'Heroes of Cosplay' recap: 'Emerald City'

BY MELISSA HARKNESS

This week's cosplay competition takes place at the biggest convention in the Northwest at Emerald City. A few new faces show up for this one.

First off, we have Chloe Dykstra of Los Angeles. She is a host of Just Cos, a webshow about cosplay on the Nerdist Channel. She's new to the world of cosplay competition and wants to garner some street cred for her show. Next up is Monika Lee of Atlanta. She's been competing for a while, but is still pretty young. She has also benefited from working for Yaya Han. Riki LeCotey is an experienced cosplayer that recently moved to Los Angeles and hopes to get a job in the prop making field. These three are joined by Jesse and Victoria, two of last week's heroes.

Syfy pursues nerd culture with new shows

In addition to the new paranormal shows announced today, Syfy has unveiled two new shows that reveal the net's desire to get nerdy.

Premiering Aug. 27 is Cosworld, a six-episode docuseries "follows some of the hottest cosplay stars as they make a splash at comic book conventions around the country." At least one well-known cosplayer, Yaya Han, is involved in the show.

According to Syfy, the show will mix it up with the cosplayers' lives, as well as explore their process of making amazing outfits:

The show dives deep into their lives, following their process as they create extravagant and visually arresting costumes each week. These individuals will constantly defy odds and race against the clock to transform themselves into amazing fictional characters that push the boundaries between fantasy and reality, all in hopes of impressing the convention judges to win a cash prize and the chance to become a cosplay legend.

Cosworld is produced by 51 Minds, an Endemol Company. Executive producers are Mark Cronin, Courtland Cox and Dave Caplan.

Also coming is Fandemonium. Set to premiere in the fall, the show is a six-part docuseries that "celebrates the incredibly unique, often misunderstood, and infinitely fascinating fan girl and fan boy culture." But wait, there's more. Not surprisingly, this comes from 495 Productions, the same production company behind Jersey Shore. So how will this Nerdy Shore look?

Living together in an LA apartment complex, a tight-knit group of pop culture-obsessed fans continue to find their place in the world and flourish, thanks to their passions and personalities. Whether it’s being first in line for the latest blockbuster, making a lasting impression upon getting the chance to meet their heroes, or just figuring out how to balance their passions with making a living – when these friends get together, it’s flat out Fandemonium.

What do you think of these two new shows? Will you tune in?

-Staff Writers