The Day After: Groomer Has It Recap Episode #4!

 

 

Only 9 groomers left in Groomer Has It’s second season! The competition is getting tougher as well as the judges expectations!

This week, Nemo appeared to the groomers as a space-dog, dressed in an improvised spacesuit to deliver the message that “Necessity is the mother of invention” and the groomers were instructed to split up into teams of 3 people each and meet Jai at Joann Craft Store.

The teams were as follows: Red Team: Lisa, Bill, and Danielle (Danielle was very pleased at being asked by Lisa to join them)

                                                       Yellow Team: Marco, Jessica and Krista (Marco was most disappointed at being on the same team as Krista)

                                                        Blue Team: Hubert, Vanessa and Cassandra

The Quick Sniff Challenge, in keeping with the foreboding message and the improvisational space attire, was to come up with an invention to revolutionize the grooming world, to develop a prototype and to pitch it to potential investors. Margana Knaus, marketing mind behind the Rapid Bath System, was on hand to explain how new products become “must-haves” in home grooming  and was the judge for this challenge.

The teams had 2 hours to brainstorm and develop their product and $100 to use on supplies at Joann Craft Store.

The Red Team came up with a  grooming aid they named the “Still Paws Training Table”; a grooming arm that was magnetic and could be adhered to your washing machine or dryer so you could manage your pet while grooming it at home. The arm collapsed when not in use and was easily stored.

The Blue Team came up with the “K-9 Kaddy”; a plastic caddy to transport all your necessary grooming essentials  for  bathing your dog,  that had suction cups to attach to the side of the tub for use for smaller dogs and a carrying handle to take the whole kit and caboodle outside for bathing your larger dogs.

The Yelow Team came up with the “Run-a-Buddy”; a belt-type contraption that held your cellphone, waste bags, treats and water etc, and had a leash looped through it so that your dog would be able to be secured to you without you actually having to hang onto the leash ; giving you more flexibility to talk on your cellphone while walking your dog.

The Red Teams pitch was somewhat rhetorical and a little bland, but the product was deemed by Ms. Knaus as a plausible invention.

The Blue Team’s pitch was polished and professional, however, Ms. Knaus was of the opinion that there were a lot of similar solutions out there.

The Yellow Team’s pitch saw a lot of energy, with Krista playing the part of the yappy little dog, which other groomers saw as extremely foolish and unprofessional. In addition, the invention totally missed the point of inventing something pertaining to grooming, which Marco felt remorseful for as he had headed the team’s direction because he alone had a degree in marketing!

The Red Team won the Quick Sniff challenge and were rewarded with a photo shoot for Groomer Groomer magazine, the industry’s leading publication which they’ll be featured in as well as possibly appearing on the cover! They arrived to the photo studio (along with the über-photogenic Nemo!)  and were immediately whisked away to Hair and Makeup, a real treat for all of them. The photos turned out absolutely fabulous, and they returned to the Dog House with an 8 x 11 glossy photo of the day’s shoot that they promptly tacked up over another picture in the main part of the house! 

For the Grooming Challenge, another revolutionary grooming tool was put into use; the Vacuum Clipper. This seemed to strike fear in the hearts of most of the groomers as they had either never used one before or had had a bad experience with!

Each groomer was introduced to their grooming victim; all poodle mixes.

As the “LegUp” advantage that the Red Team got as winners of the Quick Sniff challenge, they were awarded a 5 minute consultation with master groomer Teri Di Marino, who is an expert with this particular method of grooming. Her main advice to them was to make absolutely sure they had all mats combed out before they proceeded with the clipper.

It seemed like everyone had issues with their dog being very matted and they all tried to make the best use of the 2 hours and 15 minutes they were allotted, but time seemed to fly by for them! Regardless of how confident they felt with the clipper, most of the groomers produced what the judges felt was a substandard result, with Krista having nicked her dog twice with the clipper and Bill virtually not using the clipper much at all due to the fact that he spent almost all his time brushing mats out of his dog.

4 groomers; Danielle, Vanessa, Krista and Bill, were selected to remain in the judging room while the other groomers were declared safe and sent back to the Dog House. 

The judges told Vanessa that she obviously cared very much for her charge, and that her groom reflected that, however Danielle’s symmetry and excellent transformation put her effort over the top to win her Best In Show this week!

Bill was told his dog was a “train wreck” and basically, he needed to step up his game, while Krista was told to pack her things. And so, the Fabulous One has been clipped!  We’re down to 8 remaining groomers!

 

Next week, last season’s Groomer of the Year, Artist, will make a guest appearance and present the groomers with a top-knot challenge, as well as a Doggy Wedding of the Year challenge! Don’t miss it!