Yakima native hopes to be top dog ... groomer
Former resident among 12 contestants on cable TV’s ‘Groomer Has It’
Adriana Janovich
Yakima Herald-Republic
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Krista Castellarin’s favorite breed is the standard poodle.
One of her favorite things to do is paint their nails, dye their fur and give them “poodle mohawks.” There might be some crystals involved, too.
“I love anything bling-y,” she says.
Grooming isn’t the most glamorous job. But Castellarin adds sparkle. And soon, she’ll also be getting her own taste of being a celebrity.
The pet spa owner is one of 12 contestants on the second season of Animal Planet’s “Groomer Has It.” While her official bio for the show lists her hometown as Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, Castellarin was actually born and raised in Yakima.
Her parents, Tony and Ann Whitley, 56 and 55, still live here.
“As a kid, she always wanted to excel,” says her dad, a retired high school teacher and football coach. “We knew when she made up her mind about what she wanted to do, she was going to be successful. We have a lot of confidence in her.”
He and his wife, a nurse, will both be watching the season premiere at 9 p.m. Saturday. The new season is billed as “sassier, snippier, and more cutthroat than before.” It follows the groomers as they live together in “The Doghouse” and compete in challenges that range from creating looks for a canine wedding to gussying up potbelly pigs. The winner receives a mobile-grooming salon, a new Subaru, $50,000 and title of “Groomer of the Year.”
In the first episode, contestants take on their initial challenge: grooming Saint Bernards using only the household tools they find in the neighborhood. In other episodes, they tackle salon safety violations, fix botched jobs by other groomers and attempt doggie massage.
“It was a very intense experience,” Castellarin says. “I think all the drama you see is very real.”
As the first Canadian resident to be on the show, she was selected from more than 2,000 applicants. She remembers thinking “there’s no way in heck they’re going to pick me.”
But a few weeks after applying, she was off on what she calls her “Hollywood Adventure.” The show was filmed in October and November in Los Angeles.
“I had never done anything like this whatsoever,” she says. “It was a whirlwind. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun at the same time.”
Still, it took awhile to get used to the cameras: “You’re wired for sound even when you’re in the bathroom. The first couple of days I was like, ‘What happens if you have gas?’”
The show’s Web site describes the former Granger High School cheerleader — she graduated in 1998 — as “upbeat and enthusiastic” as well as “competitive.”
“She is out to prove that with only two years of experience, she can compete with the best,” the site says.
The 29-year-old took up grooming after working in finance. And unlike many professional groomers, she says, “I didn’t grow up in a purebred home.”
Castellarin describes the pet she had growing up in the West Valley as “a Heinz 57 from the local humane society.” That’s the Humane Society of Central Washington, where Castellarin would volunteer and walk shelter dogs as a girl.
Now she runs her own pet spa and boutique, Fabulous Furballs, as well as a clothing line for people and pets. She’s also the administrator for the Furball Institute, which trains groomers.
She and her husband, Dwayne, who’s also Canadian, have a retired show cat (Snowy), two Chihuahuas (Gringo and Salsa), a Yorkshire terrier (Gamble), and a 13-month-old daughter (Bella). Their second child is due this summer.
During filming, Castellarin says, “I did a lot of the crying. I didn’t realize at that point I was pregnant.”
Plus, it was difficult to be away from her daughter, husband, store, students and staff. The competition was tough, too. In fact, “I think it was very challenging for everybody there.”
Castellarin hasn’t seen any of the show’s 12 episodes, but says she’s excited for them to air: “I had a great time, and I met some people that I never would have met.”