The Untold Truth Of Glam Masters

Kim Kardashian has certainly made a name for herself as one of the biggest, if not the biggest, reality television superstars. The mother of three and wife of Kanye West has proven herself a force to be reckoned with by totally conquering whatever she sets out to do. Where Kim Kardashian goes, her followers — well, they follow. Everything the superstar touches seems to turn to gold. From her apps, to her book about selfies, to successfully lobbying for a grandmother's commuted prison sentence, this gal knows how to get things done. Glam Masters, the breakout reality show which premiered on Lifetime in February 2018, is simply one more example. 

Serving as executive producer for Glam Masters, Kim Kardashian has successfully extended her reach into the realm of reality competition shows. With Laverne Cox as the show's host and a panel of celebrated makeup artists and beauty bloggers as judges, Glam Masters is poised to be the Project Runway of makeup artistry. Here's the untold story of your new favorite reality show. 

If you are a human on planet earth (and we're guessing you are), you're likely well aware of Kim Kardashian's presence and ever-growing influence in the fashion, beauty, and reality TV realms. So it probably comes as no surprise that the mega-famous star made the decision to expand her empire by creating a reality competition TV show of her very own. What may surprise you, though, is that Kardashian isn't the only woman behind it.

Diana Madison's name might not ring any bells — but trust us, you're probably a fan. Not only did Madison help Kardashian conceptualize and make Glam Masters a reality, the self-described "content queen" also founded Hollyscoop and hosted The Lowdown with Diana Madison, a weekly web-based talk show. This gal knows a thing or two about creating content that keeps people coming back for more, so she was the perfect partner-in-crime for Kardashian to co-create Glam Masters. 

With the sheer number of reality television programs on-air today, you might be considering submitting yourself (or a friend) as a competitor. After all, many reality TV contestants enjoy a semi-famous life after their run on the show is over, complete with hoards of social media followers, media attention, and (of course) those sweet, sweet endorsement deals. 

However, if being a reality TV contestant is something that piques your interest, consider whether or not you're ready to open up about every detail of your life. Not only will you be making yourself vulnerable to media scrutiny and the court of public opinion by becoming a public figure, but even just the application to become a reality TV contestant is pretty invasive! Just take a look at the application for Glam Masters, which can be easily accessed on the Glam Masters website. Aspiring contestants must answer questions regarding their current income, social media followers, intentions for being on the show, and even their biggest insecurities. Sheesh!

Not only is Glam Masters the first reality competition show Kim Kardashian has both created and produced for television, but the show's chosen winner helped Kardashian to develop a first-ever product for her KKW Beauty line. Talk about important firsts!

In an interview with Life & Style, Glam Masters' season one winner, Argenis Pinal, dished on his once-in-a-lifetime collaboration with beauty mogul Kardashian. "We were both very involved [in the process]," Pinal told the publication. "We [spoke] through conference calls, and it started off with a storyboard, and then we talked about colors, lipsticks, pigment, loose pigment, and metallics."

Eventually, Pinal and Kardashian decided to debut a line of KKW eyeshadow sticks (called the KKW + ARGENIS Créme Color Sticks) — a first for the Kardashian beauty brand. As winner of the Glam Masters competition, Pinal was given the opportunity to decide the eyeshadow sticks' colors, as well as name them all: Genis, Muyor, Dramatico, Peshosa, and Comic King.

Everyone knows that a successful reality television competition program requires two immensely important components: a personable, engaging host (Nicole Byer and Tyra Banks, for example), and judges who totally know their stuff. It's obvious that Glam Masters producers have taken notes from reality shows of years past, because this show has all of that and more!

The personable, engaging host role on Glam Masters is filled by none other than Laverne Cox of Orange is the New Black fame. Cox told The Los Angeles Times her hosting style is "a combination of RuPaul meets Tyra [Banks] meets Oprah meets Heidi Klum," and honey, we are so here for it.

While Cox does her best to keep the contestants' eyes on the prize, three multitalented beauty guru judges hold the fate of each competitor in their hands — Mario Dedivanovic (Kim Kardashian's personal make-up artist), Kandee Johnson (YouTube celebrity), and Zanna Roberts Rassi (Marie Claire editor and Milk Makeup co-founder). Talk about pressure! 

