Blown Away (2019–…): Season 2, Episode 5 - Center of Attention - full transcript

[Nick Uhas] We've built
North America's biggest hot shop...

where ten exceptional glassblowers...

[blowing]

...push themselves to creative extremes.

Because if they can survive...

-[Cat] Guys!
-...our fiery competition...

-[Nao gasps]
-[glass breaks]

...they'll win
a life-changing prize package.

That's, like, the ultimate dream.

[Nick] Now, six remain.

Whoops! [gasps, groans]



[Nick] Battling the clock
and the sweltering heat of our furnaces.

I'm Nick Uhas. Get ready...

to be Blown Away.

Glassblowers,
welcome back to the hot shop,

and congratulations on making it
to the halfway mark of the competition.

-Yeah!
-Woo!

I wanna win so badly.

Let's go do this.
What's the next challenge?

You all know Katherine.

She's been watching you work
in every challenge

as our resident evaluator.

But I have a feeling
that today's guest evaluator

is no stranger to you either.

As the interior design expert
on Queer Eye...



Yas!

...he's been responsible for some
of the most awe-inspiring transformations

to both heart and home.

-Bobby Berk is in the hot shop.
-[Cat] Woo!

-Hello!
-[Cat] Yay! Hi!

[Mike] My kid is a huge fan.

This dude is famous.

So great to meet you all.

[squeals excitedly]
I, like, fangirled a little bit.

The second I saw the glass art
coming out of this hot shop, I was hooked.

I am so thrilled to be here.

Picture this. You have people coming over
for a special occasion.

Dinner's in the oven. The table is set.

-[Nao] Whoa.
-[Cat] Cool.

[Nao] Fancy.

[Nick] But there's something missing.

[Katherine] For this challenge,

we want you to create
a glass art centerpiece for the table.

Your centerpiece needs to set the tone
for the evening,

to spark lively conversation

and bring your guests together.

So that covers function,
but remember, we want form, too.

I love minimal design and decor,
so if something's in the room,

it shouldn't just be taking up space.

Pieces that work best are pretty
and have a purpose.

Kinda like Nick.

You're the best, dude.

[Bobby] I wanna see beautiful design
that will add to,

but not overpower the table.

We're looking for that perfect balance.

[Nick] Your finished work
will be evaluated

on how well
you follow the challenge brief,

your technical skill,
and your overall presentation.

You'll have five hours
to complete this challenge.

As usual, the winner of the challenge
will be named Best in Blow.

That will bring them one step closer
to the grand prize,

a package worth $60,000

that includes a residency
at the Corning Museum of Glass.

[Katherine] The rest of you
will be up for elimination

and may be asked to leave the hot shop.

-Bobby, will you do the honors?
-[Bobby] With pleasure.

All right, glassblowers,
your time starts now!

[upbeat string music playing]

This challenge is: make a centerpiece

and make it spark conversation
at your dinner party.

Let's see. We got a poblano.

Halfway through. It's been a journey.
It's getting a little heavier.

[Elliot] Your phone is
the thing that's, like,

ruins conversation, breaks up the party.

So the idea is have this bin

in the center of the table,
the centerpiece,

and everybody's phone goes in the bin.

People spend their entire lives
trying to come up

with beautiful, functional design.

And it's like, I haven't done that.
I don't do that.

[Cat] For some people,
it's a challenge to make something

that's both beautiful and functional,
but for me, it's not.

I do a lot of outdoor dining.

There's always freakin' bugs. Like, ew.

So I'm making glass domes
to go over food at a party

that also has a ring toss.

I think it's a fun way
to keep all the ickies out of your food.

And to have, like,
a nice little at-the-dinner party game.

Special occasions aren't always cheerful.

It'll be a memorial vase centerpiece.

[Mike] If we're having a party
at my house,

we're gonna be having probably tacos,

so I'm gonna make a fancy,
classy hot sauce trough.

[Andi] I'm gonna do a platter,
salt and pepper,

a vase, and a candle holder,
and a pitcher.

And they're all gonna look
like a mountainscape.

So the final piece will be a hand
pushing through the bottom of the vase.

I've never physically grabbed
the hot glass before.

Keep the medic close by.

[blowing]

I love glassblowing!

[glass breaks]

Can you blow a little bit?

Again, gently.

[Cat] Oh, these are waxy.

Bobby, I know you've watched the show,
but from this, like,

up-high view,
what's going through your head?

[Elliot] Stop.

