Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge

Did You Know?

• Actress Gigi Edgley from Jim Henson's Farscape served as the show's host.
• Brian Henson performed Hoggle in Labyrinth (1986) and was the lead puppeteer for Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors.

Mentors

The show featured mentorship from three Creature Shop staff members. Peter Brooke, the Creature Shop Creative Supervisor, worked on productions including Where the Wild Things Are, The Producers, and Dinosaurs. Julie Zobel, the Lead Fabricator, contributed to Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and concert constructions for Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Deadmau5. John Criswell, the Mechanical Engineer, worked on films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Critters, and The Hangover.

Contestants

Ten contestants competed in the series. Chaz Vance, from West Falls, New York, was eliminated in episode one when his sea creature head reminded judge Kirk Thatcher of H.R. Pufnstuf. Tina Roland, a freelance effects artist from Hollywood, California, was eliminated in episode two because her Skeksis arms lacked action. Josh Smith, from Minot, North Dakota, forfeited in episode three due to family difficulties. Ivonne Escoto, from Los Angeles, California, was eliminated in episode four for an unfinished hunting trophy; she returned in episode eight to assist the winner. Lex Rudd, from Guerneville, California, was eliminated in episode five for unrealistic creature legs. Russ Adams, from Ogden, Utah, was eliminated in episode six for insufficient camouflage; he also returned in episode eight. Jake Corrick, from Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, was eliminated in episode seven. Melissa Doss, from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and Ben Bayouth, from Woodland Hills, California, were runners-up. Robert Bennett, a sculptor from Orlando, Florida, won the contest.

Episodes

In the first episode, contestants built a full-bodied sea creature puppet; Josh and Lex had top looks, while Chaz and Robert, and Russ and Tina had bottom looks; Josh won and Chaz was eliminated. The second episode tasked contestants with creating a Skeksis from The Dark Crystal; Robert, Melissa, and Josh, along with Ben, Jake, and Lex, had top looks; Robert won and Tina was eliminated. For the third episode, contestants made a creature from junk sourced from Apex Electronics; Ben and Ivonne had top looks; Ben won and Josh forfeited. In the fourth episode, contestants created a slain fantasy creature as a hunting trophy for the Wizard's Mansion; Donald Faison appeared as the Wizard; Ben, Jake, and Robert had top looks; Ben won and Ivonne was eliminated.

Reception

Newsday rated the premiere with an A−, stating that viewers come to understand the process of art being made. Entertainment Weekly awarded an A rating, calling the series wildly refreshing. TV Guide's Matt Roush noted similarities to Face Off but acknowledged the show's creative energy and constructive critiques. The premiere became Syfy's highest-rated unscripted premiere among Adults 25–54 since July 2013, averaging 1.12 million total viewers and ranking as Syfy's highest-rated Tuesday night reality premiere ever among Women 25–54.