Cosplay Melee


Cosplay Melee is a Syfy channel reality television show executive produced by Jay Peterson and Todd Lubin, which was announced in February 2017 and premiered its first season of six episodes on March 21, 2017. The series is hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown, and follows cosplayers as they put their skills to the test. Cosplay Melee is Syfy's second cosplay-competition series, after the two-season series Heroes of Cosplay in 2013.
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Premise

The series is hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown, and follows four cosplayers each week as they put their skills to the test as they create innovative cosplays, having to not only create the costume, but also act the part of the character for a realistic performance. Guiding and critiquing the contestants are international cosplayer LeeAnna Vamp, and Christian Beckman, the costume creator for The Hunger Games and Tron: Legacy. At the end of every episode each week, the winner of that particular competition is awarded with $10,000.

Contestants

In each episode, there are two rounds. The first requires the contestants to make a small test piece, and one is eliminated and one receives a bonus for the second round, where they create their full characters, and a contestant is selected as the winner of the episode.
#NameOccupationCosplay sourceResult
1Alicia BellamyCostume DesignerChronicles of Riddick
1Xavier ConleyChef and Prop BuilderStar Wars
1Grace HerbertPolice OfficerGuardians of the Galaxy
1Fred ReedMiniatures PainterStar Trek
2Edgar MayoralBlacksmith
2Jennifer RoseProfessional cosplayerBaratheon
2Emily SchmidtAssisted living activities directorWildling
2Ruth StetsonProfessional cosplayerWhite Walker
3Garrick BackerProfessional cosplayerDemon
3Marty LeGrowChildren's entertainerAngel
3Lisa RosenbergProfessional cosplayerDemon
3Jesseca ThaxtonFashion designerAngel
4Joshua BrownProfessional cosplayerFallout
4Caitlyn CulpepperSmall boutiqueOverwatch
4Becka NoelCostume designerStar Trek Online
4Steven SmithProp makerDestiny
5Aaron BowholtzTattoo artistAncient Egypt
5Tuwanda ChandlerSeamstressPeace, love, positivity
5James FippsGraphic designerVigilante guardian
5Dhareza MaramisCreative directorMilitary, cats
6Paul EsquerProp maker.hack
6Jacqueline GoehnerProfessional cosplayerRecord of Lodoss War
6Meesha LeDouxVeterinarian assistantMonster Girl series
6Jessie PridemoreProfessional seamstressMahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

Production

The series was announced in February 2017 by Heather Olander, the senior Vice President of Syfy.
Christian Beckman, a judge on the series, has done costume work for Tron: Legacy, The Hunger Games, The Last Airbender, Star Trek, Where the Wild Things Are, War of the Worlds and I Am Legend, as well as having been part of the team that created the mechanical arms for Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2.

Broadcast

Cosplay Melee premiered its first season of six episodes in the U.S. on March 21, 2017 at 10/9c on Syfy. The series premiered on June 13, 2017 in Canada on Space.