User Reviews

Andy should not have been eliminated in episode one. Edgar piece Was sloppy and not complete. I understand why Catherine didn't like Andi's concept but it was beautifully executed. Edgar's was just bad across the board. Seems like Catherine has had it in for Andi.

Just my opinion. Otherwise excellent show. So much fun to watch.

Right off the bat, we see that they replaced Nick Uhas with Bobby Berk. Big mistake. Nick brought viewers into the show more than anyone, because he saw the world of glass blowing through the viewers' eyes. And he had gone through two full seasons learning about the ins and outs of it right along with us. That journey is wasted by dumping him for Bobby Berk. Bobby shows no sincere interest in glass blowing. He's just there to ham it up and be funny, which he certainly is not. I guess the producers just wanted to attempt to raise the profile of the show and attract more viewers by getting a more famous and flamboyant host.

Next, we see the contestants. Alex walks out and I'm thinking he was one of the best runner-ups. So this Christmas special will be a mix of old and new contestants? Then, Edgar walks out and I'm puzzled. Edgar was one of the earliest eliminations in season 1, and frankly probably the LEAST SKILLED glass blower in all seasons combined. OK, I guess it's nice to give him another chance, maybe he's gotten better (he hasn't). Then Andi, one of my favorite glass blowers and probably the most under appreciated by the judges/evaluators. Very glad to see her, but it makes Edgar look even more set up to fail. And then Cat walks out, she probably could have won Season 2, she is the most technically skilled glass blower in my opinion. So how the heck does Edgar make it on this show? The the final contestant, Nao, a very competent glass blower with a whimsical style. Solid choices for competitors except Cat is so good, and Edgar is so bad. Seriously, how does he make it on the roster?

And then we get to the first elimination in episode 1. It's nice to see how everyone improved their skills since the previous season. Except for Edgar. Edgar admits he just forgot the string on the kendama which makes his piece incomplete. That should be an automatic elimination. The ball isn't even a perfect sphere, which becomes even more obvious Alex made 9 perfect spheres with his orrery. Andi made one of her signature abstracts that show off advanced glass blowing techniques, and which Bobby said looked very beautiful, but he just didn't get the concept. Well, they eliminated Andi instead of Edgar. Andi had so much more potential for at least one more episode. I feel like having Edgar on this roster and then not wanting to eliminate him in the first episode was really a producer's decision, not an honest competition and judging decision. In my opinion the producers of the show prioritized a POC checklist over the competition, which taints the whole competition as being rigged. Edgar had NO CHANCE winning this show against all these far, far better competitors. It's infuriating that they gave him one of the 5 spots understanding this. Pretty much anyone else from season 1 or 2 would have been better. Or even throw in a wild card, a brand new competitor. That would have been really interesting.

Alexander was cheated! Anyone with working eyesight could see that Naos' tree ornaments were hideous. There is no argument she has a lot of talent when it comes to creating cutesy stuff, but what she produced for the challenge in episode 3 was far beneath the quality of the other two contestants. There was definitely some inequity choosing the winner if the challenge. Her tree could have been designed by a 4 year old, whereas Alexander's one was sophisticated and ambitious both in design and execution. Shameful.

This was the worst Blown Away season. The fact that they decided to do a "Christmas" season, rather than just a simple "Winter" theme, was ridiculous. Out of 5 contestants, three of them don't celebrate Christmas, but were expected to not only produce work that related to Christmas gifts, but to decorate a Christmas tree as well. In the last episode, the challenge is to create a Winter Wonderland installation, with no mention of needing to relate to the holidays, yet Katherine asks Nao whether her installation will "be a nice Holiday theme," to which Nao appropriately reacts in a confused manner.

Moreover, Cat should have never been brought back. These positions should have been reserved for those who previously finished third place or lower, but showed a high degree of skill and potential. If a second chance was going to be given to a previous finalist, it is only fair that both contestants from Season 1 and 2 would be brought back.

Episode 1: Edgar should have been eliminated. Contestants were judged on design, creativity, and technical skill. The judges were disappointed in both his technical execution, stating it as being "rough," and that he forgot to add the string despite having more than enough time to make it. Andi, on the other hand, should not have been eliminated. Her piece was very creative, and she executed it beautifully, with the judges praising her colours and ridges. The only negative remark was that the judges were somehow "confused" about the design concept, even with the supporting back story, which is odd considering it very clearly reads as an abstract depiction of candy.

Episode 2: Alexander should have won this challenge. Contestants were judged on design, technical skill, and realism. His piece aced all three. The judges praised the realism and accuracy of the jar, as well as the beauty of the marbling effects on the fish. Bobby said there was nothing for him to pick apart. Alexander decided not to include the cheese so it wouldn't distract from the fish, and the judges only said they wanted him to include it because they loved the piece so much, that it left them wanting more. The only criticism was that it could have been displayed more centered on the podium. Cat should not have won. While the judges praised Cat's overall realism, they did criticize her grapes as the coloring and opacity were not realistic. Alexander had no criticism on his realism.

Episode 3: Cat should have been eliminated. Contestants were judged on design, concept, technical skill, and overall presentation. Bobby specifically says for the design he wants to see a story, not a bunch of random pretty pieces, and he wants them all to mean something. Cat's Christmas tree topper is the only one that does not relate to the rest of her tree. Her tree references the German tradition of hiding a pickle in the tree, and the sun topper does not relate to that at all. The pickle ornament is the only piece that tells a story. The rest is all just pretty ornaments used as filler. They do not add to the story in any way, unlike Nao and Alexander's pieces in which every single ornament, including the topper, has a meaning and adds to the overall story. Cat receives critism on her choice of colour, as does Nao, as well as her poor display decisions, as does Alexander, but the use of ornaments simply as filler, and lack of connection from the tree topper to the overall story deserves an elimination.

Overall this season was extremely disappointing. The decision to not only bring Cat back onto the show, but to give her a win over Alexander in the second episode, and send Alexander home instead of her in the third episode were horrible and unfair. After watching the entire season, it is very evident that Cat was chosen as a fixed winner. In conclusion, this season was not inclusive to non-Christians, made unjust elimination decisions, and overall appeared to cater to one particular contestant.

Alexander definitely should've won the challenge on episode 3. Nao made something totally out of the regulations and was not even Christmas related, while Alexander made a perfect artwork with a unique twist to the holiday theme. In the end, it's fun to watch but you can see that it's rigged.

The judging techniques on this show are ridiculous. No discernible way to follow what standards the judges use. Andi getting sent home the first round while Edgar stays? Ridiculous, feels like they already have who will enter the next round predetermined.