Episode Recap: Heavenly Bodies

It's finale time! The moment we've been waiting for, and the artists - Rashaad, George and Tyler - are walking on air to be there. They wake to find video calls with their loved ones, the folks they're working so hard to make proud, and the boost from this is all the energy they need to carry them through. They arrive in the lab where McKenzie stands before four monitors depicting four different galaxies. She tells them they'll each choose one, and create two warring tribes of aliens inspired by their galaxy. And of course they'll have some help from their Face Off family! Past season 6 contestants enter the lab and the artists choose who they'll work with.

Rashaad is inspired by the fact that his galaxy, Ursa Major, is an infrared galaxy. He, with the help of Daran and Cat, creates a female character with bioluminescence and a male who hunts her in order to steal it. George, with his team, Corinne and Niko, realizes the vision of crustacean creatures to line up with his galaxy, Cetus (The Whale). Tyler chose the galaxy Leo, and creates a male with long dreadlocks like a mane and a female with soft, feline features.

They work in a fury, each team an organism of efficiency, but the first bump in the road comes when George finds a tear on the face piece of his female. There's no time to patch it, he has to run it again. And the following day - which happens to be the final day - he finds a tear in the male's face. He manages to make it look like scarring and covers it with a great paint job, but he's worried the judges will call him out for it.

Rashaad also had difficulty with his appliances. One of his biggest pieces didn't cure in time, and when they check on it after an extra cook, it's mangled on one side. He has to run it in polyfoam, which is not an ideal substance, especially considering the characters have to dance and athletic piece to the tunes of DJ, Rusko, who'll be spinning the ones and twos live on the day of the finale.

Last looks comes in fast like lightning, and the teams work in a flow state that's quick and precise. They're inspired to be working next to makeup great Greg Cannom, who's detailing the backup dancers for the show. They watch their dancers, in full makeup, get into place and sit back to enjoy the wild performance, with lights and music and a cheering crowd. The atmosphere of celebration has everyone feeling like they've all already won.

After the show, the judges note that Tyler's chest piece, which feels truly layered and organic, as if they can see inside the character's chest, is something they've never seen before. Rashaad's paint job and sculpture are both excellent, and stand in great contrast to each other. George's sculpture is sublime, as usual, though his paint job for the male is quite similar to that of the female.

With such great final products, and such tremendous seasons from all of them, it's hard to decide who will win. But looking at how strong Rashaad's work has been, and how much his characters pop, especially with the lights he's incorporated, it's clear that he's the winner. Glenn announces this, and Rashaad is so happy he falls to his knees. It's truly a moving moment that everyone celebrates.