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Throw sand, lime and soda
into a 2,000 degree Fahrenheit furnace,
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00:00:12,055 --> 00:00:14,140
and you get liquid glass.
3
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Skilled glassblowers gather
the molten mixture using hollow pipes.
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And when they blow,
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glass inflates to form a bubble
to shape and sculpt.
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The tools and techniques
date back to Roman times,
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but we're about to
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turn up the heat.
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We're back at North America's
largest hot shop
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to watch ten exceptional artists…
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…fight fire with fire.
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And now the fun begins.
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Go big or go home.
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And with great risk…
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-Oh, God.
-Rest on the bench. Rest on the bench!
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-I always come out swinging.
-…comes great reward.
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Yeah, baby!
-Whoo!
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If they can survive
our fiery competition,
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they'll win a life-changing prize package
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that will establish them
around the globe as Best in Glass.
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I'm Nick Uhas,
and you're about to be Blown Away.
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Glassblowers, you've officially made it
to the halfway point of the competition.
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-Good job.
-All right.
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-Nice.
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Whoo! Halfway!
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I never thought that I'd make it halfway.
I just kinda feel like I'm the underdog.
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I know only one person can win this thing,
but it's weird, I want everyone to win.
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Your numbers may be shrinking,
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but this next challenge
is all about going big.
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Uh-oh.
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Which is why
we've brought in visual artist
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Briony Douglas as your guest evaluator.
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Briony's made a massive impression
with her supersized sculptures,
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including a giant eight-foot-long sneaker
made entirely of plastic lids.
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I love playing with scale,
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taking the mundane
and giving it power and presence.
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I really think it can change
the way we look at the world
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and the small details all around us.
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In each of these boxes is a tiny object
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you're gonna have to replicate
on a grand scale.
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So come up and grab one.
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I'm torn between
excitement and nervousness.
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Artists, open up your boxes.
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The object I got is…
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a chess piece, and it is the knight.
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I got the thimble.
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I got caramel popcorn.
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This is gonna be pretty hard.
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John Moran, what did you get?
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Uh, a pimento olive.
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00:02:37,825 --> 00:02:40,995
I don't eat them, but, uh, I think
it's gonna be a fun object to make.
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I hate olives. I don't know what it is.
I especially don't like green olives.
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-Trenton, what's in your box?
-Uh, I have the pushpin.
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-And, Grace, what do you have?
-Uh, we're gonna roll the dice today.
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For this challenge you must
scale up your item to 12 inches minimum.
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Twelve inches is no small feat.
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Uh, it's gonna be hard.
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So we're giving you each
five hours and two assistants.
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Nice.
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-Thank you.
-Yeah.
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We will be evaluating your finished pieces
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based on size,
technical skill and realism.
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The winner of the challenge
will be named Best in Blow.
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And as ever,
the artist that does not blow us away
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will be asked to leave the hot shop.
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Glassblowers, are you ready?
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Your time starts now.
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I got caramel popcorn.
The realism of it is gonna be a challenge.
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There's a lot of nooks and crannies,
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especially with the scale
that we have to do.
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This is gonna be a hard one to win.
I'm a little guy, uh, but I can go big.
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I think.
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I got the pushpin. You know,
this one's pretty straightforward,
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this challenge, which,
I think, will be great for me.
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This whole competition,
I've been kinda on the bottom.
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I don't like losing.
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So I'm hustling because I want to win.
78
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-I got a thimble.
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00:04:13,254 --> 00:04:16,048
That's got a lot of texture,
so that's gonna be the trick.
80
00:04:16,132 --> 00:04:17,550
Realism is difficult.
81
00:04:17,633 --> 00:04:19,593
I mean, we're taking the molten material
82
00:04:19,677 --> 00:04:22,305
and trying to will it in
to resemble something else.
83
00:04:22,388 --> 00:04:26,684
I've made a fair amount of big glass,
but it-- it's never without its challenge.
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I'm not a big fan of olives,
but studying it, it's a cool object.
85
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But to make sure that I get the texture
and the elements in perfectly
86
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is where it becomes a lot more tricky.
87
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Then when you throw scale into the mix,
it's a whole nother ballgame.
88
00:04:39,572 --> 00:04:41,532
Internally, I am freaking out
a little bit.
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I've been given the knight chess piece,
90
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and I'm gonna shoot for
maybe 14-15 inches.
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I love a challenge.
92
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I definitely don't need
a knight in shining armor today
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because I'm the queen.
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I got a dice.
95
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So I don't typically work in realism,
so this is gonna be a challenge.
96
00:05:06,265 --> 00:05:09,435
But I… I mean, I put my head down,
and I work my ass off.
97
00:05:09,518 --> 00:05:12,521
And that has been, like,
my MO since day one.
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It's do-or-die time.
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Going big today.
100
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This looks good.
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Feel the burn, baby.
102
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This is
a very technical challenge.
103
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It's, here's your object,
now make it large.
104
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-Caramel.
-Yeah.
105
00:05:37,671 --> 00:05:40,591
So, we're working on a thimble,
like, a sewing thimble.
106
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So I'll get all the glass,
kind of, sort of, set up in a taper.
107
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We're going a little bigger
than the 12 inches on this thimble.
108
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Don't know how this will work.
109
00:05:50,476 --> 00:05:51,977
Okay, so we gotta close it up a bit.
110
00:05:52,061 --> 00:05:54,438
I got green olive with a pimento inside.
