S07.E10: Scared Silly

[FormerMod-a1]

The artists turn their worst childhood fears into terrifying evil clowns who will perform a nightmarish circus routine.

[Iguana]

Oh, boy.  Clowns are scary even when they aren't trying to be.  I may be sleeping with the lights on tomorrow night. ; )

[GaT]

Clown monsters. Whoopee.

[OakGoblinFly]

Oh, boy.  Clowns are scary even when they aren't trying to be.  I may be sleeping with the lights on tomorrow night. ; )

 

I may have to record and watch later - like when I don't have to go to bed right after the show ends ...... I do not like clowns. At. All. 

[Rhetorica]

I hate clowns! Especially since living in Chicago with John Wayne Gacy's legacy.

http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-believed-john-wayne-gacy-victim-found-alive-article-1.1553833

Edited September 23, 2014 by Rhetorica

[Rhetorica]

Blending a childhood fear and a clown just won't work sometimes. Like the tornado. A very real fear but hard to make into a creepy evil clown, IMHO. I didn't like Dina's. It wasn't much if an evil creepy clown. I like Cig's; it deserved the win and I thought Stella's was the creepiest. I can't believe George was safe but I love his attitude. Drew's was a mess. Damien' model was cute and really tried to sell it, but couldn't be done. Sasha made a creepy doll, not a creepy clown! The judges are just covering their save.

[rustyspigot]

I was worried about George who might be in my top 5  favorite reality show contestants of all time. More short shorts please! That aside the bottom two did kind of suck (I'm so descriptive in my critique!)

 

As a hater of clowns I would have said clowns in that questionnaire. There had to be a top 3 or something they had to list.

 

The doll was kind of a cheat but, it was well done and not a monster so I was fine with it. I was not fine with Sasha's stupid hair at judging.

[Portia]

I freaking loved this challenge! I thought Sasha's was beautiful and hella creepy, but I agree with Rhetorica that it shouldn't have won becsuse it was a doll, not a clown. The clown markings on her face were perfect, but why was she in a regular doll clothes instead of something clown-looking? I would have gone with Cig's, which truly seemed evil and terrifying. George's was a hot mess; I really can't figure out why it wasn't in bottom looks. I couldn't decide who was more deserving of elimination--Damien or Drew--but I'm sure glad it wasn't Drew because he's such a cutie pie.

OMG I almost forgot my favorite bit: George in shorty-ass jean shorts!

[snakenax]

Damien going has been a long time coming, with him gone I think the season is finally out of complete cannon fodder.

[PepperMonkey]

Why am I having so much trouble getting into this season?

I LOVE Face Off and look forward to it precisely because the contestants all seem to like each other and realize they may all be working together in the future, so why make enemies? Everyone tries to be helpful as much as they can and there's so very little drama.

But this group of contestants is just not exciting me. I'd say my closest to favourites are Gina and George, although George's Daisy Dukes tarnished that just a bit for me tonight.

I am not fond of Sasha OR Cig, even though both are clearly talented and I fear they may be the frontrunners, destined for the finale.

I'm not sure why I'm having so much trouble really rooting for anyone in this group.

[Ripley68]

I liked that the doll won.  Makenzie never said it had to be scary, they had to make a clown using their childhood fears as a starting point.  The makeup was beautiful and the hair thing brillant (that always freaks me out on dolls).  my next pick would have been the tornado one.

[rho]

I was the first to say that Sasha didn't deserve the save. Her baby girl routine is annoying and the GI Joe contest was pitiful. But now I'm really glad she's still around. Her creativity is refreshing. She's the only one that consistently fights against the monster rut. At least she knows her strength.

 

And I agree with the judges on the top three. I know it's hard to see on the screen, but the three top makeups had fantastic paint jobs. Dina's was my least favorite but it still had plenty of dimension and it was another escape from the monster look. Even Sasha's which looked simple is a very difficult look to achieve.

