Hairy Competition on Bravo's "Shear Genius"

Tabatha grew up in Australia and studied hairstyling there, which then required a four-year apprenticeship, before leaving for further training in London, "the mecca of hairdressing at the time." Her family moved to New Jersey 14 years ago, and she currently works at a salon in Ridgewood , N.J. She is also a platform artist for Joico, so she is constantly wandering the globe doing hair shows and photo shoots.

"The years of experience that I have were sometimes an advantage," Tabatha said, "but sometimes not, because you're quite set in your ways. But I just kind of rolled with the punches a bit more. If I needed to blow off steam, I'd blow off steam, and I didn't get so emotional as some of the other people did."

"I surprised myself with how still I was able to be, sitting and meditating," Daisy recalled, "because I am a nonstop, nervous speedball. It was almost surreal that I was able to be so calm."

Daisy owns an Aveda concept salon in Miami and grew up in Hialeah, Fla. She said she never imagined she would take up a craft as her career choice because she always did really well in school. But after she dropped out of college, she worked her way up from receptionist to manager at a hair salon. At work, she was always antsy to get into styling. "I was sitting behind the desk," she said, "and I just wanted to get my hands in it."

Her interest in hairstyling, though, stems from her childhood. "I was always into it hair, ever since I was a little girl," Daisy said. "My mom was a frustrated hairdresser, and she used to do all these crazy dos on me and make me sleep in rollers, and I loved it. I guess I had a knack for it."

Hairstyling runs in Tabatha's family too. Her mother and oldest brother were both hairdressers at one point in their lives, and Tabatha was always interested in that work. She said that at 14, when she got a Saturday job at a salon sweeping floors and doing the laundry, "I already knew that I liked it, but that really made me fall in love with the industry."

One thing about the show that Tabatha did not fall in love with was having to live in a shared space with the other competitors. "It was rough," she said. "I'm not American, so I never had the whole college experience, which some people said it was like living in a college dorm. It was tough living with a whole bunch of people you would probably never choose to live with." But she says she got along well with the others and made some friends she will keep.

Besides having to live with 11 other people, Tabatha's biggest challenge was keeping her patience in check. "It will be on camera for all to see: Tabatha in her finest lack-of-patience moments," she said, laughing. "I'm pretty honest about my feelings at the best of times, so whatever happens is what I felt at that time. If someone provoked me to do something, I reacted in the moment. And I'm fine with it."

Daisy said the other competitors didn't get to her. "I get along with everybody," she insisted. "When there are people with different opinions or values or personality traits, I don't have to change who they are. I can just do my own thing. I'm a live-and-let-live kind of girl."

She added, "I work in a salon with lots of stylists, so I'm used to all that animosity and ego."

Both women said being gay was never addressed on the show. Tabatha said she was out to some of the contestants, but it was never really a topic of discussion.

"It was always about the hair for me," she said, "and I was very, very focused on the hair. I tend not to talk about myself a lot. My private life I truly cherish. It's very important to me, so it's probably something I hold close to my heart and don't go around spouting to people. And I think also in that situation I was really aware that it's a competition, and it's not the most natural environment to get to know people really well."

Daisy offered: "It wasn't made such a big issue — to which I say, 'My God, it's about time people don't make an issue about it!' All the cast members knew I was gay. It's no secret. But they didn't want to play it up or anything like that."

Both women look back favorably on their Shear Genius experience. "In a way, it was like a huge, real-life board game," said Daisy, "and that, for me, is so fun. It was really like an extreme hairdressing sport. I love that adrenaline rush. I wouldn't jump off a building, but I'll do a reality show."

Shear Genius airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on Bravo.