Skin Wars (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 6 - Episode #2.6 - full transcript

In the wild world

of competitive body painting,

there's nothing more fierce than

the power of transformation.

Skin Wars--

the only limits

are your imagination.

You won't believe your eyes

as 12 of America's

most talented artists

compete and push the boundaries.



Absolutely breathtaking.

Some will rise to the top...

While others will watch

their dreams go down the drain.

It fell pretty flat.

It's the challenge

of a lifetime for $100,000

and the ultimate title

of Skin Wars champion.

Walking into the workroom,

I see these cute

little treasure chests,

and I'm dying to know

what's inside them.



Hello, painters.

- Hi.
- Hello.

- Let's say hello to our judges,
- Robin Slonina,...

Hi, everybody.

And our own resident

body-painting expert,

Craig Tracy.

Good morning.

Well, you've come a long way,

but today your future

depends on the past.

Inside your treasure chests

are Victorian era accessories

that features a dazzling jewel.

You have two hours

to create a waist-up front

and back design

that embodies your accessory

and brings a story

of your jewel to life.

- Dawn Marie,
- when I announced this challenge,

your face lit up.

I love painting jewelry,

and I love the Victorian era.

- I think this might be
- a good challenge for me,

so I'm excited.

- Can't wait to see
- what you come up with.

So today we are looking for

clear, saturated jewel-tones.

I'll also be looking

for the relationship

between your painting

and the accessory

that you've been given.

The winner of this challenge

will get an advantage

in the Concept Challenge,

- and I'll tell you
- what that is as soon

as we announce our winner.

Now let's see what's

inside your treasure chests.

Obviously there's gonna

be treasure

inside of the treasure chests,

but what is it gonna be?

Okay, Avi,

let's start with you.

That is a pink topaz head piece.

How you feeling about that?

I have no idea,

nothing about jewels.

- You don't know anything
- about jewels?

- So it's gonna
- be a big challenge for me,

so I'm gonna figure this out.

- Dawn Marie, let's see
- what you've got.

Ooh.

- That is a citrine clutch.

- Oh, is it citrine?

Kyle, a sapphire necklace.

- Aryn?
- Duh-nuh!

Ooh.

Looks like pearls.

Pearls.

Lana, let's see what you got.

Wow.

It's really matching my eyes.

Rio?

- Okay, Rio,
- Amber.

you got the amber bracelet,

and Cheryl Ann?

Ooh.

A diamond hair comb.

These are beautiful.

I could do something

really fun with this.

All right, painters,

you have your accessories.

You have two hours

to complete this challenge,

and your time starts now.

Good luck.

So we have two hours

to paint the body

inspired by the history

about the Victorian era.

So I have no idea,

nothing about jewelries.

So my jewelry,

it's a pink topaz.

I have no idea,

nothing about the history

of Victorian era.

What year is that again?

I'm in trouble today.

Citrine is a stone

that means "success," so

I'm going to be using ProPaint

to make the yellow pop

with some orange undertones.

- I want it to look like a jewel
- up close.

I'm excited about that.

My story is about this emerald

earrings as a family heirloom

and how these earrings being

passed on from one generation

to another.

I was in the bottom two times,

but I'm always painting

to be on top,

- so I want to win
- this challenge 'cause

I want to have advantage.

- I know
- exactly what I want to do,

and I've had this idea

in my head for a little while

to do an inverted,

upside-down, painting,

so I wanted to do a reflection

of a face

in a mirror

of this Victorian lady

wearing her diamond hair combs

and just go with it.

It's crazy.

Usually I'm very fast painter,

but I think I just

finished creating the story

of what I want to do.

I didn't even start

touching the body.

I have too much going on

in my head right now.

I'm worried.

I don't know if I'm gonna

be able to pull it off.

- Arms up. Arms up.

Guys, not so much time left--

just ten minutes.

- Wow.

- Oh, my god.

- The shoulder will help.

- Wow.

All right, time's up.

Tools down.

- Hey, Avi.

- Hey, and how are you?

- Good, how are you?
- I'm doing great.

Tell us about your pink topaz.

All right, so the story

represented a love triangle.

