S08.E06: Troll Bridge

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The artists create their own unique troll inspired by a real-world bridge with guest judge Doug Jones.

 

Sneak peek:

[hincandenza]

Jesus.  Well ladies and gentlemen, that's why Doug Jones is the most in-demand physical actor in Hollywood.  Also, he's 54.  I don't look that good now, much less in... mumblety-mumblety number of years. :)

 

I regret if this sounds too harsh, but it's a little sad that this season has the best guest cast of probably any- all of them genuine luminaries in their field so far- and it's, um... wasted on what is with only a couple of clear exceptions probably the least experienced contestant roster yet.  Ah well, a couple are promising and someone might still surprise us out of the top 11.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was blown away by how easily he transformed himself for each character even without any costume or makeup. He is really amazing.

 

And I agree that his talent is wasted on this season. There are a few bright spots in the cast but for the most part, they seem like little kids finger painting compared to some of the earlier seasons.

 

I always wondered about the models interpreting the characters so it was really cool to see him give them so much instruction! I'm really looking forward to seeing him talk to them more during the episode.

[CherZ]

He's 54!!!!?? Wow - he looks great. Have to admit, he's a favorite of mine, got a giddy thrill when he favorited a tweet of mine too.

 

He looks great, I thought he was much much younger.

Edited February 19, 2015 by CherZ

[starri]

Has Doug Jones been a Guest Judge before, or is too little sleep and too much caffeine messing with my mind.

[Maelstrom]

Doug Jones!! *flails* I could go on and on about how awesome he is, but let's face it - we all know how awesome he is. It was a real treat to watch him work with the models to develop their characters. So glad to see him back! (Starri, I forget which episode it was, but I do remember seeing him on Face Off before).

 

Jamie's troll was stunning - such a convincing blend of wood, moss and stone. I've been impressed with her ideas in the past, but tonight was the first challenge where she was able to execute them well. Hopefully she'll be able to keep up this level of work in the future.

 

The other top looks were fun as well. Kelly may annoy me, but she had a good makeup tonight. And the inner tube troll was fun, and turned out a lot more successfully than I would've expected.

 

Not surprised to see Anthony go - he's clearly dedicated to makeup FX, but just needs more experience. Adding some metallic paint or LEDs would've helped sell his idea, IMO.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Maelstrom

[Quilt Fairy]

I think I would have given the win to Ben or even Kellie over Jamie. Jamie's sculpt may have been nice, but all I could see was those very human eyes looking out. I thought Ben's head was really good, and it was an outside the box concept that really worked for a change.

 

So is Doug Jones related to Steve Buscemi or is it just me? And he has to be the skinniest guy I've ever seen, not just side to side, but front to back. He's hardly even there!

Edited February 18, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[GaT]

Nice mentoring Rayce.

 

So this is the 6th episode of the season, & I'm still seeing contestants & thinking "who's that?" When they finally announce the winner, I hope I have a clue as to who they are.

[Bella]

I figured Ben's concept for being an all-or-nothing attempt - he'd either win or go home. As it turned out, I would have given him the win, but at least he made the top 3.

 

Rayce may have made a major mistake in his mentoring, but Anthony's days were numbered. Since this show seems to be burning through the people working in this profession way too fast, maybe he'll return in a couple of years.

[Linderhill]

Anthony was over due to be eliminated.  Week after week he's been weak and he really couldn't see what he'd done wrong.  I liked Jamie's troll but let's see if she can maintain this level of performance.

[Toaster Strudel]

I loved the bathing troll.  All her features were garishly hideous, yet the overall effect was cute as an ugly little button.  How does one perform such a miracle without taking away the win?

[Ketzel]

I figured Ben's concept for being an all-or-nothing attempt - he'd either win or go home. As it turned out, I would have given him the win, but at least he made the top 3.

 

Rayce may have made a major mistake in his mentoring, but Anthony's days were numbered. Since this show seems to be burning through the people working in this profession way too fast, maybe he'll return in a couple of years.

