S09.E09: Judgment Day

[ElectricBoogaloo]

No episode description yet, but I will add it later this week when Syfy releases it!

Edited September 16, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Monty9]

I am glad that Ben was saved even though he uses the word "turd" way too often. Way too often in my opinion is ever, because I react to turd the way some people react to the word moist. Moist can be good, like in reference to sexytimes or muffins or towlettes. Turd never is.

 

Way to go Nora! Kicking ass and taking names for a second week. Although that clear/shiny/whatever it was that Evan added in last looks totally saved his makeup. It was looking hot pink before.

 

I hate even saying it but the pestilence people needed more pus. Icky yes but this was the one time a pus font was called for.

 

I fully support all of the screen time the editors are giving Matt the model this year. Seriously editors can I send you like a cake or something? Catered lunch? Round of drinks? Just let me know. 

[Frozendiva]

Ben has two wins this season. This week's creation was not a good look.

 

Evan's last looks touch-up saved him and gave him the win.  It kinda reminded me of a pinkish Darth Maul. Nora again was consistent, put things in that were unexpected (the barbed wire), fulfilled the challenge, was gracious towards the judges and appreciated their feedback and compliments. The face with the metal parts was cool, even though I didn't quite get it.  My imaginings of the Four Horsemen involved them being a bit more majestic and commanding.

[Quilt Fairy]

In all fairness, it's easy to be gracious when you're getting complimented.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[phoenix780]

I couldn't get past how much Evan's look reminded me of Attack on Titan.  With the mask, it looked to me like this guy from Legend of Korra.  Not in a bad way, it was just a bit distracting.

 

Are the Four Horseman supposed to be human?  I didn't quite get why it couldn't be alien or creature-like.

[Quilt Fairy]

I don't remember that criteria mentioned originally, but Mr Westmore specifically told someone (possibly Kevon) not to make it too alien.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[MizArk]

I think the right one went home this week. Kevon's ideas were usually interesting but he never seemed to quite reach what he was trying for. I still love how gracious all the competitors are on this show, even when they're losing or struggling, as Nora did early in the challenge -- maybe the drama is just edited out, though they all seem genuine, but whatever, I'm so glad this show doesn't focus on pushing Drama! In-fighting! Bitchiness! (Project Runway, I'm looking side-eyed at you. And I bailed on the abysmal Steampunk'd -- which should have been right up my alley -- because of the juvenile sniping and name-calling). Face Off is definitely my favorite competition show.

 

Oh, and I enjoyed seeing a glimpse of model personality when Jordan's model joked, How am I supposed to eat in that? I'd love to see a bit more of those long-suffering models!

[CherZ]

I do believe Jordan and Scott were robbed this week. Jordan's look was very different and cool. Scott's look camera-ready. His mummified look was dead on (pardon the pun).

 

If anyone's on Twitter, follow Neville Page. He tweets the most hilarious things during each show - very entertaining.

[Primetimer]

The four horsemen of the Apocalypse make their appearance, and no one makes even a single BoJack reference!

Read the story

[cee]

When Ben kept saying he was going home, I knew he was safe. He did a double-take at the judges decision. I'm happy he got a reprieve.

[Quality]

A lot of great makeups this week (Jordan, Scott, Nora, and Evan all could have won), but I was shocked Ben didn't get the boot. His was the worst by a huge margin.

[Bella]

When Ben kept saying he was going home, I knew he was safe. He did a double-take at the judges decision. I'm happy he got a reprieve.

 

 

A lot of great makeups this week (Jordan, Scott, Nora, and Evan all could have won), but I was shocked Ben didn't get the boot. His was the worst by a huge margin.

 

I was expecting them to boot him, too - to me, he was clearly the worst, and I agree it was much worse than the others. But then I was expecting them to tell him that he wasn't going home and that they were using the "judges' save." But do they even have that this season? Or has it been dropped? In any case, Kevon was middle-of-the-pack and quite unlikely to win, so I suppose they viewed him as expendable. 

 

It's been interesting over the past few weeks watching various reality shows, this among them, and seeing how sometimes otherwise strong competitors take a week to coast because they need a break from the intensity. Sometimes they acknowledge it, and sometimes they just fret like Ben did. I felt like he needed to step back, reassess his design, scale it down, and play it safe instead of trying to rehab it. I think he's good enough that he could have coasted. There's danger in that, but in these multi-week competitions with the long, long days of work, burnout is a real danger, and sometimes the most creative people are the ones who just. need. a. day. off. dammit. That's how I saw Ben this week.