Two married couple,

he wasn't happy,

and he had affair,

so he decide to kill his wife

and be happy with his affair.

And I'm sorry, how

does pink topaz play into this?

Because pink topaz,

it's all about a true love

that he felt,

but she was thinking more about,

"Be successful and rich."

Now, in Israel, do they have

a thing called divorce?

Uh, yes.

- 'Cause that's another
- alternative to the murder, yeah?

That's true. Oh, yeah.

I had citrine,

and I took the gold design

that I painted on her

from the design

in the clutch that I was given.

- The gems are very well
- painted.

I wish they popped

a little bit more though

'cause I feel like the citrine

- is really blending
- into her skin tone

- and could have really popped
- that a little bit

more from those.

- Hello, Kyle.

- Hello.

My stone is the sapphire,

and this is Queen Rose.

Ta-da.

'Cause when I thought Victorian,

- they always
- had the bright red lips

and the bright red cheeks

and the white face,

so I didn't go with the exact,

you know, Victorian style.

I added the flair of me.

Yeah, it's got a feeling

of almost like a punk rocker

- or something, like,...
- Yeah.

That's the Kyle coming out.

So my jewel was the pearl,

and my concept is that I

have a fashionista mermaid

that was bored with the sea

and what she saw there

and decided to go above land

and look at the fancy ladies

in the Victorian era.

I love the realism

and the very detailed shading.

It really gives me

a very realistic 3D effect.

So when I think of diamond

in the Victorian era,

I thought of this beautiful

Victorian aristocrat

who was looking

in her looking glass,

and I had the idea to do an

inverted painting for a while.

I really wanted to portray

a portrait in reverse,

and I've just been waiting

for the right challenge

in order to pull this one out,

so she's admiring her diamond

hair combs that she has just

- adjusted into her hair.

- Rio.

My centerpiece here

was the heart in an amber color.

Tell me about the Victorian

quality of this piece.

Is that head piece indicative

of that period?

I kind of added fantasy

and a Victorian element

together versus just, uh,

trying to create

a regular person with

a Victorian-inspired outfit on.

No rules

in the fantasy world, huh?

- Lana.

- Hello.

This is a story about young lady

who promise her heart

to another gentleman,

but she got married

to the man picked by her family,

and she gived her heirloom

earrings to loved one,

and she keep one as necklace

for her wedding day.

- You do seem to have
- an understanding of clothing

and the way that they're made

and the way they fit the body.

There's clear delineation

between what's cloth

and what's skin.

- Thank you, Lana.

- Thank you so much.

Okay, thank you, painters.

- The judges have a lot
- to discuss,

- and we'll be back shortly.
- Thank you.

So, guys, what'd you think?

- You know,
- when I walked in, my eye

went straight to Cheryl Ann's,

- and I know that this is sort
- of a gimmick,

but, you know, I fell for it.

And in Skin Wars, making bold

moves can bring you to the top,

- or it can drop you
- to the bottom.

I was kind of drawn to Lana's

because of the color,

and it also--

It was just so rich.

She really took my note

about bringing jewel-tone colors

to it.

And Avi didn't really

- incorporate his piece of jewelry
- into his painting.

I loved Avi's story.

I really got caught up

in it and the drama of it,

but then it started to fall

apart in the painting itself.

I liked Aryn's story,

too, you know,

a mermaid that's,

like, got this fashion sense.

The front was more

powerful to me than the back.

And I think she really

did a great job with those.

I loved the design

that Dawn Marie did.

Those hand-painted gems

were absolutely gorgeous.

It was a good idea that

was caught halfway in execution.

- Right.
- Okay,

have you made a decision?

Yeah, it was a hard one.

Not--Not easy, but yeah.

All righty.

All right, painters, at

this point in the competition,

this is becoming

more and more difficult.

The top three painters are...

Cheryl Ann...

Aryn...

Lana...

- Congratulations,
- you're our top three painters.

- Yay.

- Bravo.

- I'm just frustrated
- at this point

because I thought

I had the chance at winning

- this challenge and the advantage
- that comes with it.

Cheryl Ann,

when we walked into the room,

- my eye
- went straight to your painting.

It was well painted.

It was very strong and bold,

and you had

such a strong concept behind it.

