Episode #3.3 (2016) - full transcript

- In the intense world
- of competitive body painting,

you can either keep your cool

or turn up the heat.

- ♪ This ain't no illusion,

babe ♪

♪ Yeah, you're heaven made ♪

- It's a sizzling season three

of "Skin Wars."

The art of body painting

is more powerful than ever.

12 of the most talented artists



from around the world

will push themselves

week after week...

- You painted your heart out.
- [screams]

- Proving who is brilliant
- with a brush...

- Yeah!

- Just amazing.

- Loved it.

- I came here to win.

[all gasp]

- And who can't handle
- the pressure.

- I'm freaking out.

- Wow.
- What?

- [crying]



Almost there.

- How dare you disgrace

this competition

with your bull****?

- Do you want to leave

the competition?

This week, ten remain

to fight for the grand prize:

$100,000 and the ultimate title

of "Skin Wars" champion.

[upbeat techno music]

♪ ♪

- Hello, painters!

all: Hi!

- Well, as you can see, Robin

and Ru are here with us today.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Watch out, children, because

we brought our baggage.

- Yes, thanks for
- the warning, Ru.

- Yes.
- [laughter]

- Guys, today we are

taking a journey back in time

to the art of the 1950s.

[all exclaim]

During this time,

the 2-D approach that emerged

is one of the most recognizable

styles of modern art.

For today's challenge,

you will have to make

your model look like

a piece of 2-D art.

- Yay!
- Yay!

- Each case on the table

contains a prop

and a speech bubble

that must be painted

and included

into your final design.

Your models will be assigned

by the case you choose,

- and they will be posing
- with your props

in front of this backdrop

to help create the feeling

of a true 2-D piece of art.

This is a waist-up design,

including the face.

You will have only three hours

to complete your work.

- We want to see a lot

of personality here.

- Should be vivid,

vivacious, be fierce!

[laughing]

- Are you ready to time travel?

- Yeah!
- Yes.

- Good, because your time

starts now!

[techno music]

[all gasp]

- Let's open this bad boy up,

see what we got.

- Birthday cake.

- How do you open this?

- Ah, it's a little ice cream!

- What is this?

- It's a paint roller.

- Hello, Andrew.

Meow.

♪ ♪

I get my sexy male model

and an oven mitt.

I'm going to make you a girl.

I almost went home last week,

and now I really

have to bring it.

- Yellow.

- Like, "Ooh!"

Something like that.

- I'm excited about this

challenge, because it's 2-D.

- That was my graphic design
- degree.

It's easy for me

to see art flat,

and I'm really good

at contouring

and making those lines.

Maybe I have a chance

of winning this challenge.

[upbeat music]

- My first idea is a

sarcastic tap on the shoulder

to the old-school elegant male

with the martini glass.

Well, Luis has got

a lot of his dots going.

- Yeah, he's a dotter.
- A dotter.

2-D art is a lot of dots

and a lot of straight lines.

- I'm looking at everyone else,
- and they're doing dots.

- I want my piece to be
- something completely different.

♪ ♪

- Otto's using cakes!

Hallelujah!

We've brought him over

to the other side!

- My concept is

'50s devilish pinup.

- I want to stay away
- from the airbrush,

- because it doesn't
- really work that good,

- especially when you want
- solid, crisp lines.

This whole not airbrush thing

is just so weird.

I feel like I'm cheating.

- [laughs]

- Want some pink eyelashes?

- Cute!
- Right?

- What's up, Luis?

- How come you went with
- green on your model?

- Mine has to do with, like,
- immigration and stuff.

- Got to stand up for
- our people, you know?

- I feel you on that.

- I was born in Mexico.

When I was five years old,

my parents migrated

- to the U.S. because they wanted
- a better opportunity

for myself and for them.

I did the Mexican

color flags,

and that's what I'm doing

on my horn right now.

- Out of high school,
- I wasn't able to go

straight into art school,

because the money wasn't there.

Winning "Skin Wars"

would change my life.

I would pay for school.

- All right, you guys,

- y'all better stop polka-dotting
- around!

We got 15 minutes left!

- [people cheering]
- ****.

- Wow, that's cool.

- I understand

exactly what 2-D is.

- Yours kind of looks
- like a Ken doll.

- I was in the top three

in the last challenge,

so I need to show

what I'm made of

- and that I do have
- my own place

in the spectrum

of the body-painting world.

[upbeat music]

- Ten, nine, eight.

- Oh, my God.

- Oh, here comes the judges.

- I'ma spray your hair.

I'ma spray my hair.

- All right, painters,
- time's up!

