User Reviews

Interesting to see process and how artists respond to challenges. Deborah didn't deserve a win. Her work was inconsistent, less clever than she thought, and uninspired unless you think politics are inspiring. In a competition with peers, being gracious, respectful and having humility matter. (Ever watch The Great British Bake Off?) She had none and she wasn't even the best glass blower in the competition. It must have been a production management poor decision.

I come from 5 generations of glassblowers, we have owned glassblowing stores throughout all of United States and I'm sorry but the winners work was not winning material!! That was a joke. I was sure the guy was going to win and he should had won. Very disappointed with this show.

As a retired art history, art and photography teacher, I am sad to say that the artist who acted most like a child, criticizing the strong work of the most talented contestants to elevate her own work, won in the final episode. While she had a few outstanding pieces, her technique was inconsistent and her "conceptualizations" were simply overdone rhetoric used to sway the judges. The two most truly deserving contestants lost the challenge, while still being gracious toward the less skilled winner. I enjoyed this show very much until it became clear that the winner was preselected based on gender rather than skill. As a woman, I believe it is insulting to all females to see someone win a contest primarily based on gender. The genuine heart behind the work of the two strongest contestants provoked emotional responses to glass that I have never felt before! What a sad state it was to see them ousted. Please try a second season and have some more skilled and discerning judges, not as easily manipulated. I would love to see strong female and male contestants, talented in their own right without genders being pitted against one another. Please make this show more about the technical and aesthetic medium of glass blowing.

My family and I have watched all seasons so far and for each season I agree with just about all of the judges decisions EXCEPT for the final winner. In the latest season, Ryan was clearly deserving of the win. His black glass pendulum piece was amazing. I wanted to keep looking at it and have actually been thinking about it since I saw it. That is how much of an impact his art made on me and is the actual purpose of art. (Winner Morgan's piece was good but forgettable) The format of the show is fast paced and I am in awe of the talent of the glass blowers. They are so passionate about what they do and their creativity shines throughout the show. The judges do not explain their reason for their decisions, they just announce the loser and winner. I would like to hear their reasoning as it is clearly subjective.

I didn't mind the show but what blow me away ( no pun there) was how disappointed when the winner was announced.In the end it become more about feminism then craftsmanship.

Very nicely made series, but I'm little disappointed about who won. I think that salami and pan with a hole is not a winning piece. I really liked the concept behind this series and execution, but Deborah made it too feministic, it could have been more about the craftsmanship of contestants.

Great show! Really neat to see how the glass is blown. Contestants were so great except the person who won. Constantly talked bad about the other artists and explained how smart she was. The Guy who lost was amazing almost every piece belongs in an art gallery or museum. Sad to see such a lousy person win such an amazing prize.

This show was great! I love watching crafts done by people who love their work and this show definitely gave that. But that ending? Why Deborah? No one would have ever walked into such an installation and known what the hell she was trying to convey. Janusz's, on the other hand, was obvious. It seemed like the judges picked based on concepts (agendas) rather than execution. Not to mention Deborah was unsportsmanlike and treated other people and their pieces wrong. I don't like somebody winning something when they've shown their true colors. I hope if they make another season of this, they'll find a better way to judge, maybe anonymously, to make things end better.

Yep I'm absolutely hon smacked of how ridiculous it was to keep one contestant on the show in season 2. I get that perhaps Chris is well respected but if it's a competition about answering briefs he fell short and the overwhelming confidence in himself did not help. It's a good show overall but I feel like some good artists were sacrificed in order to feed someone's ego. I'm guessing they made a deal with someone to keep them in until final 3 so they come on the show. Disappointed in judging but impressed by the talent.

Took 4-5 episodes to really get going, which is fine if it pays off. Unfortunately, it's fairly obvious the show put making a statement over talent and execution. The winner spent the whole show rolling her eyes and critiquing others - when someone else won a challenge, it was some uninspired, unartistic BS, but when she won, it was "mastery" (cross arms on chest and bow, then hands together in spiritual pose and bow again). At one point, she even exclaimed that she was entitled because she was the only one left who represented the "marginalized". This was before the show played a clip of her saying she had a girlfriend, so at the time, we had no idea why she was marginalized. I guess it's because she's a lesbian? Who knows or cares? I just wanted to see some awesome glass work! The finale was the worst - A frying pan, ham hock, sausage and an egg (that look like glazed ceramics), a masterpiece, do not make - even with a long story about how conceptual and meaningful it's supposed to be - sorry, no - doesn't cleverly represent masculinity/femininity, and even if it did, it doesn't look great in general and certainly isn't a great glass exhibit. It's just...well, breakfast...you can't even eat.