Thank you.

Aryn, gorgeous painting.

Loved the color,

your technique was incredible,

and it really was like a pearl.

It was just precious. Well done.

Thanks so much.

Lana, you are a storyteller,

and yet again,

we loved your story.

I loved how you incorporated

your jewelry into your story.

You used really rich,

saturated emerald tones,

and the clothing

was very well painted

and really spoke to us

as Victorian.

Thank you so much.

You all did an amazing job,

but there can be

only one winner,

and the winner

of this challenge is...

You've had two hours

to create a waist-up

- front and back design
- that embodies your accessory

and brings the story

of your jewel to life.

You all did an amazing job,

but there can be

only one winner,

and the winner

of this challenge is...

- Yay!
- Mine!

Lana, congratulations,

you're the winner

of this challenge.

Lana,

this was a perfect painting.

- Thank you.
- This means a lot to me.

Thank you so much.

- I never want to be
- on the bottom again,

- and it's always nice
- to win a challenge,

and now back on top.

Everyone ready to hear

what the next challenge is?

- Heck, yeah.
- All right.

In your first challenge

you showed us your throwback

designs to the Victorian era.

For this Concept Challenge

you'll be inspired

by what the Victorians

thought about the future.

You will have five hours

to create a head-to-toe,

- front-and-back
- body-painting

that's inspired

by the world of Steampunk.

- Whoo!

- Yeah!

Steampunk fuses

modern technology

and Victorian age aesthetics

to turn everyday objects

into works of art.

We want to challenge you

to update Steampunk

for the 21st century

and fill it with vibrant color.

I have been participating

in Steampunk conventions

for five years now.

Steampunk is taking

the Victorian era

and putting futuristic elements

in it.

So re-imagining things

that they would think

would happen in the future,

but now we're going to go

forward

and bring Steampunk

into the 21st century.

Painters, I've judged dozens

and dozens

of Steampunk designs,

so I need to see

you follow the theme

but bring something

that's really special

and exceptional to it.

Lana, because you won

the first challenge,

you get to take 30 minutes

away from another painter.

Oh, no.

- And you can wait
- until tomorrow

- to decide who that person is.
- Okay.

Lana gets the advantage that I

think we have all been dreading.

It is in the back of my mind

- that I did take my advantage
- against her

to take the fruit table

away from her.

I think I will swap with Lana.

Aw.

Oh, my God. I knew it.

You have five hours

to complete your work tomorrow,

- and you'll have the rest of the
- night to work on your design.

- Good luck.

- Whoo-hoo.

- Yay.
- Good night, guys.

- Bye-bye.
- Bye.

Excited about it.

Exciting.

- I've actually never done
- this before.

- Steampunk, futuristic,
- colorful.

Me neither technically.

Dawn, we need your expertise.

Yeah,

I'm here for competition,

and yeah, ultimately I

should hold all my knowledge

to myself to gain an advantage,

but that's not me.

The thing is, everything

is based off of steam.

Yeah.

- So you can have
- futuristic elements

- like computers and things
- like that,

- but instead of having cords
- coming to them,

you have other things

powering them.

- Interesting.
- And you can

- represent them by all sorts
- of different things.

Do whatever you

want to with Steampunk.

It's an imaginary world

based on the Victorian times.

- I like it.

- So I'm nervous

- because Dawn has all this extra
- knowledge about the stuff

that we're painting that I

don't necessarily have myself,

so I think she could really

take this one home.

No, over here.

- So we have five hours
- to create

full body-painting head-to-toes,

and we need to bring the

Steampunk into the 21st century

and use a lot of bright colors.

So today is going

to be Steampunk.

How are we gonna

make it really futuristic?

- Do you like pirates?
- Yes.

- Good. You're gonna
- be a pirate today.

Okay. Excellent.

- But--Steampunk version.
- Yeah, yeah.

You're basically a little girl

dreaming to find her gold.

- Oh, epic.
- That's the whole concept.

- Yeah.

- Can I--you wanna try this?

So I really love Steampunk,

and this can make me, like,

to show my talent even more.

I was so happy yesterday.

I started applying

bald cap 'cause

my model's supposed to have

this head piece from Steampunk,

and she's supposed

to have a goggles on top.

