Confined to a single chair amongst eight strangers behind a two-way mirror, I am instructed to “Talk about her hair.” Hair? “Shimmering, sun-kissed hair with a healthy glow,” I say. Luckily for me, a compliment-giver at heart, the woman sitting on the other side of the mirror has just had a makeover.
I never knew how liberated I would feel after uttering my first impression of a complete stranger. Of course, this is after I begin doubting the effectiveness of the two-way mirror and become a paranoid freakozoid. Can she see me? Can she hear me? But the suspicion wears off as soon as I am told to comment on her hair.
There I was taking liberties as a “juror” for a makeover show-if only for 15 minutes. But it was the best feeling in the world.
Style By Jury, the top-rated Canadian makeover show with a twist that debuted on the W Network last November, offers candidates a chance to make their best impression possible with the help of a team of experts. As it happens, that expert team consists mainly of U of T graduates-host Bruce Turner, cosmetic dentists Andrew Charkiw and Armaghan Afsar, dermatologist Kucy Pon, plastic surgeon Atul Kesarwani, and food consultant Heather Wilgar.
Each week an unsuspecting candidate is seated in front of the two-way mirror while being interviewed by the host of the show. Behind the mirror sit nine strangers who offer their honest first impressions of the candidate on everything from their mannerisms and deportment to their physical appearance and fashion sense. After the initial dissection of the candidate-which often lacks anything complimentary-they take the feedback and undergo a seven-day makeover performed by the experts, allowing them a second chance to make a better first impression with an entirely new jury.
And as host Bruce Turner explains, it is much more than simply changing someone’s hair and makeup.
“At the end of the day we’re changing somebody’s life for the better. We’re trying to match their exterior with their interior.”
Some candidates fight the process and the experts’ advice all the way through. Clearly this makes for more interesting ‘reality TV’, but it’s the people who completely embrace the process who tend to get the most out of the experience. Producer Carolyn Meland explains that it’s not only the makeover subjects that are transformed by the process.
“We [the producers and staff] become attached to every candidate and root for them to have a great transformation,” she says. “Every episode is like giving birth.”
Now don’t start thinking, Oh, just another low-budget reality show looking to make a quick buck. In our younger years, we are merely clueless as to how to dress ourselves. Nobody ever sits us down and tells us about the currency of looks and bodies and-in later life-about money and power. The likes of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, masters of those realms, are like idols to us. It is only when they start appearing on the cover of the National Enquirer do we begin to realize that celebs are people, too. People with highly paid stylists and personal trainers, and… In short, individuals are unique in their own way, but how they assemble themselves to reflect their inner spirit varies. That being said, most people can always use a good second opinion.
On Style by Jury, host Turner, who majored in sociology and psychology at U of T, radiates an honest candour and aides the candidates through the entire makeover process. With over ten years of experience in front of and behind the camera, he’s an engaging presence that draws the attention of the audience and candidates alike.
“I just like making people happy,” he says. “When I walk down the street I will smile at strangers just to make them smile. It’s a great feeling. And this show helps me to do just that. Essentially, we’re trying to help the candidates better themselves by building their self-confidence, which will [hopefully] make them happy.”
For cosmetic dentists Andrew Charkiw and Armaghan Afsar, both graduates of U of T’s dentistry program, the hardest part about their profession is listening to people. According to them, the biggest learning curve in cosmetic dentistry and in this show is understanding what the patient truly wants.
“Not everyone wants the same thing, because every smile is different,” explains Charkiw. “So everyone would like their own character to their smile. The main thing is that you walk out of here satisfied with how you look. We’re here to explain what can be done and how to get there, but by no means are we going to tell people what they should get.”
Not only did U of T’s dentistry program offer them the knowledge and skills to pursue their own practice, but also it provided many personal memories, as the pair fell in love while at school and are now married. They often find themselves frequenting the campus while reminiscing about the most memorable time of their lives.
“We’ll walk by the Med-Sci building and just smile,” comments Afsar with a loving glance at Charkiw. “We were in many courses together during undergrad, but we didn’t even know each other. It was while we were in the dentistry program that we came to know one another, since the program is so small.”
“It was a great time,” Charkiw concurs.
Selected for the show for her aptitude for public speaking and media work, Lucy Pon is an expert in cutting-edge laser and cosmetic dermatology who trained in the field at U of T.
“Being part of a great institution [U of T] offered so much,” Pon says. “It brought me where I am today.”
After completing her dermatology residency, she did further fellowship training in Boston and currently practices at Sunnybrook and Women’s College hospitals. Pon discovered her aptitude for dermatology through the process of elimination. With no patience to be a psychiatrist or pediatrician, nor the desire to deal with the overwhelming pressure of family practice, she decided on dermatology. And if you’ve already seen an episode of Style By Jury, then you’ll likely agree with her colleagues who call her the Wonder Woman of skin care.
“She’s like a superhero, walking down the hallway after a full day’s work wearing a chenille suit and absolutely perfect skin,” Turner laughs. “In fact, all of our experts are like superheroes. The Super Friends.”
But Pon’s stylishness and flawless visage shouldn’t undermine her expertise and friendly nature.
“I have a lot of patients coming in and saying, ‘Oh, my god! I saw you on TV-it’s so cool!'” Pon giggles. “It’s so much fun.”
Unlike American show The Swan-a makeover show that’s all about drama- there’s more to Style By Jury than meets the eye.
According to Meland, the producers and staff of the show work on creating an ’emotional journey,’ as well as the physical transformation, for each individual. In the case of Laura Lix, “The Beige Accountant,” they helped her find her riskier, more carefree self by putting her on the back of a motorcycle for the first time in her life and sending her up a 30-foot pole in which she had to stand on a tiny moving disc at the top. Clearly, these exercises helped her move beyond her comfort zone and impacted her journey beyond the physical.
Other issues that they’ve dealt with on the show include fear of public speaking, awkwardness in social situations, and acceptance of age. Clearly, the makeover candidates get transformed from the inside out, experiencing an extreme change that isn’t just about a new hairstyle or outfit.
Style By Jury’s newest addition, Heather Wilgar, tackles the realm of nutrition. A Zone Diet-certified professional, upon graduating from U of T with a double major in criminology and sociology and a minor in women’s studies, she took the chance and co-founded Diet Delivery with her younger brother in the summer of 2002. The service aims to help busy people eat a balanced diet.
Wilgar feels that everyone can achieve a healthy lifestyle with a little organization and planning, and being on the show offers her the chance to spread that message. After all, you are what you eat, right?
“The most gratifying feeling with what I do is aiding people with ailments like diabetes and colitis. When diabetics go off drugs because they can now regulate their blood sugar with the foods they eat, it’s the best feeling in the world for me,” she notes. “I even helped a recovering anorexic a while back.”
More than anything, most people want their outward appearance to reflect their inner personality. And Style By Jury and its group of talented and enthusiastic experts are trying to go beyond the tired reality genre-their makeover subjects aren’t victims; they’re people that are smart enough to understand that everyone needs a little help sometimes.
“They are real people who are successful in their own right,” says producer Meland. “They just aren’t quite sure how to put their best foot forward, image-wise. [The show is about helping them to do just that.]”
Style By Jury airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on the W Network.
