Syfy’s latest reality competition show, Cosplay Melee, is a fun, innovative take on the well-worn Project Runway formula, with likable hosts and interesting challenges that offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes look of how some truly amazing costumes come together.
The premise of Cosplay Melee is simple. Each episode sees four cosplayers compete to create original outfits and props centered around a particular theme – the premiere episode’s theme was Space Opera and this week focuses on Game of Thrones. Instead of winnowing down a larger group over the course of a season, a new set of competitors face off in each episode.
The contest has two distinct halves. Competitors have six hours to finish one component of their costume (in the premiere it was a helmet, a weapon this week), which will then be evaluated by the judges. The winner of the first round gains an advantage in the second, and one competitor will be eliminated, leaving three to construct full outfits over the course of two days in the hopes of winning the weekly $10,000 prize.
Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) hosts, joined by cosplayer Leeanna Vamp and Christian Beckman, who’s done costume and makeup work for movies like The Hunger Games, Spider-Man 2, Star Trek (2009) and TRON: Legacy. Brown’s enthusiasm is contagious; just hearing her say “bowl of scrolls” in episode 2 is a lot more spirited than Padma Lakshmi or Heidi Klum manage to muster over the course of entire seasons. (Gotta love that Brown wears a Hand of the King pin for the Game of Thrones judging, too. One of us!)
We’re only two episodes into this show, but already there’s a lot to like with Cosplay Melee. So far, it’s an inventive, entertaining new take on a familiar formula. The show really highlights the diversity and inclusivity of the cosplay community, both in terms of its members and their interests. It’s not just model types in catsuits and buff dudes with Dragon Ball hair and pecs.
While at first I was a little leery of getting a new set of contestants every week, I enjoyed getting to see new faces and personalities, and welcomed a break from the kind of editing conventions that have become all too predictable for these kinds of shows (i.e., she’s talking a lot about her family this week, she’s totally going home; spouting off about “not being here to make friends”). Also, it’s actually kind of nice to wipe the slate clean each week and not have a horse in the race for every challenge.
Unsurprisingly, the best part about the show is the nitty-gritty of actually building the props and costumes. It’s pretty darned amazing to see the craftiness and ingenuity that brings these looks together. Ruth’s epoxy dragon shield from episode 2 was like watching the best of the unusual materials challenges from Project Runway, with a dash of Flea Market Flip thrown in. Watching this creative process is both incredibly inspiring and remarkably intimidating all at once.
There’s also some fun random chance elements thrown in for good measure. The second episode saw them spinning a wheel after the first judging to determine house / clan affiliation, causing all three to revise their original costume plans. What’s nice about this is it seems designed to reward knowledge of the source material, rather than simply shaking things up for TV. Besides, it makes perfect sense that encyclopedic knowledge of nerd lore would be beneficial to cosplayers.
The judges are another strength of the show, as each tends to hone in on different aspects of the challenge. Vamp seems to have established herself as the Nina Garcia -- aka “fun to watch nitpicker” -- of the trio, and her critique of Edgar’s crocodile weapon for this week’s Game of Thrones challenge was harsh, but utterly spot on. (Plus, I totally want to steal her very subtle/wearable Lady Jon Snow look from final judging.)
We’re excited to see what the next few weeks bring for Cosplay Melee, especially the season finale airing April 25, which appears to be all about anime. Give the show a look if you get a chance – you don’t need to commit to a whole season to see who wins, and you can enjoy each group of competitors on their own merits. Who knows? You might just find yourself on Amazon pulling the trigger on that Cersei Lannister wig you’ve been considering.
New episodes of Cosplay Melee air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on Syfy.
Will you be checking our Cosplay Melee, or have you already done so? What kind of cosplay would you like to see in future episodes? Let us know in the comments!