At least he had the decency to step up and take the blame for it in front of the judges. In the hideous "Under The Gunn" I couldn't count the times the contestants got hammered for doing something one of the three "mentors" had specifically counseled them to do.  And as the judges hammered away, the mentor in question would just stand there, sadly shaking his or head at how badly their mentee had misjudged the challenge. Not once, even when asked by the judges for their take on the critique, did the mentors ever accept any responsibility for the bad advice.

 

I think judging between Ben and Jamie was a tough call between an excellent apple and an excellent orange. I think Ben's concept was outstanding and funny and Jamie's design was beautiful and most clearly met the parameters of the challenge they had been given.. Also, was it Jamie's that Doug Jones said he'd love to wear?

Edited February 18, 2015 by Ketzel

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My biggest disappointment with this episode was that we didn't get more Doug Jones than what was in the sneak peek. More Doug, more Doug! Doug can make even a troll challenge okay with me! Loved that he made sure to compliment every model after the judges inspected them.

 

One thing I really liked about this episode was that even though there were two contestants for each bridge, they didn't make it a head to head competition (which you KNOW is what they would have done on Project Runway in this situation).

 

Emily's looked too much like Groo from my taste. The judges referred to the hard edges and I totally agree. On her right shoulder, it looked like a vest because there was no transition at all. It was just big bumpy thing and then smooth arm. I expect so much more from Darla than what I saw this week. The eyeholes in the face were too big so I could see the model's human skin tone peeking out. I hated the ramdom scratches on the side of the head. I thought the underbite was interesting. But since all of her work was on the head and everything from the neck down was just a costume of rags, I wanted a lot better than that. I did like the color though.

 

I liked that Anthony's had two different sides to his face. The design was symmetric but you could still see the difference between the textures on either side. I wasn't crazy about Adam's but it was better than some of the other duds. I didn't like Julian's but it wasn't on the screen long enough for me to pinpoint why. It just looked half assed.

 

Ben's was different but I thought it hsowed a sense of humor. Rob's looked very traditionally trollish but I hated those huge yelllow teeth. They looked way too large and out of place. Kelly's looked more like an evil old witch to me than a troll. I thought Jamie's had too much greenery, but I did like how she incorporated the wood texture on the model's stomach.

 

Stephanie's looked more like a swamp thing than a troll and I didn't like that I saw her bare shoulder peeking out from the costume. From a distance, her hands looked too human too. The skin tone needed to be more similar to the pain on the head. I didn't like Logan's. I really disliked the bird mask over the lumpy skin. I heard his whole fire story, but I still didn't like what he ended up with.

 

On a shallow note, what the hell was Kelly wearing at judging? A halter vest over a dress? I feel old for not getting it. "What are those darn kids wearing these days?"

 

Why didn't either of the people with the helix bridge do some kind of, you know, helix?

[Bella]

Why didn't either of the people with the helix bridge do some kind of, you know, helix?

 

Really. That was a missed opportunity, and I didn't get either of those trolls as relating to the bridge. The story the designer tells only goes so far and can't overcome a weak make-up.

[Nutjob]

I liked Ben's, but it weirdly reminded me of Pepper from American Horror Story. I probably would have given him the win, though, because it really looked like that head belonged on that body, if that makes sense.

[LadyMustang65]

As much as I thought most of them upped their game last week, this week I wasn't crazy about too many of these.  I liked the winner the best; it was a gorgeous make-up although I'm not sure it said "troll" to me.  The troll in the bathing suit was kind of neat, but it kind of distracted me that he didn't seem to do much with the body.  So it looked overall like a person with a troll head.  I like Anthony so I was sorry to see him go but I think it was the right choice.  He'd been in the bottom looks a lot.  I'm among the ones who still can't tell them all apart or even remember them.  They showed Logan, and I'm thinking to myself, "has he always been here?"  I don't remember him at all.  It's always the most fun for me when we get down to the last half dozen or so.  By then I've figured out who is who and who I'm rooting for.  At this point they're still mostly a blur to me.