[Bobby] There's so much stuff going on.

I don't know
how more things don't get broken.

-That's fair.
-Arms, legs, people, everything.

Spirits. Spirits get broken.

I was gonna say,
people's dreams do, often.

[imitating crying voice]
That's the saddest one.

I've made it halfway through competition.
I'm feeling freakin' pumped.

It's like, oh, my God, it's halfway!
But also, oh, my God, it's only halfway.

[laughs]

[Andi] We've got some girl power
represented here.

The women are really strong.

[metal clanks]

I also kinda feel like
I can take down the women,

so I've got a plan. [chuckles]

And off. Woo!

Hoping to get this one.

Gettin' a little spicy.

[whistling]

Is Elliot still here? [laughs]

I haven't heard him
throwing things around, so...

[Elliot] I'm still just competing
with myself.

As the numbers dwindle,

I'm gonna start, like, targeting people.
You know.

[laughs]

[ominous piano note]

[upbeat music playing]

So I'm working with texture
more than color.

Not working with any color.

The colors are pretty dense.

[Andi] I've taken a number of colors,

and I'm squishing
and swirling them together

so that the effect makes the glass
look like it's made out of marble.

I am making the center

that will vault my chilies
up above the base.

Does his tattoo say, "Shhh"?

[all laugh]

[Nick] Actually, his last name is Shelbo,
so it's, "Shhh... elbow."

-Oh!
-Shelbo.

Oh!

[Nick] It's very fitting
of his personality and his work.

It's quirky and fun.

[Mike] ♪ Come on down to pepper town ♪

Beauteous. Rock 'n' roll.

I'm not making chips and salsa bowls.

[laughs]

Mine is more like a memorial.

Yeah, push.

Just by the suggestion
of a hand coming through there. Okay.

I don't want it to look too gruesome.

And that's what I'm worried about,
that it's a little bit of a horror effect.

I like that idea of the trickster.

Of kind of seeing an expectation
and then just tweaking it a little bit.

Okay, very gently.

Stop.

[Katherine] One thing the glassblowers
have gotta think about is scale.

Nothing annoys me more at a dinner party
than when I'm having to, like,

go like this to talk to the person
across the table.

-Right.
-So, a centerpiece that's too tall

can just not be conducive
to good communication.

[Andi] Everything's, like, sparking.

[Nao] I always have hard time
seeing people across the table.

[chuckling] Because I'm so short.

[Elliot] Yeah, take it. Lovely.

And pull back a little.

[Cat] Usually you tap something off
of the punty.

Two hands.

And I'm trying to stretch it

off of the punty, so that it creates,

like, an elongated nose off of the top.

Hopefully, a couple of 'em
don't look like turds.

[Nick] Is there anybody on the floor
you would wanna give

a Queer Eye makeover to?

On Queer Eye, we don't do makeovers.
We help make better.

[blowing]

I mean, I think it would be kind of unfair
to judge anyone's look

in the middle of a hot shop.

[Katherine laughs]

I got sweat in my eyes, so...

All right. When you put this on...

-Yeah.
-...I want this part sticking.

Turn it a little bit. Right there.

Woo! [grunts]

We're good. It could have not stuck.
That would've been a bummer.

I would say I'm a designer first,

and glassblowing just happens to be
the medium I work with.

I feel like this is my challenge.
I love design, minimalism,

plus functionality.

It's gonna come off like a beauty.

[metal clanks]

I am here to take my career
to the next level.

All right.

I've had a lot of success,
but some months, it's...

not sure how I'm paying the bills.

It takes a lot of strength
and a lot of commitment to stay in it.

[blowing]

Stop. [grunts softly]

Softest puff.

[Cat] Perfect.

Running.

[Andi] Totally badass.

[blowing raspberry]

[Nao] I'm making functional piece.
This is the base part.

I'm gonna make a flat top,
so that people can use it as a base.

Use it with the flower or candle.

Or you can use it as a...
maybe like cupcake holder or something.

So, I'm hoping just to push my fingers
in there

so they register as individual digits.

Every time I look at Chris,
I'm just like, "You do you, dude."

[clock ticking]

[Chris] I've never put my hand through
the bottom of a hot bubble before.

I'm more worried that the glove
I'm wearing will fuse to my skin.

I'm willing to take this risk
because I believe in the idea.

All right,
and then you hold the pipe tight.

And don't move it, okay?

[Bobby] For me as a child,

101 from your mom
was "Hot! Hot! Don't touch." So...

