S02.E09: Light My Fire

[Door County Cherry]

Airs Jan. 22, 2021:

Quote

Season 1's champ returns to issue an intense challenge: concoct a sculpture that captures the heat, energy and emotion of a fire. 

 

[Aulty]

Meh. The best thing about this episode was Deborah's 'fire on a bad hair day' comment.

Kat and Chris' pieces looked better in the light of the judging room than they did in a heap on the workshop floor, but I liked neither. Kat's annoyed me, Chris' disappointed me. In the earlier episodes strong technique and weak design trumped badly executed designs. Surprisingly they went the other direction, keeping Kat and kicking out Chris.

Elliot cruised into the final by staying very much in his comfort zone. It had some interesting elements but the can was a bit out of proportion.

Kat and Elliot have very different aesthetiques, looking forward to their final installations.

[Michichick]

Yesssssss! So glad Chris is gone, since he should have been gone since the cartoon challenge. I’ll be happy with either Cat or Elliott as the winner now.

[scenicbyway]

I think in this case they kept Cat because they wanted a girl/boy finale.  She used a beginner’s technique where Chris used a complicated one with almost the same result.  Chris should’ve been gone since the toon challenge but he should’ve beat Cat in this instance.  I think Elliot has been head and shoulders above everyone  since the beginning.  His gas can wasn’t great but the oil slick and flame were amazing.

[Michichick]

9 minutes ago, scenicbyway said:

I think in this case they kept Cat because they wanted a girl/boy finale.  She used a beginner’s technique where Chris used a complicated one with almost the same result.  Chris should’ve been gone since the toon challenge but he should’ve beat Cat in this instance.  I think Elliot has been head and shoulders above everyone  since the beginning.  His gas can wasn’t great but the oil slick and flame were amazing.

Agreed on all points. I don’t feel too badly about Chris losing out here, though, since he should have been gone ages ago.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I thought it was a bit unfair for the judges to say that Elliott's piece didn't leave much room for interpretation since the same could be said about the other two as well. Cat made a literal fire. How is that open to being interpreted otherwise? I, for one, appreciate Elliott's attitude about his work: it looks like exactly what it is. I loved his oil slick and the contrast of his bright pop-y candle flame.

Although I initially liked the springy coils of color Chris made (like the host said, you don't usually see bouncy glass), I didn't like the way he presented them. It was just a pile of red here, a pile of orange here, a pile of white here, and then those thicker clear Slinkys just waiting for some stairs to climb down. Honestly, whenever someone tries to sell me on deconstructing anything, 99% of the time I just roll my eyes, and this was no exception.

Cat's piece didn't require technical skills, but she layered the colors to simulate the glow of a fire and it worked. Even though it was a literal interpretation of the challenge, the judges agreed that it was mesmerizing to look at.

I'm sure Chris was livid that he was eliminated instead of Cat (he was especially condescending when he said that he was pretty sure Cat would be eliminated before he was), but he should have been eliminated MULTIPLE times this season (he was dead last in the cartoon challenge, the perfume bottle challenge, and the fashion challenge, and I would have been fine with him being eliminated instead of Mike during the centerpiece challenge as well). It was really surprising to me that the judges (ahem, let's be real, KATHERINE) kept him time after disastrous time, only to eliminate him before the finale.

I'm excited to see what Cat and Elliott make for the finale. They have very different styles and I never know what to expect from them. But I think this competition is Elliott's to lose. He has won four challenges and Cat has won two (although I'd argue that Cat's eye piece should have won over Chris' windshield piece in episode 7 and that Elliott's hat and tie should have won over Cat's chest piece in episode 8).

I'm just glad I don't have to see Chris and his smug face in the finale. Mr. EB said that Chris confirmed the stereotype of the pretentious pin dick artiste that people can't stand.

Edited January 25, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Starry-Eyed]

YES! Chris is GONE! I was going to be so mad if he made it into the finale.