- Put your tools down!
- Okay.

- How's everyone feeling?

- Great.
- Awesome, amazing.

- All right, the judges

can't wait to take

- a closer look
- against the background.

- Yeah!

- Hi, Kyera.

- So this is Miss Lucy.

She got her ice cream,

and it was a very hot day,

so it started melting.

- Aw!

- "It melted

all over my breasts!"

[laughter]

- Look at her teardrop;

it's a giant gem.

- I know; I wasn't
- gonna use rhinestones

and glitter for this one,

because I was like, "2-D,"

but then I was like, oops.

- [laughter]
- You were like, "Oops, oopsie."

- I think it's really clever

how you did

between her fingers black.

Really gives the illusion

of a drawn outline.

- Thank you, Kyera.
- Thank you so much.

- This is David.

He's a painter.

He was running late,

so he decided he was just

gonna paint a suit on.

- Rolling the competition

into a big fat blunt.

[laughter]

- It's probably why
- he was late.

- Yeah, probably.

Were you okay on time?

- Yeah, make it
- more challenging.

Maybe an hour and a half.

- Gauntlet thrown down,
- Rick.

- Yup.

- I chose green, red, and white

to represent the Mexican flag.

When people

stereotype immigrants,

they automatically

go for Mexicans.

It represents for my people.

- That shadow is very clever.

That's the first thing

I noticed when he came out.

- Oh, thank you, yeah.

- I love this
- color combination.

- You did a great job,
- and I like how

you did the lines

on the megaphone too

just to delineate that.

- Hello.

- "If I don't clean her pipes

tonight,

I'll hear

a coy kitchen whine."

- There's a few little

riddles in there.

- Please explain.

- Yes, what is this?

- It's kind of
- a cartoon of myself.

I grew up with all sisters

and all women,

and I was the one that would do

- all the stuff
- around the house.

- Can you give us an example

- of what a coy
- kitchen whine--

- What's a coy kitchen whine?

- "Coy kitchen whine" rhymes

with which pop artist

from that era?

- Roy Lichtenstein.

- There you go.

- Well, this feels like
- a confident painting.

I mean, you really nailed

this genre.

- Thank you.

- Thanks a lot, Hans.

- This is the first time I've

ever done anything like 2-D,

- and I got to play
- with the cakes.

- I stayed away from the airbrush
- as much as I could.

- Have you never
- used sponge before?

- Not put it on for

a full-body application.

I learned a lesson through this.

I'm happy with that.

- I'm happy too.

- Thank you.

- So I remember the day that

same-sex marriage got voted in

- and everyone--
- like, "Did you hear?

- Did you hear?
- Did you hear?"

- Have we got two faces?

- No, I'd always thought

about trying to do

- a profile
- in the opposite direction.

I didn't have any idea if

it was gonna work or not.

- I admire you for
- taking the risk.

- Yeah.
- Thank you, Alison.

- Thank you.

- All right, hey, Jess.

- Hi.

This drunk is, you know,

the life of the party.

But we don't see what happens

behind the scenes to his family.

- Tell us about the technique.

- I actually went away
- from the dots.

I wanted to go with the

very sharp color gradations

that happen

in the old cartoon style.

- Great.
- Thanks, Jess.

- Thank you so much.

- This looks like a nice twist.

- So this is Harriet, and

she is dating Hans's model.

- Your model looks

like a Swedish housewife

with those amazing cheekbones.

Those are outrageous!

- Wow, painters, you've given

the judges a lot to talk about.

- We'll be back to announce
- the winner shortly.

- Bye.
- Bye.

- See you soon.

Wow.

- That was fun!
- Yeah.

- I really liked Kyera's piece.

- Oh, Kyera's was fun.

- It was so sweet,

and technically

I think it actually was

one of the best.

- It was poppy and fun to look at.
- Yeah.

- So what'd you think
- about Luis?

- For me, that was
- the perfect marriage

of great technique,

great message.

- It was pure,

it was simple,

and the saturation of color

was beautiful.

- And, man, he just had me
- at that shadow.

Really clever.

- What'd you think
- about Jess?

- My favorite part

of Jess's piece

was the collection of

colors on the chest.

- You know, I thought it was
- a perfect choice.

- It was kind of risky
- that she was the only artist

that decided

not to do the dots

and challenged herself, "Can

I pull this off without dots?"

And I think she did.

- I think so.
- I don't think she needed 'em.

- What'd you think about Hans?

- Conceptually,

completely bizarre,

- but the painting
- was very solid.

The way that he did

the bald cap,

he was able to paint it

so it really read.

