S10.E09: Bottled Up

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The artists get inspiration from unique vessels and create mischievous genie characters.

[Rhetorica]

I don't have anything to say about the designs. I thought they were all forgettable. However, I loved McKenzie's shoes in the foundation challenge. Were the contestants told to make mischievous gens? I heard McKenzie say it twice at judging but did not hear that in the instructions. I'm not sure the judges are on the same page as Michael Westmore. He didn't seem to mind the hybrids. I wonder if Robert's stories are ones he tells his kids at bedtime. Sleep tight, my friend.

[MrsClaus]

Apparently I have no idea what a genie is supposed to look like because I found most of these to be utterly not what I had pictured one to be.

[Frozendiva]

Maybe the face-testants were rubbing the bottles the wrong way.

I think Persia, and flying carpets, and something wondrous and exotic and mysterious that slips out of its bottle type holder and eagerly held by its finder. Promises of unimagined wealth and beauty. The mysteries and the romance and silk and jewels of Agrabah and Aladdin. Fairbanks and The Thief of Baghdad. Even a Barbara Eden type.

Not, what was this? Where did Yvonne get the elephant idea? Persia would be places like Saudi Arabia today and not home to too many elephants, which would be in Africa and India.

Walter's was the best of the bad lot. Rob's was okay but the face seemed too angular.

Robert's was a WTF was that? Something out of a badly imagined Lion King with an ugly red wig and bizarrely holding a cocktail glass tray. Still proud of himself til the end.

More like buyer beware in this case and be careful what rug you buy and what rolls out of it.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Frozendiva

[Eliza422]

Apparently I have no idea what a genie is supposed to look like because I found most of these to be utterly not what I had pictured one to be.

The judges kept staying something about indicating these were genies, but damned if I could tell you what that might be on any of these!! We just get yet another assortment of aliens and monsters.

Glad Robert is gone, though - it's been long overdue.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Eliza422

[rustyspigot]

I definitely don't dream of any of these genies. 

 

Elephant heads, open sores, cocktail waitresses? It was all weird.

[Ketzel]

According to the O.E.D. the definition of "genie" is "a spirit of Arabian folklore, as traditionally depicted imprisoned within a bottle or oil lamp, and capable of granting wishes when summoned. Compare with jinn."  So I think the contestants were misled by the producers who gave them bottles that were not decorated with Arabian motifs, and instructed them to use the bottle for inspiration. But once they eliminated the appropriate cultural reference, it was impossible, for me at least, to connect what any of them were doing to what I understand a "genie" to be.

 

[roctavia]

This challenge was terrible!! Nothing on that stage felt like a genie... The elephant and the top green guy were the ones that even hinted at something genie like. I know they were supposed to pull from the "lamps" they were given but I think this was a poorly thought out challenge.

While they couldn't all do a take on the Aladdin style genie, something similar was what I'd be looking for. The winning look was just a monster, IMO and missed the mark just as most of the others. I don't mind that they finally sent Robert home, his look was ridiculous...

Overall, dissapointing week with a dissapointing challenge.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Jjrmt

[Quilt Fairy]

I don't know if it's just this season, but I'm not even interested in watching the entire episode anymore. I look at the first few minutes and then skip to the 30-35 minute mark when they're showing before the judges. The judges aren't going to have to worry about using their save this season because frankly, none of these people are good enough to deserve a second chance. OK, maybe Rob, but I expect him to win.

[mlp]

If I had seen any one of those creatures standing alone, "genie" would never have crossed my mind.  I did think Walter and Rob had the best ones but they didn't seem to answer the challenge.  I can't imagine what Robert was thinking.  His was just plain awful and he deserved to be sent home.  

 

Rob seems to have a natural talent.  He isn't as good as some contestants we've seen in the past but he's only 20 y/o which, from my perspective, is barely out of childhood.  He probably has a great future in the business.