[carrps]

I loved the bathing troll.  All her features were garishly hideous, yet the overall effect was cute as an ugly little button.  How does one perform such a miracle without taking away the win?

I was really torn between Ben's and Jamie's. But more than one judge mentioned how difficult it was to create that wood effect so I figured that's what tipped the scale.

 

I usually recognize most of the contestants on these kinds of shows pretty soon, but last night I finally had one of those "who the hell is that" moments. Julian, IIRC.

 

Kelly plucks my last nerve, and I thought her head was a little too mask-like, but it was the best I've seen from her. Logan did that bird thing? It was terrible. Just a bad concept. But Anthony was circling the drain, and it was time. He just needs more experience.

 

I was afraid for Emily, because I think she really has talent. But hers was really bad. REALLY bad. Even Megan couldn't save it. Darla was another I had tapped as a frontrunner who had a bumpy night. Hope they're back on track next week.

[Sharpie66]

I'm guessing that the only thing that saved Emily was the fact that Anthony had been in bottom looks so often in the past, because boy oh boy, was her makeup horrible!

[Primetimer]

A challenge in which facetestants have to create troll characters inspired by specific real-world bridges accidentally points up the biggest problem with this 'Return Of The Champions' season.

Read the story

[snakenax]

What I didn't understand with Anthony's concept is that the half-and-half sculpt fits his bridge perfectly.. but his bridge is half neon green and half neon blue. Why go for half slate grey and half steel grey when you have the appropriate color scheme and concept literally staring you in the face?

[Maelstrom]

Also, was it Jamie's that Doug Jones said he'd love to wear?

It was. I can think of no higher praise for a makeup artist!

 

And kudos to Rayce for stepping up and taking credit to the judges for his misdirected advice.

[CherZ]

Have to admit, he's a favorite of mine, got a giddy thrill when he favorited a tweet of mine.

 

He's awesome, and I was just as giddy when he favorited tweets of mine as well. Sweet and humble guy. And OH MY GOSH are you totally serious that he's 54? He looks damn good, no great. Maybe there's something in that prosthetic glue I should try. ;)

 

Glad Jaimie took the win. Surprised that Darla was safe as I thought hers was really poor-looking, although I like her and think she's capable of better.

Edited February 19, 2015 by CherZ

[sourpickles]

First off, I finally got to comment on last weeks episode yesterday again, so to recap, thanks to everyone who helped out with the model questions! IMDB does have an incomplete list, but I haven't gotten to fully check it yet so maybe I'll get better with names....

On to this week. Somewhat disappointing. Great concept, but I thought a lot of them missed the mark, troll wise. Saw a lot of the same stuff that has come down the pike before, not even in this season, but I do have the feeling we're about to get to the point where certain people can only do certain forms. And no, I don't mean "signature". Emily, oh, Emily. The one and only reason she didn't go home is Anthony has been circling the drain for a while now, because hers was by far the worst. I adore her but that was bad, like all the things that should have gone wrong the first few weeks went bad that day. Ouch. I sort of understood why Rob was there, though I liked his story. He could have been replaced, IMO, by several others who were safe. Yay to Jamie, but there's something about her that's off with me, maybe because she hasn't been too good till now? Doug Jones was awesome, of course, and yes he was on another episode of F/O, I want to say last season but I'll be damned if I can remember now. And did Glenn get a haircut or something, cause he sure looked snazzy. Maybe it is that I love him ;).

[Quilt Fairy]

Since Anthony had the first (and very extended) TH of the episode, I was curious to see if he was going to be the winner or the loser. I have an irrational hate for guys that wear those slouchy knit hats 24/7. It's even greater than my hate for guys that wear ballcaps all the time. At least with Anthony gone there's one less nose ring in the competition, because we had 2 too many this season.