- So have you made

your decision?

- Yes.
- Yeah, I think so.

- Yeah.

- Okay, let's go tell 'em.

- All right.

[tense music]

- Hi, painters.

all: Hello.

- You've had three hours

to create your artwork.

Now it's time for the judges

to announce

their top three paintings.

- I'm not trying to be cocky
- or anything,

- but out of all
- the different pieces,

my piece is the most 2-D today.

- Hi, painters.
- all: Hello.

- You've had three hours

to create your artwork.

- Now it's time for the judges
- to announce

their top three paintings.

Jess.

Luis.

Kyera.

Congratulations, you have

the top three paintings.

Please step forward.

- Ah, my piece, it is

complete graphic everything.

The challenge was 2-D,

and I'm just pissed off.

- Judges, thoughts?

- Jess, you took a little risk

not doing the dots

like everybody else, but

your results were wonderful.

- I'm glad.
- I don't like dots.

- [laughs]

- Kyera, I really loved
- your concept.

I loved the sweetness

and the innuendo

and the clever use of your

ice cream cone as a prop.

- Thanks.

- Luis, you really

rocked this style.

The shadow on the arm,

I loved it.

- Thank you.

- And the winner of

this challenge is...

♪ ♪

Luis!

- Thank you!
- Congratulations.

You're the winner!

- When my name is called,

I'm just like: [gasps]

I can't believe it.

- All I'm thinking is just,
- "Viva Mexico,"

and it feels awesome!

- This piece spoke

from your heart.

It was really fun to look at

and also very moving.

- Thanks.

- Thank you, Cory.

- Thanks, Cory.

- In your first challenge, you

conquered the art of 2-D design.

Now it's time to take

your work to another level,

add dimension,

and create a 3-D mural.

[all exclaiming]

- I do a lot of murals.

That's what I do, and

that's what I do best.

I got this, you know.

This is too good to be true.

- A mural is usually flat,

but the curves

of the human body are

three-dimensional.

It's up to you to bring

your mural to life.

And for this concept challenge,

you'll be adding one more thing:

a partner.

- Aw!
- Nice.

- That's right; you'll be

working in teams of two.

- I feel a little bit nervous

about working in teams.

- I don't know who I'm
- gonna be paired with.

I'm just kind of like,

"Hmm, let's see

what happens here."

- Each team will turn four

models into three-dimensional

works of art,

and you'll have five hours.

One painter from the winning

team will be our winner,

and one painter from the

losing team will be going home.

Luis, since you won

the first challenge,

- you get to pick
- your painting partner.

- Jess.
- Yes!

- That was fast.

- Yeah.

I want to have the best team,

and Jess is a very

strong painter.

I'm excited.

- Okay, that's one team.

- Now we have to sort out
- the rest.

Luckily, I've got my trusty

paint can right here.

I'll pull out two paintbrushes,

and two names on them

will become a team.

Kyera and Alison.

- Hi!

- I knew it!

- Michael, Brittney.

- Yay, air five!

- Otto and Tiffany.

- Oh, wow.

- So that means Hans and Rick.

- Oh, yeah.
- [laughter]

- The two mural painters.

- This is amazing.

We both have a background

in street art.

- Rick and I are looking
- at each other like, "Get ready."

- We'll see you tomorrow,
- painters.

And remember,

there's no "I" in "team."

- But there is a "me."

[laughter]

Bye!

- Good luck!

[rock music]

♪ ♪

- Coming into this competition,
- I was very nervous

about working in teams

- but couldn't be more thrilled
- to work with Britt.

I wanted to give him wings

to fly high,

and then the other artist

can bring out their arms.

- Michael starts spitting

all darkness into light

and I was like, "Oh

my God, are you serious?"

He's a little bit more

on the quirky side.

That's typically not my style.

This will be interesting.

- That'll be like

the centerpiece of the owl.

- It's a shadow on top of it.

- Oh, yeah, there we go.

- On the owl's head.

- The basic idea of this is,

we've got this giant frog,

- and he opens his mouth,
- and all the water comes out,

and that makes everything green.

- In the boot camp, you'll

have your tents, training.

Our concept, it's a storyline.

There's a young soldier

from boot camp.

- Active duty.
- Your hometown.

- We have to create a 3-D mural,

and we're gonna

make it look 3-D by using

shadows and highlights.

- Like I said, we should do
- a big scene

- throughout
- the entire thing.

- I agree.

- On the way over here,

I just started missing

my son so much.

I just realized I feel

so deeply lonely, you know?

I'm just heartsick and homesick

and missing my son.