[Vermicious Knid]

Yvonne made Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god. Really surprised no one mentioned it. unless that was edited out. it's also ridiculous the genies were supposed to resemble the bottles, because that's like saying prisoners looks like their prisons.

 

Regarding the first challenge, Valkyries are a) not goddesses, and b) don't have wings. The challenge designers keep demonstrating they don't bother doing any research.

 

 

 

[GaT]

Apparently I don't know what the word "mischievous" means because the closest thing I saw to that word was Melissa's & the judges thought she was just safe.

[Richness]

Frankly, I'm not sure what the judges saw as genie in the top looks that they didn't see in the bottom looks. None of them really screamed genie. The top looks were impressively done though. However, Vee kept commenting on the mottled painting on Rob's model, which simply looked unfinished or sparsely/quickly applied to me. Also, I was expecting Walter to go home with all the whining he did about needing to win in his talking heads. No, you don't *need* to win any more than I do. However, I am glad to see my scruffy eye candy actually get a win though.

 

I also liked Yvonne's, which said genie just as much as the other animal hybrids did. Sure, it might have been Ganesh, but it was beautifully done. At least a god has powers similar to a genie. However, I guess they needed an even number for top/bottom looks. Since Melissa had immunity, Yvonne had to be declared safe.

 

Speaking of which, Melissa better be glad she had immunity, because that afro-haired leper was horrible. It triggered my trypdophobia. ( For those who don't know what that is, do NOT google image search it. I didn't have trypdophobia until I did that. So you aren't similarly afflicted, it's the fear of holes or other repeating, holey patterns. People love to photoshop repeating hole patterns on human skin for some really horrifying images. There's actually a really disgusting YouTube make-up tutorial for creating the effect that I'm tempted to unleash at Halloween. )

 

Glad they finally got rid of Robert. I thought for sure he was going to be the cockroach that lasted until the last episode or two. If I didn't like him before, I definitely don't like him after his delusion goodbye Talking Head. His creations are not a gift to us in the least, and they weren't very good at all. That had to have been one of the wackiest goodbyes ever. Hopefully, I won't have to hear his stupid shtick again until the final episode when the returning players help the final three. And if I'm lucky, no one will pick him and the editors won't focus on him.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I thought the Valkyrie makeups were more interesting than what we got for the genie challenge. I was really underwhelmed with the genie creations. If I hadn't known what the challenge was ahead of time and I just saw the final presentation, I would not have been able to guess what the unifying theme was.

[Linderhill]

I definitely don't dream of any of these genies. 

 

Elephant heads, open sores, cocktail waitresses? It was all weird.

especially the open sores, that was definitely a WTF moment.  She was lucky she had immunity.

[Merneith]

I'm having a hard time understanding why Robert's Cat Genie didn't meet the challenge but the Dragon genii (who looked just like last week's Dragon Queen) did. Also: Jughead? Proactive Leprechaun? Elephant! The Musical Genii - which I kind of liked, but still. All I could picture was this:

 

 

https://youtu.be/VbXowkRPwkI?list=PL08B8BA456E0B19EC&t=84

 

 

At least their trunks could move.

 

Mel's was a half-assed version of Jughead with crappy paint, crappy applications, her usual hand-wringing whinge. "It looks like a cat! What should I do!" Well, stop sculpting a cat face, for starters. Maybe go look at a Gazelle, if you've never seen one before. They're different animals. They look nothing like cats. Mr. Westmore told her to use the delicate etchings for inspiration so she makes a big clumsy head that looks like a bad case of ringworm.

 

I get that people are tired of Robert's schtick, but he didn't have the worst makeup up there, today.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Merneith

[Ketzel]

While they couldn't all do a take on the Aladdin style genie, something similar was what I'd be looking for. The winning look was just a monster, IMO and missed the mark just as most of the others. I don't mind that they finally sent Robert home, his look was ridiculous...

Overall, dissapointing week with a dissapointing challenge.

