The Salon -tv programme
January 5th, 2004
Author's product rating:
| Advantages: | New take on reality TV |
| Disadvantages: | BAD HAIR ! ! ! ! ! |
| Recommend to potential buyers: | yes |
| Full review |
Last year I was one of the many who walked through the doors of The Salon and left with a brand new hair do! I am going to give a review on my experience at The Salon and the different view gain when you are on the box and not just watching it.
The Salon graced our TV at 6pm Monday – Friday and of course at around 11am on T4 Sunday! They also had the Late Night salon! This were all the rude bits and fowl language gets shown!The Salon for those of you who do not know is another reality TV programme created by channel 4. The television company have built a Salon inside a Balham television centre. A team of 12 work in The Salon and we watch their relationships at work, the arguments, the love, the madness. We watch how they react with customers and wait to see the transformations and creations they come up with.
The Salon offers treatments including:• Facials
• Waxing
• Tinting
• Manicure
• Pedicure
• Massage
• Lip Enhancements
• Botox
• Spray Tanning
• Acupuncture
• Re Style
• Colour Permanent/ Temporary
• Perm
• Trim.
The Staff:
Manager: Paul: Paul in my opinion hasn’t mastered the art of being a good manager. He tries to hard to be their friend, and then suddenly turns into a Jackal and Hyde character and starts laying down the law. It just doesn’t work. The staffs don’t know weather they are coming or going with him.Stylist: Adie: Adie is a ladies man, he has made known that loves women wit big breasts and that he is a bit of a wild child. Adie’s style is a bit way out, and he has created some very funky hairdos over the series.
Stylist: Ricardo: Ricardo is a mad Bazillion who is always getting into trouble due to his mad out bursts and attitude problem.Stylist: Sonia: Sonia is lovely, she is easy going and relaxed, she was recently given a make over by Paul her manager as he thought her look was dated! I thought she looked great, but now with hair extensions she looks even better.
Colourist: Mel: Mel is your ultimate Rock Chick; she is also going out with receptionist Jonathan (A little bit of gossip for you)Trainees: Vass and Carina: Vass is a wannabe bad boy, he really looks up to Paul and Adie! He is also always on the look out for the ladies! Carina is stunning, a real beauty at the young age of 19 she is doing well in The Salon and has the potential to become a fabulous hair dresser.
Plus 3 others in the beauty department but I didn’t get to meet them.
To appear on The Salon you can apply in two different ways:
I applied to go on The Salon by sending an e-mail and here is roughly what I said:
“Hello, I am a regular viewer of The Salon and thought it would be fun to set you a challenge. I am an actress and I have recently been cast in a play, my part is a 17 year old Rock Chick, this is very different from my usual image. I think Ady would be the best man for the job. I hope that you will accept my challenge and be in touch soon.”The next day I received a phone call from a researcher, I had to answer a series of questions about myself and what hair cut I had in mind. The next thing I know they were booking me in for an appointment, my hair was to be cut by Ady. As you can imagine I was very excited! Not only was I going to get a brand new look, I might also get my 3 mins of fame on TV.
Being the luvie that I am I told every one about it! I e-mailed all my friends from uni and told every one at work. My sister arranged to go a friend’s house for the day to watch me live on E4! And of course set the video so that I could see for myself!
Inside Info:
When I arrived at The Salon I had to wait in a reception area. Here my bag was thoroughly checked and “Named” valuables had to be covered, this is due to advertisement policies. I was then given a clip on mic, and sent into the reception area!As I walked through the doors of The Salon I was socked at how small it was, it’s amazing how big and spacious they made it look on TV. I was greeted by Jonathan the very sexy receptionist! He took my coat and offered me a drink. He then took me on a tour of The Salon.
The beauty section was incredibly tiny, a small sauna/steam room, the chausses was tiny, and the treatment room was very small as well. In The Salon area was the nail bar, hair washing sinks and 4 seats ere you sat to have your hair re-designed.
I was booked in for Ady to do my hair, but alas a problem had occurred, Jonathan the receptionist had made a mistake and placed me in Ricardo’s column. This meant that Ricardo had too many clients and this did not make him very happy! Ady was not going to swap, so Ricardo was stuck with me.