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I'm gonna start with the pimento first.
112
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It's not as simple as it looks.
113
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It has all these
kinda nuances in the form.
114
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So I'm trying to match it
as much as possible.
115
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Oh, yeah, looks good.
116
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All right, that's good.
117
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Briony, I heard that you binged
every episode of Blown Away.
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What was it about the competition
that got you hooked?
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So as an artist, I feel like I put a piece
of my soul into everything that I do.
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So to watch them create pieces
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that could potentially break
all the time was so riveting to me.
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All right, let's do this.
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Who do you think has
the hardest piece to replicate?
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You know, they all have their challenges.
125
00:06:46,699 --> 00:06:49,201
I like my knight, but it's hard.
126
00:06:49,285 --> 00:06:52,329
I've never made a horse before.
127
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Good times.
128
00:06:54,957 --> 00:06:57,626
John Sharvin
has caramel corn as his object.
129
00:06:57,710 --> 00:07:00,921
I actually think that that might be
one of the harder ones to do.
130
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You know, it's like this kinda lobed form,
131
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the color's really particular,
there's a lot of detail on the surface.
132
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Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, we got this.
133
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Now we're getting somewhere.
134
00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,226
I think Grace and I
have the hardest pieces.
135
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Mine has a lot of detail,
Grace has a dice.
136
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Blow, blow, blow, blow, blow.
137
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It's a little bit do-or-die here.
138
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Let it go on center. Center. Center.
139
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It's gonna be a bitch.
140
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Hanging on by a thread.
141
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I am now starting on the olive.
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I want to try to recreate this color
of the olive to achieve realism.
143
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But I can't tell right now
if it's too much orange.
144
00:07:48,135 --> 00:07:51,972
Colors of glass can change when you
heat them up and cool them back down.
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Some look different when they're hot
than when they're cold.
146
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Blow, blow, blow!
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00:07:57,144 --> 00:07:59,647
Okay, and stop. Whoo! My nipples.
148
00:08:00,147 --> 00:08:03,317
The color and realism is, like, one thing
we're gonna be judging them on.
149
00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,403
They really want to make sure
that they get really close on the color.
150
00:08:06,487 --> 00:08:08,239
Let's get that frit on the marver.
151
00:08:08,322 --> 00:08:11,075
You know, I kind of opt
to use a reducing color,
152
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which puts a metal sheen
on the outside of the thimble.
153
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It's all about getting
that internal temperature right.
154
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All glass color is made with metal oxide.
155
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And a really gas-rich flame
156
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will make the metal and the color
raise to the surface.
157
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Science.
158
00:08:26,090 --> 00:08:30,010
They want it to, like,
look like an actual pushpin,
159
00:08:30,094 --> 00:08:31,512
so I'm gonna waste,
160
00:08:31,595 --> 00:08:34,890
you know, a couple hundred dollars
in silver leaf today.
161
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So after I get
my overall shape of the needle,
162
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I take silver leaf,
and you kinda just roll it onto the glass.
163
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It's like a blanket.
164
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I think the silver leaf
is definitely gonna make this piece pop.
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Almost there.
166
00:08:47,695 --> 00:08:49,280
The challenge is realism.
167
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So if it doesn't look real,
I don't think I can win the challenge.
168
00:08:53,909 --> 00:08:56,579
Say I were to start
taking a glassblowing class,
169
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how long would it take me
to get good at it?
170
00:08:59,456 --> 00:09:01,584
It really depends
how much you do it.
171
00:09:01,667 --> 00:09:04,253
If you're doing it every day,
even a little bit every day,
172
00:09:04,336 --> 00:09:05,963
it'll probably take a couple of years.
173
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I often say if I had known
how long it would take to get good,
174
00:09:09,425 --> 00:09:10,759
I probably wouldn't have bothered.
175
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But I'm glad I didn't know.
176
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It's tough.
177
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Get it nice and gooey.
178
00:09:18,309 --> 00:09:20,811
Sometimes glass doesn't wanna do
what I want it to do,
179
00:09:20,894 --> 00:09:24,148
but I feel that I grow every day.
180
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Beautiful.
181
00:09:25,899 --> 00:09:27,026
There we go.
182
00:09:27,109 --> 00:09:32,281
And a lot of that is remembering
my late husband, Jesse.
183
00:09:34,116 --> 00:09:35,743
My husband used to tell me,
184
00:09:35,826 --> 00:09:37,745
"If you ain't scared,
you're not hot enough."
185
00:09:39,413 --> 00:09:43,375
I feel Jesse with me here,
and every time something good happens,
186
00:09:43,459 --> 00:09:47,379
I feel like it's him giving me like
a little nudge, like, "See, I told you."
187
00:09:48,380 --> 00:09:50,758
What's next? What's next? What's next?
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00:09:50,841 --> 00:09:51,675
Flip.
189
00:09:52,509 --> 00:09:53,552
Push harder, Em.
190
00:09:54,970 --> 00:09:59,308
Dice is pretty hard
because glass doesn't like to be a square.
191
00:10:00,851 --> 00:10:03,479
Glass is this round,
fluid, beautiful babe.
192
00:10:03,562 --> 00:10:05,856
And it doesn't want to go into a box,
193
00:10:05,939 --> 00:10:08,776
but I have to kind of coach it
into doing that.
194
00:10:09,818 --> 00:10:10,653
Flip.
