Last season, when Face Off tried to integrate film promotion into the show, the challenges suffered. Remember when Nicole went home for her Alice in Wonderland meets Resident Evil virus makeup? She wound up winning the competition anyway and soaring on challenges that provided a fair creative outlet, not an hour of promotion for an upcoming film. Last night, Face Off stepped up the production promotion challenges big time. The 10 remaining contestants had to create multi-headed giants that Jack the Giant Killer might have slain when he climbed the beanstalk. Bryan Singer, the director of the upcoming Jack the Giant Killer, was the guest judge.
Everything about this challenge was a great creative exercise. The teams had to figure out realistic integration of multiple heads into a single makeup and make the creature look colossal. 6'4" and up models helped, but these makeup artists actually had the skills to make them look towering. All of the concepts were strong and beautifully sculpted. The bottom teams came down to application and aesthetics.
The top looks were Anthony & Autumn, Eric F. & Kris, and House & Wayne.
Anthony & Autumn proved to be a strong collaboration with their twisted giant concept. Their creature consumed its victims, forcing their heads to break through the surface and guide what you would assume is the head of the operation. Each of the three heads was sculpted with a great eye for detail and a distinct personality. The paint and styling were really beautifully executed, as well.
Eric F. & Kris created the largest makeup in the history of the show. Their giant was a towering 10 foot tall beast with two heads. The model's head was attached to the body of a human battling the blinded giant. His body was the legs and lower torso of the massive creature towering over him. The whole thing was a brilliant concept to trick the eye into thinking the giant was even bigger than it was.
House & Wayne took the more obvious route to create an interactive two headed giant. The beast only had one arm. The second arm was replaced with a head that could be manipulated as a puppet by the model. The expressiveness of the second head was really impressive. I wasn't blown away by the paint job. I think it actually took away from the impact of the really strong collaborative sculpt. This duo worked on every part of the sculpt together rather than delegate tasks. It was a risk that really paid off.
The winner of the challenge was Eric F. who finally got recognized for what I can only assume is a pro haunter's ingenuity. I know House works haunts but haven't heard confirmation of Eric F. doing the same.
The bottom looks were Alam & Eric Z. and Jenna & Meagan.
Alam & Eric Z. wound up on the bottom purely for aesthetic reasons. I loved their concept but the judges weren't having it. They created a giant who tortured his victims by implanting their heads in the base of his feet. That was supposed to be their punishment for misdeeds, forced to tread the earth forever with a voice but no way to stop the punishment. The judges thought the sculpt looked cartoonish; I thought it was brilliant and can't wait to see what Alam and Eric Z. come up with in the coming weeks. They both have a very wacky aesthetic that I love.
Jenna & Meagan suffered from time management issues. Jenna was actually able to sculpt well enough with her bad hand to create a decent cast this week. The team just did not click at all. They fought over how to mold, sculpt, cast, and paint--every decision was a battle. If they found common ground, they could have produced a great makeup. Instead, their two heads stacked on top of each other concept became a half-finished, falling apart mess with a slap dash story used to sell the incomplete makeup.
Ultimately, Jenna was sent home. The judges even acknowledged that it was because of her hands. They know from the first week how strong she really is--both of her looks wound up in the top and she sculpted like a madwoman--but she physically was not in the place to compete this season. It's very sad to see someone go home for this kind of thing. It was also the only fair decision. Meagan hasn't produced anything particularly strong yet, but at least she's capable of keeping up with the challenges.
So what did you think of the giant challenge? Photos came straight from SyFy in the Face Off galleries.