[seacliffsal]

I was shocked that Scott's mummified look wasn't in the top two. I thought it was absolutely amazing. I also thought that Ben should have been eliminated. I do trust these judges though (more than on other similar judging shows), so am satisfied with the results.

[starri]

I guess where I'm getting stuck on Kevon over Ben is this:  they either need to eliminate based on straight up points, or they need to grade on a curve based on past performance, but not both.  Last week, we saw a pure numbers elimination, when Jasmine got knocked of (deservedly, because her work was horrible) despite having had pretty good prior performance.

 

This week, the worst makeup didn't result in an elimination.

 

Face Off has usually had the most fair judging of any of this particular subset of reality competitions.  Either method of elimination is fine, but I don't like them going back and forth between them.

 

So, if we're handicapping a finale, is it Evan/Scott/Nora?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One thing I like about the judging on this show is that even when I don't necessarily agree with what they like (and I admit that my aesthetics are obviously way different than, say, Glenn's), I never feel like they have an agenda or are out to get someone/are being biased (which I can't say for shows like Project Runway where they obviously have designers who they like/dislike and protect/over criticize). They really look at the concept as well as the application (again, can't say the same for PR where they regularly overlook uneven hems, lumpy seams, and other crappy workmanship) and try to make a fair decision.

 

I love watching them fabricate things--they can be very inventive with building props.

This is another reason I love Face Off more than a lot of other competitive reality shows. Not to harp on PR, but I can fast forward most of the workroom stuff because it's mostly drama/gossip/whining without much insight into the design process or the technicalities of construction. But on Face Off, it's so cool to see how they create everything from the regular weekly stuff like sculpting and the vacuum form machine to making large props and little things like when one of the contestants made tears with a glue gun. There are so many different types of work that go into creating the finished product so I love when they show us how a lot of these things are done.

[Rammchick]

I'm not sure that Ben's past performance is what saved him.  There appears to be a lot of stock put in self-awareness on this show.  If someone's work is judged to be poor, and the contestant acknowledges that in fact, this wasn't his or her week, it goes a long way with the judges.  Kevon thought his character was great.  His reaction to their critique made that obvious.  So while Ben's might have been worse -- and I personally think it was -- he was right there with them in nodding and saying, "Yeah, I know it was bad." 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree - the judges understand making mistakes but being delusional and thinking that your horrible design and application are great is a far greater problem.

[PepperMonkey]

I think Ben was mostly saved due to past work, but I'm okay with that. I like Kevon, but yeah, he was never going to make it to the finale.

 

I want Meg to go home BADLY. I don't know why I'm feeling so strongly about that, but for some reason, she just irks me. I have no idea why: she seems perfectly nice and has had a couple of shining moments.

 

I'm rooting for Nora, but I have a feeling it might be guy year.... the last two winners on the show have been women. Once again, though, I hope I'm wrong and Nora pulls out the win. I like Scott, too, and it would be nice to see an "old guy" win as well.

[Silly Angel]

So we're not going to talk about how Evan's looked like a Jugalo? That's cool. Nora FTW!

[themiki]

I'm usually into more femmy girls, but I have a huge crush on Nora. That girl is amazing. 

 

I think the reason this show is so good and so fun to watch is that shows like Project Runway and Top Chef put a bunch of diva blowhards in a house together and watch them claw at each others' faces. Face Off is a bunch of make-up artists. Make-up artists can't be divas because they work professionally with the biggest divas in the known world. I don't think it's a career that naturally attracts dramatic personalities. It attracts artists that are fine with being behind the scenes and don't care if their name is in lights. 

[needschocolate]

I'm not sure that Ben's past performance is what saved him.  There appears to be a lot of stock put in self-awareness on this show.  If someone's work is judged to be poor, and the contestant acknowledges that in fact, this wasn't his or her week, it goes a long way with the judges.  Kevon thought his character was great.  His reaction to their critique made that obvious.  So while Ben's might have been worse -- and I personally think it was -- he was right there with them in nodding and saying, "Yeah, I know it was bad." 

 

I think it helps that the FO judges have actually done the same work they are judging others on.  They know that sometimes molds don't set right or processes take longer than they should.  When was the last time any of the Project Runway judges sewn an evening gown (made of materials found at hardware stores) in a day?