I would have liked it if they had all been required to make traditional genies. I think it would have been a better challenge (not to mention a more difficult one) if they were required to figure out a new take on an established image. Plus, even if they all ended up making something similar, the judges would have been able to assess the basic skills used more easily.

[Primetimer]

Some designers have good ideas for supernatural entities. Others do not.

Read the story

[diebartdie]

I thought Walter's creation was really awesome....but I didnt read it as a genie......actually none of them seemed like a genie to me. Melissa is starting to remind me of Adam Milicevic from season 8 in that she's starting to feel really comfortable with her place in the competition so she's starting to let her creativity go where it wants instead of adhering more closely to what the challenges are asking of her. Last week Glen remarked that her creation was almost "avant garde" in its approach to the challenge and again this week she went really obscure with her creation. I like her work, it's getting more interesting as she's getting into it but this may sound weird but she's more of an artist than she is a makeup artist. I dont care, I think she's great and she could very easily be in the final 4 or three but I dont think she'll be able to pull off what the judges will want due to her commitment to her own personal artistic vision. Good for her!

 

I was very disappointed with Rob's creation this week. He bit off way more than he could possibly chew, he should have mainly ignored the body, thrown some basic costume on it and kept his focus on the head. What he did was very good though, I just felt like it almost failed due to the uninspired and rushed paint job. He'll be fine, he is clearly destined for final three.

 

Yvonne turned in another clean, pretty creation but this time it was really pretty simplistic. This was the third or fourth time we've seen an elephant face presented on the show and by far this one was the most basic one. I didnt hate it but it was so bland and boring, Yvonne needs to light a fire right quick because she's just so middle of the road right now.

 

Mel needs to shit or get off the pot. Her CONSTANT wishywashiness is boring and that thing she presented last night was just so weird and arbitrary! I mean the cowl was starting to look like it might be interesting with some more details but she never put any details in it! Then that horrible horrible face dear dog that sucked. I did think she might be able to make something cool out of it with a great paint job but no. She is tiresome and I dont see her having a career beyond local theater in the park or something....actually, I see her ending up in a cubicle filing insurance claims on a nice steady diet of klonopin.

 

Goodbye Robert, so glad your fake ass is gone. Your creations were all cutsie, superficial, stupid crap. You were so freeking lazy it was embarrassing. You really thought your schtick would carry you through to somewhere and I guess it did, the final 6 and probably one of the helpers for the finale where I'm sure you'll devote your time to creating some inconsequential earthworm or some shit and even that you'll make up some stupid name for to get that one last talking head. I'm glad other folks found you entertaining but Im even more glad I dont have to see you on my show again for a little while.

[Linderhill]

 

It's worth noting that Yvonne tells us that she got Megan, because it shows that someone behind the scenes knows which models have a following. It's also worth noting that when Robert is explaining hi blood-spattered warrior, he says Wagner with a "W", rather than like "Vog-ner." What kind of German doesn't know how to pronounce "Wagner"?

 

thank you Monty for pointing this out.  That was exactly what i was thinking when Robert said Wagner with a W.  It also made me very suspicious that his German accent is artificially exaggerated.  I also felt bad for Megan trying to make that hideous cat look appealing. I'm so glad that this show doesn't eliminate models along with designers like Project Runway does/did. 

[LoneHaranguer]

With Robert gone, the producers will no longer have to send any video out for captioning.

 

It's been a while since they've given immunity before an individual challenge.

[Eliza422]

thank you Monty for pointing this out. That was exactly what i was thinking when Robert said Wagner with a W. It also made me very suspicious that his German accent is artificially exaggerated. I also felt bad for Megan trying to make that hideous cat look appealing. I'm so glad that this show doesn't eliminate models along with designers like Project Runway does/did.

I subscribe to the opera here in Chicago, and we all say "Vahg ner"...so it really stood out to me that he said it differently!

So glad to see the back of him....

