by Gina Scarpa and Chandra Clewley

Brian Buterbaugh has styled many celebrities in his tenured career. A New Yorker for the past 13 years, Brian has also worked on The Tyra Banks Show, and The Tony Danza Show. Brian was eliminated Wednesday night on Bravo's Shear Genius after his Edie Sedgwick style fell flat with the judges.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What inspired you to go on Shear Genius?
A. Brian: Well, it just seemed like the right time. A friend of mine called and said, "Hey would you like to try out for Shear Genius?" and I said, "Yeah, sure"! I went for an interview, jumped through a bunch of hoops and with the economy in 2009, I figured it would be a great time to see what sort of opportunities I could create.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What did you think of your competition?
A. Brian: Going into this situation, I wanted to the villain. I wanted to be nasty and create the most drama. Then, in reality, when I show up in L.A. and I see all these people that I totally relate to and could potentially become friends with, I changed my tune. From then, I thought everybody was great.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What happened in episode 2 when you got bleach in your models eye?
A. Brian: I simply got bleach in my model's eye. I thought it was most important to take care of her health, rather than a stupid challenge. If I would have went home as a result of that, at least I know I would have helped her to the best of my abilities and would have had a clear conscience, knowing well that I did the right thing.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The judges seemed a bit hard on you, especially during the challenge where you had to add extensions onto male models. How did you handle the judging?
A. Brian: Take a look at the photos of the men's hair extension challenge. My hairstyle was the only one that could have been worn on the street. Matthew's looked like Harpo Marx and Janine's looked like a discount Elvis Presley. Just because the judges didn't like the hair doesn't mean it didn't look good. I would give someone that hair style and feel confident that they would be getting laid as a result of it. I did my research prior to going out to LA, their opinions truly meant nothing to me, whether complementary or negative. I've been doing this for nearly 20 years. I know what my capabilities are.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How do you feel about your Edie Sedgwick channeling on last night's episode?
A. Brian: All of the Andy Warhol superstars are my inspiration for style. Just as my hairstyle was not a duplication, but an inspiration of Edie Sedgwick. I thought it looked good and was a far cry from terrible. Take a look at the pictures of Jon's hairstyle or Brig's - let me know what you think

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You mentioned Wednesday night that you thought perhaps Brig was the only one playing the game. What was it like to be caught in the middle of the war between Brig and the "Wonder Twins" Matthew and Janine? Did you take sides?
A. Brian: Brig is one tough bitch with a heart of gold lamé, if she wanted to she could have kicked the crap out of Matthew and Janine with one sweep.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you keep in touch with any of the other stylists from the show?
A. Brian: I keep in touch with most of the people from the show. We have a special bond having gone through this experience together. I just received a necklace in the mail that Brig made me and Janine and I were on Rachael Ray together.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you feel like you were able to show some of your capabilities and best work on the show?
A. Brian: I feel I did a great job within the time constraints and the products given, I challenge anyone to try the same thing we did and take a look at the results. It takes longer than an hour and a half to do a haircut, hair color, and style, so what you see is what you get.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What is your ideal hair to style?
A. Brian: My ideal hair to style is just below the shoulders with medium abundance and preferably with long layers.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you working on next?
A. Brian: Right now, I am sharpening up my photography skills and I want to create a studio where I do hair/makeup and make super 8 fashion films. I want to give my clients something to take home so they can show their children pictures and film of when they were a superstar.


Shear Genius airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa and Chandra at twitter.com/chandraclewley

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