Wrap Battle - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The official show description from Freefrom:

Quote

Gift wrapping is a legit art form, and that's why we've created the only (yes only) gift wrapping competition show, Wrap Battle, to celebrate it. You'll be inspired to up your holiday wrapping game watching host Sheryl Underwood and judges Carson Kressley and Wanda Wen search for America's top gift wrapper. So who is competing to be the best? Don't miss the premiere of Wrap Battle on Monday, November 25th at 9pm/8c, only on Freeform.

More info:

Quote

Wrap Battle is hosted by comedian Sheryl Underwood, who also serves as one of three judges. She is joined by Carson Kressley (Queer Eye) and Wana Wen, founder of the prestige paper company Soolip. The grand prize is $50,000, the chance to create a custom wrapping paper that will be sold at Paper Source, and the opportunity to be a featured wrapper at an upscale shopping mall called SoNo Collection in Connecticut. There will also be guest judges on select episodes.

Promo:

Edited November 26, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E1: Wrap Big or Wrap at Home

Quote

Nine talented gift wrappers compete to become the Wrap Battle Champion and win a grand prize worth $50,000.

Original air date: 11/25/19

[LennieBriscoe]

I love my local homeboy Carson in anything. 

But this show needs to,  you know,  SHOW us more! I want to see more actual wrapping techniques,  not glue-gunning gummy bears or whatever!

E g., Nutcracker Bear we saw all wrapped up,  but how were the legs done?

Ah, well! I'll keep watching, because it's fun and fluff and Carson! Wrap him up!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

6 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

But this show needs to,  you know,  SHOW us more! I want to see more actual wrapping techniques,  not glue-gunning gummy bears or whatever!

I agree - I'm here for the actual wrapping, not decorating the wrapping!

[OoogleEyes]

Five minutes in, and I hate everyone  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I can't lie - I had to laugh at Anthony sitting on the rocket ship and fanning himself like he didn't have a care in the world while everyone else was frantically running around. Having the time to sit and plan for ten minutes might have been good so that he didn't just rush into the first idea that popped into his head.

One thing I don't like on reality shows is when the winner of the mini challenge gets to punish/penalize the other contestant(s). I'm fine with the winner getting a reward (like first dibs on whatever they're doing in the main challenge) but I don't like giving them the power to choose what other people are doing, taking stuff away from other contestants, etc.

I was fascinated by everyone having to wrap those huge awkwardly shaped gifts for the final challenge. How in the hell do you hide the fact that it's a bike or a playhouse? I wish they had given us longer shots of the finished wrapping too.

I liked the way Anita treated the wrapping paper on the playhouse as decoration. Leaving the windows open was a cute touch. The thing I didn't like was the filmy red bow she used on top of the roof which looked messy. I liked white she used at the bottom and the red she wrapped around the top, but that big red one on the roof seemed out of place. I wish she had either used white so it looked kind of like snow or just a big simple bow.

I was surprised that they let Mia get away with only using the brick paper on the top and red on the bottom. Don't they have access to whole rolls of paper?

Gigi came up with a creative way to cover the BBQ grill. Using different colored shards of paper was a fun way to make it look uniform without having to worry about lining things up. I felt she veered into messy territory with the foof she added. Those flowers (?) reminded of those tissue paper art projects from elementary school. But I definitely give her points for being colorful.

I loved the way Joe covered the wheels of his bicycle (and I liked the way he lined up the candy canes with the frame) but he only wrapped one half! What about the other sides of the two wheels? You can't wrap only half of a present! And I agreed with the judges about how unfinished it looked. He should have covered that whole section with beaded necklaces. Only covering a few inches made it look like he ran out of time.

I liked the idea that Anthony had, but I agreed with whichever judge said he should have used a more diaphanous fabric to create the clouds. I liked that he used blue and snowflakes on the non-rocket ship part.

