Not all changes are good or bad, some are outright mind-blowing too! Jeff Schultz a countryman, on the insistence of his wife, decided to bring one change in his life by undergoing a makeover. Little did he know his decision to change himself was going to create a ripple. The man who had not shaved his bushy beard in the last 20 years looked so different post-makeover that it became difficult even for his wife to recognize him. We must say this would be the most right decision Jeff's wife ever made.
Lori Schultz and Jeff Schultz have been married to each other for three decades and a lot has changed during these years. For Lori, the man she had married thirty years ago was completely different from what he is right now. The couple resides in Willard, Missouri where Jeff is well known by his neighbors for his large and thick beard.
The man had stopped shaving 20 years ago as he had grown quite comfortable with his long beard look. Since then Jeff had been grabbing eyeballs for his fuzzy beard till his wife decided for him to get a makeover. Well, the decision was not one day made, there's another interesting story behind it.
It all began when Lori, 53 spotted pictures of her and Jeff taken at the start of their relationship. The pictures were found by Lori's mom who was cleaning her loft. This forgotten photo was placed with other mementos. After seeing the picture Lori realized how different Jeff had grown from the past. How was she going to convince Jeff by the way?
Jeff absolutely loved his hair and beard. Not only were they comfortable but had also earned him fame in his surroundings. Convincing him to cut them off was surely going to be a feat for Lori. Nevertheless, she discussed her plan with him and as expected he denied it. However, Lori was not going to give up and she tried one more time and this time she had a luring offer to make.
Lori gave it another shot by suggesting to Jeff that they can apply to The Rachael Ray Show for his makeover. Surprisingly, Jeff agreed to that! Jeff appreciates Rachel a lot and he always wanted to meet her from the time Ray was associated with Food Network. Getting a makeover in her show obviously means seeing her in person and that is exactly what Jeff was looking for. Lori cashed on that wish of his.
Lori sent pictures of Jeff to the show that included the one with his current look and the other the one found in the loft. “Don’t get me wrong. I love my husband inside out, just help me with the outside.” Lori explained
She did not know whether she would get a reply or not, she continued waiting for one anyway. Luckily they did not have to wait long. In a matter of a few days, she got a reply from the show. She rushed to her husband and broke this outstanding news to him.
When Lori told Jeff that they were invited to New York, Jeff agreed immediately. Lori explained he said yes to them “just ’cause it was Rachael Ray.” It was not the end as there was another ecstatic news waiting for the couple.
The couple learned that Kyan Douglas was going to appear with them on the show. He had been starred in Queer Eye For The Straight Guy when it was just launched in 2003. The couple had never met the actor before and they were very excited to meet him and Rachel.
Kyan used to be the “grooming guru” of the show who helped men take proper care of their makeup, hair, and personal hygiene. Though the original show went off the air in 2007, he continued helping men get a makeover in The Rachael Ray Show. He says he likes grooming others' appearance because of the “wonderful synergy between physical transformation and an internal transformation.”
Kyan began in preparation from the moment he learned about this makeover. He knew that this man with twenty year old beard and hair would require lots of effort and expertise in the makeover. So the first thing Kyan did was to reach out to Elena Linares, owner of Razzle Dazzle Barbershop, Miami to help him in the makeover of Jeff.
Elena is basically from the Bronx. She moved to Miami in the 1980s and launched her first salon in 1989 on South Beach. Thereafter, nineteen years after her first salon, she came up with Razzle Dazzle in 2008.
Elena's barbershop is unique in comparison to other barbershops. It has a theme of burlesque that complements with racy outfits. The owner describes her salon in a better way, She says, “The idea behind Razzle Dazzle is to pamper men in a flirty but wholesome, professional manner.”
The salon is such a big success that she thought of opening two more Razzle Dazzle outlets in Coral Gables and Surfside. The star barber goes on “When I started Razzle Dazzle, the barbering niche hadn’t even begun.” “I knew that I was going to be dominant in the industry,” she added.
Both Kyan and Elena were well-experienced in their field. No doubt, they had done the makeover of many people, but this one was a little different. So, obviously, they were more excited than usual and it was indeed going to be a fun-filled experience. They knew that this makeover was going to be special but they had no idea how special was it going to be.
