The fifth season of the Syfy reality television series Face Off premiered on August 13, 2013. The season features 16 prosthetic makeup artists competing against each other to create makeup effects. This is the first season to feature the return of eight prior contestants competing against eight new contestants. The grand prize for the fifth season is a VIP trip from Kryolan to one of their 85 locations, a 2013 Fiat 500, and $100,000. A rule violation occurred and is noted during the end credits of episode 5, details are unknown.
Foundation Challenge: Creating an original character inspired by one of the costumed partygoers where the competitors met.
Guests: Yaya Han, Riki "Riddle" Lecotey, Jessica Merizan, Holly Conrad and Jessie Lagers of SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay.
Guest Judge: Catherine Hardwicke
Reward: Immunity
Top Foundations: Tate, Roy and Laura
Winner: Tate
Spotlight Challenge: The contestants worked as two teams of eight, veterans against newcomers, to create five original hyper stylized fantasy characters that would all fit in the same world.
Winning Team: Veterans
Top Looks: Miranda & Alana, Laura, Laney & Rick (top looks on losing team)
Bottom Looks: Eddie & Tolin, Adolfo, Eric & Frank & RJ (bottom looks on winning team)
Foundation Challenge: The artists must turn a male model into a female demon inspired by Insidious: Chapter 2.
Guest Judge: Glenn Hetrick
Top Foundations: Rick and Roy
Reward: Director James Wan announced via satellite that the winner will receive a copy of Insidious and attend the red carpet premiere of Insidious Chapter 2 with a friend.
Winner: Roy
Spotlight Challenge: In a double elimination, contestants must work in teams of two (of their choice) to create a modern Mother Goose character with a twist.
Top Looks: Alana & Laney, Adolfo & Lyma and Tate & Miranda
Spotlight Challenge: The artists' first individual challenge is to use the clues they find in an abandoned power plant's tunnel system to create a subterranean creature.
Spotlight Challenge: The artists' challenge is to create a mother nature deity that incorporates their mothers in the design.
Top Looks: Laura, Roy and Lyma
Bottom Looks: Scott, Eddie and RJ
Winner: Laura
Eliminated: RJ
SPECIAL NOTE: During the end credits there is a note that states 'During the taping of this episode, it became apparent that a rules violation occurred. The producers took the action they deemed appropriate to address and remedy the situation.'
Spotlight Challenge: The artists' challenge is to create dark and sexy alien-circus performers, inspired by Cirque Berzerk. The models (actual members of the Cirque Berzerk troupe) will perform as members of an intergalactic circus troupe. The artists are divided into four teams of two, of their choice.
Spotlight Challenge: The artists' challenge is to create a forbidding character that embodies one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The competitors must also incorporate the color representing their chosen sin into their designs.
Spotlight Challenge: The artists must create an original dark elf character reflecting ancient Norse runes. The artists each pick a rune, but are only told its meaning after choosing. After the first day in the lab, it is revealed that Laney has quit the competition. The challenge proceeds as if there will still be a normal elimination. When it comes to the elimination, however, the judges announce that neither of the bottom artists will be sent home as they did not quit.
Spotlight Challenge: The final three must create two characters, a Swan and a Sorcerer, based on different time periods for a performance of Swan Lake.