I think Parker had the right idea thinking that the foosball table would be easier to wrap since it's rectangular, but what she did looked like it shouldn't have taken three hours. Using that light brown paper on the legs almost made it look like she hadn't wrapped them at all.

Eddie was ambitious to try to turn the weight bench into a wrapping station. I loved Carson's joke about the yarn looking like an Amish pleasuring device because seriously, what was Eddie thinking?

Like Carson and Wanda, I was skeptical when Kimberly said she was going to wrap the giant bear as a nutcracker, but she did a really good job.

I agreed with Carson when he said that he didn't understand why Olga was taking a green cactus and wrapping it with green. I didn't understand why Wanda was so enamored of it.

Congratulations to Kimberly for winning! I wasn't surprised that Parker was eliminated. Her forest themed foosball table was fine but unfinished and she had a less interesting concept.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E2: Shopping Mall Wars

Quote

Wrappers team up to operate gift wrapping kiosks, each team try to out-hustle and out-wrap their competition; featuring guest judge Sherry Cola.

Original air date: 11/25/19

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I totally cracked up when Joe said, "Ugh, kids are super basic. No taste." But I can't blame him for being annoyed that his status in this competition was dependent on what a bunch of kids had to say.

Honestly, I have no idea what kind of wrapping a kid would like because the kids I know just care about the present inside. Joe's colorful wrapping with curled ribbon and Eddie's gum drop wrapping seemed like they were bright and whimsical enough to appeal to kids. Kimberly kind of lost me when she said she wanted hers to appeal to "all kids who celebrate Christmas." What about all the non-Christian kids? I guess all of the Jewish kids or Hindu kids don't count.

Anthony's big yellow flower was pretty but it didn't look like something that most kids would like - until he mentioned pulling the petals to unwrap. Kids love making a mess! Olga's pom pom dog was so cute. And the tongue! Mia's was way too plain. She wrapped two boxes in glitter paper and ten glued some small toys to the outside. Anita's nutcracker tree did not look like something kids would like. Adults, yes, but not kids. Gigi's dinosaur wrapping looked like something kids would love. Between the fuzzy trim, the big glittery trees, and al the dinosaurs, I thought that kids would like it.

I totally cracked up when one of the kids voted for Olga's dog and said, "It looks like it was hard work." I had to agree with Wanda when she pointed out that Olga didn't actually wrap the box. If she had just thrown any paper around that box, it would have looked more finished.

It's a bit of an exaggeration to describe the Northridge mall as "southern California's premier shopping destination."

Olga making constant suggestions that were not really gift wrap related was a lot. FOCUS, GIRL. But she did a good job rounding up customers so she gets a high five for that. She was the perfect one to do that too. Her costumey outfit helped her stand out and made her look official (as opposed to some random person approaching you at the mall), she's attractive in a non-threatening way, and she was very friendly but assertive about the way she approached people and took them to the booth.

I thought it was rude of Eddie to describe her as a Christmas stripper. She was wearing long sleeves. She had a high neckline aka no cleavage showing. Her skirt was almost down to her knees aka an acceptable length at Catholic school. The only thing that was stripperish about her entire ensemble were her metallic gold platform shoes, but whatever. I also rolled my eyes when Eddie said it was rude of Olga to describe Joe as an elf because JOE HAS DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS AN ELF.

I was surprised that the red team was able to get so many people getting their presents wrapped (to the point where they were asking people to come back in an hour to pick up their wrapped gifts). The judges originally said they would take into account how many presents each team wrapped but I don't recall them mentioning any numbers later. I guess that means they were close enough that it didn't matter?

Edited November 27, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Pepper Mostly]

I detest every one of these assholes. That little bouffant-ed creep Joe can go ANY TIME. What a nasty little poser. 

