S03.E02: Bottoms Up

[Door County Cherry]

Quote

Each artist designs a set of six glasses for a different beverage, including fancy flutes for Champagne and curvaceous chalices for Belgian ale.  Cheers!

Airs July 22, 2022

[Door County Cherry]

I loved this challenge and loved who won.  So many of the sets were so much fun.

[chaifan]

Sorry, I really don't know the contestants' names yet...  I understand why Amazing Glass Blower Guy Who Couldn't Make Up His Mind lost, but to be honest, I expected the Not Martini Glass Martini Glasses to go.  To me, the design was not impressive.  There is a reason martinis are served in a martini glass, with a wide opening, so the glasses should have had at least a nod to traditional shape.  They were not attractive, just looked like little mugs on a stick.  And the judges said they weren't well executed.  I also think the banana daquiri glasses were not well done.  I think the Rusty Nail glasses were better than both of those. 

But here's my theory...

Last season we had Amazing Glass Blower Guy, Chris.  Like this guy, he came in with a reputation, other contestants oohed and aahed over him.  And it seemed like no matter how far he strayed off brief, he managed to stay through.  I think the judges didn't want the same type of situation, so they took the first opportunity to boot out Amazing Glass Blower Guy this season. 

As for the winner...  I loved the concept of the champagne flutes, but I thought the Vanilla Milkshake glasses were the best.  Whimsical, functional, they seemed identical to me, the straws were amazing. 

From a "I would buy that" standpoint, I think the Monk Beer Glasses were great!  I loved the glass ball feet - I think the first plan not working worked out to her advantage. 

One quibble with the guest judge... She said that certain drinks, including the mojito, were traditionally served in stemmed glasses so the drinks don't get warmed up by your hands.   um.... I have never been served a mojito in a stemmed glass.  I have only been served them in high ball glasses (or something very similar - tall and thin), and that includes having them in several Central/Southern American places. 

[Dots And Stripes]

I really didn't like that Dan's advantage was to be able to trade... and only one other drink didn't have alcohol. Couldn't they have told them they could make the other drinks virgin if he wanted to pick them? It made the advantage worthless.

[akg]

On 7/31/2022 at 3:48 PM, Dots And Stripes said:

I really didn't like that Dan's advantage was to be able to trade... and only one other drink didn't have alcohol. Couldn't they have told them they could make the other drinks virgin if he wanted to pick them? It made the advantage worthless.

The vanilla milkshakes really jumped out at me as not fitting with the other options in the same way as the one non-alcoholic mixed drink. When competitions do something like that with their options, I feel like it puts the people on different playing fields.

[chaifan]

On 7/31/2022 at 3:48 PM, Dots And Stripes said:

I really didn't like that Dan's advantage was to be able to trade... and only one other drink didn't have alcohol. Couldn't they have told them they could make the other drinks virgin if he wanted to pick them? It made the advantage worthless.

Or couldn't it simply have been optional to actually consume the shot of the drink they were given?  It had nothing to do with the challenge, and whether or not a traditional cocktail is made "virgin" has nothing to do with the shape of the glass it's served in.  Dan could have traded for any other drink, and just said "hey, I'm __ years sober and not drinking this."  I doubt that would have been an issue.  

Think of it this way, what if Dan wanted to trade with Grace, but his drink had an ingredient, like raspberries, that Grace is allergic to.  I can't believe they would either make Dan trade with someone else or make Grace do the shot. They'd just not have Grace do the shot. 

I don't think Dan didn't trade for lack of options, I think he just liked the one he was given. 

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

Or couldn't it simply have been optional to actually consume the shot of the drink they were given? 

I don't recall anyone drinking anything at all.

Also I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly or not, but it seemed that they were inconsistent about whether or not the winner got an advantage in the next episode. Now the advantages (IMHO) weren't all that huge, so I don't particularly care. Can someone who was paying more attention than I was confirm that it was not always given?

[akg]

4 hours ago, dleighg said:

Also I'm not sure if I'm remembering correctly or not, but it seemed that they were inconsistent about whether or not the winner got an advantage in the next episode. Now the advantages (IMHO) weren't all that huge, so I don't particularly care. Can someone who was paying more attention than I was confirm that it was not always given?

I thought most of the "advantages" weren't that great. But that might be because I hate making decisions for other people. Having to pick teams or assign deadly sins or whatever would be torture.

[Starry-Eyed]

21 hours ago, dleighg said:

I don't recall anyone drinking anything at all.

Trenton had some banana daiquiri, I believe. It was really unclear whether everyone was drinking their assigned beverage, or maybe just people who hadn't experienced theirs before

[chaifan]

Didn't everyone do a shot of their assigned beverage?  Or was I just imagining that?   (Maybe I was the one doing shots...)

[Starry-Eyed]

My recollection is that some people did shots of their beverage in their talking head segments and some didn't. Trenton's the only one I'm positive tasted his, because he pointed out it was his first.

Edited August 4, 2022 by Starry-Eyed

[Aulty]

On 7/28/2022 at 4:32 AM, chaifan said:

Sorry, I really don't know the contestants' names yet...  I understand why Amazing Glass Blower Guy Who Couldn't Make Up His Mind lost, but to be honest, I expected the Not Martini Glass Martini Glasses to go.  To me, the design was not impressive.  There is a reason martinis are served in a martini glass, with a wide opening, so the glasses should have had at least a nod to traditional shape. 

It would've been a better use of the guest judge if she had told them a bit about their drink and key elements for their designs - stems, openings, glass thickness .... Then they could've really judged them on usability.

On 7/28/2022 at 4:32 AM, chaifan said:

She said that certain drinks, including the mojito, were traditionally served in stemmed glasses so the drinks don't get warmed up by your hands.

umm, I don't drink but arent they usually made in sturdier glasses so the bartender can really mush up the limes and mint directly in the glass? The thicker glass would be the insulation, not a stem??

A couple of sets were cute, but certainly looked like a nightmare to clean.

[HurricaneVal]

On 8/3/2022 at 10:26 AM, chaifan said:

I don't think Dan didn't trade for lack of options, I think he just liked the one he was given. 

Exactly.  I think he was given his card, had an immediate inspiration, and didn't want to switch.  I also think his glasses were beautiful.  Really lovely.  But I was waiting for the bartender expert guest judge to point out how the beautiful delicate raspberry leaves would all be destroyed during normal--even high end--business.

I was also a little irritated with the overall "this glass should be thinner, it is all too chunky" comments throughout the judging.  They asked for six identical vessels, including coming up with a design to some tight specifications, in a very short timeframe.  You want thinner glass?  Give them more time to develop it and achieve a matching set with the inevitable scrap that will come from going for that delicacy.

That said, I kinda liked the raspberry glasses, and the Irish coffee glasses.