Syfy's Face Off wasn't just another competition show about people putting on too much makeup. It was a masterclass in technical artistry, a love letter to the "creature features" of the 80s, and a rare pocket of reality television where the contestants actually liked each other. But if you strip away the prosthetic glue and the silicon molds, you're left with the glue that held the entire production together for thirteen seasons. That was McKenzie Westmore, the host of Face Off.
She wasn't just a teleprompter reader. Honestly, if they had hired a generic host, the show probably would have felt like just another Project Runway clone. Instead, they got someone whose last name is basically the "Ford" or "Disney" of the makeup world.
The Westmore Dynasty Isn't Just a Name
You can't talk about the host of Face Off without talking about her bloodline. It’s unavoidable. The Westmore family practically invented the modern look of Hollywood. Her father, Michael Westmore, is the man responsible for the look of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. He has an Oscar. He has more Emmys than most people have shoes.
Growing up, McKenzie wasn't hanging out at playgrounds as much as she was hanging out in makeup trailers. She saw the sweat. She smelled the latex. When she stood on that reveal stage, she wasn't just looking at "cool monsters." She was looking at the technical execution of an ancestral craft. This gave the show an immediate sense of legitimacy that other reality competitions lacked. When she told a contestant their blending was seamless, she knew why it was seamless.
It’s actually kinda wild when you think about it. Most hosts are disconnected from the subject matter. Think about Jeff Probst on Survivor. He’s great, but he isn't an expert in primitive survival; he's an expert in human drama. McKenzie was different. She was a peer.
More Than Just a Pretty Face on the Reveal Stage
A lot of people think the host of Face Off just stood there and announced the spotlight challenges. That's a massive oversimplification. Her role was surprisingly complex because she had to bridge the gap between the high-level technical jargon of the judges—people like Ve Neill, Glenn Hetrick, and Neville Page—and the casual viewer at home who just wanted to see a cool zombie.
She had this specific way of asking questions during the lab walkthroughs. She would nudge the contestants. She’d ask things like, "How are you going to ensure this foam latex doesn't buckle at the jawline?" Those weren't scripted lines fed through an earpiece. They were the questions of someone who had spent her life watching her dad struggle with those exact same mechanical issues.
Breaking the Reality TV Mold
Reality TV usually thrives on manufactured conflict. The producers want people screaming over a missing airbrush. But Face Off felt... kinder? McKenzie set that tone. She wasn't there to mock the failures. When a mold cracked—which, let's be real, happened at least once a season—she looked genuinely devastated for them.
There was this one moment in Season 4. Anthony Kosar was dominant, but the pressure was immense. McKenzie’s presence wasn't that of a looming judge, but more of a supportive mentor. It changed the energy of the workroom. Instead of The Hunger Games, it felt like a very intense, very expensive art school.
The Technical Reality of Hosting a Special Effects Show
Hosting a show like this is a logistical nightmare. People don't realize that the "Reveal Stage" segments take hours to film. The models are standing there in 40 pounds of silicone, sweating, probably losing their minds. McKenzie had to maintain high energy while the judges poked and prodded at the paint jobs.
She also brought her own background as an actress—most notably from her years on the soap opera Passions—to the table. She understood how the makeup had to move. If a contestant built a mask that was a literal brick and the actor couldn't emote, she was the first to notice. She knew that in the real world, a creature is only as good as the performance it allows.
Why We Still Talk About Her Years Later
The show ended its run in 2018 with Face Off: Battle Royale. Since then, there’s been a massive hole in the hearts of practical effects nerds. You see it on Reddit and Twitter all the time. People miss the "Westmore touch."
Is she still involved in the industry? Absolutely. She launched her own beauty line, Westmore Beauty, which uses "Hollywood secrets" for everyday makeup. It’s basically a way of taking that multi-generational knowledge and putting it into a tube of concealer. But for those of us who spent Tuesday nights watching people sculpt demons out of clay, she will always be the host of Face Off.
💡 You might also like: Why Aria Montgomery from Pretty Little Liars Still Divides the Fandom
She stood as a gatekeeper for a dying art. In an era where CGI is the default, McKenzie and her father (who served as a mentor on the show) reminded everyone that there is something visceral and terrifying about a physical creature standing in the room with you.
The Legacy of the Reveal
If you watch old clips, pay attention to the way she introduces the judges. There’s a reverence there. She treats Ve Neill like royalty—because in the world of makeup, she is. That respect trickled down to the audience. We didn't just see "the judges"; we saw the people who made Beetlejuice, The Hunger Games, and Edward Scissorhands.
McKenzie didn't try to outshine them. She didn't try to be the loudest voice in the room. She was the steady hand.
What You Should Actually Do With This Information
If you're a fan of the show or an aspiring MUA (Makeup Artist), don't just treat Face Off as nostalgia. There are actual lessons to be pulled from McKenzie Westmore’s tenure that apply to the industry today.
- Study the Westmore History: If you want to understand why she was such a good host, look up the "Westmore System" of makeup. It's the foundation of the entire industry.
- Watch for the Technical Cues: Go back and re-watch Season 7 or Season 11. Instead of looking at the monsters, listen to the questions McKenzie asks in the lab. Those are the "make or break" points for any professional prosthetic application.
- Support Practical Effects: The best way to honor the legacy of the show and its host is to support films that use practical FX. When a director chooses a puppet over a digital render, they are keeping that Westmore tradition alive.
- Check out the "Game Face" Spin-off: If you’ve already binged every episode of the main show, McKenzie also hosted the spin-off Game Face, which upped the ante with a faster pace and different challenges.
The reality is that host of Face Off wasn't a job for her; it was a family responsibility. She protected the reputation of special effects makeup while making it accessible to millions of people who didn't know the difference between alginate and hydrogel. That’s a legacy that survives long after the cameras stop rolling and the kits are packed away.