195
00:10:12,112 --> 00:10:13,238
Pulling cane.
196
00:10:13,781 --> 00:10:14,782
Noodle-roni.
197
00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:17,660
I got the thimble.
198
00:10:17,743 --> 00:10:20,412
In realism,
one of the things is-- is the texture.
199
00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:22,331
That's good.
200
00:10:22,414 --> 00:10:25,751
I'm picking up the cane
to add the texture to make those lines.
201
00:10:25,834 --> 00:10:28,170
Ooh, this is good,
what Dan Friday's doing.
202
00:10:28,796 --> 00:10:31,340
Hold it down, uncap. Uncap.
203
00:10:31,423 --> 00:10:34,802
The timing has to be right
for the canes to stick correctly.
204
00:10:34,885 --> 00:10:35,969
It's a one-shot deal.
205
00:10:36,053 --> 00:10:38,430
Like, once you stick 'em on,
they're not moving.
206
00:10:38,514 --> 00:10:39,598
Good job, guys.
207
00:10:39,682 --> 00:10:42,643
See, that's the part where
we could have screwed it up but we didn't.
208
00:10:44,061 --> 00:10:46,814
Katherine, you were super adamant
209
00:10:46,897 --> 00:10:49,024
about giving the glassblowers
two assistants.
210
00:10:49,108 --> 00:10:49,942
Why?
211
00:10:50,776 --> 00:10:54,321
When you are working on this scale,
it just makes a huge difference.
212
00:10:54,405 --> 00:10:55,656
It's pretty much essential.
213
00:10:55,739 --> 00:10:58,784
The pipes are bigger,
bigger diameter and heavier.
214
00:10:58,867 --> 00:11:01,453
Beauty is pain.
Pain is beauty.
215
00:11:02,538 --> 00:11:05,582
I would need to, maybe,
work out a little bit more if I did this.
216
00:11:05,666 --> 00:11:07,918
-Let's get it a little hotter.
-Yeah.
217
00:11:08,001 --> 00:11:10,129
The moment I found out
I was in the competition,
218
00:11:10,212 --> 00:11:11,380
I hired a trainer.
219
00:11:11,463 --> 00:11:12,840
My endurance is up.
220
00:11:12,923 --> 00:11:14,758
I've never been in better shape.
221
00:11:14,842 --> 00:11:16,260
I've worked for this.
222
00:11:16,343 --> 00:11:17,970
This cube is whooping my ass.
223
00:11:18,053 --> 00:11:20,264
It feels a lot heavier
than it actually is.
224
00:11:20,347 --> 00:11:25,394
Because it's like taking a 25-pound weight
and putting it on the end of a pipe.
225
00:11:25,477 --> 00:11:29,189
Oh, and twist it for five hours
in, you know, 2,000-degree heat.
226
00:11:30,232 --> 00:11:31,692
Small and mighty.
227
00:11:32,735 --> 00:11:35,779
There's a term in the industry
we like to call "boner arm,"
228
00:11:35,863 --> 00:11:38,115
and that's when your hands, like, lock up.
229
00:11:38,198 --> 00:11:40,325
It's never good
when you get the boner arms.
230
00:11:40,409 --> 00:11:42,995
There you go. Do it like you mean it.
231
00:11:48,375 --> 00:11:50,586
Right now we're just shaping up the olive.
232
00:11:50,669 --> 00:11:53,088
The olive has to be
a minimum of 12 inches,
233
00:11:53,172 --> 00:11:54,465
but I'm planning to go larger.
234
00:11:54,548 --> 00:11:56,592
We're already over 12 inches.
235
00:11:59,553 --> 00:12:02,347
I'm working on the pushpin handle.
236
00:12:02,431 --> 00:12:04,099
I blow a sphere on the bottom,
237
00:12:04,183 --> 00:12:06,602
and then have my assistant
push really hard with the paddle,
238
00:12:06,685 --> 00:12:08,812
and that'll create that very sharp edge.
239
00:12:09,313 --> 00:12:10,522
All right, everyone off.
240
00:12:11,982 --> 00:12:12,941
Flip!
241
00:12:13,025 --> 00:12:15,944
I'm really happy
with the overall look of the caramel corn.
242
00:12:16,028 --> 00:12:18,614
I'm using a technique
called inside sculpting,
243
00:12:18,697 --> 00:12:22,743
where I'm gonna be pushing
all the detail out from a bubble.
244
00:12:22,826 --> 00:12:26,872
I'm making all the little kernels
and the dimples all over it.
245
00:12:28,373 --> 00:12:29,333
Stop.
246
00:12:29,416 --> 00:12:32,461
So, to make this dice look realistic,
247
00:12:32,544 --> 00:12:35,255
I had to make sure
all the dots are in the right place.
248
00:12:37,090 --> 00:12:39,009
We have to do this 21 times.
249
00:12:41,053 --> 00:12:43,430
Working beside me is Grace…
250
00:12:43,514 --> 00:12:45,057
-One, two, three, go.
251
00:12:45,140 --> 00:12:47,351
Man, they are slaying it.
252
00:12:49,353 --> 00:12:50,979
-Ugh.
253
00:12:51,063 --> 00:12:52,481
Goddamn you.
254
00:12:53,315 --> 00:12:54,191
Okay.
255
00:12:57,277 --> 00:12:59,863
Oh… it's devastating.
256
00:12:59,947 --> 00:13:01,573
I feel for Grace.