While I understand that his piece used more technical skill than Cat's, that's what she was explicitly going for with her interpretation and her piece achieved the things she wanted - showcasing the raw intensity of fire and the unpolished beauty of a beginner glassblower's first steps.  Chris had some cool elements, but I didn't understand what he was even trying to say. How is a spring a part or aspect of fire?

[yourmomiseasy]

I've been annoyed with Chris lasting so long, but it coming down to him and Cat and him being so dismissive of her and then getting eliminated was delicious. 

Deborah was less abrasive and more awkward than I remember.  I remember her being worse.  Seeing her though made me think Chris was going to win.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, Starry-Eyed said:

Chris had some cool elements, but I didn't understand what he was even trying to say. How is a spring a part or aspect of fire?

He claimed he was deconstructing the colors of fire. We are just dumb peasants who don't get his artistic statement.

5 hours ago, yourmomiseasy said:

Deborah was less abrasive and more awkward than I remember.  I remember her being worse.  Seeing her though made me think Chris was going to win.

When I saw that Deborah was the guest judge, I was sure that meant Chris would end up winning no matter what he made. And when Cat said she was making a literal fire, I was positive that Deborah would HATE it because there were no layers or deeper meaning. I was so relieved that I was wrong!

I also laughed when they had their judging huddle and then the host said, "I guess we've made a decision," because I am 99.9999999% sure that his typical "THIS IS SO AWESOME!" comments don't count for anything in the final decision. But sure, "we" made a decision.

[Door County Cherry]

My conspiracy theorist mind almost makes me wonder if they "hired" Chris to come on because of his years of experience with the promise he'd go far but not all the way.  I think some talent reality shows have done something similar in the past to beef up the talent pool.  

I can't explain how he lasted this long any other way.  

[Starry-Eyed]

11 minutes ago, Door County Cherry said:

My conspiracy theorist mind almost makes me wonder if they "hired" Chris to come on because of his years of experience with the promise he'd go far but not all the way.  I think some talent reality shows have done something similar in the past to beef up the talent pool.  

I can't explain how he lasted this long any other way.  

That IS an intriguing idea. Like maybe he was promised a guaranteed number of episodes. I will say most of the EGREGIOUS "why is Chris not gone" moments came before the final four (and he was VERY obviously saved from elimination the first final five episode), so maybe he was promised a spot in the final four. That would honestly explain how little he cared about meeting the criteria in episode 3 and the scolding tone Katherine seemed to take with him

[GaT]

I can't believe it happened, They eliminated Chris!!!!! 👌👌👌👌 I thought for sure the fix was in for him.

I had forgotten about Deborah, then she appeared & I remembered how much I didn't like her.

[Dots And Stripes]

18 hours ago, Door County Cherry said:

My conspiracy theorist mind almost makes me wonder if they "hired" Chris to come on because of his years of experience with the promise he'd go far but not all the way.  I think some talent reality shows have done something similar in the past to beef up the talent pool.  

I can't explain how he lasted this long any other way.  

The other way to think of it is reality tv loves a villain. He may have been seen as better tv than some other artists, both for his willingness to give arrogant sound bites and his liberal interpretation of the briefs. He said early on he wanted to win the challenge or go home and I kind of think he was being honest. His ego would have LOVED to be the uncompromising artist who was misunderstood by the inferior judges. 

I don't really find this week's decision to be at odds with past eliminations. I think more artists were eliminated for bad craftsmanship rather than easy technique. Cat used an easy technique, but apparently did it well enough to get the desired effect. I also think it's all about the degree to which the execution is flawed or the piece misses the brief. 

I wasn't crazy about Chris or Cat's piece this episode. I wonder if the springs were meant to show fire's movement? 

 

[dleighg]

Did anyone notice the point at which Elliot's assistant had a blowtorch that needed to be applied something Elliot was holding in his hands, and Elliot just yelled "come up between my arms!" Yikes! Way to get seriously injured there if that student isn't careful!

I thought a lot of the technique that Chris was showing here was seriously cool (as he has done in quite a few previous episodes), but the "wow factor" of the final piece wasn't really there. It reminded me of several Project Runway contestants who had mad technique skills, but eventually ran out of inspiration.