[sourpickles]

You have no idea how badly I wanted to say the very same thing! But I was afraid I'd get in trouble, since I mentioned Kelly's last week! Maybe the reason I had trouble remembering who he was, was because I was always mesmerized by the nose ring, and then couldn't remember a dang thing he said. And is it just me, or does it seem like we have way more people than we actually do? I swear, it seems like there are 15 of them. Maybe it is because of the coaches being there, in whatever capacity. I agree with whoever said before that their role is really unclear. Seems to me like another gimmick fail (see: Ink Master Rivals).

[Kaoteek]

I liked the winning look, but I would have given the W to Ben for going whimsical (even though he could have done a bit more with the model's body : feet, ass, legs...).

 

Didn't care much for the third top look, which felt like a random palish witch rather than any kind of troll.

 

As for the worst look... well, his time was clearly up, but I maybe would have given the loss to Emily for that particular "let's throw some paint on a messy sculpt, and see what happens" look.

[hincandenza]

This was a meh week for designs; most were boring and completely forgettable, which is a real shame with the extra focus on selling the costume through movement.

I'd have given it to Ben or Kelly, and Jamie third. I loved the whimsy of Ben's, it was almost cartoon like, I could imagine Bugs Bunny doing a wolf whistle... until she turns around. It's the one I remember the next day, and this is the second time he's had a makeup that really impressed me. Kelly had a great backstory and matching complete makeup that I think did look troll-like in the nose and lips. Jamie's had a lot of detail, but I'm not a fan of the woodsy full body costume that looks like a moss-bedazzled monk's robe, or her particular head sculpt. Great paint job though, which I assume netted the win.

Anthony wasn't horrible- I'm not sure I'd even have had him in the bottom, although I can't remember a single 'safe' makeup at this point- and if he'd done a clearer split that reflected the bridge he might have been safe. For example, the initial idea was good: so have him fall asleep for a century, and show how the side of his face facing the bridge naturally turned steel and neon, auto adapting like some troll chameleon. It could have worked, but he's been lackluster and was clearly and wisely used this week as a buffer for Emily.

She, I'm worried about: for all the drama about molds, I expected a decent result. I mean, when you combine her talent, Megan as her model taught by Doug Jones no less, and the usual seeming editorial misdirection.... but no. That was indistinct and kind of awful. It's hard to not keep reaching for that Sasha comparison, since Emily also excels when she's calm, but can easily fall apart. I do hope she sticks around, I think she's still the best of the season, and she sure ain't bad to look at either!

Nthing those who are still surprised by "new faces": there were several times they went to a talking head and I said "Wait, who are you?!?" We're down to 10 now I think, so that's on the editors for not spreading screen time better.

[needschocolate]

Well, I am glad that Anthony went home, if for no other reason than now there is only one Anthony.  I am bad with names and it isn't helping that so many of them, especially the women, look so different in their talking heads than they do while working.  I have discovered that the wacky hair colors and hair cuts in past seasons helped me tell them apart.  There were three different guys I called Julian in the first few episodes - one was Anthony, but the hat helped, so the past couple of episodes I only have two Julians.

 

Maybe it is because of the coaches being there, in whatever capacity. I agree with whoever said before that their role is really unclear. Seems to me like another gimmick fail (see: Ink Master Rivals).

 

Although they named this season "Return of the Champions" I have decided that what they were really going for was "Face Off: Class has Begun" or "Face Off: School Edition" or something similar.  My theory is that they had trouble finding top make-up artists with much experience, they went with a group of people who showed some talent but didn't have much experience.  Since they knew viewers wanted to see good make-ups, they had to add teachers/mentors that would hang around the lab long enough to give more instruction than Mr. Westmore can in his stop bys.  It helps me to think that instead of watching talented make-up artists doing their thing, this season we are watching make-up artists that show some promise learning how to improve their skills. 