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I thought it was rude of Eddie to describe her as a Christmas stripper. She was wearing long sleeves. She had a high neckline aka no cleavage showing. Her skirt was almost down to her knees aka an acceptable length at Catholic school. The only thing that was stripperish about her entire ensemble were her metallic gold platform shoes, but whatever. I also rolled my eyes when Eddie said it was rude of Olga to describe Joe as an elf because JOE HAS DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS AN ELF.

That was low. Everyone sure shed the sweetness and light fast. The only one I liked was Anthony, who of course had to be axed pronto. 

Don't mistake me, I'll be tuning in every week, to yell and throw things at the TV. My sole talent is for wrapping gifts so I'm hoping to pick up a few tips. But dear lord these people are going to do damage to my blood pressure. 

Kimberly was on that terrible show "Wickedly Perfect" years ago. She has not improved with the passage of time. 

[OoogleEyes]

3 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Don't mistake me, I'll be tuning in every week, to yell and throw things at the TV. My sole talent is for wrapping gifts so I'm hoping to pick up a few tips. But dear lord these people are going to do damage to my blood pressure.

You and me both, Pepper Mostly, you and me both. 

Who is that Eddie guy who said that he worked for Martha Stewart? I could swear he was on another competitive reality show, but I can't put my finger on it 

[Pepper Mostly]

Now that you mention it he does look familiar!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

Kimberly was on that terrible show "Wickedly Perfect" years ago. She has not improved with the passage of time. 

I didn't watch that show, but I could tell from the moment she introduced herself in the first episode that I was not going to like her. Although she has made some accurate statements here and there, she still seems like a nightmare - exactly the kind of person I would not want to have to interact with in real life.

[Pepper Mostly]

She thinks very highly of herself, for sure. I like confidence. I don't like smug superiority. 

[RaspberryRoses]

Me and my girlfriend watched the first two episodes of this show together. We've enjoyed watching it together, but personally, I don't think I'd manage to stay invested without her.

We both found Olga very grating. She got on my bad side with her bland wrapping of the cactus - she should have been in the naughty list for that, IMO.

I thought she was really catty in episode 2, though. Talking about how she thought she was the "real" winner of the swift gift challenge and that the other person didn't deserve it. Ma'am, you didn't even wrap your gift! And she was really dismissive of Mia in the team challenge, despite the fact that Mia does this for a living, and kept wasting the teams time with ideas that made no sense. I still don't understand what her galaxy idea was all about.

As for the Joe/Elf thing - I don't like Joe much either, but I think he was in the right. He was in the middle of working, and they were already behind on their wrapping IIRC. Olga, a member of the other team, decided to bring in a kid to their work station, without consulting them. Joe was then put in the position of "talk to the kid, lose precious time in the competition" or "ignore the kid and focus on the competition, but look like a total asshole".

But as much as I dislike Olga, I agree that the Christmas stripper thing was a low blow. 

Personally, I'm rooting for Gigi. 

[blueroses]

On 11/27/2019 at 8:25 AM, OoogleEyes said:

You and me both, Pepper Mostly, you and me both. 

Who is that Eddie guy who said that he worked for Martha Stewart? I could swear he was on another competitive reality show, but I can't put my finger on it 

Same. He looks so familiar. 

On 11/27/2019 at 8:27 AM, Pepper Mostly said:

Now that you mention it he does look familiar!

https://eddieross.com/about
 

Top Design? I didn’t watch that though, so maybe he’s just generic? 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E3: Skydiving Santa

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Wrappers get a special delivery direct from the North Pole, then compete to deliver the freshest vacation-themed gift basket concept they can for Santa, with each basket representing a world-famous city; guest judge Lala Kent.

S1.E4: Wrap Around the Clock

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Wrappers team up and stay up all night to face a conveyor belt that floods the workshop with gifts in an effort to assist the Marines with the Toys for Tots holiday gift drive; guest judges Shiho Masuda and Sabrina Soto.

Original air date: 12/2/19

Edited December 9, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Pepper Mostly]

19 hours ago, blueroses said:

Top Design? I didn’t watch that though, so maybe he’s just generic? 