Edited March 11, 2016 by Eliza422

[carrps]

I also noticed the Wag/Vog thing, and it really pinged my phony-dar. Robert was also subdued and defensive in his talking heads, so I was pretty sure he was going home. That cat was lazy and stupid. I agree -- poor Megan.

 

I really like Rob's this week. He did a ton of detail on it, but I also was thinking he should have put a shirt on his guy and concentrate on the face. I think Ve thought there was a verdigris affect or something, but it was just Rob running out of time to get the body completely painted. Walter's was the best I've seen him do. I thought his paint job was spectacular. Oh, and what was with Glen telling Robert that his skanky cat was the best work he'd done? I thought it was very minimal, and the paint was muddy.

 

I'm over Mel's schtick almost as much as I'm over Robert's. Do or do not. There is no try.

Edited March 11, 2016 by carrps

[seacliffsal]

I realized how tired I was of both Mel (yea, yea, I get it-you doubt yourself...) and Robert (yea, yea, I get it-you spend all of your time thinking up ridiculous things to say thinking that you're funny and charming...), so I was really glad that at least one of them left. I kind of wish they both left...

As for the challenge? None of them made a genie, and only two had a mischievous look. Genies have to be appealing so that the people who find them fall for their tricks. This whole episode was a wasted opportunity.

[Kaoteek]

I have no problems with Walter getting the win, his creation was the most polished, technically speaking, and could pass as an evil genie, very Wishmastery.

 

However, I don't really get how a bland plastic-looking Ganesh clone was more "genie" than a mischievious party cat with flaming red hair. At some point, the gap between what the judges wanted to see in a genie and what a genie could be - it could be anything, it's a freaking genie - became problematic to me.

 

And I get that Robert's schtick kinda wasn't popular here (and he wasn't gonna win the competition, anyway), but now that he's gone, it's back to bland, blander and mcbland, with nary a hint of personality amongst the contestants, nor enough talent to get me to remember who's who.

[starri]

As basic as Ganesha was, at least Yvonne did a fantastic paint job on it.

 

Up until Glen gave Robert the final kiss off, I was terrified they were going to use the Save on him and we'd be stuck with him another week of this.  I hate people who come onto these shows to be a character to begin with, but at least the last person to do it, Cig, managed to make some really good makeups.  Aside from lucking into a bye the week of the Gauntlet, has he ever been better than Safe?  I don't think I've been more pleased with an elimination since the annoying Sasha from Dina's season.

 

I will say the guest judges were fun this week.

 

ETA:  And that 60s Nancy Sinatra dress that McKenzie wore for the Foundation Challenge was fantastic.

Edited March 11, 2016 by starri

[Rammchick]

As for Robert's pronunciation of Wagner as "Wagner", I thought he said it that way deliberately to tease us American types.  However, we do pronounce it "Vogner", Robert, so fick dich ins Knie ;)

[Maelstrom]

What a wildly disappointing episode! I've always loved Middle Eastern mythology and all facets of jinn lore, and not a single bloody one of these makeups bear any resemblance to genies or jinni, in any sense. Rob and Walter came up with some respectable demon/alien makeups, but not for this challenge. There seems to be some definite discrepancies between how the producers define the challenge, how the contestants interpret it, and what the judges are told to look for. A great abstract idea does not always translate into a great tangible makeup. Very frustrating.

And why oh why did so many of them decide to turn their genies into animals? Where the hell did that meme come from? Why, whe the contestants are given props to work from, do they always insist on literally translating the prop into their makeup? It's gotten really bad in the last season or two.

Heck, why not have each contestant design a genie drawn from various traditions throughout the Middle East? Jinn lore is a wide subject found in many cultures - there was so much they could've done with this, and both the show and the contestants missed the mark, big time.

Off to watch something good now to erase this ep from my brain.

[needschocolate]

While none of them looked like genies to me, I did think that most of them did a pretty good job of sculpting, application, and painting.

 

I definitely don't dream of any of these genies. 

 

Perhaps it is because none of them had light brown hair?