He's breaking the rules for me.

You can cap it.

It's difficult for me as an artist
to follow the rules.

I like to break those rules.

[tense music playing]

We're all good.

[Bobby] Katherine, when Chris
is touching that glass, how hot is it?

It is about 2,000 degrees,
so it is pretty hot.

I love the fact that he did it.
It's really cool.

I appreciate being thought of
as the rebel of the glass community.

I think that's brilliant.

♪ Makin' peppers, makin' chilies ♪

Go back. Stop.

-Too hot. Quicker flash, okay?
-[woman] Okay.

Stop. Push. Stop.

Where's my tweezers? Ah!

Oh, there they are.

Making the rubbish bin.

Everything looks good.
Nice shape, nice size.

Lovely. Stop.

-Open up.
-[man] Yeah.

-[glass shatters]
-Oh, man!

Did I just hear
some glass breakage? Oh, no.

[Nick] He's been working on that
for so long, too.

[Elliot] That's it. No. It's done.

Shit!

Yeah, sort the glass out.
Sort the glass out. Yeah.

[grunts]

Sh... Sugar.

[grunts]

It's heartbreaking. I just wanna be like,
"It's okay. You win."

[Elliot] Should've torched it.

[blowing]

We do it again,
but we do it slightly differently.

[Katherine] That happens
all the time, unfortunately.

And glassblowers notoriously, like,
learn to just not be precious about it.

It was a little bit thin,

a bit weak and definitely too cold.

-So it just split.
-[metal clanks]

[Mike] Ready? Go.

Lovely. Perfect! Let go.

The top bowl, it's beautiful.
I'm so happy with it.

Coming in.

-[glass breaks]
-[yells] No!

It fell in.

[puffing] Okay.

So, we have a jinx in the hot shop.

That when we say, "This is the best"

or "Oh, my God, this is amazing,"

piece usually not gonna survive.

Blow.

And stop.

[triumphant music playing]

Try and stay in the same spot, Seth.
There you go.

Good.

Hello, Cat. How's it goin'?

-Amaz... Knock on wood. Amazing.
-[Katherine] Yeah.

You know, Bobby mentioned
about height being an issue.

Something you've been thinking about?

[Cat] So, I'm very specifically
making none of them too tall.

And I'm also making sure
that the color's kind of a fade

so that you can still see through it.

I'll let you keep at it.

-[Cat] Thank you.
-Good luck.

I need my big shears for this.

I didn't really have friends
until I started blowing glass.

The hot shop is like a second home.

I represent the ugly ducklings,

people that were slightly disenfranchised.

The family...

that is glassblowing,

once you're a part of it,
we really take care of each other.

Bellissima! Molto bella.

Stop.

Glassblowers, there's only an hour left.

-How much?
-[Katherine] Sixty minutes.

It's made you deaf!

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!

Big-ass mold.

Frick.

This is the main part of the piece,

so I need to get this bit right.

[blowing]

[blowing]

-Hey, Chris.
-Hey, Katherine.

How's your centerpiece coming along?

It's coming. The piece that I manipulated
with my hand on the bottom

would be the formal part of a vase.

Yeah. What's the significance?

[Chris] The hand inside would be
representative of a memorial or something.

-Uh-huh.
-[laughs]

[blowing]

This is very cryptic.

What... There's a real personal connection
to this?

-Oh, yeah. Yeah.
-[Katherine] Yeah?

Okay.

Is there something
you can tell me about it?

Not right now.

[Katherine] Okay.
Well, I will let you carry on, then.

-Good luck.
-All right. Thanks, Katherine.

Yes.

-Pull.
-[man] That works.

[Elliot] Quick as you can. Hard. Hard.

Okay.

[Katherine] Half an hour left.

Yeah, that's good.

Just trying to catch my breath.

In the limited amount of time left,

I have to make a very large blown bowl

and a very small blown bowl.

[exhaling sharply]

-Oh, yeah.
-[woman] You're doing great.

Last challenge, I ended up relying a lot
on the torch.

Throwing down my glassblowing skills.

I wanna impress the evaluators.

I know that they've been waiting for me
to do some blowing.

It's called Blown Away, not Sculpt Away.

I feel so good right now.

I'm finally comfortable blowing glass
in this shop.

[blowing]

Angle. Angle.

[Chris] Okay.

[blowing]

Glassblowers, it's time to set the table.

[laughs]

Okay. Okay.