257
00:13:02,241 --> 00:13:04,409
Your heart gets a little hard
over the years.
258
00:13:04,493 --> 00:13:07,246
You just-- That's the pill
you have to swallow is, glass breaks.
259
00:13:07,913 --> 00:13:08,831
…me, dude.
260
00:13:08,914 --> 00:13:10,833
I mean, it sucks, but, you know,
261
00:13:10,916 --> 00:13:14,086
you can, like, fuss over
what's going on in front of you,
262
00:13:14,169 --> 00:13:16,505
or you can make the most of it
and work around it.
263
00:13:16,588 --> 00:13:20,008
As a queer person, I have to do that
in my daily life all the time.
264
00:13:20,676 --> 00:13:22,094
Gotta bust ass.
265
00:13:22,636 --> 00:13:25,305
I'm not as upset
about the piece hitting the floor.
266
00:13:25,389 --> 00:13:27,808
I'm more upset
that now we have to do it again.
267
00:13:28,308 --> 00:13:30,269
We're just gonna make another one.
268
00:13:30,352 --> 00:13:31,645
We're just gonna go smaller.
269
00:13:35,524 --> 00:13:36,692
Turn, turn, turn.
270
00:13:37,651 --> 00:13:40,112
Ooh, that's a hot bench. Burning my fat.
271
00:13:44,950 --> 00:13:47,911
-Hi! How you doing?
-I'm doing well. How are you doing?
272
00:13:47,995 --> 00:13:49,246
Things are going great.
273
00:13:49,329 --> 00:13:52,457
How are you feeling about
working with this much glass?
274
00:13:52,958 --> 00:13:53,917
It's a challenge.
275
00:13:54,001 --> 00:13:56,587
I've done inside sculpting before,
but not on this scale.
276
00:13:56,670 --> 00:13:58,338
Are you ready for a win?
277
00:13:58,422 --> 00:14:00,257
I'm so ready for a win, please.
278
00:14:00,340 --> 00:14:02,801
-I don't wanna go home without any wins.
279
00:14:03,927 --> 00:14:07,055
I know there's me and Trenton
that haven't won one yet.
280
00:14:08,432 --> 00:14:09,808
John Sharvin's popcorn,
281
00:14:09,892 --> 00:14:12,352
I mean, to be honest,
it looks like a turd.
282
00:14:13,228 --> 00:14:14,980
What time? What's the time?
283
00:14:15,063 --> 00:14:16,690
Thirty minutes left, everyone.
284
00:14:16,773 --> 00:14:18,191
Thirty minutes.
285
00:14:21,778 --> 00:14:23,530
Phew! Beauty.
286
00:14:23,614 --> 00:14:27,492
In order to get the horse head flat,
I have to get the whole piece hot,
287
00:14:27,576 --> 00:14:33,624
and just brute force with corks
get it to squish as much as I can.
288
00:14:33,707 --> 00:14:36,585
And I have to do it over
and over and over again
289
00:14:36,668 --> 00:14:38,587
until I'm happy with the profile.
290
00:14:39,212 --> 00:14:40,923
It's looking pretty good.
291
00:14:42,549 --> 00:14:44,134
I'm a total train wreck.
292
00:14:44,217 --> 00:14:47,429
Well, once again, I'm making a dice.
293
00:14:47,512 --> 00:14:49,264
Process is going much better.
294
00:14:49,348 --> 00:14:51,642
This time I made sure
the bottom's thicker,
295
00:14:51,725 --> 00:14:54,227
the sides are thicker, everything's even.
296
00:14:54,311 --> 00:14:55,395
So far, so good.
297
00:14:55,479 --> 00:14:57,856
Been rolling the dice all day.
298
00:14:57,940 --> 00:15:00,651
All right, everyone,
you have 20 minutes left.
299
00:15:00,734 --> 00:15:03,695
Make sure your piece
is a minimum of 12 inches.
300
00:15:03,779 --> 00:15:06,198
Doing great, team. Almost there.
301
00:15:06,281 --> 00:15:08,784
Getting ready to make
the bottom half of the thimble.
302
00:15:08,867 --> 00:15:09,743
Push down.
303
00:15:09,826 --> 00:15:12,120
I'm turning. Turn with me.
Turn. Go, go, go. Off.
304
00:15:12,204 --> 00:15:14,915
We're gonna stick the pimento in
and just torch it.
305
00:15:14,998 --> 00:15:16,333
Torch that lip.
306
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,670
I want you to be ready
with the torch when I tell you.
307
00:15:19,753 --> 00:15:22,005
Turn, turn, turn. Stop for a second.
308
00:15:29,179 --> 00:15:30,138
Dump it.
309
00:15:30,681 --> 00:15:33,850
When I put the pimento in,
it falls inside of the olive.
310
00:15:33,934 --> 00:15:36,019
No, no, no, go on the bench,
rest on the bench.
311
00:15:36,103 --> 00:15:38,772
-What?
-Rest on the bench. Rest on the bench!
312
00:15:39,398 --> 00:15:41,817
So I'm lying on the floor
in a pile of broken glass,
313
00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:45,529
and hoping that I'm gonna be
able to get this pimento free.
314
00:15:45,612 --> 00:15:47,656
Come on. It's stuck in there.
315
00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:49,449
It is what it is.
316
00:15:49,533 --> 00:15:50,617
Can't get that out.
317
00:15:50,701 --> 00:15:52,661
It was not "pi-meant to be."
