Haven't watched a full episode of Face Off yet. Do they do a screen test, too? Cameras rolling and everything. From what little I have seen, Face Off contestants do have the benefit of not needing to completely conceal their model, just "enhance" them to fit the theme. With Creature Shop, you don't want there to be any indication that there's a person inside at all, so it has to completely conceal the model/puppeteer while still being able to move realistically and not be too much of a burden (first week someone got eliminated because their creature was so heavy and ungainly it nearly suffocated the puppeteer, and the second episode someone basically got bonus points because their Skeksis only weight like 18 lbs total).
Either way, it's a great show thus far. Syfy has been coming out with a few gems lately, like Fangasm, Heroes of Cosplay...I just really, really, really wish they had brought back Dream Machines. I would love to see the Parker Brother's build something Halo themed. That's actually right near the top of my "if I win big money" to-do list: commission them to make a street legal Brute Chopper, "field modded" of course.