[Merneith]

Not much to say about this episode, this week. I was really kind of underwhelmed. It's an underwhelming cast, I think. The only one I was impressed with, technically, was the mummified looking Death with the hourglass.

 

I thought the two teams completely whiffed it on looking like unified creations. Everyone looked like they were from different movies. No, "everyone wear collars" is not a unifying element, especially when one dude doesn't have a collar and everyone's collar is random. Ditto for time pieces.

 

If I'd been there, I'd have insisted that we were doing the Four Little Ponies of the Apocalypse. Anything other than, "He's Death, so I'm making him look dead! He's War, so I'm making him look like a warrior!". Sigh. They should have all agreed to pick a specific apocalypse and then work from there.

 

No guest judge? Did they blow their budget on Star Trek alums?

[qtpye]

I'm usually into more femmy girls, but I have a huge crush on Nora. That girl is amazing.

 

I know she is kind of annoying, but I think Meg and Nora would make a really good looking couple. 

[Kromm]

Speaking of good looking, Makenzie was looking particularly hot this episode. Both outfits she wore showed her off quite throughly.

[sourpickles]

Gah, I'm so far behind. Was SO very sick two weeks ago (loved three part challenge, not surprised Jasmine went home) and this week thought Four Horsemen was another great idea. Not sure what I thought of the final works, seemed good for this season but AGAIN (you're tired of hearing it, I'm tired of saying it) a bit amateurish and Halloween mask looking. But I'll take it. Could have been a heck of a lot worse. This Evan, is it, is coming to the front now, though I still have no favorites to win, not really. I'm pretty sure it is this guy (not sure if there are any daytime fans here) who looks a lot like Jon Paul Lavoisier and that gets me every week. On to the next episode!

[Vicky8675309]

I think they kept Ben because of past performance but then Kevon did well in the past---unlike Meg who is either bottom or top but never consistent unless she is reusing the same paint job. Kevon was positive about his because he is a positive person.

They should have eliminated Ben or kept them both and do a double elimination next week. Nora had the best look. WTF muscle under bone? The winner sucked and sucked in the past--only won the gauntlet after doing crap on 2 out of 3 and lucking out on the heavily weighted 3rd part.

MEG GO HOME! I immensely dislike this season. Kevon was tired of always being safe so he played outside the box. I think too many ideas is better than unoriginal ideas or repeating the same stuff.

Most of them didn't look humanoid or like they could ride a horse but I still liked that hollowed out face that was safe.

This is going to be a shitty finale--imagine Meg vs Evan vs Nora…obviously Nora will win in that case. There are some I still don't even know their name. There is an older (relative to the others) guy with glasses who is good--the guy who made 2 latex and 1 foam mask a while back (scott?…not the young blond with glasses but the older blond guy with glasses). I guess I am routing for him and probably Nora despite her constantly walking off due to stress and a couple bottom looks. Her top looks are really good so I'm happy with her and the guy (scott?) who has the best time management and talent.

Edited September 28, 2015 by Vicky8675309

[carrps]

Vicky8675309, I was going to thumbs-up your post except that I'm not a Kevon fan. He's only been positive about his own (mostly mediocre) work, and he's been more whiny than upbeat that I've seen.

 

I was happy Ben was saved, because I like him for the win. I will not be happy if Evan takes it all, as he's mostly sucked, and he's always belly-aching about beauty make-up -- one of my sore spots. If you're strictly a blood and gore artist, practice some beauty make-up before you go on the show!

[akr]

I guess I am routing for him and probably Nora despite her constantly walking off due to stress and a couple bottom looks.

I could be wrong of course, but I don't remember her doing this (but remember others, who were overall more emotional, having to go outside and sometimes needing somebody else to help them get their emotions in check). Can you point to when this happened? She seems to be the sort to take a step back, reassess, and come right back at it. I could see her taking a walk away to do this, in theory, but if she's been showing doing that, it didn't leave an overall impression to me of someone who "constantly walk off due to stress," but rather of someone who has the presence of mind to take a step back when something isn't working, so that she can troubleshoot a problem or reconsider her approach. . 

Edited September 28, 2015 by akr

[Nutjob]

 

So, if we're handicapping a finale, is it Evan/Scott/Nora?

I might sub Jordan or Ben for Scott, but I think Evan and Nora are locks. 