I was slightly embarrassed by all the confusion but was soon put at ease by Sonia. Sonia took me over to a chair were we chatted about the style I was looking for, I explained that I want a Rock Chick image but I would like to keep the length as I did not think short hair would suit me. She suggested Red would be a good Rock Chick colour, a very vibrant, post box colour.
Soon we were joined by Ricardo who was to be cutting my hair. He sat down on a stool behind me and asked what I wanted. I said I wanted to look like a Rock Chick and with that he scooped up my hair in to a pony tail and SNIP! It was gone, he moved his hands away and my hair fell to the floor. I gasped as I looked in the mirror; my shoulder length hair now hung little below my chin.
Ricardo laughed and said, “It’s going to go a lot shorter than that!” I was stunned I didn’t know what to say, I decided to stick with it after all they knew what they were doing. Or at least I thought they did!!
If you were an avid fan of The Salon like me you may even remember the episode! It was Comic Relief day. Lots of The Salon staff was having parts of their body waxed for charity. Paul the manager had his under arms and chest waxed! Ouch! And Adie had one of his eyebrows waxed off!! The screams were very loud! And with all the commotion going on around me Ricardo kept skipping off to be part of the action. He’d cut some then runaway, and then cut some more then run away again! In total I was at The Salon from 11am – 4pm! The longest hair cut in the history of the world!
My hair was getting shorter and shorter and I quietly became more and more worried! The final hair cut looked good; it was very short and spiky with Red chunks throughout! Very Rock Chick! I was pleased if not a little shocked at my new image! My time had ended at The Salon and I left through the doors I came in as a changed woman!
Once I was back in the reception I was shocked to see that Ricardo had in fact followed me out! He was ranting and raving at the poor woman on the desk! He was upset because he had too many clients!Later when I was back at home I watched the recording of my day at The Salon, I was shocked to see that Ricardo’s outburst erupted into a massive argument with Paul the manager! I felt so guilty! Not long after that Ricardo left The Salon!
Everyone was shocked by my new do! Especially me! The next day I woke with my hair stuck on end! So I washed it, as I did I cried as hair dye ran out as though my head was bleeding. When I tried to style it I couldn’t get it to work! I have a natural curl in my hair and I did not have the fabulous hair straightens they used in The Salon!I cried all the way to work! Tricia24 fellow ciao member and my best friend was their too mop up the tears! But I still vow they ruined my hair!
A few weeks later all the colour came out and I was left with pinkie orange strands! I also looked like I had a really bad mullet! I went my usual hair dresser to see if she could help, she was shocked beyond belief, she said who ever cut my hair had just cut great chunks out of it!It has taken me since April last year to grow my hair out! It is now just to my shoulders! And I am able to put it into a ponytail once more!
The Salon has just finished its second series! I did not watch this series! My experience has put me off hairdressers!So be warned if you like me get tempted to go on reality TV! Think about the price you might have to pay for 3 mins of fame!
Is it worth it?Not for me it wasn’t!!!!!
Staffs from this last series are:Manager: Paul: Paul has stayed on to manage The Salon for the second time!
Stylist: Terry: Terry is the nephew of the one and only Ozzy Osborne.Stylist: Leo: The youngest stylist on board! And from his picture very fit!
Beauty Therapist: Georgina: Georgina is a line dancer!Beauty Therapist: Jorge: from Portugal, is a bit of a nut!
Beauty Therapist: Sarah: Most senior member of the team.Trainee: Brooke: Brooke is a fashion conscious junior.
Reception: Gina: Gina is a moody receptionist! Not as nice as Jonathan!Stylist: John: John is a glitzy camp stylist! He also popped up in series one when he took over from Ricardo’s departure!
Afro stylist: Natasha: New for this series as a permanent fixture.Beauty trainee: Justin.
Twins: The twins Hayley and Sarah are back for the second time, famous for their synchronised four hand massage!
GOSSIP:
For more information check out www.Channel4/TheSalon.com
REVIEW TWO:
.....I would go and have a free hair cut!
This programme just happens to be on at the right time of day, just after Neighbours on Channel 4 at 6pm Monday to Friday, this is the right time for me to watch it as I wash up after having just had my dinner and as we have the portable television in the kitchen at the moment I am slowly and surely becoming addicted to this weird programme.Why weird?