Let's be honest, here — it's the Kardashians' world, and we're all just living in it. As you likely have learned by now, there are quite a few Kardashian/Jenners, and the famous family only seems to be growing in numbers. At this rate, you could very well one day find yourself working for a Kardashian. Don't fret, though — according to Glam Masters host Laverne Cox, Kim Kardashian is the boss you wish you had. 

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight in March 2018, Cox dished the details on what it's like to work for the mega-famous reality mogul, who she calls an "amazing" boss: "I don't think of her as a boss," Cox told Entertainment Tonight's Keltie Knight at the 2018 iHeart Music Radio Awards. "I think of her more as a colleague." 

Cox went on to compliment the super busy Kardashian's work ethic, telling Knight the reality star handpicked the judges, contestants, and even Cox to host the show. It seems Kardashian is certainly not one to attach her name to something and let everyone else do the work.

There's no question that, as consumers of both product and content, social media plays a huge role within our day-to-day lives. In the past decade, the concept of social media has grown from checking in online a few times a week to constantly having instant access to multiple social media accounts in your purse or pocket at any given time. Most importantly (for some), the easy access and instant gratification aspects of social media platforms like Instagram mean that users can upload carefully curated selfies for followers' viewing and liking pleasure. 

According to Diana Madison, Instagram culture is part of what inspired the creation of Glam Masters. In an interview with Hollyscoop (the company she founded), Madison dished that she's met a number of makeup artists throughout the years who all have one goal in mind: be discovered on Instagram. "They all want to be a celebrity makeup artist, and I noticed that they were all competing with one another [..] for more likes, more followers," Madison explained. "I was like, 'Wait a minute — there's a show here.'" Thanks for the inspiration, Instagram! 

It's no secret that good things take time. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was Glam Masters. In fact, the show was secretly in production for two years before its Lifetime debut. According to Fashionista, rumors about a Kim Kardashian-produced reality competition show first started swirling in 2016 thanks to a relatively low-key casting call posted to Facebook. The post, which is still available to view, reads, "Executive Producer Kim Kardashian West, the most influential style icon on the planet, is searching for America's next superstar beauty blogger!" 

Either the name Glam Masters had not yet been selected for the show or production wanted to keep things under wraps, but the eventual title of the reality show is nowhere to be found on the casting call posting. Instead, the flyer seems to identify the show's name as Beauty Bloggers — and while we do appreciate the alliteration, Glam Masters is more catchy. 

If you fancy yourself a fan of reality television, you know that many reality TV contestants submit themselves to the highs and lows of overnight fame simply because they're in pursuit of more followers, business opportunities, and brand recognition. Many rejected reality TV contestants (we're looking at you, The Bachelor) enter the reality TV world as virtually unknown, only to return to the real world after filming wraps and almost immediately begin the process of solidifying themselves as an Instagram celebrity though sponsorships, partnerships, and stirring the social media drama pot to attract hoards of new followers. 

Luckily for the Glam Masters contestants, they were all pretty much already celebrities in their own rights beforehand anyway. In fact, a prerequisite of being a contestant on the show (as indicated by the Glam Masters casting call) is having "a significant following on any platform." And while the Glam Masters season one contestants have certainly racked up a few new followers since the show's premiere, it seems they had already achieved impressive levels of success before their network television debut. 

When you hear the words "life changing experience," what is it that comes to mind? If your answer involves Kim Kardashian, the chance to do what you love alongside industry experts, becoming a reality television star, and collaborating with one of the world's most well-known, successful, and celebrated beauty brands, then you just might have a lot in common with Glam Masters champion, Argenis Pinal. 

Before competing on Glam Masters, Pinal had already made quite a splash in the beauty world. A graduate of Paul Mitchell The School, Pinal went on to become a makeup specialist for MAC Cosmetics and consistently showcased his incredible makeup and painting skills over at My Superheroes Cosplay — an Instagram account dedicated to Pinal's mind-boggling makeup creations. And according to Pinal, winning Glam Masters has certainly proven itself to be a high point in his career.

"I always love stepping out of the box," Pinal said in an interview with Carrie's Chronicles. "So overall, I knew [Glam Masters] was going to be a lot of fun and a life-changing experience, no matter what."