I remember Top Design--it was on AGES ago, though! Goil was the breakout star from that forgettable outing, he was on Trading Spaces for a season or two. He can't have done very well there, his bio didn't say anything like "came in third on Bravo's Top Design".

I laughed like a hyena when Olga brought the kid over to meet a "real elf"! That's some world class reality show bitchery there. Since everyone on this hot mess is angling for the "I'm not here to make friends" crown, I can't fault her. And Joe is such an insufferable ass. He cries all the damn time, for one thing. And he's furious that he's going to have to work for that Head Bitch in Charge designation. He thought he'd have it in the bag with no effort. HAHAHAHAHA

[LennieBriscoe]

I'm so far not that impressed with the artistic talent of these contestants. I haven't seen any concept or execution that was a true light-bulb moment for me.

Still fun!

ETA: NOW I'm impressed! The examples of Japanese wrapping styles were beautiful! Origami is beyond me!

Edited December 3, 2019 by LennieBriscoe

[Pepper Mostly]

GAWD, the showrunners opted for Maximum Bitchery Reality Show Tropes, hmm? Winners get to decide who gets a disadvantage, "who do you think should go home?", and rewarding the most obnoxious attention hogs. Mia clearly had to go, since she was no drama and likable.

Eddie is a nasty piece of work. His seething hatred for Kimberly is making me uncomfortable. It appears to be based on the fact that she has a child and actually talks about him. Yikes. And the way they all pile on Olga is disgusting. Joe is a dreadful, affected little twit. Rule one, do not bitch about what you are given to work with! Rule two, do not disrespect another culture by giggling about how hard it is to pronounce their words. "Furo.......what is it? giggle giggle" Yuck.

The judging is whack, too. Mia's was "too literal"? but Joe's, with goddamn pineapple and grass skirt on his Honolulu basket, was great? Eddie's Las Vegas gift, with fucking stripper shoes and dice, was the winner??

Olga went out like a lady and kudos to her, she was a little wacky but she seemed sweet. Well, except for the "meet an elf" trick, but now I think she was just being Olga. She's well rid of these jerks.

[Mondrianyone]

I just caught the first episode a few hours ago, so I'm not reading earlier posts in order to avoid getting spoiled.

I used to be a maniac gift wrapper, when I had lots of time to waste, so I couldn't not watch this.  So far I'm liking it--better than I liked season 1 of Making It (haven't seen the start of season 2 yet).

I recognized Eddie Ross from the Martha Stewart days, when it looked as if he was poised to be the next big thing in interior design.  I guess that didn't quite work out.  I'm prepared not to like him much this time around.

I hope this continues to be fun!

[OoogleEyes]

These people are horrible!

I know that US competitive reality shows pride themselves on their evil moustache twirlers, but they're all so OTT it's hard to watch.  

Edited December 3, 2019 by OoogleEyes

[Pepper Mostly]

Right? Eddie mocking Kimberly because she had the temerity to speak was repellent. She's not my cup of tea necessarily but Jesus I'm firmly in her corner now. These people are AWFUL. And Sheryl Underwood is so annoying I want to tear my hair out.  

The nastiness and cattiness of this bunch reminds me of that early aughts reality competition show with beauty queens and their mothers--the name of it has been mercifully expunged from my brain. But the people on the show were so unpleasant it was no fun to watch. 

[Popples]

I really don't understand Eddie's animosity towards Kimberly. He actually said, mocking Kimberly, "I could have bought an Hermès bag, but instead I bought a child." WHAT?!

[blueroses]

12 hours ago, Popples said:

I really don't understand Eddie's animosity towards Kimberly. He actually said, mocking Kimberly, "I could have bought an Hermès bag, but instead I bought a child." WHAT?!