[LoneHaranguer]

 

And is it just me, or does it seem like we have way more people than we actually do? I swear, it seems like there are 15 of them. Maybe it is because of the coaches being there, in whatever capacity.

Partly. There were only four eliminations from the original 15 prior to the end of this episode, so you still had 11 contestants (plus the 3 coaches = 14 people).

[mlp]

Add me to the group that liked Ben's best.  I thought Darla, Emily and Logan all had trolls that looked worse than Anthony's did.  I won't miss the nose ring though. 

 

Usually, I hate piercings, tattoos, facial hair and Goth affectations but I love Glenn.  I can't even explain that to myself. 

 

Doug Jones is delightful.  I was impressed when he complimented the models and actually knew their names.

[Lugal]

First of all Doug Jones is awesome.  I also loved that he complemented the models by name.  Also can't believe he's 54.

 

Jamie was the best, doing the wood texture and bringing an in Eastern feel to her troll worked the best.  I think Jamie got the win over Ben because she put a lot more work into hers.  Ben mainly did the head and belly on his, and I think it worked since at first glance you think she's another kid or something and when you look closer, she's a troll.  All the rest kind of blended together.  It was time for Anthony to go, since he's been in the bottom every time, hasn't he?  he needed some LEDs or something to tie his troll into the bridge more.

 

I also have to give credit to Rayce for admitting he gave his team some terrible advice.

[Taeolas]

Doug Jones was great. And really, the guest this week was for the models, not for the artists. When he was interacting with them, most of the models were really livening up. I think we got the most model name drops this week than we've ever had before. 

 

Too bad when they actually got on stage, some of them really lost what they worked out. Some of them were stiff as boards and didn't seem to get anything from their tutor session. :( 

 

The overall looks were great and I had no problem with the choices. The morphing bridge look could have worked, he had the parts on his mold even; but he messed up the painting sadly. Anthony was out of his element and burned out quick. Still, I wouldn't have a problem seeing him back in a few years once his skill gets up. 

 

And if anyone from FO is watching, we *really* need a Face Off: Models special. These models make and break the makeups; I'd love to know more of them. 

[sourpickles]

Amen. And hincandenza, are you talking Witch Hazel? Cause that was about right! Knew it reminded me of someone! Models special would be great. Doug Jones, as always, awesome. Does anyone know if he was one of the dudes in Hush, my favorite Buffy episode? Because that would fit. I'm not a superfan, but my sister is so I would watch it with her and that was, by far, the best one for me, though I know Once More With Feeling gets more votes. His moves just remind me of that epi. I think we are getting to the middle point here where people are either good, or straddling ok and really bad. One thing I like about this show is that they tend to separate the wheat from the chaff fairly early on. Also, no save this season? I couldn't decide if I liked that or not, but I assume that it has something to do with the Champions.

[Black Knight]

What I didn't understand with Anthony's concept is that the half-and-half sculpt fits his bridge perfectly.. but his bridge is half neon green and half neon blue. Why go for half slate grey and half steel grey when you have the appropriate color scheme and concept literally staring you in the face?

Agreed, and the thing is, Anthony's paint job was just that when they were still in the studio, before they went off to last looks, and he seemed happy with the paint job and even got a compliment from someone if I remember correctly. So I was completely confused when the onstage reveal happened and the paint job had turned into 2 Shades of Grey. I would really like to know what happened there.

 

I also had noticed that Mr. Westmore advised multiple contestants to make their looks more trollish, and then I heard Rayce telling his team to do just the opposite. We saw the result, obviously, and Mr. Westmore is always, always right so that was completely predictable. But again I was confused because the coaches get to hear Mr. Westmore's advice too. Did Rayce just choose to ignore it? Because, dude, you're a champion, surely you know: Mr. Westmore is Always, Always Right!

