Reprinted with permission from www.redesignrevolution.com

This week is the Face Off contestants’ first individual challenge. They meet in an empty utility substation over a network of abandoned tunnels. The challenge is to create a subterranean creature by crawling into several underground environments and imagining what creature dwells there and why it was driven underground. The guest judge is Jordu Schell, a concept artist and sculptor who worked on Avatar, Narnia, and Hellboy.

There’s a sketch of a mermaidesque creature who captures fisherman and drags them underground, a shrimpy lobster man, a wormy looking blob, a wounded woman with gashes and sores, a mole rat prisoner of war, and other creepy critters.

During the sculpting phase, Laney builds a bony back based upon Alana’s figure, RJ is combining the ears of a bat, the nose of a mole, and the body of an armadillo, Miranda is desperately seeking reference for her mole rat and guess what? Laura is also sculpting a mole creature. Gee, who would’ve guessed?

Michael Westmore arrives to review the progress, and recommends that Lyma remove the lips from her mutated multi-toothed scientist. When he sees Roy’s octopus creature, he is concerned about the size of the mold (which is gigantic). The next day, latex is flowing and tentacles are sculpting. When Roy pours the foam into his mold, he realizes that it’s a much more rigid foam than he expected. He has no time to clean it out, so he scraps the entire mold. He still has a face piece, but still. That ain’t good. Meanwhile, Laura’s going more rat because Miranda’s sticking with mole. These are the types of important decisions that happen on Face Off.

It’s Application Day, and Roy is frantically fabricating a squiddy suit. Scott has a tear in his latex piece around the neck area which looks like a wound, so…yay? Laney’s face mask is frightening in that it’s too close to human for comfort. RJ’s model is covered in moss, Miranda’s naked mole rat is a little pink, and Roy’s seasquatch is sort of a disaster.

Time to be judged! The judges are Glenn, Ve, Neville, and Jordu.

First up is Eddie’s toxic wasteman which is okay, but forgettable.

Alana’s kelp creature is very fishy, but the arms and hands haven’t taken a seashape.

Scott’s subterranean octopus is beautiful, but he maybe didn’t go far enough with the body.

Adolfo’s electrical man is ugly, and too orange.

Frank’s eyeless toothy chompy thing is stunning.

Miranda’s mole rat man is pretty cool.

Laura’s gross mole lady doesn’t make much sense as an underground creature since it’s very pink.

Tate’s seaweed blob is kind of nifty, and the makeup looks good.

RJ has a similar creature that is not as well executed, and it looks like an artichoke.

Lyma’s toxic waste man has a really disgusting mouth and I’m kind of wishing she kept the lips on because eew.

Laney’s decrepit creature is horrifying, but the legs are still too leggy.

Roy’s cobbled together octopus man looks cobbled together, and I keep expecting the model to say, “Roooaaaar, I’m an octopus!”

Frank, Scott, Roy, Laura, Adolfo, and Miranda are the best and worst. Everyone else is safe. The judges love Frank’s design, especially that the eyes disappeared through evolution. Scott, however, failed. The judges didn’t get the patterns on the head, and the painting is haphazard.  Miranda’s mole rat is a hit, especially the wrinkling in the face. Adolfo’s electrocuted prisoner looks “masky,” and his decision to paint the head orange is confusing. Roy. Poor hot mess Roy. There’s not much good to say about his creature. Laura’s mole lady is called “cool-looking,” though I’m not buying it at all.

Miranda is the winner, and Frank and Laura are safe. Adolfo is the one going home this week, which causes Roy to breathe a giant sigh of relief.

Next week, a Mother Nature goddess competition.