[3] By 2003, Steinsiek had provided special effects prosthetic makeup and prop fabrication work for clients including The Jim Henson Company, DreamWorks, NBC, HBO, and Xbox.
While in New York, Steinsiek met his wife Holly, who is also a makeup artist; the pair worked together on the History Channel production Clash of the Gods, in which they each had an acting cameo as well.
Out of the original field of twelve contestants, Steinsiek made it to the final episode as one of the top three artists, eventually losing a tight race to winner Conor McCullagh.
[9] In the season 5 episode "Living Art," Steinsiek dropped a clay mold onto his hand, crushing his fingers, resulting in his being taken to an emergency care clinic and receiving thirteen stitches.
His fellow contestants helped clean out his mold and apply the first layer of latex during his three-hour absence; however, the final result still put Steinsiek in the bottom of the Spotlight Challenge for the first time of the season.