[woman] Stretch. Sorry.

[Mike] This is gonna be down to the wire.

[tense music playing]

[metal clanks]

[man] Out of the way.

Nice.

[Elliot] The tall annealer,
which is the tall one?

[Nao] Great job. Thanks, Rob.

Yay! Done! [chuckles]

-Better safe than sorry.
-[man] Yeah, man.

-Well done.
-[man] Cool.

-Great. Got it?
-[metal clanks]

[Chris] Nice.

[Cat] The challenge is really multifaceted
in that we have to create

centerpieces that not only engage
the viewers but have a function.

Functional, done. Beautiful, done.

Interactive, done.
Sparking lively conversation? Got this.

[Andi] I hope that the evaluators see

that I know how to make things
that are minimal and they have a purpose.

[Nao] I hope it sparks a conversation,

and I really felt like I nailed
all the criteria that I was given.

I love this piece.
They're gonna love it, too.

[Chris] It should have a wow factor.

There's not many centerpieces
that have a hand

protruding from the bottom.

[Elliot] I hope they see it
as a functioning sculpture.

And I hope it looks beautiful.

[Nick] It's time to get
the dinner party started.

[Katherine] I have to say,
I'm a little surprised

on how tall
some of these centerpieces are.

[Bobby] Yeah.

[Nick] All right, so this is Chris's.

[Bobby] I like the color of the glass.

I don't like a lot of color.

[Katherine] I'm not sure
I see a celebration.

Even though I like the color
and I like the minimal quality of it,

it's pretty dark and lugubrious.

Can I say that word?

[Bobby] It's also...

Yeah. All night, you're like this.

-[Katherine] Mm-hmm.
-It's the tallest out of all of them.

[Nick] This is Nao's centerpiece.

[Bobby] I actually really like this.

-I love its versatility.
-Yeah.

[Katherine] Use these on the table.
Then have...

[Bobby] Exactly.

-And you could do votives here.
-Yeah.

[Bobby] Candle lights there.

-I like how multifunctional it is.
-[Katherine] Mm-hmm.

She definitely followed direction
on eyeline.

There could be a child
sitting across from me

and I can still make eye contact.
This isn't disrupting conversation at all.

[Nick] I like the use of color.

Personally, the colors that she chose
are not my thing.

When you choose
such vibrant colors like this,

you really limit
when and how you can use it.

Like, this wouldn't necessarily work
for holiday settings.

[Nick] Elliot designed a rubbish bin,
so that phones can be trashed at the table

and guests can actually talk
to each other.

-You're supposed to put your phone in.
-Hmm.

But the fact that it's clear,
and you can see it lighting up...

Who's texting?

It's just... it's just torture.

I thought it would be a great container
for a nice bottle of champagne.

-[Katherine] Oh, yeah.
-That, too.

[Bobby] Maybe if, inside of here,
there was a cellphone that he made

stuck in the center to where you knew
that's what this was for.

Right.

[Bobby] Yeah. Could be cooler.

[Nick] All right, so this is Mike's piece.

I like that the red peppers
are pretty on point on the color.

-Yeah.
-[Katherine] That's his forte,

is sculpting things like this.

One thing I would say,
this is sort of the first time

that we've seen more blown elements
from Mike.

I wouldn't say these are, like,
really well-crafted.

If you're dipping a chip
all the way up here,

by the time you get it to your mouth,
it's everywhere.

I don't think function
is a huge thing here.

[Katherine] Yeah.
It does seem very precarious.

One wrong move
and that thing breaks into pieces.

One too many tequilas on Taco Tuesday.

-Yes. Yeah.
-Yeah.

[Nick] Andi's centerpiece is made up
of salt and pepper shakers,

a pitcher, a vase and platter,
all inspired by mountains.

Huh.

[Nick chuckles] It does look very rocky.

The color she chose in all of this,
I love.

I don't know if I love it, honestly.

The functionality of them seems...
very tenuous.

They're very tall and skinny.

The opaque color is a bit of a barrier.

That looks pretty tall.

There's no little passageway
through the valley?

If you're having to go like this...

-[Katherine] Yeah. Right.
-...you give up and stop talking.

[Bobby] She should've done it
a little lower.

The polar bears, though,
I think it could've done without them.

[Katherine] Yeah,
I'm not sure what they add.

In some of the earlier challenges,
she's done some things

that were minimal,
and those were her most successful.

And then others,
where she has too many elements,

start to become her downfall.

