Fake Off
Fake Off is an American reality competition television series. The show features groups of performers who recreate and reimagine moments from pop culture (e.g. movies, events, television series) in spectacular 90-second routines. The teams use a diverse range of stage disciples including black light theatre, projection mapping, puppetry, and dance. The term "Faking" is used to describe the act of recreating an iconic moment. It debuted on TruTV on October 27, 2014, and is produced by Shine America.[2] TruTV renewed the show for a second season, which was also its last.
| Fake Off | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality television |
| Created by | Chris Culvenor |
| Presented by | Corbin Bleu |
| Judges | Harry Shum, Jr. Laurieann Gibson Casper Smart |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 32 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | James Sunderland Eden Gaha Paul Franklin Chris Culvenor |
| Distributor | Shine America |
| Release | |
| Original network | TruTV |
| Picture format | HDTV |
| Original release | October 27, 2014 – June 24, 2015[1] |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Summary
The knock-out performance competition is hosted by Robert Hoffman and judged by actor and dancer Harry Shum, Jr., Pop Star Rozonda Thomas and renowned choreographer Michael Curry.[3] The series features ten teams of performers who each week are given a new pop-culture theme (such as action movies, reality television, the moon landing, or the Olympic Games). Each team has one week to turn their theme into a 90-second Fake that is then scored by the three judges and the studio audience. The team whose Fake got the lowest score is eliminated from the competition. The Fakes consist of visually stunning special effects that are generated by the group through various stagecraft techniques.[2] After eight episodes one team wins the title of America's Best Fakers and $100,000.
Contestants
| Team | Hometown | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilderbe | Los Angeles, CA | Interactive Videotaping Dance Group | Eliminated 1st 10th place |
| YFX | Detroit, MI | Theatrical Mime Illusion Group | Eliminated 2nd 9th place |
| Verses | Los Angeles, CA | Silhouette Dance Group | Eliminated 3rd 8th place |
| Kristef Strikes Back | Las Vegas, NV | Comedy Acrobatics Troupe | Eliminated 4th 7th place |
| Inspirati | Denver, CO | Shadow Dance Company | Eliminated 5th 6th place |
| Archedream | Philadelphia, PA | Blacklight Theater Group | Eliminated 6th 5th place |
| Freelusion USA | Los Angeles, CA Budapest, Hungary |
3D Videotape Dance Group | Fourth place 4th place |
| The Body Poets | San Diego, CA | Street Dance Crew | Third place 3rd place |
| PUSH Physical Theatre | Rochester, NY | Physical Theater Group | Runner-up 2nd place (Runners-Up) |
| Lightwire Theater | New Orleans, LA | Luminous Puppet Theater Company | Winner 1st place (Winners) |
Competition summary
Week 1
- Running order
| Contestant | Theme | Total Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Body Poets | Video Game Revolution | 24 + 7 = 31 | Safe |
| Wilderbe | Titanic | 29 + 9 = 38 | Safe |
| Archedream | TV Drama | 26 + 7 = 33 | Safe |
| Inspirati | Children's Cartoons | 26 + 9 = 35 | Safe |
| PUSH Physical Theatre | The Super Bowl | 26 + 9 = 35 | Safe |
Week 2
- Running order
| Contestant | Theme | Total Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelusion USA | Western | 22 + 8 = 30 | Safe |
| Kristef Strikes Back | Horror Movies | 26 + 9 = 35 | Safe |
| Lightwire Theater | Local TV News | 27 + 9 = 36 | Safe |
| YFX | Sci-fi Movies | 21 + 6 = 27 | Safe |
| Verses | Movies | 22 + 7 = 29 | Safe |
Season 2
The judges are Harry Shum Jr., Laurieann Gibson, and Beau Casper Smart. The host is Corbin Bleu. Meghan Camarena is the backstage correspondent.
10 new teams competed in Season 2 (Academy of Villains, Astra Dance Theatre, ClownSnotBombs, CubeMetricks, The Deca Crew, JUNK, LUMA, On The Fly, The Surrealists, Tribe of Fools).
- Winners: Academy of Villains
- Runners-Up: Cubametricks
- 3rd Place: The Surrealists
- 4th Place: Tribe of Fools
- Eliminated: Astra Dance Theatre, LUMA, ClownSnotBombs, The Deca Crew, JUNK, On The Fly
Week 1
The theme of the week was "Movie Night".
| Team | Theme | Harry | Laurieann | Beau | Judges' Total | Audience | Total | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy of Villains | Horror Movies | 8 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 10 | 35 | Safe/Highest Score |
| Astra Dance Theatre | Fantasy Movies | 8 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| CubeMetricks | Sci-Fi Movies | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| On The Fly | Kung Fu Movies | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| ClownSnotBombs | Silent Movies | 6 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 7 | 26 | Safe/Lowest Score |
Reception
The show received a positive reception from critics when it launched in October 2014. Allison Keene from The Hollywood Reporter wrote “TruTV has truly created a flashy and worthwhile series that is cut above current competition series, and far more exciting than yet another iteration of a singing show.” Pilot Viruet from Flavorwire wrote “I think Fake Off is my new favorite unscripted program, it was completely mesmerizing.”[4]
References
- "FAKE OFF (TRUTV)". Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- Allison Keene. "'Fake Off': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- "Harry Shum Jr., Chilli, and Michael Curry to judge new TruTV series 'Fake Off'". EW.com.
- Pilot Viruet (October 29, 2014). "Fake Off, Friends of the People: truTV Review – Flavorwire". Flavorwire.