[Richness]

Can I just watch the Cig and George show? They crack me up, though I did groan at the cement/semen pun. (Or whatever comment that was; I've done deleted the episode off the DVR.)

 

Cig continues to be bridesmaid, but never a bride. While he did win in the second episode, it was as part of a team. His clown was truly horrifying in all the scariest ways.

 

Glad George was safe. However, did anyone else have ZZ Top's "Legs" running through their head during the short shorts scene?  I'm not sure the mismatched skintones on Earthworm Jim were any better than the original pile of poop idea.

 

As much as I can't stand Sasha, I loved her clown doll, though I'm not sure I would have given her the win. If someone would just gag her and not let her talk, I think I'd be OK. I was hoping to get rid of her last week, but Crayola girl was an acceptable cut cause I couldn't stand her either. But Sasha does have more high placements than lows, though only by one. She does have moments of inspiration. So I respect her talent, but can't stand her as a person.

 

I've also got to give props to Dina for not only salvaging a horrible clown/fear combination, but turning it into a top look. Her revised concept and story was inspired.

 

As far as the bottom looks, I was hoping Damien would stay simply cause I think he's sexier. *shrugs* Either could have went home, as they've both performed about the same. Sure, Damien has one more low placement compared to Drew, but Damien had a win to Drew's lone high placement. However, because that high placement happened last week, I think the judges were a little bit more lenient on him.

[Monty]

I was bothered by Sasha's doll not being clown-like enough, but I decided it was a European Pagliacci-style clown.

[GaT]

I thought that the "plug holes" on Sasha's doll were brilliant, that was a perfect detail. 

 

I was bothered by Sasha's doll not being clown-like enough, but I decided it was a European Pagliacci-style clown.

I didn't think it was clown like enough at first, but the challenge wasn't that they had to make a traditional clown, & it wasn't that it had to be scary, so she really thought outside the box. I'm OK with her win. I wasn't as impressed with Dina's as the judges were.

[90PercentGravity]

I liked Dina's original idea. I don't know why Michael Westmore was so put off by it, but I also liked what she came up with later.

 

Worm clown reminded me of something. Is there something with a similar silhouette in Akram Asylum?

 

Cig's was too static for my taste.

[iscoffy]

I've decided that Glenn is dressing just to amuse me now.  He's graduated from English schoolboy to English country gentleman, I guess.

 

I really don't like creepy clowns, but other than Cig's, none of them were really that creepy to me.  Of course, the childhood fear elemnt was disconcerting.  It's fortunate no one had a really out there childhood fear, I guess.

 

It always surprises me that they don't look at the makeup up close prior to the performance and then after, just in case something dramatic occurs.  

[hincandenza]

This is an odd season for me; I've got no real front-runners, and maybe because I've seen so many seasons there's almost never a makeup that just blows me away... but everyone is still pretty good, and consistent, and Face Off is such a positive show, I can't help but enjoy it anyway.  We're now in the top 7, and I think nearly any combination of 3 is a possibility for the finals, which is pretty rare in this or any competitive reality show.

 

I can't disagree with the choices this week, although I waffle between Cig and Sasha; Cig's was a masterclass of both sculpt and paint and a beautifully realized concept, while Sasha's was extraordinary in its details and paint and sculpt as well and deserves plaudits for a clever, different idea.  I also think George deserved to be in the bottom this week instead of safe (which also would have made it 3-3 for top and bottom looks).  His result didn't work on any level for me.

 

 

Top Looks:

Cig as mentioned was great; he is the bridesmaid a lot, but that says much: he's consistently churning out makeups, although he's kind of monster-y for me a bit too much.  The watery makeup and look was beautiful, and Lois (or was it Glenn?) put it well that he really captured the waterlogged corpse appearance.  However, as good as it was, I can see ceding it to Sasha.

