I love Syfy‘s Face Off; it is easily the classiest unscripted/competition show in recent memory. The contestants help each other. They all stay in the same house but the camera time there is minimal. The only plotting that goes on is how they can each create the very best makeup for each challenge. And best of all, the contestants are all so talented.

The upcoming season 7, which premieres July 22, however, is going a little more dark, a little more menacing, starting with a sudden death elimination before any of them even get to the lab. Check out the details below, including info about the new and guest judges and all of the contestants, and a new Twitter-related prize.

IT’S LIFE AND DEATH FOR THE CONTESTANTS ON FACE OFF’S SEVENTH SEASON, AS THEY EXPLORE THEMES OF REBIRTH AND MORTALITY, AND FACE A SUDDEN DEATH ELIMINATION FOR THEIR FIRST CHALLENGE

SEASON 7 PREMIERES TUESDAY, JULY 22 AT 9 PM ET/PT ON SYFY

Premiere Features Special Guest Robert Englund and Welcomes Judge Lois Burwell to the Panel

NEW YORK – June 12, 2014 – Syfy’s acclaimed unscripted series, Face Off, returns for a seventh season themed “Life and Death” on Tuesday, July 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Sixteen talented special effects make-up artists arrive to Los Angeles, only to discover they are not on the show just yet, and will compete in a Sudden Death challenge where they must create a character that represents either life or death. After facing the judges, two artists are eliminated before ever moving into the Face Off house or stepping into the lab.

Freddy Krueger himself, actor Robert Englund, makes an appearance and offers advice on creating a convincing makeup. “Pay attention to your model,” he tells the artists. “Look at his face and build on that. I think one of the successes of the Freddy makeup is that they kept some of my own facial structures which I was able to animate easier.”

In a Face Off first, Syfy rolls out an interactive social integration for season 7, calling on viewers to each week tweet about their favorite contestant using #FaceOff. Viewer tweets will determine who the weekly fan favorite is, and at the season’s end, the contestant who ranked the overall most favorite will be rewarded with $10,000.

Returning to the lab for the new season is actress and host McKenzie Westmore, along with judges Glenn Hetrick (CSI: New York, The Hunger Games, Heroes) and Neville Page (Avatar, Prometheus). World-renowned makeup artist — and McKenzie’s dad – Michael Westmore resumes his role as the official contestant mentor.

Ve Neill is in the midst of working on her latest films in The Hunger Games franchise, but will sit on the judging panel for three episodes of Face Off during season 7. Stepping in to complete the panel is Lois Burwell, a renowned Academy-Award winning makeup artist known for her work on Lincoln, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse and War of the Worlds.

In this high-stakes Life and Death themed season, the contestants will face creative challenges designed to inspire them to explore life, death, rebirth and mortality. Some of the creatures the talented artists create include an angry, twisted tree character; a new animal species; and a reptilian super solider that would fit into the world of G.I. Joe.

The Face Off contestants will be whittled down week by week, until only three remain for a finale showdown. The winning artist will receive $100,000, a 2014 Fiat 500 and a VIP package courtesy of Kryolan Professional Make-Up. Kryolan Professional Make-Up continues as the official make-up sponsor of Face Off.

To find out more about the cast of season 7, see bios, photo galleries and video, visit www.syfy.com/faceoff.

Below are the season 7 Face Off contestants:

Name: Barry Mahoney
Age: 33
Hometown & Residence: Southborough, MA
Twitter: @Shut_Up_Barry

Name: Cig Neutron
Age: 25
Hometown: New Castle, IN
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Twitter: @cigneutron

Name: Damien Zimmerman
Age: 25
Hometown & Residence: Junction City, KS
Twitter: @ol_dirtyzombie

Name: David O’Connell
Age: 26
Hometown: Coconut Creek, FL
Residence: Orlando, FL
Twitter:

Name: Dina Cimarusti
Age: 28
Hometown: Lake Zurich, IL
Residence: Chicago, IL
Twitter: @dinarosecima

Name: Drew Talbot
Age: 29
Hometown: Wood River, IL
Residence: Pittsburgh, PA
Twitter: @handsandhead

Name: Gabby Leithsceal
Age: 42
Hometown: Perrysburg, OH
Residence: Loveland, OH
Twitter: @GabLei

Name: George Troester III
Age: 27
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Residence: Panorama City, CA
Twitter: @GeorgeTroester

Name: Gwen Crew
Age: 25
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Residence: Swissvale, PA
Twitter: @Gw3n7

Name: Jason Hodges
Age: 27
Hometown: Evans, GA
Residence: Atlanta, GA
Twitter: @undeadforest

Name: Keaghlan Ashley
Age: 24
Hometown & Residence: Oxnard, CA
Twitter: @KeaghlanAshley

Name: Rachael Wagner
Age: 24
Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC
Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Name: Sasha Glasser
Age: 22
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Twitter: @sashyluv

Name: Scott Mitchell
Age: 48
Hometown & Residence: Chicago, IL
Twitter: @SMCreativDesign

Name: Stella Sensel
Age: 34
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Residence: Brooklyn, NY
Twitter: @stellasensel

Name: Vince Niebla
Age: 42
Hometown & Residence: San Diego, CA
Twitter: @vniebla3D

Face Off is an authentic depiction of the high creative standards necessary for a special effects make-up artist to succeed in their craft. The series debuted in January 2011 as a new reality competition program to critical and ratings success. Including Live +7 Days, Season 6 of Face Off averaged 1.29 million 18-49 viewers and 2.12 million total viewers, making it Syfy’s top series this year among 18-49 and the #1 unscripted series among total viewers.

Face Off is a production of Mission Control Media with Dwight D. Smith, Michael Agbabian and Derek Atherton serving as executive producers.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/faceoffsyfy
Twitter: @FaceOffSyfy
Instagram: www.instagram.com/syfy
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/syfytv

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 96 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. (Syfy. Imagine Greater.)