American Idol

‘American Idol’ hairstylist Dean Banowetz

He’s responsible for the much talked-about Clay Aiken transformation. Nadia Turner’s mohawk? Yep, he made that happen, too.

“My makeovers are the reason people watch,” jokes Dean Banowetz, the celebrity hairstylist leading “American Idol.”

Of course, there is at least some truth behind that. “When a contestant walks out on stage, the first two things people notice are hair and clothing,” Banowetz adds.

Long before he landed the “Idol” gig, Banowetz was living the farm life in Iowa. He is the 13th of 15 children, and his life story includes a lot of stops before Hollywood — time in the military, art school at the University of Iowa, cosmetology school and owning his own salon.

After being encouraged by an industry expert, Banowetz began to apply for star-studded opportunities. He landed a styling job for “Extra” and Leeza Gibbons and, through the years, has taken over the hairstyles for clients such as life coach Tony Robbins, actress and author Linda Blair and, of course, Ryan Seacrest.

Banowetz landed the “Idol” gig before the show’s first season. He was hired to take care of Seacrest’s hair, as well as everyone else on the show. These days, Banowetz spends plenty of time making sure Seacrest’s hair is just right, traveling to the host’s gigs with “E! News,” red-carpet events and across the country for “Idol” auditions.

On the set, Banowetz takes on the challenge of keeping Simon Cowell and Seacrest looking sharp, as well as the finalists. And the schedule can be a bit overwhelming, the stylist says.

“I’ve told Ryan more than once we need a reality show following a celebrity’s entourage around,” Banowetz said. “Half my battle is getting to all the places I need to be on time with half the stuff I need.”

So, why doesn’t Banowetz fix the hair disasters that get shown during the early episodes? That’s a question one friend asked just last week.

His response: “The worse she looks, the better my job is going to look when I start working on her. I try not to look at people too early, because you don’t know who’s going to make it.”

“I always say, ‘I’m not thinking of doing anything until you make the top 12,’” he said.

And at that point the transformations aren’t instant.

“The majority of the first two weeks is just getting everyone styled. We don’t usually do any transitions until the third or fourth week. It’s imperative that you don’t do a complete makeover right away. Unlike the ‘Oprah’ show, you don’t want that immediate ah-ha. I have to spread that transition over four months.”

A FEW MORE QUICK QUESTIONS WITH DEAN BANOWETZ

What do you think of Jennifer Hudson’s recent win at the Golden Globes?
“Everyone kind of laughed at her acceptance speech about the award giving her more confidence. People chuckle, but they don’t realize she was the seventh runner-up and nobody gave a crap. When you’re in front of 40 million people singing and, basically, tell you you won’t amount to anything, that’s tough.”

Do you have a favorite style from the show?
“There’s a lot of different ah-ha moments for me, the first time Kim Locke came out with her straightened hair. Nadia’s mohawk in Season 4. Katherine (McPhee), I loved working on her. She let me put in a ton of extensions and curl it a bunch of different ways.”

What do you think of Clay Aiken’s latest style?
“My biggest transformation, it still is him, but then he goes and does the K.D. Lang thing.”

Are there contestants you wanted to change more?
“In a perfect Dean world, I would have colored Taylor’s hair. I didn’t want to color everything, I just wanted to put some color in to bring out his eyes and make him look a little younger. Taylor thought if he altered his hair, people would not want to vote for him.”

COMING THIS SEASON
“American Idol” stylists Dean Banowetz and Meagan Herrera will offer their thoughts on the contestants, hair transformations and other backstage dish each week throughout the “Idol” season right here at watchingamericanidol.com, so make sure you check back for updates.

Until then, check out Dean’s Web site to find “Idol” styling tips and tricks, a blog full of how-to transformations from Season 5 and photo galleries of “Idol” styles, including a new compilation of Jennifer Hudson.