 

Sasha's was simply stunningly beautiful to me.  The challenge was clown + childhood fear, and she nailed the doll aspect, in a way that was scary to me; those old dolls are creepy as hell to me.  I loved how well she captured that weathered patina of the old doll face replete with cracks and shading, and I like that her clown makeup wasn't overdone with garish colors but still felt clown.  The arrows above and below the eyes, the little white painted highlight streak on the red painted nose, all were very true to life for me in how a clown might have been painted on a 1920's doll, or the European/Pagliacci clown as you guys mentioned above; I'm sure it has a name, because I think it's the kind of clown you see in some kind of carnival or street festival in the Old World.  Beautifully understated work, excellent details (the judges were over the moon with the punched-hair effect, which was inspired), and a reminder that Sasha can be whiny and childish, but damn does the girl turn out some beautiful outside-the-box creations some times.

 

Dina's I was pretty underwhelmed by; I wasn't seeing what the judges saw, and in fact I wish Michael Westmore hadn't talked her out of the swoopy hair idea.  The drawing we saw (who does those drawings, anyway?  They aren't always the actual sketches these people use) with the tornado hair and the face almost being ripped up into the tornado was much cooler.  Still, she is solidly competent again, and I can see why the judges are pleased with her consistent fine work.  There was nothing particularly wrong with the makeup, and everything was well executed, and I guess no one else was good enough to bump her out of the top 3. 

 

But I guess that says a lot about Dina, or any strong competitor: even their so-so work is still beautifully done.  Sometimes people are so consistently decent, you find yourself rethinking your earlier assessment and their earlier work.  I've gone through that with Dina and Cig the last couple of episodes, realizing they were unfairly under my radar.

 

 

Safe:

Stella was okay, but forgettable for me.  As I started typing, I realized of all the makeups, I couldn't even picture hers or Rachael's in my head anymore, and I started typing this 2 minutes after the show ended on my DVR.  It was fun and goofy, and the judges had a good chuckle, but I didn't like the charcoal color palette or the dearth of toys to really drive the monster-under-the-bed concept.

 

Rachael is my TV girlfriend, and yet I had completely forgotten her about as well.  While I did get a "Gregor Samsa runs away and joins the circus" vibe, I think it was Lois who pointed out it was kind of just cartoon-y.  Still love the girl though, but this was a bland week for her.  Hope she and George pick it up, because there is NO room for error left in this group.  Cig, Sasha, and Dina, and Stella can all churn out top notch work in any given week, which doesn't leave much room to avoid a bottom 3 with only 7 people left.

 

George should not have been safe, and maybe a bottom 3 scare would have been good for him right now, in case he's gotten complacent having never been in danger.  He remains delightful to watch, but this week was a total misfire.  The concept was anemic, and the colors didn't work.  The "sausage casing" arms looked goofy and unwormlike to me, but worst was the head: I didn't read worms at all, but brain matter.  Seriously, go look at it: his clown makeup looks like it was painted directly onto an exposed human brain.

 

 

 

Bottom Looks:

Drew was a mess this week.  I kinda get where he was going, but the judges were right that the eyes and other elements weren't true to spider anatomy.  A spider-clown hybrid could have been horrifying, and instead it was like a Gacy-clown with some extra eyes glued onto his brow.  Still, he did have enough details- the eyes, the pinchy whatever they're called coming out of his chin, etc, that at least you could read fairly well "spider - clown".

 

Drew is to me the weakest one left now; like Rachael he's never actually won a spotlight challenge, but unlike her he's almost always just "safe".  There isn't room for just safe any more, so I wouldn't be surprised if he goes home next week.

 

Damien deserved to go home.  He and Drew (and George) had really weak makeups when there's not that many people left.  But yeah, it just was so plainly clown.  At this stage people aren't really screwing up sculpt or paints too much, so the concept becomes more and more important.  This was... nothing.  A clown, and some spiders I guess, which you couldn't see at all.  Even with the spiders on his face, I don't recall once during the presentation portion that I consciously read "spider", since the few spider elements didn't really pop or anything.  Also, his clown really reminded me of NBA player Dirk Nowitzki, with maybe a splash of grunge-era Eddie Vedder.