That was just bizarre. I wish a child cost that little. He either grossly-over estimates the cost of a bag or isn’t paying for college right now. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

S1.E5: Wrapper's De-Light

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Wrappers try to creatively incorporate lights into their holiday designs; some wrappers' gifts light up the judges' eyes with wonder, while other packages move the judges to tears; guest judges Candy Spelling and Diggy Simmons.

S1.E6: Lights, Camera, Wraption!

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The final four wrappers each take their turn in the television spotlight while they compete to determine who will become the first-ever Wrap Battle Champion and win a cash and prize package worth $50,000; guest judge Sandra Lee.

Original air date: 12/9/19

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Wrapping tutorials from Freeform!

Olga's pom pom dog:

candy covered box:

3 Japanese wrapping techniques (tsutsumi, furoshiki, and a fan topper):

Princess bow:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Some of the contestants have tutorials posted on their YouTube channels so I thought you might be interested in them!

Olga's tutorials:

Pom pom topper, pleated detail, and mini envelope:

Fan and circular bow:

Bonus: an ad for her Elite Napkins

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Joe's fan topper:

Holiday decorating with Joe (no wrapping):

Eddie wraps gifts inspired by iconic rooms and famous interior designers:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I got behind on this show so I'm just catching up with last week's episodes!

The mini challenge reminded me of the Project Runway unconventional materials challenges which often end up being "glue a bunch of crap to muslin," so I was not at all surprised when the results were a bunch of crap glued to wrapping paper.

Joe did not use his flower petals well. I'm all for restraint but as Carson pointed out, he put three flowers on each side of the fan (as a gift recipient/non-professional gift wrapper, I do not understand the fascination with these fan toppers - all I see when I look at them is the crappy paper fans we made in elementary school). On top of that, the flowers were the same color as the fan so they weren't noticeable at all.

I liked the way Anita used pennies on the dark blue bow - it was a lovely color contrast. Kimberly's gemstones on moss was very flat and understated. There's nothing wrong with that in the real world, but the judges clearly want big/over the top stuff. I liked Olga's galaxy concept with the marbles. I don't understand why Carson was so confused.

Eddie's was the most basic in concept. He glued a bunch of candy to a box. The end. I have no idea why the judges liked it so much. Similarly, Mia's stamp idea was pretty simple but I liked the execution better because it looked cleaner and more intentional. I liked that she used the stamps as a ribbon around the box as well as to make a fan and a tag. Eddie's, on the other hand, looked like something a little kid would make - very amateur and tacky.

Gigi's button gift was whimsical. She managed to use the buttons in a way that didn't scream "craft project."

The big challenge was interesting. They were each given a bunch of stuff that represents the city they were assigned which could be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the city and what stuff they had. I was surprised that Eddie chose Kimberly for the 10 minute hot chocolate penalty. After the previous week, I thought Olga was the one with a target on her back.

Anita's New Orleans gift basket only looked like New Orleans because of the voodoo doll and the Mardi Gras beads. The fabric/paper she chose for the background was colorful but it wasn't necessarily New Orleans. She might have been better off using the traditional green/purple/gold. I agreed with Carson that it ended up looking more Day of the Dead.

Mia's London tea time gift box was fine but I wanted more. I appreciate that she had a theme (tea) and a color (red) but it was a little too matchy matchy. Instead of just slapping a picture of London on the front of the box, she should have gotten more creative with the red/white/blue flag colors that she mentioned earlier.

I had mixed feelings about Eddie's bachelorette party in Las Vegas gift box. I liked that the feather and rhinestone showgirl headpiece added some much needed color and height. Using the boxes as dice was a fun idea but I didn't like that they were all white. Dice come in every color so he could have wrapped thos boxes in another color and added more color to his display. For me, the shoes plus the dice gave me more of a Guys and Dolls feel than a Vegas feel.

Olga's New York gift box was an interesting concept. The painting she did was the best part. The box itself was forgettable.

