Blow Out: Bravo, Tuesdays, 9 PM
Jonathan Antin is the most compelling figure ever to garner his
own reality show! At least, that’s my claim this week. In Season 1,
(and perhaps Jon himself realizes this) he came off as a bit of a
ego maniacal control freak on a rampage to open a salon in Beverly
Hills in order to fulfill his mission of "doing beautiful hair."
In Season 2, we’re seeing other sides of Jonathan. He is just
as likely to break down crying when someone compliments his new hair
product line as start pitching a hissy fit when things don’t go his way.
This is a man who peppers his speech with terms like "dude, bro, chick
and babe" and yet manages to come across as likable and virtually
without pretense.
He drives a Mercedes, has salons in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills
with celebrity clientele yet seems to think of his appearance on QVC as
the pinnacle of his success. His favorite self-referential catchphrase
seems to be "in the end, I’m just a hair stylist" when he’s
not busy comparing himself to Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull and freely
bastardizes quotes from the likes of Apocalypse Now.
("I love the smell of hair product in the morning!")
I used to think I was addicted to Blow Out because I loved to hate
Jonathan and don’t get me wrong, there are still those moments. Now I
realize, however, that ultimately he’s just one of those guys you can’t
help but like. And the constant drama back at the salons certainly
doesn’t hurt this show’s entertainment quotient either.