318
00:15:52,744 --> 00:15:55,080
Gonna make another pimento
that will fit inside,
319
00:15:55,163 --> 00:15:56,832
probably right next to that one.
320
00:15:56,915 --> 00:15:59,334
On the inside I am screaming.
321
00:15:59,418 --> 00:16:00,711
Fifteen minutes!
322
00:16:01,712 --> 00:16:02,921
We're all in a race.
323
00:16:03,714 --> 00:16:05,674
We're gonna make it in time.
It'll be great.
324
00:16:05,757 --> 00:16:10,053
Okay, let's get this thing off.
Lift it, grab it. Down there, yep.
325
00:16:11,346 --> 00:16:13,849
I got my piece away,
and I still have some time,
326
00:16:13,932 --> 00:16:16,935
so I'm going to make
a couple added details.
327
00:16:17,019 --> 00:16:18,353
Keep poppin'! Keep poppin'!
328
00:16:18,437 --> 00:16:22,149
We're getting ready to attach
the needle to the pushpin.
329
00:16:22,232 --> 00:16:24,943
-Oh, no!
330
00:16:25,444 --> 00:16:28,071
I go to transfer it,
and the needle breaks in half.
331
00:16:28,155 --> 00:16:28,989
Flip.
332
00:16:29,740 --> 00:16:31,283
Might have to glue it, eh?
333
00:16:32,325 --> 00:16:34,494
What's a little bit of glue
amongst friends?
334
00:16:34,578 --> 00:16:35,996
Five minutes left.
335
00:16:36,079 --> 00:16:38,248
Time to get your pieces into the annealer.
336
00:16:38,331 --> 00:16:40,959
-How do you put this on?
-It's gonna be cutting it close.
337
00:16:41,043 --> 00:16:43,754
Hit it with the back of the pipe
straight up and down, hard. Yep.
338
00:16:43,837 --> 00:16:45,797
-There you go. Well done.
-Got it?
339
00:16:46,715 --> 00:16:48,633
Coming through, guys. Watch your back.
340
00:16:50,343 --> 00:16:51,636
Get under it!
341
00:16:55,390 --> 00:16:56,224
Good job.
342
00:16:57,100 --> 00:16:58,185
Oh, my God.
343
00:16:58,727 --> 00:17:00,812
Glassblowers, your time's up.
344
00:17:00,896 --> 00:17:02,105
Nice job.
345
00:17:02,189 --> 00:17:03,523
Nice redemption.
346
00:17:03,607 --> 00:17:05,650
It's over.
I don't have to make a dice again.
347
00:17:05,734 --> 00:17:08,779
Nobody ever ask me to make a dice again
because the answer is no.
348
00:17:26,379 --> 00:17:30,467
For this challenge,
each artist was given a tiny object,
349
00:17:30,550 --> 00:17:34,554
and we had to replicate
that object in a large scale.
350
00:17:35,263 --> 00:17:37,849
So with this piece,
I want to hit all three boxes.
351
00:17:37,933 --> 00:17:40,268
I want it technical,
I want it to look realistic,
352
00:17:40,352 --> 00:17:42,687
and I want the scale
to be larger than what was required.
353
00:17:43,522 --> 00:17:46,608
I hope the evaluators
see the details I tried to put into it.
354
00:17:46,691 --> 00:17:50,237
That I really wanted to get this, kind of,
imperfect color that mimics realism.
355
00:17:51,113 --> 00:17:54,616
There were struggles with this.
It's got silver leaf on the outside
356
00:17:54,699 --> 00:17:57,452
because the reduction didn't work out
quite how I had hoped.
357
00:17:57,536 --> 00:18:01,123
It burned off.
And it-- it needed to be shiny.
358
00:18:02,082 --> 00:18:06,461
I hope that my piece shows
that I didn't give up, I tried my best.
359
00:18:06,545 --> 00:18:10,340
So I hope that
that transparency proves positive.
360
00:18:10,966 --> 00:18:14,052
I'm pretty happy with how
everything worked out on the caramel corn.
361
00:18:14,136 --> 00:18:16,179
It's kinda hard to tell
who has the winning piece.
362
00:18:16,763 --> 00:18:18,265
I think it'll be pretty close.
363
00:18:28,024 --> 00:18:32,529
Well, well, well, I don't think
I've ever seen such an upscale gallery.
364
00:18:35,407 --> 00:18:40,579
I am super impressed
with the scale and the accuracy.
365
00:18:40,662 --> 00:18:44,291
I just want to touch everything,
and I don't know if I'm allowed to.
366
00:18:46,710 --> 00:18:49,379
-John Moran's piece is up first.
-Mm-hmm.
367
00:18:49,462 --> 00:18:50,881
This is what he started with.
368
00:18:53,091 --> 00:18:55,260
It definitely reads as olive.
369
00:18:55,343 --> 00:18:57,304
-Mm.
-Oh, wow.
370
00:18:57,929 --> 00:19:00,348
I cannot get over the texture of this.
371
00:19:00,432 --> 00:19:02,142
-How do they do this?
372
00:19:02,225 --> 00:19:06,271
I… This is incredible.
I can't get over just even the coloring.
373
00:19:06,354 --> 00:19:08,064
I love the details,
374
00:19:08,148 --> 00:19:10,984
like this little cross hatch
down in the bum area here.