I don't want that to,

like, subconsciously

- sabotage what we're doing,
- you know?

- Alison is just having

an emotional day.

I'm gonna try to do my best

to uplift her spirits,

but I'm scared that she's

gonna bring us down.

I have a lot of

positive energy going on,

- and I've been at the bottom,
- so I really don't want

- to be there, so I'm going
- to be holding your hand.

I quit my job to be here.

I have nothing to go back to.

This is it.

[upbeat music]

- It's show time.

This is us!

- I love Michael,

but I'm a bit worried,

because I like to be in control

of my own artwork.

I've been in the top three

twice.

I know I need to make sure

- that Michael just can't
- hold me back.

- Are you guys working with us?

- Yes.
- Nice, welcome.

- Luis chose me as a partner,

and I'm not surprised.

I've won the Australian

championships three times.

I'm definitely one of the top

body painters here.

You're just putting your arm,

like, across you a bit.

We come up with this idea.

It's from the perspective

of a tiny fly

who's going to potentially be

zapped by this big bullfrog.

So I'm hoping

it's gonna turn out okay.

- Hi!

- Hey.

- Hey. Otto.
- Andrew.

- Andrew?

- The concept that me and Otto
- have is "Off to War,"

which is a salute to

all of our soldiers.

We have to make this

a very strong piece,

because I don't want Otto

going home;

I don't want myself to go home.

I would like Otto to go home

another day, to be honest.

You know, but now

is not that day.

- In the center of him is what?

- It's just gonna be,
- like, foliage peeking out

- between the leaves
- and the cocoon.

- For our design,

we just wanted to make up

a whimsical story of

the birth of a unicorn.

Concept's great, but

Alison is still emotional

because she misses her baby.

- I suddenly felt really,

really lonely, you know?

- I really hope

she can hold it together.

- I hope I don't have
- to start over.

I'm kind of nervous.

- Just like that.

I tattooed an owl on myself

when I first started tattooing

and it just fit perfectly

- with the vision
- that we had in mind.

Our concept is rising

above adversity

and just realizing how

powerful your knowledge is,

and the owl represents

knowledge.

I'm killing it.

- The frog should go, like,

right here as well.

My job on this one is the frog,

and Jess is responsible

for the fly.

- Right here, I'm blending
- the yellow, correct?

- Well, what I would do

is have a look at, like...

- 'Cause look,
- look at this one.

Jess, you know, she likes

to pretty much lead.

That red does not look good.

- What do you mean?

I haven't put any shadows

or anything yet.

- I think you should
- have done it with black.

- I'm gonna do black after.

- I'm nervous.

The judges aren't

gonna like this.

- The airbrush looks
- really sloppy.

- Well, okay, yeah,

but that was kind of the plan.

You do the airbrush first.

Luis is really stressed out,

but between the two of us,

- I don't intend to
- go home this week.

- Hey, Jess, I'm kind of

worried I'm going home.

- Stop it.

[upbeat music]

- We have five hours to paint

four models as a 3-D mural.

I feel like

this is too small.

Let me try

some bobby pins too.

I'm working on the caterpillar,

and Kyera is working

on the unicorn,

but we're spending too much

time on the bald caps,

so I'm hoping we can

get back on track.

Starting over.

♪ ♪

- Well, good morning, painters.

all: Good morning.

- I have Ru and Craig

with me today,

- who want to take a closer look
- at your work.

- Hi.

- Hi, Brittney and Michael.

- Hello.
- So what are you working on?

- We're working
- on a piece that is

going to transcend

before your eyes.

- Do you have a sketch or
- anything you can share?

- This is lightness

and darkness

trying to coexist.

- Oh.

- The universe
- is powerful.

- Michael and Brittney's concept

is voodoo hoodoo Zen thing?

I'm not sure what's going on,

and it seems like they don't

quite know either.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Bye.
- Bye.

- Luis and Jess.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- It hit us that this is

actually a competition.

Pretty much, each challenge

is this giant frog, and, like--

- We're a little fly.

- We're the flies.

- Who came up with the concept?

- We kind of both did.

- We both did, but we--

- We brought two separate ideas.
- All right.

- I'm getting you're the

dominant force here, Jess.

- No, I just talk loudly.

- Because, Luis,
- you seem like, you know,

you could be a pushover.

Are you worried about that?

- No, I wouldn't want to work

with him if he were a pushover.

- You've got a lot

of work done already.

- Impressive-looking work.
- Thank you.

- Rick, how you feeling?
- I'm feeling great.

- What is the idea?
- Can you share it with us?