[Kiss my mutt]

On 1/24/2021 at 4:40 PM, Starry-Eyed said:

YES! Chris is GONE! I was going to be so mad if he made it into the finale.

While I understand that his piece used more technical skill than Cat's, that's what she was explicitly going for with her interpretation and her piece achieved the things she wanted - showcasing the raw intensity of fire and the unpolished beauty of a beginner glassblower's first steps.  Chris had some cool elements, but I didn't understand what he was even trying to say. How is a spring a part or aspect of fire?

I don’t know if Chris does even, unless it gives him an opportunity to cry. 

On 1/25/2021 at 5:36 PM, Door County Cherry said:

My conspiracy theorist mind almost makes me wonder if they "hired" Chris to come on because of his years of experience with the promise he'd go far but not all the way.  I think some talent reality shows have done something similar in the past to beef up the talent pool.  

I can't explain how he lasted this long any other way.  

That actually crossed my mind too. I’d love to hear “uncurated” feedback from his students. I jumped for joy when he was dismissed and Cat got her place in the final. 
Elliot has been my pick from day one. He’s only had one misstep in my unlearned opinion. I just get what he’s doing and I am probably a bit literal than interpretive  in the art world and his whole “random British guy” demeanor was disarming. He doesn’t take himself too seriously unlike Chris who has pretentiousness pouring out of his pores. 
I really hope Cat’s eyes don’t abbreviate her career and expression of her talent too much. I’m impressed at her chops considering how young she is and doesn’t have the educational cred. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, Kiss my mutt said:

I really hope Cat’s eyes don’t abbreviate her career and expression of her talent too much. I’m impressed at her chops considering how young she is and doesn’t have the educational cred. 

Chris was the one who kept focusing on Cat being young and inexperienced but she was 30 years old. He kept making it sound like she was a teenager. Everyone's ages this season:

Cat - 30
Elliot - 31
Nao - 31
Tegan - 34
Jason - 35
Ben - 38
Mike - 39
Brad - 42
Chris - 49
Andi - 50
 

 

[Kiss my mutt]

I keep forgetting that.  She just seems a lot younger to me than Elliot so I overlook that they’re essentially the same age. 

[bilgistic]

Chris is a misogynist, among other things.

[marinite]

So I just watched both seasons and since I can’t bear suspense, I wiki’d to find out the winners.

Really from the first, I despised Chris and his punchable face, misplaced entitlement, and how he expressed at least 5 times in the episodes that he was going to win the whole shebang.
 

Now granted, he knows a thing or two, but was so insufferably arrogant that I was relieved he didn’t get top 3. He also came across to me as feeling like this competition was beneath him. He was so ungrateful and dour it was no fun for me to watch or root for him in any other way than to wish for his speedy elimination, which was waaay overdue. Oy vey, he touched a nerve! Ha.

 

Eliot and Cat had great energy and were a joy to watch. I preferred her stuff over his, but I’m fine with him winning. Both were fun, accomplished, and humble, with good attitude.

 

I really liked the judge Katherine and her energy, Nick was useless, and I was bummed to see Deborah and her stoopid fringe again. 

[MartyQui]

I’m going to guess that there were producer shenanigans behind Chris’ persona.  He’s a professor at RISD, and has had numerous shows all over the world, so I don’t see why he needed to do this show.

[Bruinsfan]

Chris was like the living embodiment of that line from The Good Place: "I took the form of a 45-year-old white man for a reason. I can only fail up." SO glad to see the last of him.

Kat's piece was pretty simple in concept, but I did think her execution was nice. All the random drips of glass coming together to form a coherent whole was like a glassblowing version of pointillism.

Elliot's piece really deserved the win though. I loved that while it did have a small, stylized flame, it was mostly potential prompting viewers to imagine the much more extensive ignition once the candle flame burns down to the pool of oil.

Edited March 31 by Bruinsfan