Well I say weird because at first glance I thought it was more of a drama series than a reality T programme but now I know the main characters and I mean the ones that stand out the most and this could be just because they are constantly being told off or because they are very funny characters but either way there are a few that stand out and I could name right now without even thinking about itWhat's the concept (or in other words what's the point)?
Well "The Salon" is a hairdressers/Beauty parlour in which the staff and their clients are filmed during opening hours (normally 9.45am - 6.45pm). The public phone up (or go online) and try to book appointments for a haircut or other beauty treatment because of the embarrassment of being on TV the treatments are free of charge. All the stylists and the beauty therapists are trained professionals apparently with loads of experience. There are also a few juniors who are learning the ropes from the others. Working at The Salon as well are the manager, a colourist and a receptionistYou could have a choice of a haircut or re-style, or a wax, sauna, mineral bath or something else in the treatment room and there is also a relaxation room for just chilling out.
As its very "Big brotherish" the Salon is actually based in a television studio in south London and it is filmed by using unseen cameras and microphones in all areas of The Salon except the changing areas just like in Big Brother.If you wanted to book a treatment you can do it online at http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/S/thesalon or by phoning 09012 299 299 and if you do get an appointment please leave a message in my GB.
There is a repeat of the 6pm Channel 4 show that is on Mondays to Fridays at 8pm. And there is an omnibus edition that is on at 2pm and 4:45pm on Saturdays and at 7pm on Sundays. As I said before you can watch the Salon live as on E4 it is live every Sunday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and 6:30pm to 7pm. You can also watch The Salon: After Hours which is on at 10pm on Saturdays on E4.But that's not all you can also watch The Salon on the Internet too from Sundays to Thursdays just go to the website mentioned above. This costs £4.95 a month details again from the website.
As I said before the main characters were Ricardo, Adee, Paul, Suzanne, Sonia, Oliver and Sandra.Paul is the Manager and as such has a big presence in the salon, he does his job brilliantly and this week had to sack Oliver and put another three up for a vote but here again he did keep on saying that he didn't want the job unless he could sack people.
Adee filled in for Paul when he was away for two weeks holiday he made a brilliant temporary manager but I prefer him as a stylist because then you get to see the real Adee and hear all about Big Boobs and stuff like that.Ricardo is a Brazilian who is gay and I love him he is outrageous with his hair, clothes and general manner.
Sonia has had some panic attacks recently but I really like her, Paul kept on at her about changing her image and he was right she looks so much better now.Suzanne and Sandra were both up for the public vote this week along with Ricardo who is thank goodness staying as the show would be very boring without him. It's Sandra that has to go, she is the receptionist and she has a big mouth and keeps swearing loads, Suzanne is a beauty therapist, she is Irish and was worried that the Irish wouldn't be able to vote and that she would be voted off but I knew that Sandra would go.
So Oliver who was a junior beauty therapist, and quite a character, and Sandra have left now.The Salon was only supposed to be on for 8 weeks and they have been given an extension.
Why watch it?Well you get to see the very colourful staff and the even more colourful clients. We have seen Geoffrey from Rainbow, a stripper, a streaker, a very tall transvestite a very large breasted woman, lots of blokes having waxes in very painful places and the haircuts that are amazing.
I never thought I would enjoy a programme that involved me watching a hairdressing salon it is truly fascinating.UPDATE
As it has taken a while for this category to arrive on Ciao I will have to update this opinion to say that they have a new receptionist called Jonathan and he and Melanie fancy each other and they also have two new permanent members of staff Aj (Alfred Joseph) who replaced Olly as Beauty Junior
and John another stylist he had been helping out but is now a permanent fixture.
Thanks for reading and please do not think of me as too weird for watching this programme I only tune in for something to listen to whilst doing my washing up! Honest!
Amanda
Review Three:
As you are probably aware reality TV has become a global plague amongst the law abiding tax payers who fork out for their licesnses. Channel 4 has gripped this phenomenom by the whatevers and exploted it for all it's worth. The Salon was a reality TV show aired on channel 4 during late afternoons.