Kimberly's Roman Holiday gift box was a good concept. The coliseum was instantly identifiable (and she was smart to use the gift tag punch so she didn't have to hand cut all of those pieces) but I didn't like that she just stuffed some green tissue paper into the back. That really cheapened the look for me. I also agreed with the guest judge when she said that Kimberly spent all that time making Gregory Peck's suit and then it wasn't really standing out in the basket.

I liked that Gigi's Parisian box was a combination of Degas and watercolors rather than the cliche Eiffel Tower, but I agreed with the judges that the overall effect was not immediately recognizable as Paris.

Joe's Honolulu basket was way too simple for me. It was yet another fan and some blue tissue paper. How did that take two hours to make?

I didn't love Eddie's Vegas presentation but I can see why the judges gave him the win. Mia's London box wasn't terrible, but it was boring which is why she was eliminated instead of Gigi or Olga.

Edited December 10, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

It was making my brain hurt to hear everyone (mis)pronounce furoshiki.

Oh, Joe. If you don't want to use the sewing machine, that's fine but if it was provided then it's fine for the other contestants to use it. Don't act like someone is being out there for using the tools that were provided by the show.

I wish they had let the contestants choose the two styles they used for wrapping in the first challenge. They probably thought everyone would choose furoshiki and tsutsumi.

Gigi did a really great job with both of her gifts. The little fan that Olga put in the middle of her origami gift was the same as folded napkins she sells. Hee, and I'm with Wanda - your flaps have to face the same direction. I'm not a great wrapper but even I make sure that mine face the same way. Kimberly said she wanted the top of her furoshiki to look like a flower but to me it looked like someone plopped a scrunchie on top.

I was fine with the contestants having to wrap as many presents as possible in a set amount of time, but what I didn't like was that it was an overnight challenge. The only reason to do a sleep deprivation challenge is to make them cranky in the hopes that it will create drama.

It was sweet to see Anita tear up and talk about her experience with Toys for Tots when she moved to the United States.

Poor Kimberly. I know previous posters said she was a bitch on a different show, but she got stuck trying to wrap as many presents as possible while Olga was creating "art." Maybe Kimberly should have given her a specific goal, like for every 25 presents you wrap, you can make one pom pom animal. She should have had Olga assemble the toy they had to make. At least that way she would be doing something useful with her time.

I had the same reaction as Sabrina when Joe was stapling ribbon bows to the boxes. And FYI Joe, I don't have kids either but I still know not to staple things to their gifts. I don't use anything but tape when I wrap (and yes, I have made various ribbon bows from scratch). Honestly, I would never staple anything to a gift that I gave to an adult either. I wrap so that the box underneath remains pristine.

Joe, if you can't run in your slippers, feel free to take them off. Better to be barefoot than to slip and fall. Anita needed to calm down about GlueGunGate.  As Eddie pointed out, sometimes they just turn off. My paper shredder does the same thing.

The only person who had justifiable reasons for getting annoyed with people in the the workroom was Kimberly. Joe was clearly trying to cheat by copying Kimberly's train set but she was smart enough to cover it with paper and then he got caught taking it off. He's not even a good cheater! I don't know what Joe should be more embarrassed about - the fact that he was incapable of putting together a toy or the fact that he got caught cheating because of his complete lack of stealth.

Anita and Eddie had the most cohesive final presentation. Everything was colorful but still Christmas-y.

Joe's looked very traditional and a bit boring. Gigi's were very colorful but not necessarily holiday looking. I was surprised that they wrapped the fewest amount of gifts. On a shallow note, what was going on with Gigi's makeup? Did she wear this much blush in the previous episodes and I somehow didn't notice before? Or was she trying to brighten up her face after all that sleep deprivation and go overboard? Either way, it was all I noticed during the judging segment.

I wish the judges had announced how many gifts each team had wrapped as well as how many gifts each person had wrapped. It was clear that Kimberly wrapped more than Olga did but she seemed pretty calm about it, even when she was exasperated that Olga put the kitty on the sleigh instead of on a gift. I'm glad the judges pointed out how much time she spent on that pom pom head instead of wrapping presents.

