Celebrity hair stylist and hair product guru Jonathan Antin was a memorably tough boss on Bravo's Blow Out. It's no surprise, then, that in his return to reality television as a judge on season three of Bravo's Shear Genius, he doesn't mince words. Since his Blow Out days, he's sold his L.A. salons, has become the father of two, and now does house calls only (though he's planning on opening a "string" of private salons toward the end of this year). Here, Antin chats with PAPERMAG about the dangers of wearing roller skates to the salon, Justin Timberlake's "poodle" hair, and Sacha Baron Cohen's apology.

Are contestants on Shear Genius judged only on their hair-cutting skills? Or are other things considered?

Absolutely. I watch their hands move, I want to see their level of skill from their wrists down. How do they move their combs and their shears? Do their hands shake? Do their hands shake when the camera is seven inches away from them? Do they communicate with people in their chair during the short cut and the elimination challenges? Are they listening to us when we lay out the guidelines for the challenge? There's so much more than just being a good hair stylist when it comes to being an expert.

Do you think that Shear Genius contestants like Brig,who wear unusual outfits to the salon, and in her case, roller skates,are branding themselves as unique stylists? Or is dressing like that ina salon just distracting?

It's totally distracting and ridiculous. It's trying toavoid the reality of the situation she's in which is allowing hercreative and artistic skill set to shine. It dilutes her expertise.People are looking at that and laughing and gawking instead of lookingat how great she is, or is not, and commenting on that. If she showedup looking like that at my salon, she'd go home right away. 'Take yourbag, go home, change, don't come back.' Simple. We don't do that.That's circus act. That's child's play. Take those ridiculous skatesoff. Nobody cares.

Can a good hair stylist have bad hair?

I don't think one really has that much to do with theother. But, yeah, I know a lot of genius hair stylists who are balding,which is considered bad hair. It just speaks of laziness. If a malehair stylist is kind of balding or frizzy and has a comb-over, thenit's not happening. Shave your head, look clean. Step it up in thefashion area, and you don't need hair. My female stylists would show upwith their hair matted like they had gotten up late, and I would say'Go fix your hair' or 'Go put your hair in a ponytail and slick itback. You have to look clean.'

How have you seen the industry change since you opened your salons?

When I first opened my salons, there was maybe one salon thatwould open every five or six months that would be somewhat competitive.Now there's a salon that opens every two weeks Everything has changed.When I did my first season of Blow Out, all of my celebrityclients, all of my celebrities would go 'God, I don't know how you cando that. Why would you want the cameras in your house?' Kind ofundercutting it. And all of a sudden, now, all of my celebrities whoaren't working, all of my executives who are no longer in theirpositions, are all trying to get into the world of reality television. They're alltrying to do shows about themselves. It's kind of like 'Oh yeah? I toldyou.'

What hair style or trend would you like to see go away forever?

I'm so over, and have been for about six years, the Jennifer Aniston shag.It's so tired. It's a specific type of layering usually done oncollarbone-length hair. From the jawline down to the bottom of thehair, all the way around the head, there's this shaggy, scooped-outlayering that actually makes the bottom of the haircut kind of thin.It's a very specific type of layering, it's very easy to do and verymuch of a beauty school technique. When [Aniston's stylist] Chris McMillandid it originally, it's not like he was the first person to do it. Hejust sort of did it again because it came from the '60s and '70s. Hejust re-invented it. He happened to do it on Jennifer Aniston and shehappened to be on the biggest television show at the time, and that'swhy it was a big hit. But I'm so over it now. I don't even think shehas it anymore, although sometimes I see those layers in her hair. I'mnot even sure that Chris is still doing her hair. But when people cometo me with that photo, I do a different version that doesn't thin outin a wispy shag at the bottom. I like a heartier, chunkier hair line atthe bottom.

Who do you think has the worst hair in Hollywood?

He's going to kill me for saying this, but Justin Timberlake alwayshas bad hair. He wouldn't if he'd let me cut it. I know him, he's afriend of mine, we both play golf at the same country club. I've neversaid to him 'Dude, let me cut your hair,' but I've always wanted to getin there and fix him. But, he's JT. He's as cool as you can get. Sohair doesn't really matter.

What's wrong with his hair? Is it because it's curly?

It's curly and could use a very specific type ofrelaxer, and, if not, then he needs to grow it out and just havesomebody texturize it and thin it out so he can put a little bit ofgreat product or paste in to make his waves work for him rather thanagainst him. They're kind of poodle-like. They could be soft, coolwaves.

You were interviewed by Sacha Baron Cohen as Bruno whenhe was doing Da Ali G Show. He asked you to say something controversial, and you told people in the Middle East you were coming for them. What was your reaction when that came out?

I knew the guy interviewing mewasn't for real. I knew he was playing a character. I said to him acouple of times during the interview, and they cut it out, 'Who areyou? I just heard you use a different accent. Stop acting like a fooland tell me who you really are.' And he wouldn't break character. Acouple of weeks later, one of my stylists, who's from England, said tome 'Remember that guy who was in here? That's actually a guy named AliG and he goes around acting like different people and films people andis on a show in London.' I went online and looked at it. We shot thistwo weeks after September 11th and I had two very close friends of minewho were investment bankers and money managers who worked in thetowers. They both died. They both left behind their wives and theirchildren and that seriously affected me, like it did the rest of thecountry and the world. What he said to me at the end of the interview'Say whatever you want to say to the world?' And that very aggressiveremark I made? That's where I was at that moment. I was a little bummed about it, but who cares? I said what Isaid.

A lot of people have threatened him with lawsuits.

I wasn't going to sue him. You know, he was a little cheesy. He came up to me at a Lakers' game about three months after [Da Ali G Show]premiered on HBO in the United States. And I was sitting down and hewalked up behind me and put his arms over my shoulders and I looked upand sort of didn't recognize him, and in a very strong British accenthe said 'Hey, babe. Listen, I'm really sorry about that." The firstepisode of Blow Out had just aired and then he aired hispremiere and I was on it with Buzz Aldrin. Bravo and NBC actually contacted HBO and said'We need to take this off' and HBO, you know how they are, they werelike 'Guess what? Have fun watching it.' But, you know, it was a little bit of a cheap shot. That's why when youwatch my interview it's not like anyone else's. I'm not being a totalfool or saying ridiculous things. I could tell there was somethingfishy about it.

What did you say to him in response at the Lakers' game?

I said 'No worries, dude, but I'm going to tell youright now. If you ever do anything like that again I'll come after you.' Andhe was like, 'I got it, never again.' And that was it. (Laughs) Weactually have the same agent.

Shear Genius airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Bravo.