[Spooneroonie]

I thought that the "plug holes" on Sasha's doll were brilliant, that was a perfect detail.

 

 

No kidding! I didn't even see them initially until RamonaQuimby Judge pointed them out. That's the freakiest thing about old dolls, for me. Next in line are the creepy-ass eyes (which were well done) and the cupid-bow mouth. She did a VERY nice job, and redeemed herself, although it was a week later than it should have been.

[dialyn]

I think the scariest thing this week were George's shorts.   I loved, loved, loved Sasha's porcelain doll, her attention to detail (the hair plugs, the unnerving eyes, the cracking in the procelain), the nod to the Commedia dell'arte style of clown (apologies if I am wrong about that--I'm not too well versed on this topic but I'm thinking of the Harlequin, Pierrot and Pierrette type rather than Bozo or a U.S. circus clown).   I personally would have put worm clown with its mismatched paint job at the bottom--it looked like a chewed up Freddy Krueger to me.   Both spider-clowns were big misses for me.  I was wondering how Cig would manage but he smartly chose to create something that might haunt the dark water rather than the water itself, which is where I think Stella went wrong with her under-the-bed clown (what is scary to me about what may be under the bed is what you may hear but can't actually see that makes you afraid to look and she didn't really capture that for me).   I actually liked Dina's tornado clown with the balloon dog caught in the hair (since they had to be aware the clowns would be doing acrobatics, I can see how her original concept would have been difficult for the individual under the makeup to manage, which is why I think Mr. Westmore had reservations about the giant swooping hair).  I don't know why but I found it hard to remember Rachel's cockroach clown--I tend to share her distaste for that particularly insect so perhaps I blotted it from memory because I saw more insect than clown in that makeup.  Overall, I think the judges made the right decision for the win.  Sasha took a risk, did beautifully detailed work, and managed to create something delicately creepy that wasn't gross.  Good for her. 

[Primetimer]

Evil clowns come in all shapes and sizes. Some don't even look like clowns at all, but porcelain dolls.

Read the story

[Portia]

Loved your story, Monty!

 

I was bothered by Sasha's doll not being clown-like enough, but I decided it was a European Pagliacci-style clown.

She totally nailed the face, but I still don't understand why she didn't incorporate a clown-like costume. My mom collected clowns (please don't judge; she was in all other respects a normal human being and a wonderful mother), and she had some clown china dolls, and their outfits communicated not "little girl," but "clown." If Sasha had only request a Pagliacci-style white-with-black-pompons outfit/hat, or even just had them create a little girl dress in a clown-y pattern or colors, I would have been 100% on board with her win.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Portia

[drmka9]

The really frustrating thing about Sasha is that when she's on, she's on. If she doesn't have a concept immediately, though, it seems hard for her to get to something that's even acceptable. That said, I really liked her clown this week. The execution was great, and the concept reminded me only a bit of the dolls from the Doctor Who episode 'Night Terrors.' I also liked seeing Cig go a bit smaller than his normal hulking sculpt, but I'm still not sure that he could do something as basic as a beauty makeup. I feel like it's late in the season for me to still be wondering about that.

 

The others were largely forgettable. I'm not entirely sure why Stella decided that her clown needed to be made out of stuff found under the bed - the reaching hands were creepy enough. Dina's paint job was fantastic, but I wasn't really sold on the concept itself. She didn't seem to be, either. While I love Rachael, I started thinking her makeup would be right at home in the live-action version of The Tick. A little too cartoony.

[Taeolas]

The Doll Clown was by far the best; and it will probably be one of the most memorable makeups of the season IMO. So much went right about it. Sure it might have had a better wardrobe choice in the end, but the rest worked great.