The concept of The Salon is very simple: get a posh hairdressers, some cameras and film people.....having their hair done?!? So what's so interesting about this programme? To be honest, I'm not the one with the answer to that. I can think of a million better things to do with my oxygen time than to sit infront of the telly watching people have a lovley rinse done while chatting about clubbing and holidays. I could go into my local hairdressers with a camcorder and do that for free.Before you say anything, I'm not one of those people that just hear of something and dismiss it as dire straight away without trying it first. I actually did sit down to watch it, just to see if I could fathom why someone in the Channel 4 boardroom had the nerve to stand up and say "Hey I've got an idea for a programme. Ya know hairdressers right?....." and NOT get laughed at. This just seems to me to be nothing exciting or fresh, just an idea that is taken, regurgitated, but set in a different scenario.
If someone out there than shine some light onto the situation and explain to me how and why this programme was so popular I would be every grateful. You know you have gone wrong somewhere in life when you take great interest in a programme that depicts beautiful, fashionable hair stylists who are obviously making more money that most of it's viewers. Thank god it's over....for now!
The latest in the reality craze is from the poorly viewed channel five. Back to reality adds it's own little edge to the regular celebrity reality program by combining all the rest into one. So is it any good I hear you ask, well yeah, for a change a celebrity reality show with real bite. Arguements and bitching daily, C list celebrities complaining that other C list Celebs have been on the number 7 bus to town and they only got the number 4 to the park. Yes really.
The basis of the show put ex reality tv stars in a mansion mix it with every reality tv program ever made and you have a winning formula. Oh and the producers come up with daily ideas like shoving in Jades husband who noone likes and he gets called petty names by Craig. The show will have you hooked but its the last week of the show.The show is hosted by Tess Daly and Richard Bacon famed for white powder and Blue Peter. Two of the best young hosts
The stars also have to do certain tasks related to other reality shows to earn money for there chosen charity. With an interesting take on the reality scene Back to reality is one to watch.
Here's a who's who....Catalina - Already evicted - Catalina was in last years I'm a Celebrity get me out of here, where she spent a week mooding and complaining. Through a tantrum when Ricardo of The Salon fame cut her hair too short.
Craig - Winner of the first big brother, probably most remembered for giving his money away to a girl with a disability and confronting Nasty Nick. Now on daytime tv DIY programs. In house got annoyed with Jeff(Jades Husband) and called him something along the lines of what you do to pancakes.Jade - Got her Kebabs out in Big Brother 2 and is known for her stupidness. Appeared on many reality shows including wife swap and I have hated her on all. Please don't let her win this, Jesus what has Britain come to if you do. Got on everyones nerves in the house and I've just heard she has been rushed to hospital...whoopee...
James Hewitt - Reality shows come with a token toff apparently and James has been this in 2. Not has bad as he seems, quite enjoyable to watch on this programme. Probably best known for selling Princess Dianas letters. In house arguments with Jeff - Jades Husband, also trying to romance Sarah(the one who give IT up in Joe Millionaire).Josie D'Arby - Known for presenting kids tv programmes and appearing in channel 4's The Games. Has to have the most irritating laugh on tv, Josie was having a bad first week when people were suspecting she was a Mole.
Lizzie Bardsley - Got her breasts out in the daily sport after appearing on Wife Swap. Did'nt really do much in the show and is now back in reality.Sarah Kozer - I was sad to see her go, on the other reality programme she appeared in she slept with Joe Millionaire himself to try and make him choose her. Obviously she has no particular talent in that department and decided to appear in Playboy. Evicted last she was in no real arguments with anyone but she was eye candy.
Maureen Rees - Thank god there's no car's around but Maureen as proved to of become the favourite amongst many people and the guests in the house. She doesnt do much apart from walk around and smoke fags but some people seem to like it.Nick Bateman - The first one to go by vote, Nasty Nick as he is better known made the first big brother the most interesting reality programme ever with his cheating. He tried to get the temperature rising in the Back to Reality house but with no such luck.
Ricardo - Cross dressing Ricardo who is known for getting sacked in the god awful reality TV programme The Salon made the show quite enjoyable before been voted out.Uri Guellar - Bends spoons etc but apart from that he aint right interesting, just pure weird appearing in the jungle with Catalina, Uri walked out...thank god....
Great to watch with plenty of action catch it if you can. All proceeds from phone voting will go to charity.