- Basically, the path

from the streets

to making your dreams happen.

- Pretty much just the meaning
- behind my owl

just being the king of

knowledge, you know?

It's working good so far.

- Who do you feel your

biggest competitors are?

- Oh, really?
- You're working with him.

- Standing right next
- to him, are ya?

- That's right.

- Keep your enemies close.

[laughter]

- Otto and Tiffany.

- Yes.
- Why, hello.

- Hello.

- So, basically, we have

a story that resonates

with the people that

are in the, like, armed forces.

- So it's going to be patriotic,
- it's looking?

- Oh, yes.
- Yes.

- Otto, you're very quiet.

- Are you letting her
- take the lead?

- Sometimes a woman
- should take that.

[laughing]

- We're still a little bare,
- aren't we?

- Yes.

- We had to get the--

- The bald caps took forever.

- You're telling me.

Story of my life!

- So our horned caterpillar's

going to go into a chrysalis

and then come out as a

unicorn with butterfly wings.

- What's going to be your

biggest challenge today?

- Time and
- lining everything up.

- And then we're gonna go in
- with color.

- Yeah.
- Thanks, guys.

- Wish us luck!

- All right, painters,

- thanks for letting us take
- a little peek.

- Now, remember, there's gonna be
- one winning team,

and there's going to be

one losing team.

And out of those,

one of you will win,

and one of you in this room

will be going home tonight.

Good luck, painters.

- Bye.
- See you soon!

[upbeat music]

- What if you open your mouth?

Brit.

- That's good.

We're telling a story about

this artist coming into his own,

going from darkness into light.

- Like this.

- Michael, he's

going to do darkness.

I'm working on the light.

- We're also just

communicating telepathically.

- Mm-hmm.

Mm-mm.

Oh!

I'm a bit nervous about it all

coming together.

I hope to God it makes sense.

- Ooh, you got

that airbrush skills.

- How are you doing over there?

- Pretty much almost done.

- Really?
- Yeah.

- Shut up, Ricky.

Don't even talk to me right now.

- Rick always finishes quick.

- He's a street artist, and
- that's the name of the game.

But his work gets

a little bit sloppy.

Okay, see, this is

a little bit sloppy.

- Well, you were the one
- that did that line.

- Um...

Rick is only 20 years old,

but I've been doing murals

for 20 years.

- Whatever he does,
- I can just marry

this whole piece together

and make it great.

[upbeat music]

- Does it look 3-D?
- [gasps]

- Yeah, I need to pop
- this one leg out.

- I've been watching Kyera

struggle with her piece.

They're gonna be in trouble.

- So does that look

like a wing to you?

[sighs]

The image is there,

but we need more time.

I've done all that I could.

I've done most of this piece.

And at this point,

I wish I was alone.

[upbeat music]

- 45?
- There's 45?

[gasps] There's 45 minutes

remaining, guys!

♪ ♪

- If we got time, we gotta

throw boots on here too.

- I'll do the faces.

You do the boots.

♪ ♪

- I'm not really feeling this.

- In general?

- Like, for example,

we're prob--uh...

got me stuttering now,

made me nervous.

- When the judges came around,
- they said

Jess is dominating,

so I'm just thinking

if our piece makes the bottom,

- I'm the one that's
- gonna go home.

- So what I'm gonna do now--

this whole thing is a layer.

- How about you do that part?

- Because I'm just
- not visualizing it.

- Where's the white,
- white, white, white, white?

- White's over here.

- [coughing]

♪ ♪

- All right, painters.
- Time's up.

Put your tools down!

Wow!

- I don't know what
- I'm looking at,

- but everybody looks
- real good from here.

So let's all mosey on out

to the elimination stage

and show the judges.

- I don't know if my droopy dog

energy dragged Kyera down.

I'm just freaking out

about the mural.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- Well, hello, painters.

all: Hi.

- For this challenge,

you worked in teams of two

to create 3-D murals

that tell a cohesive story.

Now let's say hello

to our esteemed judges.

Craig Tracy.

- Hello, painters.

- Robin Slonina.

- Hi, everybody.

- RuPaul Charles.

- What's up?

[laughter]

- And please welcome
- our special guest judge,

- who has mastered
- her own art form,

the incredibly

talented makeup artist

and YouTube sensation

Kandee Johnson.

- Hi!
- Hello.

- Oh, my God, Kandee Johnson?

She built herself up

as a makeup artist.

She's a huge inspiration that

I've been following for so long.

I'm so excited you're here.

- Thanks!

- Okay, painters.

It's time to present

your paintings.

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- It feels really good to

see our models up there.