Let's begin.

I'm probably gonna create

something more futuristic,

but I'm gonna be using a lot

of gears inside

to make it more Steampunk.

So my piece is called,

Steam Wars 2000, and honest,

- I don't know much
- about Steampunk.

Uh, in Israel

we don't have Steampunk.

It's gonna be mix

of Steampunk and Cyberpunk.

That's gonna be the perfect--

to bring the Steampunk past

into the future Cyberpunk.

- They want to see
- something different.

I'm just afraid

I'm going too futuristic.

Well, I got us some goggles.

- I would've liked it
- if they were just one

- because I kind of wanted it
- to be a sky pirate.

The thing that I am the most

concerned about is making

sure I have enough time

to get all of my details in.

Well, I hope that Lana

does not choose me

because as we all know,

time is an issue for me.

I was like, "I don't even

need a wig--this'll be great."

My concept is a Steampunk fairy

that runs on absinthe.

The green fairy is Steampunk

because absinthe and stories

about it

are generally more Victorian.

And I'm making these weapons

- out of your back,

- Sweet.

And this octopus

is gonna be the one holding it.

My biggest asset is

my creativity, my imagination,

- and my way
- of putting things together.

These look small as Hell,

and then they stole--

They've got all the good ones.

My idea is to do something

I'm gonna call

Steampunk Yakuza--basically,

taking Japan-inspired cartoons

and blending them

with Steampunk.

So you can sit for me.

I'm gonna start from the top and

work my way down to the bottom.

So, uh, Lana got

the advantage yesterday.

- Did she take time
- away from you?

No. Uh, she didn't say who yet.

If she's smart,

she's not gonna take

this 30 minutes away from me.

I always finish before.

It's not even gonna tickle me.

She need to be smart and take it

from someone strong and slow.

Having 30 minutes taken away

can just take a top painter

and eliminate them

and send them home.

Hi.

- Hello
- Hello, hello.

- Hi.
- Hi!

Oh.

This is so cool.

It's Carson Kressley.

Let me please

introduce our judges.

- Robin Slonina.
- Hello.

- The always
- industrious RuPaul Charles.

Hi.

And our fashion expert,

Carson Kressley.

- Welcome back, Carson.
- Hi, everybody.

- Thank you so much.
- It's good to be back.

- Can you talk a little bit
- about Steampunk?

Yeah, I mean, I love

the whole Steampunk thing

because it has been

such a trendsetter

in the world of fashion and art.

- I'm excited to see
- what the painters have to say

with their paint today

in telling that kind

of Steampunk story.

We also have a special

surprise for everybody.

The winner of this challenge

gets their

very own air compressor

from Silent Aire Technology.

- Awesome.
- Whoa.

I'm the airbrush guy.

I need a compressor.

Hi, Lana.

Hello, judges.

I'll telling a story.

Front is about Dr. Steam

who lived in Victorian era,

and he was dreaming

about colorful,

futuristic Punk visions,

and my back will be

about Dr. Punk

who lived in the future.

- Steam in the front,
- punk in the back?

- Yeah!
- Now,

Lana, have you been thinking

about who you'll take 30 minutes

away from in this room?

Yes.

You don't have to tell us now.

I don't want to tell.

Okay.

Um, so I decided

to go very futuristic.

Uh, because we are gonna

be in the future,

- we're gonna use a lot
- of bright colors.

- Right.
- It's like Steampunky Brewster.

Do you have any experience

with Steampunk?

I never did a Steampunks,

but I always like

to do new things

and explore

and challenge myself,

so I'm excited for that.

- This is gonna be
- my sky pirate saloon girl.

- You've already taken
- Robin's note

about bright colors.

Oh, yeah, you bet I did.

Because, in the first challenge,

- you had an absolutely
- gorgeous design,

- but we kind
- of dinged her a little bit

because it

wasn't underlined enough,

so it didn't pop off

her model's skin tone.

- Thank you, Dawn Marie.
- Thank you.

I learned with body

painting competitions

you can use prosthetics,

but you don't want to overdo it,

- so I'm actually doing
- a new technique

where I'm hiding my prosthetics,

and they're not gonna be painted

necessarily as a prosthetic,

- if that makes sense.