 

Since I live in San Francisco, I was especially invested in seeing how the Golden Gate trolls would turn out. I actually rather liked the general concept of a bird troll - I did not like the execution - because in the Marin Headlands on the north end of the bridge there are vultures and hawks, and the bridge itself can be so windy that you think you could fly right off and around and under it. And I really wanted someone to do some kind of fog troll, because the GG Bridge very often is covered partially or entirely in fog, and if there really were a troll at that bridge I would expect it to be something that could blend in with the fog. I did also like the idea of Emily's sunset paint scheme because a sunset behind the GG Bridge is one of the most beautiful sights there is, but all that trouble she had with the molds just ruined everything for her. Since she has done some amazing work, I was relieved that Anthony was on the bottom with her - and I kind of suspect that, if not for Anthony being easy pickings due to the number of times he's been in last place, the judges would've had her be safe otherwise in order to protect her from elimination. I don't know if she can or should win, but it's definitely too early in the competition for her to go home. She's clearly better than some of the others.

[sourpickles]

A fog troll. Now THAT would have been cool. Frankly, more trolls would have been. My husband saw screenshots today, he doesn't get to see the show till the following week cause he has to get up at 3, and he said "really? those are trolls? They don't look like trolls. Oh, and I HATE that one". Sigh. And I racked my brains and I think Doug Jones was judge on an urban legends challenge last season. Or the season before. I don't know, but for some reason I remember monsters with a story.

[mel31602]

I actually think the "don't do traditional troll" advice was good - the top three looks were all atypical trolls to some degree. But it just came down to execution. I do agree the conflicting advice from Rayce and Westmore just made it more confusing tho. I actually liked Anthony's makeups each of the last two weeks but I wasn't sad that he left- he annoyed me at the start and I defintely didn't want my favorite Emily to go tho hers was the worst.

[Drogo]

Kelly's character's son... old enough to have worked and died on London bridge... but still carried his lovey around with him... ?

[needschocolate]

I thought she said he was playing on the bridge (but maybe I just decided that because of the lovey). 

 

Alternate answer, he was an adult, but after he died, the lovey was all she had to remember him by? 

 

Another option - she didn't think this through.

[Tenderfoot]

One correction: It was Tower Bridge, not London Bridge, which is a modern structure, whose predecessor was sold to an American, disassembled, and rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. There's some speculation that the American thought he was buying Tower Bridge, which is a Victorian pseudo-antiquity. 

[caprice]

Kelly's character's son... old enough to have worked and died on London bridge... but still carried his lovey around with him... ?

 

I thought she said he was playing on the bridge (but maybe I just decided that because of the lovey). 

 

Alternate answer, he was an adult, but after he died, the lovey was all she had to remember him by? 

 

Another option - she didn't think this through.

Depends on what era she decided to work with. ;)

[Drogo]

 

Alternate answer, he was an adult, but after he died, the lovey was all she had to remember him by?

 

That's probably what she'd say if the judges questioned it - but the lovey's whole creep factor is that it implies losing a child-child, not an adult-child.  We may never know how Kelly's brain works under all that purple cotton candy.

 

I'm still waiting for this season's Emo Faun.  That thing was awesome.

 

[eurekagirl mOo]

Why do people put rings in their noses? Were they bulls in another life? I honestly don't get it.....

[OSM Mom]

Why do people put rings in their noses? Were they bulls in another life? I honestly don't get it.....

Me either. I hate it. Along with lip piercings, eyebrow piercings and those stupid gauge things. I have nothing against pierced ears.. I have 3 in each ear, but for the love of God, that's where it should stop. The ears.

[Chyromaniac]

I sooooooo wanted one of the two GG'ers to do a Hippy Troll...  Oh well.

[Lugal]

 

And if anyone from FO is watching, we *really* need a Face Off: Models special. These models make and break the makeups; I'd love to know more of them.

I always thought they should do a model's challenge.  The models pick the artist and the artist have to execute the model's idea.

[April Bloodgate]

As most of the other posters have noted, Doug Jones was incredible. It's amazing the way his body can move. And he's 54?! My god, he looks more like he's in his late 30s.

