Face Off Episode 602
“Cosmic Conspiracy”
Original Airdate: 21 January 2014
In This Episode…
The contestants are brought to a cornfield for their next challenge. They are randomly paired up and each pair selects from a “top secret” folder. Inside is an image of a crop circle with a distress message. Each pair must create a unique alien who comes from a planet that is sending out that distress signal. The guest judge tonight is director Scott Stewart.
The Creations
Niko & Corinne - “We need water.” This was a simple and well-applied makeup with a beautiful paint job. The brown could have very easily become muddy and gross, but it was luminous and interesting. I really liked the cracking effect. Neville thought it was impressive, with a great palette. Ve liked the breaking skin that seemed to explode from the back of the head.
George & Bethany - “Polluted and toxic environment.” They were going for something with a respirator, which Ve really liked. But once the respirator was off, there was nothing going on. The face sculpt was rough, and Neville didn’t think it told a story. The neck was a hot mess of blood, but it was done to cover up a massive tear in the cowl. Neville complimented them on turning lemons into lemonade.
Cat & Matt - “Our sun is dying.” These two didn’t really come up with a plan before they hit the workroom, and it shows. Originally the idea was to give the alien big ears to cool him off from an ever-expanding sun. Luckily they realized that would make their alien look like Dumbo, so they nixed it and replaced it with two big curved ridges. There was no story. Scott thought that, on first impression it was strong, but up close he realized they missed a chance to take it to the next level. Glenn hated the “Swamp Thing” nose, and Ve thinks a better paint job would have gone a long way in salvaging the makeup.
Daran & Tanner - “Ice caps are melting.” The idea for this alien is that they eat through their fingers and because their planet is being flooded, they are missing out on nutrients. The face sculpt was really angular and unique, but there were these strange gelatin pieces on the face that, to me, looked like pink puff pastry. I didn’t really understand it, but the judges loved it. Neville took to calling them “glands” and liked that they were “pushing the envelope.” Scott liked the soft colors, and the whole thing made Ve “extremely uncomfortable - and it should be.”
The Verdict?
Niko and Corinne are the top team, with Corinne being the overall winner. Bethany is going home.
Dig It or Bury It?
I liked this challenge, though it didn’t really seem like anyone incorporated the actual crop circle into their makeups. Maybe I just didn’t notice.
I feel like this crop of contestants are a little green. Maybe it will change when they move over to solo challenges, but I have not been wowed by anyone, not by their technique or creativity. They are not bad (well, most aren’t) but nothing has “wowed” me yet. I don’t know if that is a product of the talent or the challenges.
Prophecies?
Dragons! I really, really hope the extreme element requires them to breathe fire.