I'm glad that Joe said he wanted to find a way for them all to resolve the tension. That was a lot of fighting, both in front of the judges and backstage. Surprisingly, Kimberly was the one who came out looking the best. Her complaints about Olga were not personal. They were all about her work output (and Kimberly's complaints were pretty mild). Eddie, Joe, and Gigi were the ones who came off looking immature and petty.

On 12/3/2019 at 5:18 AM, Pepper Mostly said:

do not disrespect another culture by giggling about how hard it is to pronounce their words. "Furo.......what is it? giggle giggle" Yuck.

ITA. At least Eddie was respectful about his ignorance and asked the guest judge if he was pronouncing tsutsumi correctly.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Hahaha, I had to laugh at Kimberly rolling her eyes at Eddie's crying and non-pology and then just continuing to go about her business. I also had to laugh when she said she didn't know if the judges would be able to find one kind word about the mess she had made.

Anita did the best at delivering an over the top display with lights. Eddie's was really sophisticated. I loved that he drilled precise holes for the lights to poke out from the inside of the box. Gigi's was whimsical and airy.

Gigi's pink Christmas tree was Christmas-y in a less traditional way, which I liked.

Eddie's palm tree was done well. I liked that he incorporated the shape of the umbrella into his design.

Anita's beach chair was fine but I agreed with the judges about the details like the unfinished edges.

Joe's Christmas tree looked like something you'd see in a kindergarten Christmas pageant. It didn't look very professional. Even from a distance, it looked a bit messy and up close there were construction issues. The judges already pointed out the visible safety pins when they came around so he should have fixed those things.

Kimberly put the most thought into her design (as opposed to "what can I make that's big enough for me to hide this weirdly shaped object?"). I liked the juxtaposition of the blender and the golf bag.

I'm not a fan of the face off challenges but in this case, I get why the judges chose Joe and Gigi. They both did what they always do (fans and paper flowers). They were given the opportunity to show that they could do something different. When the other finalists were yelling, "Joe, don't you fold that paper into a fan!" I totally cracked up.

Joe picked great colors from the scraps. The bright pink and turquoise were really bright, but the way that he applied them looked like exactly what it was - scraps taped to a box. In my family, my sister is the one who can't wrap. She is terrible at figuring out how much paper she needs so she always ends up having to use a scrap or paper to cover the inevitable part where the box is exposed. Joe's box looked like that x50.

Gigi's draped sheer gold box looked really elegant. My issue with the judges saying she hadn't shown any growth is that this is the fifth episode. If they wanted to see different stuff from her, they shouldn't have waited until right before the finale.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The thing that I learned from watching all of those tutorials and videos is that I need a bone folder. I'm assuming the name is because they used to be made of bone, but I keep picturing something folding a tibia.

I'm not sure who will win. Eddie has been pretty consistent over the course of the competition but you never know what will happen in the challenges.

[Pepper Mostly]

Well I sat through the final two episodes and thank goodness THAT'S over. What a collection of divas, with so little to be diva about.

When I worked in a hotel we used fan fold for napkins. In 1978. Its hardly innovative or a "signature". Sheesh Joe. Switch to decaf.

@ElectricBoogaloo I won't spoil, since you seem to be the only other fool watching this mess. See you after the finale!

I'm not in the least crafty and I have no ability to do, well, probably anything. But I do like to wrap presents and if I do say so myself I do a great job. I don't have any fancy tools though. I make my own bows, and I like the odd embellishment-flowers or leaves or holly. I was hoping to pick up a few tips. Not so much.

Olga's fluffies. Isn't she from Ukraine? Or Russia? I have a friend from Moldova (her family was Russian and Ukrainian) who made me some huge fluffy flowers for my birthday once. I was floored but she was all "shrug. these are pretty easy to do." Is it a Russian/Ukrainian basic craft? Like friendship bracelets or gum wrapper chains are here? I did end up liking Olga in the end. She's like a cute flighty sprite who does her own thing. I wouldn't want to be on a team with her either but in this crew of unpleasant catty bitches she was a bright spot.

