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Episode Recap: Bottled Up
The artists must select exotic vessels and create the genie that inhabits it.
It's time for a FOUNDATION CHALLENGE! Haaaay! Can you say IMMUNITY? Much desired at this point in the competition. The challenge: VALKYRIES. Yes, those winged warriors watching over Viking battlefields. Presiding over the challenge, and giving out immunity, will be makeup legend Douglas Noe. You've only seen his work if you've watched obscure little films like Pulp Fiction and Marvel's The Avengers. His particular expertise for this challenge comes from an indie flick called Thor: The Dark World. He loves the 3D effect Melissa managed to get with the circular shield in the middle of the model's forehead, though Yvonne is a close second.
On to the big show: the Spotlight Challenge! The artists walk into a lab transformed by swags of gauzy fabric, warm rosy lights and rich tapestries, as if they've been transported to the Middle East. Surrounding McKenzie is a diverse collection of oil lamps, giving the contestants the hint that they'll be creating genies based on their chosen vessel.
Mel spots an antelope-looking creature on her lamp and begins crafting an antelope-human hybrid, but when Mr. Westmore does his walkthrough, he steers her in a different direction. She tries to sculpt something resembling the décor of the lamp, a kind of art nouveau pattern, but can't get a clear vision for what the revised character should be. She does the best she can with what inspiration she has, but she's right that this look will probably not make it to the top. By which we mean she's in Bottom Looks.
Walter is cruising along with his dragon-inspired genie and even manages to mold the face on Day One. This is going to give him a huge advantage on Application Day since he'll be able to set the face as he sculpts the cowl and line them up just so. But there's always a twist with Face Off, and this one comes when Walter loses track of time and barely gets his cowl molded by the end of Day Two! He throws away everything he's ever learned about mold making, slaps on the ultracal, and prays. Looks like God was listening, because his cowl is stunning. Welcome back to Top Looks, Walt!
Rob's emotional arc drove opposite to Walter's: he was confident in the beginning of the challenge but began to panic when he realized how much work he had cut out for himself. By the time his ziggurat-looking genie hits the reveal stage, he's not even fully painted! Rob's panic is colored with awe when he sees one of his makeup heroes, Bill Corso, at the judges' panel. With his green Aztec cup-handle ears and a tuft of black hair issuing from his stone mohawk, Rob's makeup is still crazy impressive. It's a Top Look.
Melissa, who decorated her model with the latticed patterning of the lamp, is safe, along with Yvonne, whose pachyderm genie was technically perfect but artistically, well, safe.
Although Rob's emerald stone work is a sight to behold, Walter's dragon man is exciting, scary and virtuosic. From the gold-on-black paintwork to the glossy, dark tongue to the possessed yellow eyes, that genie is a winner! Walter is doubly excited about the win due to the fact that it was partially awarded by Bill Corso of Deadpool and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Joining Mel's misguided effort on Bottom Looks is Robert, whose Strawberry Shortcake-haired cat genie party animal is not only too flip for the judges but contains no visual cues that say 'genie.' Robert is proud of his work since it's true to his style, but the judges have already called him out on being too goofy and he's gone and done it again. They bid a fond farewell to him this week and thank him for the view into his bizarre brain, to which he can only respond, "You're welcome." That goes for you, too, America.
