S01.E02: Potluck Party

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Channeling their favorite foods, the contestants serve up exploding sushi in a whimsical bento box, ornate glass stands for tacos, and more.

Original Canadian air date: 3/6/19
Original U.S. air date: 7/12/19

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One thing I liked about this episode was hearing the different philosophies and design aesthetics of the artists.

I was with Janusz when he got annoyed with Deborah. She claimed she was nervous that "someone" was going to hit her piece when it was in the annealer, which does not explain why she yelled at him to close the annealer door. It's not like he was standing there with the door open for an unnecessarily long amount of time.

Leah's conceptual piece with tiny holes in the cups and bowls was interesting because the pieces were so smooth and elegant and the holes weren't noticeable right away.

The Jetsons' breakfast idea that Janusz described sounded interesting but the finished piece was not as complex as I thought it would be. The individual components were very pretty but I was expecting more of them based on his sketch. I was really impressed by how he created the rings and stacked them on the column.

Momoko's exploding sushi sculpture was pretty because there were so many different shapes and colors.

Edgar's egg with chicken feet was very playful and humorous. He did a great job adding texture to the chicken legs/feet. I get that some people work quickly but when you are finishing over an hour before the challenge is over (and it's only a four hour challenge), maybe you aren't challenging yourself enough.

Deborah sounded like one of those people who thinks she invented the circle. How are taco holders inventive and off the wall? You can buy plastic versions for like $2 on amazon.

Patrick's thali platter was pretty but simple. I agreed with Katherine when she said that so far his pieces look kind of generic.

Annette's Sleeping Beauty doll cake was a fun idea but she was right when she said that the face she sculpted on the new version didn't look good. She is one of the more talkative contestants which I don't mind since she has given us some useful information.

Alex's textured tablewear looked deceptively simple but it was obvious that a lot of technique went into creating them. I found his inspiration (sauce dripping onto noodle) and the creative process that led to him creating those pieces really interesting. I really thought the judges were going to give him another win.

I love to eat so I can't relate to Benjamin saying he's not into food. He broke the first reality show rule: make sure you fulfill the challenge requirements. He even admitted to Katherine earlier in the hot shop that it had nothing to do with food. The parameters for this challenge were pretty broad and he still didn't meet them. How the hell is a fairy garden an acceptable creation for a food challenge? I did like the colors though.

No surprise that Benjamin was sent home. You have to fulfill the challenge requirements. That's like the first rule of reality tv competitions! Yay for Janusz winning. I think Edgar is going to have to do something a lot more complex next week or the judges are going to be on him for finishing so early.

[Aulty]

I liked Leah's, especially that you have to look closely to see the hole. Alex's did well again and the taco holders looked neat. Annette's was like those kid's princess cakes where you stick a Barbie doll in the center and use fondant to create the dress. Janusz was a bit too fussy for me.

Edgar is still getting by with his creative ideas, although he is hardly the first one to come up with the egg/chicken feet idea. He needs to sharpen up his technique.

No surprise about Benjamin leaving, it wasn't what the challenge asked for, and it looked poorly executed.

[justmehere]

This one was a little better at showing some techniques and giving explanations. Hopefully that continues to improve.

I feel like Patrick is on thinnest ice. He hasn't been eliminated because the first guy broke his piece and then Benjamin didn't follow the instructions (I thought Ben's piece was pretty, but, well... instructions). 

I like Edgar and liked his first sculpture of the hand holding the planet, This one seemed a little too cutesy, and I think he benefited from Benjamin's mistake, too. 

Both Janusz and Alex had a lot of variety in their pieces. I kind of liked Alex's a little more - Janusz maybe tried to do too much for the time allowed, and it looked crowded - but both were interesting. Alex did wonder if the lack of color would hurt him; maybe that was the deciding factor between them. 

I liked the other pieces as well. Momoko's was cool for having the food as well as how to serve it. I couldn't really see all the detail she included, though. Will have to re-watch these and pause so I can really see the finished work. 

[GaT]

I do not like Deborah.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

27 minutes ago, GaT said:

I do not like Deborah.

She really started to rub me the wrong way during this episode too. 

[biakbiak]

“Personal Glory Hole” will never not crack me up.

[aradia22]

When I'm actually looking at the screen, I notice how choppy the editing is. The editors are constantly cutting between people. 

I get that it's hot but it's surprising how little safety gear some people are wearing. As experienced as you are, accidents can always happen. I would want to be around molten glass with that much skin exposed. It also stressed me out to see a couple people running around in close quarters while holding the molten glass. I hope they continue giving them enough time to work. Again, this just seems like it's asking for trouble. No one gets seriously injured making cupcakes or clothes barring freak accidents but the potential for accidents is high with glass blowing in close quarters under a time crunch if there isn't proper safety protocol.

I think I'm one of the few people who don't want longer episodes because I think the editors would waste it. I don't think we'd get more of the judging or technical knowledge. I think we'd get more of, oh no, my piece just cracked. They're obsessed with it. People aren't fighting so that's the extent of the drama right now. 

I get that they're "artists" but some of the interpretations of the brief were lunacy.

Momoko's piece didn't really look like sushi. It was a little rough and the colors were off. But it was pretty.

Janusz made ridiculous nonsense and I am in awe of the technical difficulty. That drinking glass was perfect. I will say the shape of the main stand did feel very phallic.

Even though he doesn't want it to be cartoon-y, I think Edgar's was a little cartoon-y. But it was a cute concept.

I really like Deborah's piece. I don't know if it's was the most technically difficult but it was a great concept and as art, it's irreverent in a way that pierces pretentiousness. It's beautiful but the joke also makes me smile.

Patrick's was lovely. He has a very slick style. 

Annette's was a bit of a mess. It was like an effed up Lladro statue.

This time Alexander's was too sterile for me. I think I'd be able to appreciate his work more if there was some color.

Benjamin's was nonsense and I don't love his personality but I think it was my favorite piece. I just like color. For the challenge though, I'm between Janusz and Deborah. I would give him the win for having some texture and color.