 

I loved seeing how excited Megan was about getting coaching from Doug Jones. She always puts forth so much movement and acting for her artists that it makes sense she'd be the most enthusiastic about Doug. It actually made me disappointed then that she got such a crappy character this challenge that didn't let her shine.

 

Did anyone else notice after Rayce had a chat with his team, Logan said "word up" as they were leaving? I laughed harder than I should at that. Who says that anymore?

[sourpickles]

Did he really? That's hilarious, I did not notice that at all. Logan is sort of eager puppy for me. The only way I remember he's there is he looks like a long lost Manning brother. And Julian, goodness, he's alright but he's so monotone sometimes I fall asleep three words in. They are both very good though, so I'm expecting them to go far. And I totally agree with the posters who hate the piercings. Not only do they look odd, they are SO distracting. I find myself and staring at them and they next thing I know we've moved on and I go "wait, what did they say?". Terrible. But to each their own! I've got four in each ear myself.

[mla40]

As long as Kelli keeps bowing every time she says thank you, giggle, thank you, bow, thank you, looks up aw shucks, I'm adorable, thank you, bow...I will never be able stand that girl. She could have the most astounding make up/costume/character ever in the history of the show and I will still want her to be kicked off. That girl grates on my last nerve, and I'm not even going to pick on her full mouth of both top and bottom teeth grin because that's a physical thing beyond her control.

Edited February 23, 2015 by mla40

[sourpickles]

Check out Molly Burnett some day, if you want a "smile" that goes all the way to Rhode Island. She's an actress on Day Of Our Lives. Kelli is nothing compared to this champ.

[hincandenza]

I loved seeing how excited Megan was about getting coaching from Doug Jones. She always puts forth so much movement and acting for her artists that it makes sense she'd be the most enthusiastic about Doug. It actually made me disappointed then that she got such a crappy character this challenge that didn't let her shine.

 

Totally agreed; I thought we were going to be in for a real treat!!! Emily has been very good this season- probably the best so far- in her designs and execution; Megan is pretty much the Babe Ruth of their modeling cast; and she got to work with Doug Jones who (apologies to Andy Serkis who I obviously forgot in my early hyperbole) is at least in the top two best physical actors in Hollywood.  That all that talent combined into a blobby sunset/fire monster that at best could be described as "forgettable" and at worst would have sent her home if someone even more deserving wasn't in the bottom 3 last week?  What a shame. 

 

At least Emily stuck around and will hopefully rebound, and Megan got to meet Doug Jones which she seemed delightfully excited about.

 

 

I always thought they should do a model's challenge.  The models pick the artist and the artist have to execute the model's idea.

I agree on the model-themed episode- lets' find out more about these quiet pillars like we did with the judges last season, which turned out so well.  I mean, look how many people warmed up to kitty-loving Glenn, after all this time of his weird wardrobe and goofball hair! :)  However, I don't know that making a costume from model's ideas would be a good show; it's kind of similar to the children's monster drawings episode they did a few seasons' back, but I think that only really works because of the natural and unfettered whimsy of children in their doodles.  Which as an aside, also reminds me of those sites that will turn your kid's drawings into a plush stuffed animal, such as Budsies or Child's Own.

 

However, what about this twist on your idea, either as a Foundation Challenge or a Spotlight Challenge: they meet with the model, and have to turn that model into some kind of superhero or god/mythical creature that best reflects the model's inner personality?  The artists pick a model at random/by choice, then the model comes in right on design day to tell them their 'secret alter ego' and even work with them on the initial design.  As a result we get to learn their names, and a little more about them, while still offering a good makeup challenge. 

 

Plus, this kind of setup means there is a disincentive to burying your model in a huge head piece; some of my all time favorite makeups are ones where the artist incorporates the face gracefully, instead of the usual "demonic frozen scowling monster mask" comprised of 20 pounds of hastily painted foam latex.