t make it through, Randy said he was entertaining, Kara said Nick was memorable, and Paula said he was different and fun. Whatever, if he makes it to the finals it’s because America’s jokers voted him in.

Megan Joy Corkrey is a 23 year old mom with tattoos all up and down her right arm, and she sang Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On” and did a decent job, albeit with some weird stage moves. Paula said it was the right song and Megan is hip, Simon said she oversang parts of it, Randy said Megan was interesting, and Kara said she was very unique and could be a breakout artist depending on how things shake out in this competition.

Matt Breitzke is that big, burly welder dude and sang Tonic’s “If You Could Only See” as if he were a singer in a classic rock cover band. Seriously. It wasn’t horrible, but was just so bland. Simon said he likes Matt but hated that performance, telling him he chose the wrong song and would have advised him against it if he had the chance. Matt disagreed, but I think America will prove Simon right. Randy said it was a boring performance and not what Matt is capable of, Kara said he didn’t show enough, and Paula agreed with Kara.

Jessie Langseth is a 26 year old mom of an 8 year old girl, and she has a real natural beauty about her, but is quirky as well. Jessie sang Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes” and it wasn’t bad but wasn’t awesome either. Randy said it was just okay and didn’t blow him away, Kara said Jessie took some risks and had some good moments, Paula said she was “captivating,” and Simon said he thought she was forgettable.

Kai Kalama sang the ’60’s classic “What’s Become of the Broken-Hearted” and he has a nice voice but it was such a mediocre performance and song choice. Kara said there were some pitch issues but that Kai gave a good effort, Paula also said he was pitchy, Simon said it was old-fashioned and corny, and Randy said he thought it was much too safe of a song choice. I have to agree with both Simon and Randy.

Mishavonna Henson is a 17 year old girl who auditioned last year and didn’t make it, but did so this time. She sang Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” and even as she announced the song I wanted to scream. A young girl singing a male rock band song? Just so weird. Paula said she didn’t like the song choice but that Mishavonna sang it well, Simon said she seemed serious but that something was “off,” Randy said Mishavonna came across as much older than 17, and Kara said she didn’t loosen up enough.

THE BAD

Jasmine Murray had so much promise and kicked things off last night with Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song,” and it was, sadly, all over the place pitch-wise. Was this really the same Jasmine Murray we expected to land in the Top 12 with ease? Randy said it was both good and bad but definitely pitchy, Kara said it was all over the place and not her best, Paula agreed with Kara, and Simon said he was disappointed and that maybe Jasmine isn’t ready for this yet.

Matt Giraud went next and this is the soulful singer who is a dueling piano player by day. Matt sang Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” and it was so totally the wrong song choice for him. Kara said Matt blew us all away in Hollywood but not with that performance, Paula said it was a risky song choice, Simon said it was verging on horrible, and Randy said we all know Matt has talent but that he agreed with the other three judges.

Jeannine Vailes, who many of us I’m sure never saw in the opening auditions or in Hollywood, sang Maroon 5’s “This Love,” and it was positively the worst performance of the night. I mean, it was downright painful to watch. Paula said Jeannine has great legs but made no reference to the performance and for good reason, Simon said it was terrible and the wrong song choice, Randy also said it was the wrong song, and Kara said it was way overdone. Jeannine begged America for a second chance, and in fact many of the contestants last night did this. But it begs the question, WHY DIDN’T YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR CHANCE NOW????

Anyway, some mediocre showings last night may be good for a trip to the finals, because some were just so bad that it made everyone else look better. I think Adam is a slam dunk to make it through, and I like Alison and Kris to take the other two spots, with possibly Megan or Jessie or even Nick grabbing the third spot. For that matter, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Megan was the top female and Alison didn’t make it. It should be interesting to see how this one shakes out, and we’ll see you tomorrow with the recap!

Then, as they did last time, the chefs were woken up at 6am the way no one ever wants to be woken up–loudly. Then they were whisked off to a meat packing plant, and some of them knew to be paying attention. That’s because Gordon Ramsay had a challenge for them waiting at the restaurant, in which they had to match tags to cuts of beef, and then place those tags on their matching place on a cow model. After some real screw-ups (Lacey and Seth almost knew none of the correct answers), Ben bailed the guys out by correctly place every tag on the cow. The blue team won and were awarded a private jet trip to wine country, where they had lunch at a steakhouse with Ramsay.

Meanwhile, the red team had to carry sides of beef in from a delivery truck and then cut them all into portions for the dinner that night. Then it got worse. They were humiliated by having to dine on the scraps–tongue, heart, etc.–for lunch and were given barf bags too. Most of the ladies puked and were saying how they would never lose a challenge again. It definitely was making them stronger.

Ramsay announced that Hell’s Kitchen would be a steakhouse that night, but that the teams would take turns cooking and serving. The red team was serving first while the blue team cooked. Charlie was slow and inefficient in the kitchen and Ben made the huge mistake of making desserts first. Lacey, meanwhile, was horrible as a waitress, forgetting orders and messing them up. Giovanni was cooking steaks and since this was what he did for a living back home, you’d expect him to perform well, but he didn’t undercooking steaks like crazy. Seth was asked to trim a filet and trimmed it to the point of wasting most of it, which made Ramsay’s head almost pop off. At that point, Ramsay shut down the kitchen and had them switch sides.

Charlie messed up as a waiter too, spilling bacon all over one table. Coleen was having trouble remembering the orders as Ramsay called him out, and we already know he doesn’t like her. The guys were bringing steaks back to the kitchen, saying they weren’t cooked properly, but Ramsay argued that they were and blamed the guys for trying to sabotage the ladies.

In the end, it was the customer feedback and number of orders that left the kitchen that determined the winning team. The worse servers were Charlie and Lacey, and the red team won by delivering more dinners. So the blue team had to nominate two for elimination, and they chose Charlie and Seth–Charlie for obvious reasons and Seth because he butchered (literally) the meat and because no one likes him. When Ramsay asked J for the nominations, Seth argued that he didn’t agree, because he thought Giovanni performed worse than he did. But Ramsay wasn’t buying it. He asked them to step forward, and when Seth babbled on about why he should stay, Ramsay asked him if he “had an off switch.” Pretty funny stuff. But then, he wound up sending Charlie home.

The guys were not happy about this, because they really don’t like Seth at all, and he’s getting on America’s nerves too. I’m sure of it because he’s getting on mine. But Charlie was the right choice, because you can’t screw up as much as he did and succeed in Hell’s Kitchen.

Next week they promise to have the most shocking episode ever! Seriously, calm down, you producers…it’s just a TV show.