The show began with Rachel Ray asking Jeff how much hair he wanted to lose to which Jeff gave a very interesting answer. He replied it is all for his wife and continued when she “married me with nothing on my face, so I’m willing to go that far.”
The man and his lady stayed in New York for four days for the show. All four days were thrill-filled for the couple. To begin with, they had to split up during their stint. It meant Lori was not permitted to meet her husband during the process.
Lori was very excited about her husband's makeover. She had no idea what was going on with Jeff as she was not allowed to see him once. She really wanted to stay with her husband during the process and see him changing completely. She knew it was going to be good. However, she had not imagined in her wildest dream that she would see a completely different person post-makeover.
The makeover process of Jeff was done and it was time to bring him in front of the public and his wife. They had not seen each other for the last 96 hours. Lori was waiting impatiently for her husband's appearance with her heart racing high. She knew he would be looking different but this much different she was going to realize just in a moment.
In the next moment, Jeff came on the stage with his new brand look. He had a new haircut and was cleanly shaven. No need to say, Lori took a while to recognize him. The first thing she uttered was “That’s not my husband!” The change did not only include his face but his dress style was also covered too. He was donning new clothes that complemented his new style completely.
Jeff himself had not expected such a drastic change. So when he turned towards the big screen he himself got overwhelmed by the new developments. He with teary eyes admitted, “I feel amazing.”
Lori was very happy too. She just could not believe for a while that he was indeed her husband. She said to the Springfield News-Leader “he looked totally different.” “His skin hasn’t seen fresh air for 20 years,” she explained.
Everyone was surprised at this amazing transformation of Jeff. The crowd went crazy with excitement when he appeared on the stage. The whole of the room was screaming with joy. Now let us talk about what Rachel thought of this transformation.
Rachel loved it! She complimented Jeff by saying “You look so handsome.” This could be counted as one of the favorite episodes of the show. On the other hand, Elen and Kyan are amazed by his transformation.
A number of comments followed the moment this episode was put on YouTube by MadWood Studios. The viewers too were startled at such an unbelievable transformation. One of the commenters posted “he looks at least ten years younger.”
Another YouTuber by the name of Lydia Bonilla appreciated his new look. She wrote, "Wow! much better and very handsome." It was just the beginning of the comments showering the video. There were more to come. Some admired the makeover and some hated it.
Some of the YouTubers compared his appearance with other celebrities post-makeover. One of the viewers named Ignacio Oviedo pointed "he looks like David Gilmour." Well, he was not the only one. Tony Montana wrote, "when you go from Hagrid to Donald Trump."
There was also a group of people who did not like the makeover. Jared Dolson expressed his disappointment by writing "He looked better with the beard." There is a slew of viewers who could not swallow the beardless look of Jeff.
ROSS DUNNE another YouTuber criticized the show. It said, "YOU DESTROYED HIS ESSENCE." Now lastly, there were some who had suggestions for the show on what they should have done instead of cutting the beard off completely.
Ozzie wrote, "They should have left some of the beard." JP Gomes wrote "No!!!! That beard gave him character!! He looked way better. Wish they kept at least a little bit of it."
Lori went straight towards her husband and hugged him. It was indeed an emotional moment. Jeff showed his gratitude to the barber by saying “I’ve been Razzle Dazzled!”
Lori also opened up about their warm relationship with Rachel Ray. She talked about the moments Jeff and she spent with Rachel and how supportive she is. Though the host had a lot of things to take care of, she took some time out of her busy schedule to have a word with them. Lori said, “She was very gracious.”
Jeff shared her happiness with a newspaper by saying now his husband is "kind of New York-looking." Well, as they say, everything comes with its share of problems. The new look did cause a problem for Jeff and his wife.
When Jeff and his wife were going back to their home they got stopped by the security staff of the airport. He looked completely opposite from the one featured on his driver's license. That's why the security officer asked him if he was the real one.
In case you are wondering what happened to his luscious hair then let me tell you his hair was donated to the Locks Of Love, a non-profit organization. The organization is located in Florida. They send hairpieces to people who are under 21 and are hairless, all across the country.