- Hm.

- Hm. Doesn't make any sense
- at all.

- No.
- No.

- All right,
- so my Steampunk painting

is half-cyborg, Steampunk

green fairy,

so she runs on absinthe, and--

- Okay.
- Oh, okay.

- Yeah, so it, like--
- the steam power pumps

- it through her body,
- and that's how--

- You don't have any right
- now, do you?

- I don't.
- Okay.

- Well, cheers. Thanks, Aryn.
- Thanks. Thank you.

Okay, so today

I'm doing a Steampunk story

about this lady that goes

to a fortune-teller.

I'm not seeing a lot

of these Steampunk, kind

of like, technology components,

so where does that come in?

I'll pull the most

of the Steampunk elements--

- You'll see it,
- once I get the basecoat

- fully done.

- Okay.

- I don't know if you all are
- familiar with the word "Yakuza".

- I had it for lunch.

- Yeah, delicious.

It's, like, a Japanese mafia.

So the Japanese mafia built

this assassin machine somewhat.

It's meant to kind of, uh,

lure you in 'cause it's cute,

- and it's nice,
- and then it has these elements

that are made to destroy

which I am presently working on.

So this really is a face

that we're looking at.

- Those are actual eyeballs.

- Yes.

I just took my inspiration

from kind of like anime

and took Steampunk

and just merged it all together.

Right.

- You gonna love it!
- Okay.

Great. Thank you, Rio.

All right.

All right, painters, good luck

with your Steampunk paintings,

and we'll see you soon.

- You've never been
- this quiet, ever.

It's 'cause I really

like Steampunk,

- and I want it to look
- like I like it.

My concern with my concept

is that I am going very literal

with what I know of the genre.

Lana's advantage

is to take 30 minutes

from one of us other painters.

It's a freaky moment.

It's a freaky time right now.

Whew.

Lana,

you won the first challenge.

- You get to take 30 minutes away
- from one of your competitors.

- Who's it gonna be?
- I was thinking

to take 30 minutes

from strong painters.

Lana, just don't take it

away from me.

Um, I gonna choose...

Cheryl Ann.

Okay, Cheryl Ann,

it's time to put your tools down

for the next 30 minutes.

Great.

What am I gonna do?

What I know I can't do

is sit and freak out,

so I'm gonna take advantage

of this free time.

So it's not something

that's been taken away from me.

- It's something
- that's been given to me.

I never get to walk around

and look at you guys' work,

so it's kind of cool.

Even if Lana thinks she

might throw me off of my game,

I'm really going to use this

to the best of my ability.

So thank you, Lana.

Did you glue her panties?

- Not yet.
- Okay.

- Is that, like, electricity
- behind him?

Yeah, that's the Tesla coils.

Oh.

Is the back panel gonna

be, like, an electricity panel?

Yeah, the inside

gonna be all electricity.

Is that a stencil,

- those bubbles?

- Yes.

You prefer those airbrushes

than the gravity-fed ones?

I think that this was a way

- for her to distract
- other people.

If she's doing that,

then, I--that's genius.

That's--That's a good idea.

What else was I gonna do,

stare at a watch

- and just focus on
- how negative this situation is?

I'm not that kind of person.

- Okay, Cheryl Ann,
- your 30 minute timeout is up.

- You may keep on painting.

- Thank you.

Okay, painters, see you soon.

My model comes back,

and I am in the game.

Right, people,

we got 30 minutes of time.

- Well, I'm super nervous,
- and I know at this point

that I'm not going to be able

to do all of the things

that I had planned originally,

so I'm sad about that.

This is crazy.

- I have never painted this fast
- in my life.

- Guys, it's
- only five minutes left.

- No way.
- Yeah.

I have one thing left to do,

- and I'm gonna have to rush
- the hand of God to get it done.

Painters, time's up.

Tools down.

- Ahh.
- All right.

Wow.

Models, painters--follow me.

I think I did the right

decision taking 30 minutes

from Cheryl Ann 'cause

she's one

of my strongest competitors,

and maybe Cheryl Ann

will go home this time.

- Well, hello.
- Welcome, painters.