The wings look great.

- I'm hoping that I can win it
- with this one.

I really want to beat Rick.

♪ ♪

- The owl makes me
- feel proud of myself.

It's my design.

I hope the judges are able

to just see that off the bat.

- My favorite part of

the piece is the unicorn.

I worked really hard

on that position

to make it look like it was

jumping out of the body,

but overall I'm scared,

because it doesn't

- really connect with
- the caterpillar.

- My caterpillar looks great.

It looks fun.

It looks colorful.

I really like my side.

Kyera's unicorn

was a little rough

and not super well-rendered.

I don't want to lose because

of something that I didn't do.

- I just really love
- the gold leaf

and all of these details,

but it's the models' movements

that really make it magical.

- I love the way

it looks cohesively,

but I'm not liking my faces

that I put on their bodies.

I know my quality of work is a

lot better than what I put out.

It's a sickening feeling.

- Looking at all the models

together, I'm feeling good.

I love the tongue idea.

It's exactly what I wanted.

And I didn't let Jess take

full control of this mural.

Definitely has a chance.

- I spent a lot of time

working on the fly,

and it looks really very cool.

The frog doesn't

line up correctly.

I'll have to wait and

see what happens.

- I like the tanks.

I like the guns.

Tiffany did an awesome job

on the portrait,

which represents those soldiers

that didn't make it home.

For the first time,

- I'm not worried about
- getting kicked off.

To me, it just looks great.

- Our models look so beautiful.

I'm not 100% happy

with the boots,

but the rest of the piece

is really good.

- Okay, Hans and Rick,

please step forward.

- Our concept is about

how we've made it here.

It's called

"From Dreams to Reality."

- So you both have experience

doing mural painting?

- Yeah.
- 20 years, yeah.

- Well, I think that you guys

really nailed it

- as far as execution
- of the challenge.

It's just stunning.

- So who did what on the piece?

- So we kind of
- designed it together.

- I was focused on the owl,

and Hans threw some wings

on it,

- and he did some building
- on the bottom.

- The skyline, it's just

captivating to your eyes.

And then that owl?

- It looks like it's
- three-dimensional.

- Like, it looks like
- there are layers.

It is phenomenal.

- Thanks so much.
- Thank you.

- That's awesome.
- All right, square biz.

Between the two of you,

who should win?

- It's not for us to decide;

it's for you to decide.

- If it comes down to that,

I mean,

I don't mind taking the win.

[laughter]

- So why should you win?

- Well, see, now it gets

more technical, you know?

So I feel like I did a bigger

part of the project.

- Okay, thank you,

Rick and Hans.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Okay, Brittney and Michael,
- your turn.

- This piece is about an artist

who's afraid of darkness

but faces his fears

and seeks the universe.

- Were you worried that
- this was gonna be a bit much

for your models, to take on

three separate poses?

- We wanted to go

a bit above and beyond

what everyone was doing and

take a different approach.

- Instead of having
- a stagnant pose,

we wanted our story to come

to life in front of you.

- Who did

the center model's face?

- Brittney.
- I did.

- It's beautiful.

- Thank you.

- This is a very

theatrical piece.

However, I think it's more

cosmic than it is kickass.

From both of you,

I wanted to see

a little bit more technique,

something that

pulled me in closer.

- Okay, Brittney and Michael,
- thank you.

- Thank you, judges.
- Thank you guys.

- Okay, Luis and Jess.

- So the whole concept is about

that this is a competition,

that frog being

a huge challenge

and each of us being that fly

that's about to get eaten.

- This piece reminds me

of Nicki Minaj

in that I like the bottom

more than I like the top.

- Oh!

[dramatic music]

- I pretty much painted

the whole bottom.

- Hang on a sec.

♪ ♪

- What'd you paint?

- Oh!

- I pretty much painted

the whole bottom.

- What?
- And the crumbs.

- Hang on a sec.

- What'd you paint?

- Oh!

- So the thing
- that you're saying to me

is that you don't see the frog.

- Me no like the frog.
- Okay.

But the guy that spent

the most time on the frog

was this guy.

- The frog is the one part
- where I'm like--

- I feel like my eyes and my brain
- are working so hard.

- Like, "See a frog.
- See a frog."

I'm like, what kind

of frog are you?

I don't know.

- But I love how
- the tongue comes down.

Like, that part is so cool.

- Jess, do you think

that you should win today?

- Um, I think I should.

- I believe I should stay.

- I was pretty much the brains
- behind the piece.

- [laughs]

- All right, thanks, guys.

[militant music]

- We wanted to commemorate

all of the active servicemen.

