'Cosplay Melee' premieres March 21; what to expect from the upcoming series

“Cosplay Melee” is set to arrive on March 21 at 10/9c on the Syfy channel in the US. The one-of-a-kind series will showcase talent and craftsmanship of cosplayers, who will be judged at the end of each episode.

The show will be hosted by “Community’s” Yvette Nicole Brown and judged by world-class cosplayer LeeAnna Vamp and costume creator Christian Beckman, noted for his work in “TRON: Legacy” and “The Hunger Games.” Vamp has shared her delight in participating as a judge through her Twitter account. (See photo at bottom of article.)

LeAnna Vamp, famously known as the Vamptress, is a cosplayer, actress and an entrepreneur as. Her favorite cosplay theme would be anything in line with Halloween, vampires and horror movies. Christian Beckman, on the other hand, specialises in several areas of movie making. He has done special effects supervision for the movie "F.R.E.D.I.," costume production for "The Last Airbender," make-up effects producer for "The House of the Devil," animator technician for "A.I." and many more.

The cosplay battle will begin with a total of four cosplayers. The selected few will go head to head with each other for one week, with each week an equivalent to one episode. Each cosplayer must impress the judges on how well they conceptualise and materialise their designs within a designated time limit.

The first round will have the cosplayers create an accessory within eight hours. Within this timeframe, the contestants should be able to sketch, make and finalise their preferred accessory, and present it to the judges. Once they meet the goal of the first round, they then move forward to the main event.

The main event will give the contestants 48 hours to create a cosplay outfit to go with the accessory they previously made. Contestants can make any cosplay outfit, even an enchanting fairy outfit or a massive mecha suit seen on the “Cosplay Melee” trailer video. (Watch video at bottom of article.) But what is important is that they must craft the costume from scratch.

Once they are finished with their masterpiece, they will be given a final task on the runway. The contestants will wear the costume and act out the character it depicts in a fashion show. They will be judged for the accuracy and fine detailing of their costumes as they project the character on the runway.

The cosplayer who will present the most unique, detailed and well-constructed costume will be declared the winner. The best cosplayer will walk away with US$10,000 (AU$13,300) and reign as cosplay king or queen in “Cosplay Melee.” Other information, trailers and update about the show is on SyFy's official website.