 

Mr. Nutjob, who hates... I mean HATES... competitive reality shows because of all the sniping and interpersonal drama actually sat and watched the episode with me last night, and admitted he enjoyed it. It's a Face Off miracle!

[Reishe]

Nora despite her constantly walking off due to stress

 

I don't object to someone physically walking away from their project for a minute or two; taking a few minutes away from your work can help you look at it with fresh perspective and keep you from getting entrenched in the wrong direction. We've never seen Nora storm off or pout, she just takes a minute to step back. I know I do it when I'm working on a writing  project that doesn't feel like it's flowing properly.

 

Also, we only see what the editors show us. Since Nora mostly seems cool-headed and ready to pivot when something goes wrong, they're probably showing us her frustrations to balance it. Who knows how many other artists also take a cigarette break or whatever when they need to recharge for a minute.

[paramitch]

I thought this was an interesting episode, but was disappointed in the lack of imagination for most of the Horsemen. I did think Ben and Kevon's were the worst overall, and Kevon's misunderstanding of the meaning of 'pestilence' was actually pretty embarrassing.

 

Kevon looked really, really upset and angry at the judges' feedback, to the point that he just seemed to shut down. I didn't hate his look, but it felt like another mediocre monster makeup honestly, and I thought the feelers didn't work because they were so static. However, I really felt Stevie's should've been a bottom look as well -- it was awful and the face didn't look anatomically correct for a starving human (I think Neville or Glenn commented on the weird cheeks). 

 

I did wish the teams had been more cohesive. I thought suggesting that their characters all be from the same time period was smart of Meg, but then she got derailed by her pocketwatch idea, which wasn't nearly as clever, and which had zero impact on the final designs.

 

However, much as I like Nora, I really didn't like her design or outcome at all, and thought she dodged a bullet. Every single time a contestant tries to sculpt teeth on the outside, I always think it ends up looking fake and anatomically incorrect, which was why I was surprised she got a pass on hers. The teeth appeared to be growing out of the skin, and also continued too far back along the sides. I also felt they curved unnaturally. It just looked like a bad horror character to me. I was really surprised Glenn and Neville especially didn't judge more harshly there on the anatomical errors.

 

I like Meg, and actually liked her work this week. It at least felt to me like she was actively exploring different techniques and color palettes.

 

I still can't believe how many comments we get from contestants this season complaining about painting (I think Evan made a few more this week and was also just relieved to be sculpting, along with a few others). I mean, if you aren't a strong painter or artist, I cannot imagine pursuing stage or SFX makeup as a career. I echo everyone who has already posted that beauty makeup is the first and easiest skill they should have learned. All it takes is practice.

 

I still love the show, and I always love the judges, who seem like such nice people. I got a kick out of Ve's excited reaction to the explosive effects as each Horseman tableau was revealed -- it was cute. And I always adore Glenn, and I have to say, I kind of like Neville's new beard, too.

[John.G]

Still don't understand why barbed wire has anything to do with famine. Nor why that piece was better than Scott's mummified Death character.

But the real surprise: they didn't eliminate Ben? They must have given him credit this week for his better work in previous weeks, because THIS week he put a real disaster out there. Kevon's piece wasn't good, but it was better this week than Ben's creature.

[Jynnan tonnix]

I was glad that Ben was saved over Kevon, even though he had the worst makeup. I guess I see the decision-making as having evolved from the "save". With the save, there was the overt vote of confidence for someone who, as likely as not, was going to flame right back out, so they felt they needed to pass them through for another week or two so as not to lose face (so to speak). So they sort of kept the save without the actual announcement. There's almost always some way to justify eliminating a slightly better makeup over a slightly worse one, be it which kept closest to the challenge, which had a more cohesive character, which had some interesting ideas which didn't quite gel as opposed to something confused or derivative...But because they don't come right out and define it as a save, they can still jettison someone with less overall potential without putting themselves in the position of seeming wrong in their decision to use a one-time save when someone else turns up even more deserving a week or two later. And I personally think Ben has more potential than Kevon.

All that being said, I did think that there were quite a few strong looks in this challenge, and as much as I like Nora, I wasn't sure hers was necessarily one of them. And I was kind of amazed at how good Evan's finally turned out at the last moment as it had looked like a gory clown until well into last looks.

Finally...maybe I'm 12, but for me, the word "turd" tends, most of the time, to elicit a giggle. I just find it amusing. Funny how things can hit us so differently.