- We thought
- that it would be a good idea

to bring that on the show

- so that people across
- the world can know

that we appreciate them.

♪ ♪

- It's really beautiful,

and of course you know,

- you put an American flag
- on something,

and, well...

"America's number one, son!"

[laughter]

- Who can I blame for

painting those faces?

- Me.

- I was rushing to get something
- on the face

so that it wouldn't be bare.

- Speaking of faces, did you

render both portraits?

- I did.

- Beautifully done.
- Thank you.

- This is something that's
- so touching and powerful

for people who have lost

loved ones

- or have grandparents
- or fathers or friends

- or anybody
- who's fought in the war.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Okay, Kyera and Alison.

[upbeat music]

- Our piece

is the whimsical story

of the birth of a unicorn.

- I love all the detail
- that looks just like

- an illustration
- on the little--

- is that the horn
- of the caterpillar?

And of course I always love

glitter anywhere.

- Thank you.
- I love you, by the way.

- I love you too.

- I want to like this piece more

than I actually like this piece.

I don't feel like

you communicated

or planned as effectively

as you could have.

It's just not working for me.

- The unicorn is
- supposed to be coming out

of the chrysalis, but I think

something got lost there.

- Of the two of you,

who should win?

- I'm going to have to say me.

- Alison, do you agree
- with that?

- Um...

Overall, I feel like Kyera is

so, like, young and vibrant,

and I almost want to--

I almost feel like

throwing myself under the bus

if it came down to that,

because I feel like

Kyera should just be here.

Like, this is so her.

She's kind of on her upswing,

- and I feel like I'm on
- my downswing right now.

I don't know.

- That's ridiculous.

If you can't sell yourself,

then you're not gonna make it

as a freelance artist

in this business.

- Oh, my gosh,

did I make a mistake?

I don't think

I'm ready to go home.

- Well, painters,

that was pretty fantastic.

- The judges have
- a lot to discuss.

Please head back to the lounge,

and we'll call you back shortly.

- [sighs]

- That was rough, guys.

- That was brutal.

- Look, you know what?

The work will speak for itself,

- and that's what
- is most important.

- But you have to
- stand up for yourself.

- We're friends, and
- we all get along,

- but I didn't come here
- to make friends.

I came here to take

that money home.

- So, judges,

what'd you think?

- I love Hans and Rick.

The owl, that was mind-blowing.

- I was just--

just gobsmacked by it.

- And it was the symmetry

of the rest of it

- that helped keep focusing
- your eye

back on that

beautiful centerpiece.

- And even how they did
- the skyline,

it was really cohesive.

I liked it a lot.

- That was Hans,

and it was just

- such a pleasing thing
- to look at.

- I got the sense
- when talking to them

that Rick was the real painter

of the focal point.

- Rick is kind of

a soft-spoken alpha.

- Right?
- [laughter]

- How about Luis and Jess?

- I thought it was

a beautiful piece,

but the frog failed.

- The frog was a failure,

but the color scheme

- and everything else about it,
- I absolutely loved.

- And the tongue,

I really liked the tongue.

- What'd you think about

Michael and Brittney?

- It was a mix of many

different New Age elements,

but it just needed

more cohesion for me.

- That was a little confusing.

- The difference between the

faces was a little bit jarring.

- And the eyes were
- very simple,

- and I feel like it didn't look
- three-dimensional.

We didn't see details

that could have been like,

"Whoa, look at that wow factor!"

- I don't know

which one would be the bottom

in that mini train wreck.

- What about Kyera and Alison?

- Do you know what
- pissed me off?

- Hmm?

- Alison pissed me off today.

- Oh, yeah.
- What in the heck was that?

Saying that "oh, she's younger."

I just did not respect

that attitude that she took.

- I really did enjoy

Kyera and Alison's piece.

I loved the colors.

- That caterpillar

was very convincing,

but there's just some

little technical things.

The water droplets,

I wish that maybe they were

a little more white or blue.

- Kyera's unicorn,

it was a technical mess.

- Now, granted,

a caterpillar is a cylinder.

It's a lot easier.

I mean, it's much more

complicated to make a unicorn.

- And it was in movement,

with limbs coming at you,

- where I think, like,
- that is a challenge.

- Mm-hmm.

- The Tiffany and Otto piece,

for me, felt like a mural.

The actual story was cohesive.

- I agree.
- You knew exactly what it said.

- You didn't even need it
- to be explained to you.

And that's the purpose

of a mural.

- So, judges, have you

made your decision?

- Yeah.

- I think so.

- Yeah.