 

The other top Two were OK, but didn't really wow me as much (though they were impressive none the less). The dark water clown was great but a bit too monstery for my tastes. The Tornado clown looked good, and without the doll, would probably have been a strong contender for #1 vs the dark water one.

 

Of the safe acts, the Roach one was a wiff; it was OK enough to be safe, but was a bit too roachy I think. The Worm one I agree was the bottom of the Safe ones and could easily have been Bottom 3. The face was a complete miss. I think he wanted to go with the bowl of worms look, but it came out as brain matter instead. 

 

And the under the bed clown should have gone in other directions. It was OK enough to be safe but was disappointing in the end. 

 

And of course the spiders, they were both complete misses. I can sort've see where the worst one was going, (with the spiders all over his body); flavour wise it would be similar to the Tornado one. But it didn't go far enough in the end. 

 

Oh and huge Kudos to the guest models. Most of them did a great job trying to bring their looks to life and seemed to really get into it, and their final act seemed to go really well. 

 

Since part of the challenge was to make a durable monster look that could withstand flips and juggling and unicycling and such, looking after the act makes sense. Any tears or flaws in the makeup would be a challenge failure. 

Edited September 24, 2014 by Taeolas

[Monty9]

 From Monty (the recapper, not me) " People still seem pretty freaked out by Pennywise, and Tim Curry isn't really wearing spooky makeup in IT. Well, I guess the pointy teeth are kind of disturbing. But mostly he's just hanging out in sewers, distributing balloons."

 

sidebar: Damn RIGHT he was disturbing. *shivers*

Really Stephen King? You thought an ending showdown with a spider would be scarier than a clown? I am doubting your bonafides as a horror writer.

 

George's clown face looked like it was a wax figure that melted. The arms were great but he should have been in the bottom.  I didn't like Dina's as much either but I give her huge kudos for coming up with something for a tornado concept.

 

Thor returned to earth and became a clown? Huh. Would've thought he'd go for a WWE wrestler or something but it shows you can never tell about demigods.

[Lorimac]

I was worried about George who might be in my top 5  favorite reality show contestants of all time.

Yes!  Me too!  I think it is the whimsy overlaid by the deadpan attitude.  I am amazed that he is not winning "fan favorite" or whatever they are calling it each week.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Lorimac

[snakenax]

 

I also liked seeing Cig go a bit smaller than his normal hulking sculpt, but I'm still not sure that he could do something as basic as a beauty makeup. I feel like it's late in the season for me to still be wondering about that.

Yeah, it's kind of telling that this is Cig's smallest, least costumey piece yet and it's still a 90% immobile mask. His Shiva alien had a bare face to it, and if that make up speaks to his beauty make up skills...

[Xazeal]

I thought the clown doll was fantastic. I thought Sasha was setting herself up for failure by going that route, but I really couldn't deny that it was a worthy winner. Despite her annoying tendencies, she does have some serious talent and creativity, so I understand why she's still there.

 

I thought Cig's was technically spectacular, but not as creative. It just looked like a regular monster. A flawlessly executed regular monster, but regular nonetheless.

[Maelstrom]

Glad to see Sasha get her act together again - I thought the clown doll was just the right amount of creepy without being gory or gross. (Seriously Show, I eat supper while I watch you, so please lay off the spiders and cockroaches and water-logged corpses from now on, 'kay?) When she's on point I love seeing what she comes up with, as she tends to think outside of the horror box this show likes to live in. Also happy Dina did well again, being as she's been one of my favorites from the premiere.

 

Most of all I'm relieved George was safe this week despite a meh makeup because, as others have said, he's just so much damn fun to watch. Is it wrong to hope the shorty shorts turn up again before the season's over? He's awesome.

 

The other makeups were mostly forgettable, though I would've guessed the other Spider guy would go home. Don't know why. I still don't think as much of Cig as Cig does, so I'm glad he didn't win (but I did have to chuckle when he joked about having actually learned something about himself during this challenge).