I was able to watch till episode 8 when they really went to far. Chris is something of a veteran of the craft and even in the first episodes I felt that everyone ignored how mediocre he is and didn't sent him home, but episode 8 is just a joke, couldn't watch more.

Near the end the decisions of the judges did not make sense. The judges clearly stated who the best glass blower was but did not chose them to be the winner even though they deserved it. In the end the winner was not the best glass blower.

I concur with nearly all the other reviews, the one character who though being very talented was so extreme and vocal in her presentations it REALLY spoiled the show for us. She was more like a caricature from the series PORTLANDIA, we thought, and her shrill screeches and demeaning comments and exreme views were repelling. Such a waste of talent. She should not have won.

Honestly season 1 was great... but season two was really extremely frustrating to watch... Chris maybe followed the rules 1 or 2 times throughout the entire season and should have been eliminated back in the third episode. But over and over again he just ignores the prompts so apparently they just don't even matter. When you judge people on an uneven playing field it isn't fair, someone who tries and fails to make what you want vs someone who ignores what you say and just makes whatever they feel like... why wouldn't the person who tries and fails win?

So we have another simple show like the weapon smithing show or a tattoo show or a baking show and maybe even also a cooking show. I am at episode 9 of the first season now.

It is just a very simple show:

• some creative people
• some tools and setup
• plan something
• make something
• judge it together with another unknown person
• winner and loser.

So this is a small show, lots of unknown people for me, which I like and they are doing something I am not into. So the show does not do much to inform you or getting to know more of what they are doing. I wanted to see the experts doing something, or do a little workshop something like that.

They are only judging and talking, sometimes they give a small hint if something is not right, but I do not have the feeling they trying to make the glassblowers better. So they are only a judge. So I do not like it so much, but it is ofcourse totally legit this way.

It is difficult to get a connection with the glassblowers, there is almost no introduction. But I like to see and hear what they are thinking. It are amazing people. Mostly I do not like artists because there are so far of reality, but I can respect it and most of these people I found a new respect. Never knew glassblowing and creativity were so close.

There are a few people who think they are good, because they have a lot of expierence. Ok true ofcourse, but what if you are doing it 30 years wrong? Or there are new techniques/ideas from the young people. And why must you say that all the time? I do like that some glassblowers are giving positive feedback on the work of the other.

So for me this is a short introduction into glassblowing which I like, but I want to know more. I know it is just a small show, but it would be fun to change the concept a bit. I liked there was a team challenge, but suddenly nobody needed to go home because... Well... They all deserve to stay??? So this can be 2 ways: oh we cannot send the 3 times winner home so luckliy we have all the freedom to change the rules, or they just do it completely to make it more tense for the viewer. Which is not working for me. So I do not trust the judges so much anymore now.

I do not always agree with there judging, but they are people and this is also about taste. So after 5 episodes I only watch the first minutes and the design fase and then I skip to the judging and explaining part. What happens in between... I do not care, it is always the same. It are small fragments of 4 or 5 hours of work. And like I say, you do not get much information. So it is useless for me. I rather have a longer episode with more information.

So for me this is a show that is good to watch, because the subject is new: glassblowing. And interesting. I think after a few seasons I saw it all, but I do like the glassblowers. So I want to see as many as unique people and ideas please! So for that it is a solid 6. There is much that can be improved. But I keep on watching.

Edit: watched the whole season, something important I forget to add: there is no explanation why someone is the winner and what the others can improve. But especially now with the final, I have missed the emotions of the loser or must I say: the runner up? He was the best glassblower the judges say, has won the most challenges so suddenly the woman is cheering and you see the credits. That is a bit too fast for me ;).

Still great to see the end result, it are great artists. Hopefully they all got some positive attention / boost for their careers.

I enjoyed watching the show, and seeing the art and technique of the contestants was awesome, however almost every episode was ruined by the bitter, horrible little person who won in the end.

Every episode had her insulting other contestants. "X technique is so pedestrian, anyone could do it, how is that special?" she whines, before using the exact same technique on the next piece. Her sculptures are repeatedly criticised by the judges as lacking real technical skill.

She constantly victimised herself. "It's so rare to be a female glassblower," she repeats 50 times while half the contestants around her are female. As the last other female is eliminated she says "It was my fantasy that this would be a female dominated competition, because we're the only creative ones. Now I'm the only contestant who represents ANY sort of marginalisation or difference." You don't know the other contestants, you're just a judgemental little mole.

Throughout the show there were different briefs for each challenge. Where other contestants were swiftly eliminated for not following it closely, they praised her blatantly ignoring them. When asked to create a floral piece, a person who made a dandelion was eliminated over the potato she dumped out.

In the end she won with a piece that looked like a 4 year old could have made it over a display that showed a vast arrangement of different skills and ideas. Why? Because she pushed a feminist agenda with it.