When they met almost a decade ago, two Valley hair stylists never thought their near-instant bond would lead to becoming the winners of an HBO Original game show.
But a shared love of hair, the '90s, and the classic sitcom "Friends" all led to exactly that as they recently gathered with family and friends to watch the season finale.
“We worked at a salon in Scottsdale, where we initially met about nine years ago,” said Suzanne Theune, who’s been a hairstylist and fan of the show, "Friends," for decades.
It was thanks to both those things that she said the bond with her best friend, Michelle Keoghan, clicked so instantly.
“As an adult,” said Keoghan, “I thought it was, like, really hard to find your good friends because your circle becomes so much smaller. And you're in a city that you didn't spend your whole life in, so it was — it’s great to have that. It’s so lucky to find that.”
Part of their growing friendship included a shared love for "Friends," trivia surrounding it, and pop culture moments like the haircut one of its main characters, Rachel, inspired.
“It's friendship, and it's real people going through relationships and issues and problems,” Keoghan said of the show. “It’s hilarious.”
They were excited, she said, for the opportunity to apply for the HBO Original game show to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
“We assume there were many other people that applied,” said Keoghan, “but I think that we brought a lot of energy, you know, and we know our ‘Friends’ because we're '90s girls.”
When it came to their team name, Theune says it was a no-brainer thanks to the many-layered haircut that Aniston popularized with her on-screen appearance.
“We did choose the name because we were starting hairdressing about the same time that ‘Friends’ started,” Theune explained. “Every girl was coming in asking for ‘the Rachel!’ So we’ve done it many, many, many, many many, many times.”
Once the cameras started to roll, Keoghan said, the pressure was on as they competed with other players for the lowest overall time in answering trivia questions, completing challenges, and running between set pieces.
“We didn't know how other people were doing the other teams at all,” she recalled. “We had no idea.”
But she leaned on Theune to help get them both to victory, adding, “I just feel like Suzanne is so good with her trivia.”
So whenever she started to answer a question, Keoghan explained through laughter, “If she would barely open her mouth to like, say an answer, I would just scream it over the top of her.” Nearby, Theune laughed along as she continued, “I was just like, ‘Help!’ If I have Suzanne next to me, I'm like, I can do anything.”
Both agreed that their differences balance them out as a team.
“I tell my clients all the time, like, everyone needs a Michelle and I have *the* Michelle,” Theune emphasized, raising a glittery cup of prosecco.
Hair stylist Logan Buschulte, who works directly under Michelle, said that closeness translates to how the pair run Shag Salon.
“Especially starting off, like, at the very bottom, like struggling to get clientele and stuff, like having her by my side, building me up, giving me the confidence and showing me the ropes, is really encouraging,” said Buschulte. “And it's empowering, almost.”
Fellow Shag Salon stylist Rachel Ajucom was excited to see her bosses onscreen that night.
“I came from salons with bosses that were not in the industry at all, so they didn’t really empathize with how I felt as a stylist,” said Ajucom. “So coming here and having Michelle, who has been through what we're going through as, like, early on in the industry, just feels so much better than what I've experienced in the past.”
As the pair played their way through the very first episode to qualify for last week’s season finale, Keoghan said the no-nonsense but fun-loving attitude they bring to their everyday lives became a major advantage.
“We don't do drama,” she said with a big smile. “We don't do cattiness. We don't do jealousy of other women. We are super supportive of other women. And that's so I would say for both of us, we're just like, I mean — ” she turned to Theune, also smiling big. “We're a couple of feminists, so just deal with it!”
Hairstylist Amy Caudill, who followed the pair from a previous salon to Shag after working under Keoghan as an assistant, said she’s seen that message translate to a work environment people look forward to being in.
“She's making a huge difference with what she learned in her work experience,” Caudill said. “The stuff that she didn't like, she's not continuing that. And I think that's a strong message.”
Theune credited the salon’s internal culture to keeping priorities straight and taking everything just the right amount of seriously.
“You realize what actual drama is, and so when you get to work that's not dramatic,” she said. “I love what we do. You love what we do,” Theune added, turning to Keoghan. “We love what we do.”
Theune said they came to realize the importance of who we surround ourselves with – something she said the classic sitcom captures really well.
“It's that time of your life — your friends are your most important people in your life,” said Theune. “You moved out of your parents house and you're figuring out your grown-up life, and your friends are the biggest part of that.”
Looking forward, Keoghan said, “It's 2025. You've got to find some fun.”
The pair said they’re excited to launch a new social media project, "Mane Moms," and potentially return to compete against other "Friends" fans in future seasons of the HBO Original show.