Hi.

- You all
- had five hours to create

a Steampunk-inspired design.

Tonight's winner

also gets a bonus prize.

You'll be going home

with your own air compressor

from Silent Aire Technology.

- Ohh.
- Nice.

Now let's say hello

to our esteemed judges,

Craig Tracy.

Hello, painters.

Robin Slonina.

Hi, everybody.

RuPaul Charles.

Toot-toot.

and our special guest judge

making his second visit

to Skin Wars, fashion expert,

Carson Kressley.

Hi, everybody.

Okay, painters, it's time

for you to present your work.

Even though I had 30 minutes

taken away from me,

my painting is beautiful.

I have fully accomplished

detail.

I'm so impressed

with how lovely her colors look.

I thought she was just lovely.

Usually to bring eyes into

the chest area of the models,

it's kind of gimmicky,

but I think the judges

- not gonna pay attention
- to that as gimmicky.

They're gonna see it as an art.

The best parts that I have,

it's the bright colors

in the background

and the gears element into it.

It's just, like, coming to life.

- I think she was
- completely different character.

She wasn't that sexy

compared to our models.

She was, like, really creature.

I planned on colors and how it

was supposed to pop up,

so I was really happy

about what I created.

I'm really excited when she

goes through with the skipping,

and she looks totally cute.

- I thought that that would add
- a whole nother dimension,

kind of to her character,

since she is a fairy.

- Knowing all the things
- that I wanted to add,

I think I still pulled it off.

[ethereal music,

- My piece looks great.
- I love it.

I'm feeling confident. It's fun.

It's colorful, and nor is it--

looks old-school Steampunk

because that's the main focus

of this challenge.

Now I'm noticing that my piece

is more about typical Steampunk

than the rest

of them as far as the style,

but she looks fun.

She's got her fun,

little octopus pet with her,

and there's a lot

of detail on my piece.

- I like it.
- I love it.

- The whole time
- that she's walking by,

I'm proud of what I created.

I don't know if there's a genre

of anime

in the Steampunk world,

but if it isn't, there will be

one after this one.

Painters, that was gorgeous!

- Yay!
- Thank you.

Judges, what'd you think?

- You know,
- I love the Steampunk thing,

but I saw a lot of different

skin-terpretations of it.

Uh-huh. Okay, Aryn.

- We're ready to talk to you
- about your work.

Whoo.

So this is my Steampunk

green fairy.

- I love that you used
- some three-dimensional props

like the tubing.

She's got absinthe goggles.

- absinthe makes the heart
- grow fonder.

- That's true.
- That's very true.

- It's what they say.
- Yeah.

- I would have done
- something else with the wings.

I might have worked in a little

bit more of a Steampunk vibe

that wasn't just those heavy

gears at the bottom.

- Thank you, Aryn.

- Thank you. Yeah.

Okay, Dawn Marie.

- I definitely love the reference
- to the saloon girl.

The corset in the back

I think is executed really well,

and I get that image.

From the front

I wasn't really getting

the whole corset feeling.

There could be some shadowing

just right at that belt line.

Now, the top part,

is that a see-through storyline,

because it looks naked?

It was supposed to read

more as a lighter leather.

Any time you deal with

the earth tones on the skin,

you really have to separate it

as being "not skin".

And that was our note

on the first challenge

was that the colors were

receding a little bit too much

into the skin tones.

- You've put together
- a character that's really

Steampunk feeling

with being cliché

and doing the same thing

over and over again.

- Thank you, Dawn Marie.

- Thank you.

- Based on
- the feedback, I was surprised,

but I think

that mine was the one piece

that kind of went literal

with the Steampunk character.

Okay, Cheryl Ann.

This is really whimsical

and really well

balanced as well,

but it's just not Steampunk-y

enough for me.

By now we really

know what you do well.

You have this very beautiful,

graphic, storybook style,

and I'm just wondering, like,

what else can you show us?

- What would you have done
- if you had the extra 30 minutes?

I was planning on hand

painting the gears.

But still,

that's just illustrating.

- Right.
- It's sticking a gear on it

and calling it "Steampunk."

- Like,
- I don't feel like those elements

would have increased the logic

of a character.