[OoogleEyes]

Thank goodness that is over. 

On to watch Making It so that I can restore my belief in humanity 

[Pepper Mostly]

See you in the Making It thread, @OoogleEyes. Yeesh, this show could have been such fun but was a massive fail in pretty much every way. Unpleasant, bitchy contestants who weren't here to make friends, but squealed and shrieked like tweens over absolutely everything. (Candy Spelling is giving you palpitations? Really?) One dumb reality show trope after another, and for no reason but to encourage terrible behavior on the part of the contestants. Wack judging based on no clear criteria. And a judging panel consisting of the most irritating attention hogs anywhere. I like Carson fine but he is far better in much smaller doses. Sherry Underwood is so annoying I want to scream. I guess the gift wrap expert was OK, to be fair. And why only Christmas wrapping? It was about 90% of the challenges. Gah.

And if its back on next year, I'll watch.  

[blueroses]

I’m no fan of Eddie, but I’m totally stealing the glitter and double-sided tape idea. 

[Koalagirl]

Paper Source has the winner’s wrapping paper design up on their website.  It’s quite nice but I refuse to pay their crazy prices.  

[Popples]

On 12/10/2019 at 7:48 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

The thing that I learned from watching all of those tutorials and videos is that I need a bone folder.

I had never even heard of them until a couple of days ago when I was watching a woman use old Christmas cards to make little gift boxes and came to the same conclusion.

16 hours ago, blueroses said:

I’m no fan of Eddie, but I’m totally stealing the glitter and double-sided tape idea. 

That idea was super cute, the only thing that would hold me back from it is that glitter will still fall off of the tape and end up everywhere.

[Bees52]

I'm up late (early?) due to bingeing this show.

I watched the first 2 episodes a day after they aired, On Demand. I liked and wanted to see more, but last week's (eps 3 & 4) seemed to never get loaded in. So, after watching the Making It finale tonight, I figured I'd check and see if any more eps were in, and finally, all 6 were there.

Well, my final verdict, after watching 2 weeks of the lovefest that is Making It, Wrap Battle is a total letdown. I never thought there would be more unnecessary drama about wrapping gifts, (spitting out too sweet cocoa?) than there was about decorating and crafting skill dominance.

However, as a person who does the neat and pretty, but not too elaborate, gift wrapping in her family, I will watch the next season. If there is another season.

[Mondrianyone]

I posted above about how much fun this show was after watching just a single episode. What a difference after watching a few more.

[Pj3422]

On 11/27/2019 at 7:17 AM, Pepper Mostly said:

Kimberly was on that terrible show "Wickedly Perfect" years ago. She has not improved with the passage of time. 

THANK you! I knew she looked familiar. I remember she was eliminated, then they brought her back and she won. Bobby Flay was the deciding judge’s vote. I’ve disliked him ever since.

[Pepper Mostly]

Here's a nice article about show participant Mia: 

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/12/19/21004674/professional-gift-wrapper-wrapping-christmas-holiday-thats-a-wrap?fbclid=IwAR3fmdA2Z88WH_olls3QOqeU_1p4XRvniJa6o9XI--kX8rE3JCmn6xgEg3Y

[Mondrianyone]

Thanks for posting that link, @Pepper Mostly.  She seems like a very smart, nice person.  Didn't get to see enough of her on the show.

She was on Morning Express the other day, showing Robin Meade how to wrap different kinds of gifts.  My favorite was a basketball--she cut the paper into strips, which I thought was so smart.

[Pepper Mostly]

Seems the show was very invested in keeping only the pettiest, most unpleasant people in the competition. Pleasant, laid back competent Mia didn't stand a chance.