 

Glenn actually laughed during the clowns' routine! Before the Judge's challenge, I never would've thought him capable of it. After seven seasons, his tough guy facade may finally be crumbling.

[Ruprecht]

I loved Sasha's doll clown. It was a perfect combination of the two concepts. I know I have a short attention span, but I think that is the makeup I will remember best from this season. 

 

I'm still hoping for an all-female finish. My favorite has been Dina but I have to also pull for Rachel (local does good!) and I thought Stella's work all season has been very, very good. And I have to say Sasha does have moments of brilliance - especially with this doll clown. 

 

And I have to say I think the challenges this season have had a very good balance of horror/scary concepts beside the more fun ideas. I think this season has been excellent. 

[Corporal Agarn]

Clowns and dolls both freak me out because of the painted face thing.  Merging the two made perfect sense to me.  I loved it and thought it deserving of the women.

 

For the most part, the rest of the clowns were pretty underwhelming.

[LoneHaranguer]

Somebody has been heavily advertising a new movie called Annabelle, featuring an evil doll. Sasha's creation blows that out of the water. Annabelle only looks scary with a menacing expression and the right lighting. Sasha's doll would just need to turn her head. It has more of a "dead" look that would be creepy if you saw movement (or thought you did).

[CherryMalotte]

I hate clowns! Especially since living in Chicago with John Wayne Gacy's legacy.

 

Another kid in the crawl?  Oh yes, I remember all that vividly also.

 

I friggin loved Sasha's doll/clown - it was just soooooo creepy.  And Cig - boy I'd like to see the two of them in the final at this point.  

[Rammchick]

While I love Rachael, I started thinking her makeup would be right at home in the live-action version of The Tick. A little too cartoony

 

I also thought her roach looked like the "bug" Vincent D'Onofrio plays in the first Men in Black.

[Merneith]

Well shut my mouth! Sasha's porcelain clown doll was astonishingly perfect. The conept was very smart and the whole execution was just so tight. I'm so glad it won. Very well deserved!

[starri]

I think the elimination was the correct one: the judges are always going to give higher marks to the guy who tries for a unique concept and fails than someone who does an expected, boring make-up.  Damien's was ultimately just a clown (and not a very good one) with a bunch of spiders stuck on him.

 

Having said that, even the top-looks were kind of underwhelming to me.  Sasha's work was great, but I just didn't think it fit the challenge, although I get why they rewarded her for pulling together such a strong look.

 

I actually had high hopes for this one, not so much because of the monsters, but because the set-up when McKenzie announced the challenge to them was so damned clever.  The night-vision video was such a great idea, and I loved that they almost subliminally superimposed a clown face over hers once or twice.  I just wish the rest of challenge at lived up to it.

[frenchtoast]

It was not as creepy or terrifying as I thought it should have been. But Cig really had the most difficult concept--dark water--yet I can see why that would be something that would be creepy. And it was interesting how he commented that a lot of his forms are similar to what he saw in his nightmares and maybe that was his way of dealing with it. A intriguing insight and I'm glad they included it. Also, I was unpleasantly surprised how well he made that work. And by unpleasantly I mean, it was unpleasant to look at because it was so well done in its horrifyingness. Yes I made up that word. Because his clown did look like it was decaying in water. It fit the challenge, it was amazingly well done and it lost to a doll. Ok. Whatever. If Sasha wins, I will not be happy.

 

And George. Never change George. His deadpan delivery with his ridiculous statements just make me laugh every time. I love him.

[Linderhill]

I thought Sasha's clown was cool as a doll but there were things that bugged about it.  Yes, the clothing was a bit too little girl but the thing that really bugged me was the feature that many posters and the judges liked, the rooted hair plugs.  Sorry, those were well done yes, but completely inappropriate.  She distinctly said it was a porcelain doll, stated it in her explanation and description.  One problem, porcelain dolls don't have rooted hair, they wear wigs.  Whether its a mohair wig or one made of real human hair (yes, they exist on dolls and sometimes its from the little girl who owns the doll), its a wig and there are no root holes.  Rooting holes are in vinyl dolls.  Doll collector here and while I don't collect clown dolls (ugh!), I've got antique porcelain and vinyl.  That feature really bugged me with Sasha's work.  After all of Glen's harping on animals and monsters making sense, this really stood out to me.

