This season’s most experienced contestant, Jerry Macaluso, was sent home for that very reason.

FANGORIA: A lot was made on the show about your past experience in the FX industry, and the fact that you took a break. For those that are unfamiliar, can you tell me what your FX experience was up until your break?

JERRY MACALUSO: I owned a company called SOTA FX. I supervised movies ranging from GODS AND MONSTERS to all the WISHMASTER sequels, the HALLOWEENTOWNs, AMITYVILLE HORROR movies, CHILDREN OF THE CORN movies; somewhere over one hundred, two hundred movies.

FANG: I guess I’m a little unclear as to why you left the industry.

MACALUSO: During the slow times for FX, I would work for big toy companies, developing toys, and that turned into a big company called SOTA Toys, [which] became so big it ate up all my time. So, that with the combination of the frustration of the movie industry at the time…

FANG: So what made you come back? Why come back to FX when it’s an industry being challenged by CG FX. I would think it would be even more challenging now.

MACALUSO: It probably is. But I have a successful toy company, financially, and a lot of free time. So it’s more of a fun thing. I don’t have to do it for a living. But I still love doing it. So what better time to dabble in FX again than when you already have this other company to support you?

FANG: So why participate in FACE OFF?

MACALUSO: I guess the question would be “Why not?” It looked like a lot of fun first season. Conor [McCullagh, winner of season one] has worked for me for a long time. He told me it was difficult, but also a lot of fun. I like to try new things. It just seemed like a cool thing to do.

FANG: Above and beyond the lack of time and working with other people, what was the most difficult part about being on a TV show?

MACALUSO: Figuring out the process the judges and production used to make their decisions.

FANG: Do you think you figured it out?

MACALUSO: I don’t think it is figure-able out-able. I think it’s an ongoing process. It’s organic and it changes depending on the challenge, depending on who is on stage. There were just too many variables to ever figure it out. But, I think after awhile we started to understand it a little better.

FANG: What was the most difficult challenge?

MACALUSO: I guess this last one (“Alien Interpreters”), the one I got eliminated on. I bit off way more than I could chew.

FANG: After watching all of last season, and all the episodes up until your elimination, I have to say the reason they gave for eliminating you seemed really forced. The color of your makeup? Really?

MACALUSO: I’m not one-hundred percent sure how much I can say [laughs]. Yeah, it was forced. Everybody felt it was forced. They were looking for something. Really, I went home because I didn’t show the level of passion and commitment that other people were, and I can’t really argue that. I see it, I understand it, I accept it. Glenn [Hetrick] even mentioned it during deliberations, and he’s right. Considering my experience level, and what I’ve done in the past and awards and stuff, what I showed up with on stage was a travesty. Was it the worst? No, Sue’s was way worse. But that’s not the point. The point was mine should have been way better than it was. So, I think that’s closer to what really happened. So I don’t necessarily disagree with the judges. I do disagree with how they presented it on the show.

FANG: So it sounds like they’re judging on a sliding scale.

MACALUSO: Absolutely. Total bell curve, sliding scale.

FANG: Having watched a lot of these competition reality shows, it seems that in a lot of cases, the winner is someone who needs to win, rather than who should win. Well, except FACE OFF season one. So maybe you didn’t need to win because you’re so established, as opposed to some of these kids right out of school? Do you agree with that?

MACALUSO: I do agree with it, but at the same time I don’t think that’s an excuse in the sense that I was kicking ass all season, and then suddenly I was kicked off. I wasn’t kicking ass all season. My stuff, except the old age challenge and the witch, was pretty lackluster. It wasn’t strong. I wasn’t coming across as strong as I should have. I wouldn’t peg it on that.

FANG: It seemed more like you and Conor, having worked so much, were being judged by your peers. Was that weird?

MACALUSO: It’s not weird. It’s—I wouldn’t say that Ve [Neill] and Patrick [Tatopoulos] are peers. Ve and Patrick are immensely more successful in the makeup FX field than either of us. Glenn on the other hand, I think both Conor and I have more way credits and experience than Glenn. However, I found Glenn’s critiques to actually be pretty good. He’s got a good eye.

FANG: What do you think is the net gain from having been on the show?

MACALUSO: I had three goals for the show. And all of them have been accomplished. One was to have fun, and it was a lot of fun; one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. Two, to make new friends. Ian [Cromer] and I see each other every day. Miranda [Jory] and I see each other every other day. Rayce [Bird] comes out and stays at my house every third week. We’re real, real close. And the last one was to dabble and get my foot back into FX. So I’m doing that. All of them were accomplished.

FANG: What advice would you give to someone applying for season three?

MACALUSO: Not to sound cynical, but don’t forget that it’s a TV show. Don’t forget that there are so many factors at play other than the creative aesthetic and the quality of your work at that moment. Be consistent. Realize that art, design, concept is way more important than technical skills.

FANG: One person I have to bring up because she’s becoming a story point on the show – Sue Lee. She’s a bit emotional, yes?

MACALUSO: Sue and I didn’t get along from the beginning because Sue is a very emotional person, and I’m a very logical [person], and overly emotional people drive me nuts. So we didn’t get along. However, once we worked together on the relay race Foundation Challenge, we talked it out and we were like, “Alright, let’s get along.” And we did. We got along just fine after that, but she is very emotional. People like to talk about my ego. Sue’s ego is huge, they just don’t show it as much. She has been told she’s a prodigy her whole life, and she really believes it. However, she’s a nice girl and she’s really talented. She really is talented. But sometimes she talks, what I consider, too much. And for example in [my] last episode, they didn’t really show it, but she’d been boasting about her win on the old age [challenge], constantly. And that’s when I kind of just snapped about her old age [makeup].

FANG: What are you working on next?

MACALUSO: I’m producing and directing a movie called, at the moment, BRAVO ONE NINE. It’s a half-million dollar zombie movie. This is my first feature as a director. I’ve got some really great friends like Tony Randel (HELLRAISER 2) and Richard Elfman (FORBIDDEN ZONE), all coaching me, so it should be interesting. The best part is I’m using Rayce, Miranda, Ian and Frank [Ippolito], and if her schedule is clear, Megan [Areford, both FACE OFF season one]. A bunch of FACE OFF people.

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