375
00:19:11,067 --> 00:19:14,362
I think John Moran has really exhibited
his skills here at sculpting
376
00:19:14,446 --> 00:19:17,199
and, kind of,
capturing the essence of a real object.
377
00:19:17,282 --> 00:19:20,327
Even the details
around how he's put the pimento inside,
378
00:19:20,410 --> 00:19:21,828
I think, are pretty spot on.
379
00:19:21,912 --> 00:19:23,330
Now the moment of truth.
380
00:19:23,914 --> 00:19:24,915
-Ah! Uh-huh.
-Oh!
381
00:19:24,998 --> 00:19:27,250
Yes. So this ruler is 12 inches,
382
00:19:27,334 --> 00:19:30,086
and this olive
is definitely bigger than the ruler.
383
00:19:30,170 --> 00:19:32,380
-Mm-hmm.
-Nailed that part of it.
384
00:19:32,464 --> 00:19:35,050
The only thing that I'm gonna point out
385
00:19:35,133 --> 00:19:39,429
is that it's not actually
the color of the olive.
386
00:19:39,930 --> 00:19:43,391
But I feel like
a fresher olive out of the jar,
387
00:19:43,475 --> 00:19:45,685
this is pretty emblematic of that color.
388
00:19:45,769 --> 00:19:46,978
I love "olive it."
389
00:19:51,650 --> 00:19:53,568
This is Dan's thimble.
390
00:19:53,652 --> 00:19:55,153
I'm a little disappointed.
391
00:19:55,237 --> 00:19:58,740
Don't know if it's as good
a reproduction of the thimble
392
00:19:58,823 --> 00:20:00,742
as I think he could possibly make.
393
00:20:01,243 --> 00:20:04,162
The color on the surface
is actually silver leaf
394
00:20:04,246 --> 00:20:07,082
that's been applied after the piece
has come out of the annealer.
395
00:20:07,165 --> 00:20:13,338
You know, I've used gold leaf quite a bit,
and this just seems a little messy.
396
00:20:13,421 --> 00:20:17,801
Would you say that the silver leaf
is kind of like lipstick on a pig?
397
00:20:17,884 --> 00:20:19,594
Oh, that's a little harsh,
398
00:20:19,678 --> 00:20:23,723
but it is, I think, trying to camouflage
some things that didn't go right.
399
00:20:23,807 --> 00:20:24,641
All right.
400
00:20:24,724 --> 00:20:27,394
We have one more little measurement here.
401
00:20:28,144 --> 00:20:29,938
So let's see. Okay.
402
00:20:30,021 --> 00:20:32,357
-Oh.
-Definitely on scale, he's good.
403
00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:33,441
Yeah, yeah.
404
00:20:33,525 --> 00:20:37,279
-This is Minhi's chess knight.
405
00:20:37,362 --> 00:20:39,656
This is
a challenging piece for anybody,
406
00:20:39,739 --> 00:20:42,158
but I feel like
when you look at this thing,
407
00:20:42,242 --> 00:20:46,121
she has done a really incredible job
of matching some of these details.
408
00:20:46,705 --> 00:20:48,999
The horse head
is one piece, right?
409
00:20:49,082 --> 00:20:51,126
The horse head is all one piece.
410
00:20:51,209 --> 00:20:52,043
That thing's huge.
411
00:20:52,127 --> 00:20:54,838
Yeah, I mean, just the horse head
is probably 12 inches.
412
00:20:54,921 --> 00:20:56,840
-Just the head alone.
-Yeah.
413
00:20:56,923 --> 00:21:01,052
We have realism here.
We definitely have scale and size.
414
00:21:01,136 --> 00:21:02,971
And a lot of technical skill.
415
00:21:03,054 --> 00:21:04,723
Mm-hmm. Agreed.
416
00:21:04,806 --> 00:21:09,519
One thing is, in some areas
you see kind of clear glass windows,
417
00:21:09,602 --> 00:21:12,522
you know, where the color
doesn't carry all the way to the edge.
418
00:21:12,605 --> 00:21:14,983
So it does sort of reveal that it's glass,
419
00:21:15,066 --> 00:21:17,277
and maybe you lose
some of that sense of it being,
420
00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:19,154
like, an opaque plastic object.
421
00:21:19,779 --> 00:21:24,367
But I think she more than
makes up for that with the sculpting
422
00:21:24,451 --> 00:21:28,288
and the risks she took in, kind of,
completing this as all one hot object.
423
00:21:30,665 --> 00:21:33,418
-This is Trenton's pushpin.
424
00:21:33,501 --> 00:21:34,669
This is incredible.
425
00:21:34,753 --> 00:21:38,715
This is a piece that
I would very proudly put in my house.
426
00:21:38,798 --> 00:21:40,717
The size is incredible.
427
00:21:41,217 --> 00:21:44,763
I mean, that's almost two times
the requirement here.
428
00:21:44,846 --> 00:21:47,599
Trenton's been skating on thin ice
for a while now,
429
00:21:47,682 --> 00:21:49,184
and this is a really great piece.
430
00:21:49,267 --> 00:21:50,643
It is a great piece.
431
00:21:50,727 --> 00:21:54,773
But, I feel like you see in the original
how the edges are a little bit sharper.
432
00:21:54,856 --> 00:21:58,443
Like, it's a crisper corner down here
and a bit crisper corner up at the top.
433
00:21:59,069 --> 00:22:02,572
That's definitely something
that Trenton could have achieved.