- Thank you, Cheryl Ann.

- Okay, thank you, guys.

Avi, your turn.

Avi, I don't know

how the other judges

feel about this piece,

but I have a real problem

with it.

Avi, I don't know how the other

judges feel about this piece,

but I have a real problem

with it.

I don't understand how you got

all of this done in five hours.

This is just such a delight

to look at.

I went really

futuristic 'cause

we're supposed to bring it

into the 21st century,

so I really wanted to use

all the old gears

to keep the same effect.

On the negative side,

I probably would have toned down

the metal color into the grays

just a little bit 'cause

it's so pure-looking.

I liked where you

went with the accessories,

and I love the blending

of the shoe.

It's just seamless.

Thank you.

Rio, your turn.

My piece is Steampunk Yakuza.

My inspiration was to kind

of blend

the world of anime

and the world of Steampunk.

I feel like this painting

is ready to party.

I just don't think

it's a Steampunk party.

- I can't stop
- making eye contact,

and that's very alarming to me.

- But which eyes?
- Which eyes, Carson?

I love the bright colors,

and it stands out.

If you want to be noticed,

- you do something
- that nobody else is doing.

- Nobody else went
- with that color story,

so I think that's a moment

to be congratulated on.

- All right,
- thank you all so much.

Okay, Lana, your turn.

I think this is fantastic.

- I love the paint.
- I love the colors.

- I like the idea of the fish
- thing 'cause that's very, like,

Steampunk-y that there'd be,

like, a submarine sea vessel

made out of a giant fish.

It's very pretty to look at.

I love how the zeppelin

almost feels like it's glowing

with this golden light,

and it's sort

of casting that golden light

onto your metal octopus.

- I think
- that's just so effective.

Okay, Kyle, step on down.

What is over her left eye?

It's just the revealing

of what's underneath her skin.

You know, it's hard when

you're applying a prosthetic

which is going off the skin,

and you're trying

to convince us visually

that it's under the skin.

- You know,
- you did it with that thigh,

that really strong

white outline is selling it.

Painters, you've created

some breathtaking work.

The judges have a lot

to discuss.

Thank you, painters.

Well, I can't believe

I painted a full body painting

in just four and a half hours.

Even though I didn't really

understand your strategy,

I think you were more intent

on trying to get back at me

from the food challenge when you

could have taken it away from

maybe another stronger painter

- like Avi.
- But why?

- I think Avi
- might beat you on this one

because you took it away

from me.

- That's true. You did it smart.
- I chose strong painter,

- but not the fastest one.
- Yeah.

- I choose strong,
- but not the fastest one,

and it, like, took from you.

It's why not from Avi?

Okay, guys, what'd you think

about the show tonight?

Skin-tilating.

Let's talk about Lana.

I got to say,

I did love her work.

- I think
- she painted beautifully,

but the octopus being right

next to the blimp confused me.

- I mean, they're literally almost
- touching.

Okay, let's talk about Aryn.

- Well, Aryn's green fairy--
- Right.

I just was so charmed

by her little, green fairy.

It was really the perfect

blending of technique and story.

- And she follows through--
- Right.

And she's done that

time and time again.

She is a force.

We have another storyteller

with Cheryl Ann,

but not everything has to have

outlines and cartooniness to it.

I mean, it was beautiful.

- You can't really
- argue with her technique,

and it didn't get gritty enough,

because Steampunk's gritty.

I just want to see

her go deeper.

I think she's

playing it too safe.

Part of this challenge

was to go future-forward.

Avi's was a perfect description

of future Steampunk.

- The fact that he
- got it all done,

there was so much thoughtfulness

that went into it that maybe he

didn't have a great story

that kind of captured

the romance of Steampunk.

Everything else is so above

and beyond.

Okay, well,

let's talk about Rio.

I love someone

who's not literal,

- and he chose a subject
- that he was passionate about.

He chose great neon colors,

but then it was just a bit

of a train wreck

- when it was time
- to actually execute it.

You know, not only did he do

those very gimmicky eyeballs

on his model's chest,

they weren't even well done.

- One of them almost
- looked like it had a lazy eye.

Did you think Dawn Marie's

was more creative than Rio's?