[dramatic music]

- Welcome back, painters.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- In this challenge,

you competed in teams,

and your 3-D murals came

to life.

Tonight, there can be

only one winner,

and one painter

will be going home.

Luis and Jess.

You are safe, so you may head

back to the painters' lounge.

both: Thank you.

- Otto and Tiffany.

Hans and Rick.

You are the top two teams.

Congratulations.

Please step forward.

- Otto and Tiffany,

your mural was passionate,

and it made me proud

to be an American.

- Hans and Rick, it all worked,

starting with the composition,

the pose.

Everything was

executed perfectly.

You should both be very proud.

- Thank you.

- Thanks so much.

- Hans and Rick,

congratulations.

You're the top team.

- Awesome.

- Otto and Tiffany, you may head
- back to the painters' lounge.

- Thank you, judges.

- Hans and Rick, one of you

will be tonight's winner.

- I know that I have

more experience than Rick.

- It's very important
- for me to show everyone

that I'm in this competition

for a reason.

- The winner of

this challenge is...

[tense music]

- Hans and Rick, you both did

exceptional work,

but only one of you

can come out on top.

The winner of this

challenge is...

[tense music]

Rick.

Congratulations.

- Yeah, I won.

I love it. I'm officially

a threat to everybody.

- [sighs]
- That feels good.

[laughter]

- Rick, that owl

that you painted

truly was the focal point

of an extraordinary piece

of art tonight.

- Congratulations, Rick.

- You and Hans may go back
- to the painters' lounge.

- Thank you, judges.

- Congrats.
- Great work, Hans.

- Thank you, awesome.

- Well done, guys.

- What up, playas?

- Welcome.

- Michael and Brittney,

Alison and Kyera.

The judges thought your murals

were the least effective

tonight.

- Michael and Brittney,

I wanted more technique here.

You spent too much time

on the transitions

and the theatrics

without actually putting

together a cohesive mural.

- Alison and Kyera,
- I know that you guys

got off to a rocky start,

and it did end up looking

a little bit rushed.

- Unfortunately, one of you will

be packing your brushes tonight.

[tense music]

Michael and Brittney...

♪ ♪

You're safe.

But the judges need to see

better work from you--and soon.

Please return

to the painters' lounge.

- Thank you.

♪ ♪

- I'm freaking out.

I'm in the bottom.

But if Alison is a woman

of her word and she doesn't

want to be here,

she will let that be known.

If she's two-faced

and I end up going home

- and she doesn't voice
- her opinion,

then everybody can see

her character.

- Alison and Kyera,

one of you is going home.

♪ ♪

The judges have made

their decision.

Alison...

♪ ♪

You're safe.

- [gasps]

- Although your overall mural

was lacking

in technique and composition,

the caterpillar

and the tropical aspects

- of your painting
- were well executed.

- [sighs]

- Kyera.

Unfortunately,

you are going home tonight.

- Kyera, the unicorn was not

as strong as the caterpillar.

It wasn't a clean rendering.

- Alison, it's time

for you to step up your work

and get ready to fight.

- Hell, yeah.

([sniffs)

- Alison, you may head back

to the painters' lounge.

- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

- Wow, Alison.

Fake, everything fake.

I'm heartbroken.

- Kyera, I know in my heart

of hearts, you're a star.

You're a star,

and I know stars

when I see them.

This is just the beginning.

- Thank you.

I've made it to a point where

I never thought I could reach.

I'm finally in LA,

and I'm not leaving,

and I'm not going back home.

I feel truly blessed

to have met all of you.

Thank you all.

- Kyera, it's time to

wash off your canvas.

- I'm disappointed.

I wanted to make it

till the end.

I'm blessed and happy.

I've already won a family,

especially with Michael.

- [sobbing]

- Being a part of "Skin Wars"

has been the best experience

of my life,

and I know that I can be proud

of my work.

- Fly high, little unicorn.

Fly high.

- Till next time.

- Bye.

- I'm going to pursue

my dream in LA,

and I'm excited

that the world will see

that I am a great artist, and

this is only the beginning

for a greater life

that's about to be.

[upbeat music]

- Next time on "Skin Wars"...

- There's gonna be a pageant!

- Wait a minute.

That's not a woman.

[laughs]

- The men are here.

- Oh, [beep].

- Winning is the goal.

- Exactly.

- What is going on?

- Luis?

Yeah, he gonna howl.

- Oh, ****!

- 45 minutes, bitches!

- Are you ready

to crown Miss Skin Wars?

- I thought you'd never ask.

- I just want to win

one challenge.

Please just one.