Just like other television shows, especially BRAVO’s drama-filled fare, the conflicts on Tabatha’s Salon Takeover are sometimes manipulated by producers. That’s really no secret, but many may not keep that in mind while watching, or know exactly what is genuine and what is just for show.
The Chicago-Sun Times gives us a behind-the-scenes peak at how much BRAVO crafts the show and stirs the pot when it casts a hair salon by interviewing workers from the salon featured in the Season 2 opener, Orbit.
Orbit is one of two salons owned by Eddie, who tells Tabatha he is over $750,000 in debt from the two salons. BRAVO picked the Chicago salon, located at 3481 N. Clark, after an anonymous patron nominated it. The episode showed a dirty salon with a depressed owner and a lack of unity among the staff.
Unsurprisingly, the Sun Times learned from the staff that BRAVO asked them to not clean the salon for a month before Tabatha arrived, so it’s no surprise that Tabatha’s famous finger-dust trick yielded stunning results for the camera. The thing that really surprised me was that the only picked half of the staff to be on the show. I guess there was some sort of “audition”?
What the staff reported as being a genuine part of the show was the way Tabatha was able to motivate them, and build them into a strong team that supported each other and their struggling boss. She went to extremes on this episode, asking them to pack up most of the stuff in the salon’s huge, cluttered basement, and take it all to Eddie’s apartment. During this exercise Eddie let them know how bad things were, and they all ended up crying and feeling inspired to do better. However, when the BRAVO cameras left, the crew that appeared on the show was reinvigorated and inspired but the other half were completely unaffected.
All-in-all it’s a little weird to peer “behind the curtain” with Tabatha’s Takeover because it’s such a good show. Although the production team does have it’s hand in the mix to make things appear worse than they were, hand-pick the staff with the most potential for drama, and stir the pot a little; it seems like the essence of the show is very genuine and real. Most of what Tabatha offers is a honesty and some very basic management skills. BRAVO producer can “ramp up the drama” all they want, but in the end, the show belongs to Tabatha.
If you’re curious if Tabatha practices what she preaches, CLICK HERE to take a glimpse inside of her very own salon, Industrie Hair Gurus. If you’re interested in learning more about her personal life, CLICK HERE. Also, click here to learn about the boob job that almost killed her!
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