434
00:22:02,655 --> 00:22:04,199
When the challenge is realism,
435
00:22:04,282 --> 00:22:08,036
I feel like he maybe should have paid
a bit more attention to those details.
436
00:22:10,246 --> 00:22:12,248
This is Grace's die.
437
00:22:13,124 --> 00:22:17,295
Okay, I'm dying to do this.
I just have to see how heavy this is.
438
00:22:17,379 --> 00:22:18,213
Oh, wow.
439
00:22:19,589 --> 00:22:21,591
-Can you-- Can you roll it?
-No.
440
00:22:23,593 --> 00:22:26,805
I'm just eyeballing that.
That does not look like it's over a foot.
441
00:22:27,305 --> 00:22:29,182
If I tip it up like this,
442
00:22:29,265 --> 00:22:31,726
and then you measure
from the top of the pedestal…
443
00:22:31,810 --> 00:22:33,895
Just… Uh, it's not cuttin' it.
444
00:22:34,437 --> 00:22:37,690
It broke my heart
when they dropped their piece.
445
00:22:37,774 --> 00:22:39,067
I can't even imagine,
446
00:22:39,150 --> 00:22:43,863
so this one just seems a little smaller
and not as good, unfortunately.
447
00:22:43,947 --> 00:22:46,199
The markings are actually indentations.
448
00:22:46,282 --> 00:22:50,161
Here they've got the opposite,
where they're, like, raised dots.
449
00:22:50,245 --> 00:22:51,287
That being said,
450
00:22:51,371 --> 00:22:54,249
it is one of the hardest
pieces here to replicate.
451
00:22:55,750 --> 00:23:00,088
This is John Sharvin's caramel corn.
And let's just see how large it is.
452
00:23:01,423 --> 00:23:02,674
I'll give him credit for that.
453
00:23:02,757 --> 00:23:05,510
Yeah, I feel like there's
a square foot of air inside there.
454
00:23:05,593 --> 00:23:07,429
-So that's gotta count for something.
455
00:23:07,512 --> 00:23:10,265
I mean, as an avid popcorn eater,
456
00:23:10,348 --> 00:23:12,767
I was very excited for this piece.
457
00:23:12,851 --> 00:23:15,478
I do very much love the kernel.
458
00:23:15,562 --> 00:23:19,065
I think that that just adds
such a cool element to it.
459
00:23:19,149 --> 00:23:22,360
I can appreciate how hard this is.
460
00:23:22,444 --> 00:23:24,696
I think there was
a real big miss in color.
461
00:23:24,779 --> 00:23:27,031
I'm not really
feeling the shape.
462
00:23:27,657 --> 00:23:29,742
It's big, he really labored on it,
463
00:23:29,826 --> 00:23:31,870
he persevered, he's got a lot of heart.
464
00:23:32,370 --> 00:23:35,373
But I don't necessarily feel
like it's captured
465
00:23:35,457 --> 00:23:37,542
the-- the essence of the kernel.
466
00:23:37,625 --> 00:23:39,836
So before we decide on
a winner or a loser,
467
00:23:39,919 --> 00:23:41,963
let's bring in the glassblowers.
468
00:23:47,552 --> 00:23:50,972
I know that at any time I can go home.
I think that's the-- the reality of it.
469
00:23:51,931 --> 00:23:55,268
It was a rough day,
but I bounced back, I recovered.
470
00:23:55,351 --> 00:23:58,146
If I stay or go, like,
I'm proud of myself.
471
00:23:58,855 --> 00:24:02,692
I think I was brave in this challenge.
There's no room to be mediocre now.
472
00:24:03,485 --> 00:24:07,697
Each elimination round that I go into,
I'm waiting for the harshest critique.
473
00:24:09,782 --> 00:24:13,703
Artists, you all deserve a big hand
for your gigantic glass.
474
00:24:14,245 --> 00:24:15,580
Whoo!
475
00:24:18,833 --> 00:24:20,752
Dan, how do you feel about your thimble?
476
00:24:21,461 --> 00:24:24,297
I was happy with it.
At the end, I kind of experimented.
477
00:24:24,380 --> 00:24:25,757
I wasn't sure how to approach it.
478
00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,593
I mean, you definitely hit the mark
on the size thing.
479
00:24:28,676 --> 00:24:32,180
But I think maybe in that translation,
you lost a little with the proportions.
480
00:24:32,263 --> 00:24:34,682
It feels like
it's just a little too tall and thin.
481
00:24:34,766 --> 00:24:35,767
Okay.
482
00:24:35,850 --> 00:24:36,976
I don't know. Whatever.
483
00:24:37,602 --> 00:24:41,481
John Sharvin with the caramel corn.
Talk to us about your piece.
484
00:24:41,564 --> 00:24:43,775
It was a hard form,
there's a lot of detail.
485
00:24:43,858 --> 00:24:46,361
The more you look at it,
you're like, "Crap, there's that there."
486
00:24:46,444 --> 00:24:47,612
There was a lot going on.
487
00:24:47,695 --> 00:24:51,366
You know, the thing
that I was a little bit let down about
488
00:24:51,449 --> 00:24:53,409
was the color of the popcorn.
489
00:24:53,910 --> 00:24:57,372
I thought the caramel would be brighter.
But ended up a little dark.
490
00:24:57,455 --> 00:25:00,458
-You know, left on the stove too long.
-Thanks, John Sharvin.
