In a new reality t.v. competition, cosplayers run the show and walk down the stage in full on outfits, complete with armor, head dresses, and bulky weapons.
Cosplay Melee is a elimination style program hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown, known her role in the show, Community.

In each episode of Cosplay Melee, cosplayers compete in each episode for ten grand.

Contestants Xaviar, Fred, Grace, and Alicia had limited time (8 hours), to make complete head dresses during the first round with the theme of space opera. Each person was required to make their own original character from a space-related series–think Star Wars and Guardians of The Galaxy.

The creativity of each contestant showed, even with the head pieces alone. They ranged from a valkyrie- esque headpiece, to a full on helmet inscribed with alien lettering. I could tell that each single contestant felt passionate about their craft. Construction, creativity, and overall presentation are traits the judges looked for when looking at  the contestants’ work. Alicia was eliminated in the first round because her headpiece felt incomplete—the back of the headdress was connected to the front and attached to her head through a thick piece of material.  Though the front of the headpiece, looked stunning, as the paint made the material appear to be made of metal, the back of the headdress is what ultimately eliminated her.

The rest of the cosplayers had roughly two full working days to complete an entire cosplay: an intimidating task indeed. The contestants had to choose between three different materials: a leaf blower, bumper car parts, and air conditioning duct, to use them in their final costume. It was amazing to watch as contestants turned materials such as the leaf blower into a jet pack.

Once the costumes were done, the three remaining contestants suited up and became their characters. The transformations were complete with special effect transitions that showed off the character’s weapons—these transitions were cheesy, but in an endearing way.

The contestant I was rooting for won, but I won’t give away the winner!

I liked the angle the show was going for at the end: anyone can cosplay.

Cinnaknight

A grad school student and librarian who seems to run solely on espresso and sweets, Cinnaknight has been going to conventions for about eight years. In her free time, she loves to bake, cook, as well as write!

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