 

I will admit that I'm not much of a Sasha fan and was immensely disappointed that they didn't send her whiney ass packing, I did like her face painting on this challenge but I didn't think it was all that original.  Creepy dolls have been around for a while, (Twilight Zone anyone? X-Files, Chucky and the afore mentioned Annabelle along with some ghost story dolls) so while it was a different approach to the challenge, it wasn't that original.  The more I think about it, Sasha's doll looks more and more like the China Doll from "The Great and Powerful Oz" a couple of years ago.

[crabcakes]

I had "...clown!" and Paget Brewster's giggles in my head the whole time too. The doll was super creepy; Sasha did step her game considerably. Which is good - I feel like one more bad make-up would've prompted questions as to why they saved her, exactly? And her subsequent exit.

[micat]

@Linderhill, such an interesting insight into the difference between vinyl and porcelein dolls - someone should tweet that to Glenn and ask why anatomy has to make sense on an alien but dolls don't have the same standard!

 

That being said, I loved Sasha's doll and thought it deserved the win -- she gave me shivers just standing there.  Cig's clown was a close second, and I especially liked the nose from the side.

 

Finally, I also enjoyed MacKenzie's intro video and the effects used.  However, I did start to crack up when she talked about the routine the clowns were going to perform.  I don't know if there's anyone on earth who could make juggling and unicycling sound scary, but she sure gave it a good try.

[CherZ]

Ok. Whatever. If Sasha wins, I will not be happy.

 

She's just not in the same league and her stuff is a bit simplistic.

 

Now I loved the doll, but compared to the awesomely detailed Dark Water Clown, it was obvious she didn't put forth a large amount of work.

 

I think she may be getting the Miranda love from the judges - where she grates to the audience but the judges just love her.

[carrps]

I loved Sasha's. Totally on board with her win. I think there's as much (if not more) skill in restraint than in piling on details, so I think that's why she won over Cig. I have not been a fan of most of his work at all, but I was pleased by what he was able to create from just 'dark water' and 'clowns.' Nice.

 

George's was horrible. HORRIBLE. I don't know why they didn't do a bottom 3 and have only 2 safe. I'm glad he wasn't eliminated, but he should have had to face the wrath of Glen for that really poor work.

 

I was happy that Dina was able to pull out such good work when she was struggling so the first day. I'm really hoping she makes the final. I think an all female finale would not be out of the question. None of the guys have impressed me consistently.

 

But, yeah, just gag Sasha. Listening to her is painful.

Edited September 25, 2014 by carrps

[GaT]

I thought Sasha's clown was cool as a doll but there were things that bugged about it.  Yes, the clothing was a bit too little girl but the thing that really bugged me was the feature that many posters and the judges liked, the rooted hair plugs.  Sorry, those were well done yes, but completely inappropriate.  She distinctly said it was a porcelain doll, stated it in her explanation and description.  One problem, porcelain dolls don't have rooted hair, they wear wigs.  Whether its a mohair wig or one made of real human hair (yes, they exist on dolls and sometimes its from the little girl who owns the doll), its a wig and there are no root holes.  Rooting holes are in vinyl dolls.  Doll collector here and while I don't collect clown dolls (ugh!), I've got antique porcelain and vinyl.  That feature really bugged me with Sasha's work.  After all of Glen's harping on animals and monsters making sense, this really stood out to me.

 

 

I'm also a doll collector, but not of porcelain dolls, so that never even occurred to me, but it's a really good point. All my dolls have plug holes, so I never even thought about how that was wrong. You have completely changed my view of her work now.