 

I realized how tired I was of both Mel (yea, yea, I get it-you doubt yourself...) and Robert (yea, yea, I get it-you spend all of your time thinking up ridiculous things to say thinking that you're funny and charming...), so I was really glad that at least one of them left. I kind of wish they both left...

 

I was worried that Mel would be worst and the judges would use their save and we would be stuck with Robert and Mel for another week.  I doubt the judges would use their save on Robert, since he is usually near the bottom, but Mel has done well some weeks (despite what she may think).

[RedRockRosie]

And why oh why did so many of them decide to turn their genies into animals? Where the hell did that meme come from? Why, whe the contestants are given props to work from, do they always insist on literally translating the prop into their makeup? It's gotten really bad in the last season or two.

Heck, why not have each contestant design a genie drawn from various traditions throughout the Middle East? Jinn lore is a wide subject found in many cultures - there was so much they could've done with this, and both the show and the contestants missed the mark, big time.

Off to watch something good now to erase this ep from my brain.

 

I agree...I think the lamps/props were unnecessary and actually detracted from the challenge. I like your idea for using actual ME lore to come up with something that embodied jinn & genies. It was a good idea poorly  explained and yeah, I think judges & contestants were working from very different criteria.

 

This could have been such an amazing challenge...these contestants seem lacking in creative thinking & always follow the easy & obvious path. Disappointing.

 

I am so relieved that Robert & his fake German accent are gone...finally. Now I won't have to shout at the TV (quite as much) when this show is on.

[Eliza422]

I agree...I think the lamps/props were unnecessary and actually detracted from the challenge. I like your idea for using actual ME lore to come up with something that embodied jinn & genies. It was a good idea poorly explained and yeah, I think judges & contestants were working from very different criteria.

This could have been such an amazing challenge...these contestants seem lacking in creative thinking & always follow the easy & obvious path. Disappointing.

I am so relieved that Robert & his fake German accent are gone...finally. Now I won't have to shout at the TV (quite as much) when this show is on.

It seems anytime they are given some kind of prop to work from a good 75% of them will copy their design elements from the prop itself. As someone said above, it's not like prisoners look like iron cages!

I think it's partly the time constraint and partly lack of real design skills. I mean, most of these people will always be working on a team where they will be the manual labor for the real idea people, not the idea people themselves, once they get into the real makeup world.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Eliza422

[Lugal]

This was a disappointing episode.  it seems to be a pattern this year that some of the challenge ideas were really interesting and the contestants completely miss the point of it.  None of these looks with the exception of Rob and Yvonne in any way resembled genies (I've seen fantasy art of elephant-headed genies before, but I think she needed more detail and time).  Walter's was good and he did a great job on it, but it did not look like a genie to me.

 

 

I think it's partly the time constraint and partly lack of real design skills. I mean, most of these people will always be working on a team where they will be the manual labor for the real idea people, not the idea people themselves, once they get into the real makeup world.

 

I agree, especially since when people think of genies they think of Robin Williams big blue genie or Barbara Eden in harem pants.  If they had been given the lamp in more context it may have helped.  Or it may not have.  I like the idea of genies from various traditions of the Middle east: Persian, Egyptian, Yemeni, etc.  That would have been more interesting.

[carrps]

What a wildly disappointing episode! I've always loved Middle Eastern mythology and all facets of jinn lore, and not a single bloody one of these makeups bear any resemblance to genies or jinni, in any sense. Rob and Walter came up with some respectable demon/alien makeups, but not for this challenge. There seems to be some definite discrepancies between how the producers define the challenge, how the contestants interpret it, and what the judges are told to look for. A great abstract idea does not always translate into a great tangible makeup. Very frustrating.

And why oh why did so many of them decide to turn their genies into animals? Where the hell did that meme come from? Why, whe the contestants are given props to work from, do they always insist on literally translating the prop into their makeup? It's gotten really bad in the last season or two.

