Face Off Season 2 – Episode 2 – “Water World”

After a wonderful premiere of Face Off Season 2, I can’t help but feel Episode 2, “Water World” really had a lot of potential but dropped the ball in the end.  Instead of focusing on what the artists were actually doing to waterproof the prosthetics and help their models breath underwater, the episode was instead edited to focus on the reality-television drama we’ve so readily come to expect.  I watch this show to see the prosthetics and how the artists accomplish them, not to watch which girl doesn’t get along with another girl!

There were a few highlights and a few major disappointments as well in the final products.  This weeks winner definitely deserved it and this weeks loser definitely deserved it too.  Hit the jump to get my impressions of Episode 2.

EDIT –  Click HERE to read my review for the Season 2 Finale

“Water World” opened with the remaining thirteen competitors being brought to an aquarium filled with sea life from the Pacific and told their challenge would be to pick an animal from the aquarium and make a prosthetic costume based on that animal.  Split into teams of two (with one team of three to even out the odd number) they then picked their sea creatures and got to the workshop to begin conceptualizing.

Ian and RJ considering a zebra shark for their concept

Heather and Athena chose a Lionfish, Jerry (last weeks Foundation Challenge winner) and Nix (Last weeks Foundation Challenge loser) chose a Ridley sea turtle, Miranda and Beki chose a Leafy sea dragon, Ian and RJ chose a Zebra shark, Matt and Tara chose a Lyretail fairy basslet, and Sue, Rayce, and Brea (Last weeks Spotlight Challenge winner) also chose a Leafy sea dragon.

With some interesting concept art everybody seemed to be off to a good start.  McKenzie came in and informed them their creatures would have to be submerged in a water tank and their make up would have to hold up underwater.  There is always a twist.

And then all the drama began… Miranda and Beki took up too much air time bickering about nothing.  Literally.  And in the end it was all for nothing as their prosthetic turned out fine.  Instead of focusing on the theme of the episode, waterproofing the prosthetics, Face Off instead focused on trivialities between the competitors.  Usually when I watch this show they keep a good ratio between drama and education, but “Water World” left me with a feeling that I learned nothing.

Ian and RJ’s shark. It didn’t look too bad at this point. But it just goes downhill from there.

Ian and RJ’s concept still makes no sense to me.  They picked a shark because it would “be easy“.  Did they not watch the first season of Face Off?  The judges always reward risk and creativity, and never laziness and caution.  On top of this they made a shark man in a business suit… what the fuck?  They never even explained what their goal with this was.  A dumb pun maybe?

Terry and Nix’s work on the sea turtle was way too cartoonish and they were even aware of this as they went.  Terry’s sculpt of the face looked cheesy and Nix’s paint job was just terrible.

Ew. Just ew.

I wasn’t fond of Athena and Heather’s Lionfish idea either.  It looked off to me.  While the head itself was a cool idea, the final product left a lot to be desired in my opinion.  But the judges felt differently, and rewarded the risk they took making the head fish-like instead of humanoid.

It looks way cool here, but I didn’t like the end result

So on to the judging!!  Who is getting axed and who is going to win the Spotlight Challenge?

As usual the competitors brought out their models and showed the judges their work.  Immediately afterwards they were dropped in a tank of water for the real test.  Both teams that picked a Leafy Sea Dragon had wonderful results and it looked great underwater.

Matt and Tara’s Lyretail fairy basslet also looked great, but man oh man, Terry and Nix’s sea turtle simply blew it.  Not only could the model not breath underwater, the shell of the turtle came undone and floated all different ways.  It was embarrassing.

While not to the same degree as the sea turtle, Ian and RJ’s “business shark” looked pretty bad too.  The business suit floated everywhere, covering up almost all of the application and the gills didn’t match lending itself to an amateur look.  It reminded me of the koopa’s in the Super Mario Bros Movie.

From left to right; Ian and RJ’s shark, Sue, Rayce, and Brea’s leafy sea dragon, Athena and Heather’s lionfish, Miranda and Beki’s leafy sea dragon, Terry and Nix’s sea turtle, and Matt and Tara’s lyretail fairy basslet

Unsurprisingly, the sea turtle and the shark were this weeks bottom picks from the judges.  Taking the prize was Matt and Tara’s Lyretail fairy basslet, and Matt (from Austin, yay!) was picked as this weeks Spotlight Challenge winner.

McKenzie Westmore, Patrick T., and this weeks winner Matt

So who went home?

Well Terry and Nix’s sea turtle was picked as the worst and between the two Nix was sent home.  It sucks that he was the Foundation Challenge loser and on the bottom team of the Spotlight challenge in episode 1 and now he is on the losing team for episode 2.  You are the weakest link!  Wrong show?  I won’t be missing you and your mustache, considering your final act on Face Off was trying to pin the blame on your partner Terry.  Bad form.

So while I didn’t learn jack-diddily this episode, it was at least cool to see what not to do with underwater prosthetics.  I’m hopeful episode 2 will be a return to more of a focus on the prosthetics themselves and less of the personal drama between opponents.

Next weeks episode is “Rock Your Body” and will be focused on nude body painting, so since Athena is the body painting specialist I am expecting big things from her.  Special guest judge Asher Roth will be there as the winners body paint job will be used on his upcoming albums cover.  Tune in on Wednesday night at 10/9c on SyFy.