@Linderhill, such an interesting insight into the difference between vinyl and porcelein dolls - someone should tweet that to Glenn and ask why anatomy has to make sense on an alien but dolls don't have the same standard!

 

 

I'm not on Twitter or I would, I wish someone would tweet to all the judges & ask them why.

[carrps]

I can overlook the plug holes issue, because, to me, most of their issues with anatomical problems are more related to how a make-up would work on set ---  impeding movement or expression. I think of the plug holes as more of a decorative facet in this situation.

[dialyn]

I didn't know about the hairplug thing either (I do love learning new things and I appreciate the insightful knowledge of an expert), but I'd still give her the win for the doll.  She may not be an expert on porcelein dolls but she wins on being able to create a character that is unnerving without being overtly monstrous.

 

 

Now I loved the doll, but compared to the awesomely detailed Dark Water Clown, it was obvious she didn't put forth a large amount of work.

Personally I don't think this is true. She clearly was very careful about her process.  The fact that her technique is more delicate doesn't mean she put in less work than was done on the Dark Water Clown.  Anyway, one can put in a lot of effort and end up with a mess (spider and worm clowns, as examples). 

 

What I like about "Face Off" is that very rarely have I seen anyone who doesn't work hard, even when their design isn't right.  I get the feeling these are people really dedicated to their craft.  I could be wrong.  If I am, leave me to my delusional thinking. 

 

Why do I like Glenn more this season?  Was it his affection for cats that turned the corner?  That he actually laughed at the clowns?  Change of clothes?  Maybe he has just worn me down over time. Not that it matters what I think about him.  I just wonder sometimes.

[starri]

I guess I'm just an outlier with not liking Cig's clown.  I thought it just looked like a drippy Halloween mask.

 

I know we've said this a million times, but very little of the work is actually impressing me.  I'm sticking around because I do like MacKenzie, her dad, the judges (although come back soon, Ve), and I have a fondness for Drew, Stella, and Dina, but I'm even more underwhelmed than I was last season when I at least had Tyler's wide-eyed enthusiasm to latch onto.

 

This time, Sasha's in the role of the plucky newcomer, and that's fine, but she falls into the same gap that made Alana and Lainey so unbearable.

[Random Noise]

FWIW, my grandparents came from Friesland and my mom and aunt both had porcelain dolls. They did indeed have the holes in the head for the hair, so perhaps it's something more scarce to find, or maybe it was only done during a certain time period, or region.

 

I remember it distinctly because when I was 5 or 6 years old, my sister pulled one out of an old wooden trunk. I was totally weirded out not only by the look but by the holes in the head. Then an earwig crawled out of one of the holes, which is why earwigs still freak me out to this day.

[drmka9]

FWIW, my grandparents came from Friesland and my mom and aunt both had porcelain dolls. They did indeed have the holes in the head for the hair, so perhaps it's something more scarce to find, or maybe it was only done during a certain time period, or region.

 

 

I'm pretty sure the heirloom doll kicking around in my family has a porcelain head with rooted hair. It's about a century old, though, and has been restored (which may have changed some things about it).

[GaT]

FWIW, my grandparents came from Friesland and my mom and aunt both had porcelain dolls. They did indeed have the holes in the head for the hair, so perhaps it's something more scarce to find, or maybe it was only done during a certain time period, or region.

 

I remember it distinctly because when I was 5 or 6 years old, my sister pulled one out of an old wooden trunk. I was totally weirded out not only by the look but by the holes in the head. Then an earwig crawled out of one of the holes, which is why earwigs still freak me out to this day.

Then I have now swung back to thinking Sasha's doll was good. :-)

[Portia]

 I remember it distinctly because when I was 5 or 6 years old, my sister pulled one out of an old wooden trunk. I was totally weirded out not only by the look but by the holes in the head. Then an earwig crawled out of one of the holes, which is why earwigs still freak me out to this day.

Good God. That freaked me out far more than anything I saw on Face Off this week!