Heck, why not have each contestant design a genie drawn from various traditions throughout the Middle East? Jinn lore is a wide subject found in many cultures - there was so much they could've done with this, and both the show and the contestants missed the mark, big time.

Off to watch something good now to erase this ep from my brain.

Overall, excellent post!

 

There's a fascinating book I read a year or so ago called "The Caliph's House" describing the process Tahir Shah went through renovating a house in Morocco that hadn't been lived in for a while. In Morocco they think an empty house attracts djinns, so there was a thread of djinn mythology running through the book. It was fascinating! And, yes, none of these make-ups came close to embodying anything like those actual myths.

 

I forgot to mention that I was yelling at my TV when everybody was turning their genies into animals. What the ever lovin' whuh???

[starri]

I Tweeted at McKenzie how much I liked the Foundation Challenge dress, and got an emoticon response from her.

 

Not quite as cool as the time I got a reply from Jeri Ryan, but almost.

[LittleIggy]

Whether or not they were actually Valkyries, I liked Yvonne's feathered Valkyrie (Meghan!) better than the winner.

[sourpickles]

It's taken me about two days to get over being angry and borderline bitter at this episode, but ohmygod, what a disaster. I've tried to be almost relentlessly positive about this season because I love this show so much, but that challenge broke me. I knew the minute I saw those sketches that the makeups were going to be crap. The Valkyrie challenge was very cool though. Honestly, if they could take Valkyries and make them beautiful, why couldn't they make some of the genie/djinns/whatever beautiful/seductive as well? It wasn't THAT HARD to use the bottle for inspiration and then translate it into make up. I hated all of them. I knew Yvonne would get a pass for the smooth applications she did. Melissa was safe, of course. I hated that color of Rob's, but the intricate details were cool, and his was the only one that looked like a genie, IMO. I knew Walter was going to win though, even if his was a hard core demon, because of all the work and detail he had. Plus, Rob couldn't win again. If he did, might as well hand him the title and be done with it. Robert and Mel were for sure the worst, though Mel's deserved to stay, I was praying they would both go, mostly because her whining grates on me more every week. I've felt for a while that we were getting a bit punked by Robert and the Wagner thing proved it. He can go. He never should have been sixth in the first place. That cat was one of the worst things I've ever seen. Even Megan couldn't sell it. This episode is one of the top five worst I've ever seen. McKenzie looked stunning as always, I like the different things she's been doing with her hair. Though it seems that now her knees can breathe, so she's airing out her (mid) thighs. How can she sit in some of those dresses? Horrible week for almost all my shows. This was bad, Top Chef was bad, Project Runway was really bad.....Now that I'm done being sour, I'm going to go sulk in a corner and watch Ink Master or something. And there wasn't even a preview for next week!

[Black Knight]

Hey, McKenzie broke script! Every eliminated contestant for 9 1/2 seasons has received "It's been so great having you here with us," with her delivery ranging from robotic to warm depending on how much she truly means it, but Robert got "It's been fun having you here with us." Maybe more fun for you, McKenzie, than some of the viewers, but who cares - I was just enthralled that she deviated from her standard wording.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Black Knight

[snakenax]

I'm guessing they didn't have access to any Middle Eastern mythology references to actually get what djinn look like(which admittedly come in numerous forms). I'll disagree with most and say I think Walter did make the most djinni like, if it had more Middle Eastern touches like downward pointing tusks and body jewelry it would have been very similar to depictions of ifrit.

 

I found it funny how Rob was complimented on his use of Aztec motifs.. based on what looked to be a pretty clearly Chinese vase to me.

[jennylauren123]

In previous seasons, the contestants had access to iPads and researched their makeups.

 

Do they not have access now? I haven't seen any iPads this season.

[Black Knight]

I remember seeing iPads while they were in the laboratory.

[Vermicious Knid]

Then they really have no excuse.

[Chyromaniac]

In previous seasons, the contestants had access to iPads and researched their makeups.