[Nick] Cat's centerpiece is made up
of a cluster of cloches

that also double as a ring toss game.

[Bobby] Hm, so I think
if you're having an outdoor party,

this could be a nice little way
to keep bugs off of food.

[Katherine] Still not sure I feel like
those are great colors

for, like, looking at food through.

No, I think she could've done one color.

All right, shall we bring
the glassblowers in?

-Let's do it.
-All right.

[tense music playing]

I feel like this is gonna secure my spot
in the competition.

[Andi] I'm definitely
a little nervous. [chuckles]

I think everyone's a little nervous.

We gave you five hours
to create a focal-point centerpiece

that can turn a dud of a dinner party
into a delight.

Overall, I was really impressed
with the variety of approaches you took.

[Bobby] Some people's pieces,
although beautiful,

would definitely block conversation.

-Cat.
-[Bobby] I love a good garden party.

I don't know how functional
a glass ring is

'cause it would break on the first try.

[Cat] If this was the real world
and not a glass competition,

they would definitely be
brass rings. [chuckles]

But it's still beautiful. It's conducive
to conversation. It's not blocking it.

-[Cat] Awesome.
-Thank you, Cat.

-Yeah.
-Elliot.

I'm not sure if we needed all of the bits
of rubbish around the piece,

especially the sharp-edged glass.
Could be problematic on a dinner table.

[Bobby] I would've really liked it if
you had created a phone to put in there,

so that way you right away knew exactly
what the function of this piece was for.

Thank you.

Yeah, that's right.
He's probably right. Yeah.

Chris, we'd love to hear more
about your centerpiece.

So, I took a little bit different angle
on this piece.

I think it's important
to give some context now

for most of my work, uh, to this point.

Literally making this piece...

[inhales sharply]

[melancholy piano music playing]

I lost my father
on the day I arrived here.

I think a lot of...

[voice breaking]

A lot of what I'm going through
is in the work.

Chris, I'm so sorry for your loss.

We appreciate that you were able
to bring those sentiments

to the centerpiece.

Thanks.

I don't want them to think that I'm...

capitalizing on something or other
or exploiting something.

It's difficult to be vulnerable, you know?
I'm just learning to do that.

[Bobby] Chris, the overall concept,
it's beautiful. The only thing that

stood out to me is the fact of its height.

-Blocks that conversation.
-Right.

Mike, we'd love to hear from you.

It's a chili shrine

or a classy hot sauce trough.

Not too often you hear
the word "classy" and "trough."

Wasn't sure if "trough" was, like,
the best choice of words

to describe your piece.

You know, it is a little precarious.
The bowl sitting on the top.

Some of your forms
could've been more refined.

But the chilies were really well executed.

Thank you.

Please give us a few minutes to discuss.

[tense music playing]

I miss my kids,
but not enough to wanna go home.

[Bobby] I don't wanna send anybody home.

-You know?
-[Nick] Yes.

-Competition, it's... It can be grueling.
-[Katherine] They are.

[Nick] But they know the name of the game.

In my heart, I think all my pieces
have been the best every week.

It's gettin' real.

We saw a lot of impressive centerpieces.

However, we thought
there was one in particular

that deserves center stage.

Today's Best in Blow is...

Nao.

-[applause]
-[Bobby laughs]

Finally!

Thank you!

That feeling is just simply amazing.

This experience is priceless.

Thank you so much.

[Nick] Unfortunately, there's one of you
that did not blow us away.

And that person is...

Mike.

Please, say your goodbyes
and exit the hot shop.

-[Mike] Later.
-[Elliot] Yeah.

[Mike] Take it easy, guys.

It was really validating for me
as a glassblower

to be chosen among
so many other great glassmakers.

Going out in the middle,

it's a little bittersweet,
but I'm happy. I'm happy.

-Thank you so much.
-[Katherine] Congratulations.

Thank you. My kid's a huge fan.

-Thank you.
-[Mike] Take it easy, guys.

My kids are super proud
that I even got on,

and I can't wait to show 'em
what I did here.

[applause]

You guys,
I really just wanna thank you all

for letting me come into your hot shop
and watch you work.

It excited me and it intrigued me,

watching you amazingly talented artists
work every day. So, thank you.

-Appreciate you being here.
-Yeah, thanks for being here.

[Nick] That's it, folks.

We'll see you back in the hot shop
for the next challenge.

[Andi] Oh, my God.

Now with just five,
there's a bit more tension in the air.