GSN announced today that actress Rebecca Romijn (X-Men, Ugly Betty) will serve as host of SKIN WARS, the 8 episode, hour-long competition show that seeks to find the most talented and versatile body painters in the country. Romijn— the first model to ever be body-painted for Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue the year before she made her unforgettable big-screen debut as the blue body painted “Mystique” in X-Men —will be joined by legendary entertainer RuPaul and body painting rock stars Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina as judges when SKIN WARS premieres on GSN in Summer 2014.

“We are honored  to have this stellar line-up of eye-popping talent for SKIN WARS, a series that will look like no other on television,” said Amy Introcaso-Davis, Executive Vice President, Programming and Development, GSN. “Host  Rebecca Romijn has an insider’s  understanding of this fascinating world and we are  thrilled that the master of transformation RuPaul will join body painting aficionados Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina on the judging panel. ”

“As someone who knows how a body can be transformed with paint, I am truly excited to host SKIN WARS,” said Romijn. “This is the next undiscovered art form, and I can’t wait to meet the artists and competitors who bring body painting to life, literally!”

Body painting: the hot new intersection of art and Madison Avenue.  There is no more compelling canvas for artists than the human body and SKIN WARS is the first ever competition show designed to find the country’s most talented, most versatile body painting artist.  This elimination series will put a bevy of talented competitors through a series of ingenious artistic challenges, which may include camouflage, graffiti, multiple model installations, corporate ad campaigns, animal art, and more.  Each week one competitor will be eliminated until one winner is the last artist standing.

Romijn, star of the blockbuster hits X-Men, X2, and X3: The Last Stand, was recently seen in the TNT series “King and Maxwell,” where she played Michelle Maxwell, a former Secret Service agent who is now a private investigator. Romijn recently starred in the Tyler Perry romantic comedy Good Deeds opposite Tyler and Thandie Newton, and in the Adult Swim comedy “NTSF:SD:SUV.” Previously she co-starred for two seasons as Alexis Meade (formerly known as Alex Meade) on the Emmy nominated ABC comedy series “Ugly Betty.” Romijn began crossing over to acting from her global success as a fashion model with memorable appearances on the hit television shows “Friends” and “Just Shoot Me,” as well as hosting MTV’s “House of Style.” She later won critical acclaim for her role in Brian De Palma’s Femme Fatale, starring opposite Antonio Banderas.

RuPaul skyrocketed to international fame with the CD release of “Supermodel of the World,” which was followed by roles in several feature films and TV sitcoms including hosting “The RuPaul Show” on VH1 and morning drive radio on WKTU and WNEW. The author of the autobiography Lettin’ It All Hang Out and Workin’ It: RuPaul’s Guide to Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Style, RuPaul is also the executive producer and host of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on Logo. RuPaul has been a spokesperson for WebEx, Rockport as well as the first face of M.A.C Cosmetics, before launching the cosmetic and fragrance line GLAMAZON.

Considered a cornerstone in body painting’s progressive movement, Craig Tracy also owns and operates The Craig Tracy Gallery in New Orleans, the world’s first art gallery dedicated to fine art body-painted images. Tracy was born and raised in New Orleans and graduated with honors from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. After working as a commercial illustrator, he decided to pursue a life as a fine artist and body painter. In 2005, he and his partner won first-place honors at the World Body Painting Festival in Austria, where he also served as a judge for several years.

Robin Slonina is a star in the world of body painting, known for her extreme artistry and business savvy.  She owns the largest body painting company in the country: the world-famous Skin City Body Painting in Las Vegas.  A practicing artist her whole life, she received her painting degree from the School of the Art Institute in her native Chicago.  Slonina moved to Las Vegas when her husband began performing as a clown for a major Las Vegas Strip spectacle, and since then she and her body art have taken the City of Sin by storm.

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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