491
00:25:00,542 --> 00:25:01,417
Thank you.
492
00:25:02,001 --> 00:25:03,253
Grace.
493
00:25:03,336 --> 00:25:05,630
You know,
this was a challenging shape to make.
494
00:25:05,713 --> 00:25:07,298
Glass does not like to be square.
495
00:25:07,382 --> 00:25:10,093
Especially doesn't like
to be big and square.
496
00:25:10,176 --> 00:25:11,261
Not many people do.
497
00:25:11,344 --> 00:25:13,096
-Uh…
498
00:25:13,596 --> 00:25:17,809
So, I wanted to try,
but it just didn't work out.
499
00:25:17,892 --> 00:25:21,938
But at least we're looking at something.
I'm glad to see something on the pedestal.
500
00:25:22,021 --> 00:25:23,064
Thank you.
501
00:25:23,147 --> 00:25:25,692
Trenton, with the pushpin.
502
00:25:25,775 --> 00:25:30,238
It seems like an easy form to create,
but I don't work at large scale like this.
503
00:25:30,321 --> 00:25:32,657
But overall, I'm satisfied with the piece.
504
00:25:33,157 --> 00:25:37,453
I will say that you had
the largest piece at 23 inches.
505
00:25:38,121 --> 00:25:38,955
Nice.
506
00:25:39,038 --> 00:25:42,834
I mean, in some ways, I think you had
maybe the simplest object to replicate.
507
00:25:42,917 --> 00:25:46,671
And certainly from here there's no doubt
that we're looking at a pushpin.
508
00:25:47,422 --> 00:25:50,008
I guess, maybe,
because it is such a symmetrical form,
509
00:25:50,091 --> 00:25:52,010
I feel like
there's a bit of a missed opportunity
510
00:25:52,093 --> 00:25:54,429
for some of the crispness
of some of the edges,
511
00:25:54,512 --> 00:25:56,431
the corners at the top and bottom.
512
00:25:56,514 --> 00:25:57,432
I agree.
513
00:25:57,515 --> 00:26:00,143
Thank you, artists.
We're gonna step away to deliberate.
514
00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:07,150
Somebody has to win
and somebody has to go home.
515
00:26:07,233 --> 00:26:09,819
I don't want to be eliminated,
but I also don't want Dan to leave.
516
00:26:10,862 --> 00:26:13,615
I'm just worried
about myself at this point.
517
00:26:14,324 --> 00:26:19,120
There are other things too,
but I feel like size is a big issue.
518
00:26:19,203 --> 00:26:23,374
I really just can't get over the color.
I really think it missed the mark.
519
00:26:23,458 --> 00:26:25,752
It's out of my control.
I've done what I can do.
520
00:26:26,377 --> 00:26:29,547
Artists, we had two decisions to make,
and neither was easy.
521
00:26:32,550 --> 00:26:34,802
Today's Best in Blow is…
522
00:26:36,763 --> 00:26:37,722
Two artists.
523
00:26:39,515 --> 00:26:42,393
There's never been two winners before
in Blown Away history.
524
00:26:42,477 --> 00:26:43,978
John Moran.
525
00:26:45,229 --> 00:26:47,190
And?
526
00:26:47,774 --> 00:26:49,567
And Minhi.
527
00:26:49,651 --> 00:26:50,735
Oh! Really?
528
00:26:52,570 --> 00:26:53,780
Super shocked.
529
00:26:56,282 --> 00:26:58,159
To be a winner with John Moran,
530
00:26:58,242 --> 00:26:59,285
I'm elated.
531
00:26:59,369 --> 00:27:00,787
I wasn't expecting that.
532
00:27:02,622 --> 00:27:05,124
And now for the artist
that did not blow us away.
533
00:27:09,712 --> 00:27:11,714
Leaving the hot shop today is…
534
00:27:12,423 --> 00:27:13,341
Grace.
535
00:27:13,966 --> 00:27:16,302
Please say your goodbyes
and exit the hot shop.
536
00:27:17,845 --> 00:27:18,888
I'm so sorry.
537
00:27:19,514 --> 00:27:22,600
-It was so good to meet you.
-Good job, you guys.
538
00:27:22,684 --> 00:27:24,394
I'm super proud. I mean…
539
00:27:25,228 --> 00:27:28,022
Let alone getting this far,
but winning a challenge…
540
00:27:28,106 --> 00:27:29,982
There's nothing
I could've done differently
541
00:27:30,066 --> 00:27:32,068
other than picking a different box.
542
00:27:32,151 --> 00:27:33,820
Thanks, guys.
543
00:27:37,740 --> 00:27:38,991
It was a wonderful time.
544
00:27:39,075 --> 00:27:41,994
We had so much fun,
and I wouldn't change anything.
545
00:27:42,078 --> 00:27:44,622
This won't be the last time
you'll see me, you know.
546
00:27:44,706 --> 00:27:47,375
I'll be around
and still kicking ass in other places.
547
00:27:48,376 --> 00:27:49,502
Congratulations.
548
00:27:49,585 --> 00:27:52,046
You're still all in the running
for the grand prize
549
00:27:52,130 --> 00:27:53,756
and the title Best in Glass.
550
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:55,425
We'll see you at the next challenge.
551
00:27:56,134 --> 00:28:00,179
At this point in the competition,
it's me and four men.
552
00:28:00,263 --> 00:28:02,306
It's a big weight on my shoulders.