Just because they have iPads doesn't necessarily mean they have access to the Internet.  From what I've seen, it looks like the tablets are used primarily for taking photos and then sketching out ideas.  I also recall past seasons where contestants have (on rare occasions) been shown looking at research materials - however I don't remember if any of that was actually online, or just stuff provided by the show.  I'd be very surprised if it wasn't the latter.

 

Anyone else cringe at the German guy enthusiastically singing Wagner?

I don't think Robert has done anything enthusiastically all season.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

Just because they have iPads doesn't necessarily mean they have access to the Internet.

Even if they do, they may be restricted to a list of "safe" sites to keep anyone from getting an unfair creative advantage, creating lapses in what they can get.

[paramitch]

I love this show, but the work accomplished in this episode by the contestants -- and frankly, for most of this season -- is straight-up embarrassing.

 

This episode spotlighted one particular shorthand that drives me nuts on this show -- contestants in the latest few seasons, and especially this one -- are incredibly literal, have no imagination, and so everything (seriously, 90% of what we see) is directly pulled from the "inspiration piece." The degree to which interpretations are now constantly literal is hilarious: A blue stone urn will become a blue stone genie. If it's a silver UFO, presto, the contestant makes a silver alien with a UFO head. If it's a brass vessel with pockmarks, whaddaya know, the contestant creates a "brass" genie with pockmarked skin.

 

It's such a safe shorthand on the show that it's at the point that it's embarrassing. I mean, come on -- tiny animal figures depicted on the urns (cat, elephant, antelope, etc.) led to actual animal faces -- for a genie challenge!

 

I'm so tired of inexperienced contestants simply mimicking the items that are supposed to simply provide them with a stylistic or historical reference. The problem is, they don't seem to have the foundation or grounding in history, design, or even anatomy to think outside the box in any way.

 

And how many times this season have we heard contestants admit, "This is only the _________ cowl I've ever made," etc.? Or watch them fail to achieve anything in the neighborhood of the desired skin tone, or fail to fix or undo basic mistakes in sculpting, molding, and application? They simply don't know enough, most of them, to even get to where their limited imaginations are trying to take them, and that's frustrating for me, since one of my favorite things about this show is its window onto skilled artists and technicians doing cool things with makeup.

 

I love the show, love the judges, love the camaraderie. I've even loved all the challenges this season. But this crop of contestants is flat-out embarrassingly bad. I definitely don't think it's a coincidence that you'll notice that the judges this season simply say "Bye! good luck!" instead of the common refrain from previous seasons, about "Bye! You have a bright future in the industry!" etc.

 

I hate sounding so cranky but this episode featured the worst-conceived, most terribly executed collective work I've ever seen on this show (although the "spies" episode was probably the most cringeworthy).

 

If the judges had saved Robert, I would have thrown something.

ETA: Edited to clarify that I meant this season's contestants are impossibly literal in their inspirations, not all FO contestants. 

Edited March 17, 2016 by paramitch

[Maverick]

 Late to watching this episode.  The Wagner jumped out at me immediately.  Another thing that makes him suspect...shouldn't his name be Rupert?  Or did he Anglicize to assimilate?

[Jynnan tonnix]

On 3/22/2016 at 12:13 AM, Maverick said:

 Late to watching this episode.  The Wagner jumped out at me immediately.  Another thing that makes him suspect...shouldn't his name be Rupert?  Or did he Anglicize to assimilate?

If his father was from Texas (which, to be fair, I don't entirely buy his entire backstory, including his accent), it wouldn't seem too odd for him to have an English name. And he did sort of seem as though his pronunciation of Wagner was a purposeful dig, the way he emphasized it. Not that I'm defending him - he got on my last nerve - but those specific things might have actual explanations.

His going into the group hug at the end with his "give me love!" (it was not among the more enthusiastic group hugs I've seen on the show by far), and his smarmy, self-congratulatory farewell really made me want to kick him.