The hairstyling wars

Hitting over 600K viewers for its third season, the catfights and continuous dramas on Jerseylicious are pulling in the punters even in Malta. Stars Tracy Di Marco and Olivia Blois Sharpe speak exclusively to Ramona Depares.

Love them or hate them, reality shows are here to stay. And one of the more popular offerings that are doing the rounds right now on Style TV is Jerseylicious – a show which is, believe it or not, based on the trials and tribulations of employees of the newly renovated Gatsby Salon. Which, I have it on the most reliable of sources (good old Wikipedia) is one of the hippest hairstyling salons in New Jersey.

Life at the salon sounds pretty exciting, with most of the main characters constantly at each other's throats in a never-ending and highly entertaining supply of drama. Oh yeah, in between the catfights they also style clients' hair and apply make-up.

And few people can do the catfights as well as Tracy Di Marco (hairstylist) and Olivia Blois Sharpe (make-up artist), two of the show's main protagonists. I had ten minutes on the phone with each in order to figure out whether these people are for real or not. Well, the jury is still out on that one but one thing's for sure – the popularity of Jerseylicious shows no signs of waning and, with 665,000 viewers recorded for the premier of the third season, the show remains one of Style network's biggest hits. Fans, enjoy.

How has being on Jerseylicious affected your personal styling? Has the pressure of being on a reality style show affected your personal look?

Tracy: Of course it has. When you're on a show of this kind you have to be constantly on the game. People are judging your appearance the whole time. No more "oh let me just go out for five minutes without my lipstick on". Knowing fate, those five minutes will be the same five minutes everyone chooses to snap your pic.

Olivia: I never cared what people think and I always dressed a little bit different, since I was young. If people make fun of me I don't really care or change. It worked to my advantage because that's what go me on the show. I'm me, anyone who doesn't like it needn't watch.

Jerseylicious is presented as a reality show. But just how real is it?

Tracy: Nothing is scripted. Our life is exactly the way you see it on the show. Whatever happens on camera is the truth, one hundred per cent. Whether we're fighting or whether we're getting along just fine, it's all the truth.

Olivia: Oh it's very real. The producers create events for us to attend, but everything that happens there, every word that comes out of our mouths...that is our real personality. Also, you have to consider that people from L.A. could never script our dialogue. They just think we're nuts, they don't get us, we're different.

What's been your top moment on the show so far?

Tracy: Probably the episode in Season 3 where we made it to the Guiness Book of Records by cutting 200 heads of hair in eight hours. It was the very first episode of the season, which made it even more awesome. We all pushed ourselves so hard and yes, there were the fights too...but despite all this, it's my favourite memory.

Olivia: I'd say it was the Gaga for Glam episode in Season 2. That was such fun. You had a bunch of four people, with crazy make-up, just having fun with each other. We really could express our creativity. There was also the What Would Alexa Date episode from Season 1, where we go to a wedding and on a double date together. That was pretty amazing because Alexa is well –known for never letting down her guard. But this time round she did, she showed everyone that she's not necessarily the strongest girl in the world and she really let her emotions come out.

And the worst OMG moment?

Tracy: The fights.

Olivia: The fights.

Doesn't the continuous rivalry between the two of you get tiring?

Tracy: Well, we both know what we have to do and somehow it works. Yes sometimes the salon does feel a bit like a jail, like somewhere I have to spend all these hours at without the possibility of escape.

Olivia: I hate fighting with Tracy because I really am no the aggressive type. I stay away from conflict. But I also have deep emotions and sometimes they just explode if I've been holding them in too much, especially when people rub me up the wrong way.

Possibility of truces in the offing?

Tracy: The best strategy for that is trying not to talk, I guess. Because when we talk to each other, that's when sparks fly. We've tried a truce, honest. It worked for, like, a day. But I get along just fine with all the rest of the team. Of course there is Team Tracy and Team Olivia, but then there are also the other cast members with whom I'm very close, like Anthony for instance.

Olivia: I don't think so. We have a professional relationship, we both want the show to succeed and we co-operate together because we know that it's necessary. We can sit around a table adn do what we need to do. I'm not the sort to hold grudges but then again, when someone opens a wound...

How do you react to being called a drama queen?

Tracy: Aren't we all? Life is all about the drama. On the show, people like the fact that we fight. If we all got along together it would be boring. It would be like watching a documentary.

Olivia: I'm really the quiet type, the type who likes being by herself.

Any styling tips you'd like to share with fans?

Tracy: I try to shower and do my hair last thing before I go to sleep. That way when I wake up it stays exactly the way I like it. Not too curly, not too straight. Also, I make sure I have enough time to complete my beauty routine at leisure. No rushing. Rushing freaks me out.

Olivia: Every morning I have to go through my beauty ritual, it's almost an OCD thing for me. Taking care of my skin is extremely important for me. My favourite bronzer is Casino by Nars and my favourite eyeliner is Hip by L'Oreal. You can cry and scream and shout and it won't come off, it's brilliant.

Jerseylicious is aired on The Style Network (channel 352 on Melita) everyday at 13:45.