Dawn Marie

created a character

that I thought was fun.

It wasn't as futuristic as

I would have liked to have seen.

My real problem

with this was the top, you know,

- that bra piece or whatever?
- Yes.

They just looked

like dirty breasts.

She was so excited

about this challenge.

She should have rocked it.

The ones that didn't even know

that much about Steampunk

- were forced to kind of create
- their own version of it--

- Sure. Yes.
- and were therefore

a little bit more creative,

where hers was just,

like, the expected.

- Right.
- Yeah.

- That's a good point.
- A little bit more traditional.

- You know, Kyle is a little bit
- hit or miss technically.

- Like, you know that flesh
- ripped off the thigh?

It was perfectly highlighted,

and you really bought it.

- And then he did the same thing
- up here,

and he didn't really sell us,

you know, the rip from the face.

- I was actually very impressed
- by the way

he articulated the clothing

on the body.

The lapel, the way

she was pulling the fabric back

to expose her mechanical heart,

that all worked for me.

Okay, so

have you made a decision?

Yes.

Welcome back, painters.

- Tonight there can be
- only one winner,

and one of you

will be going home.

Cheryl Ann,

you are safe tonight.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

Cheryl Ann,

we want you to push

yourself further and really take

some bold risks moving forward.

Thank you.

Lana can try to knock me down,

but I'm too strong of a painter

to allow that to happen.

I will just simply

take it in stride,

and I also won't forget.

The rest of you represent the

top three and the bottom three.

Avi...

Aryn...

Lana...

you are the top three.

Please come forward.

The winner

of this challenge is...

Avi, Aryn, Lana...

One of you is tonight's winner.

Lana... congratulations,

you are safe.

- You may head back
- to the lounge.

- It's me and you again.

- Oh!

You both created

some amazing work tonight.

- It really could have gone
- either way,

but one was purely brilliant.

The winner

of this challenge is...

Avi. Congratulations.

- Yay. Good job.

- Awesome.

You won an air compressor

from Silent Aire Technology.

Avi, it was so detailed

and so beautiful.

It was meticulous in every way,

so just congratulations.

Spectacular.

- Congratulations
- to both of you.

You may head back to the lounge.

- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.

- It's the second time
- I'm winning,

and I'm the only one

that win two big challenges.

Kyle, Dawn Marie, Rio,

you are the bottom three.

Overall the judges

felt your work didn't compete

with the competition.

Kyle, your technique

was uneven.

It was perfect and clean

and great in some parts,

and kind of messy in others.

Dawn Marie, the overall piece

wasn't precise enough,

and at this point

in the competition,

the stakes are so high.

You can't afford

to make those kind of mistakes.

Rio, I really disliked the use

of the breasts

as those gimmicky eyes.

You were insanely creative,

but your technique

was very underwhelming.

Kyle, the judges think

you've made a huge improvement

since the beginning

as far as technique,

but you need to work a little

more on your consistency

if you want to stay

in this competition.

You're safe.

Thank you, guys.

You may head back

to the lounge.

This has been

the most difficult decision

we've made all season.

Dawn Marie...

I'm sorry to say,

you're going home tonight.

Rio, you definitely know

how to think outside the box,

but the judges want you to work

on your execution

if you want to stay

in this competition.

Please go back

to the painters lounge.

You're a queen.

You're a queen.

Thank you.

I hope this whole experience

was a positive one for you

and that you just paint

your ass off in the future.

- I will.
- Thank you.

You're a boss, lady.

Own it.

Thank you.

I don't want to go out crying.

Dawn Marie, it's time

to wash off your canvas.

I am more than a little upset

- that I'm leaving
- on a Steampunk challenge

because I do believe that

my piece looked more Steampunk

- than several of the ones
- that are staying.

Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby,

don't make me cry.

- I would like
- my fellow painters to know

that I love them for sharing

their creativity with the world.

I've had

such a blast meeting them,

and they've shaped me in ways

that they'll never know.

This was a dream

come true actually.

I've always wanted

to give my art to the world

and tell them more about the art

that I so much love.

Skin Wars Season 2 rocks.

Next time on Skin Wars...

- What?
- That's scary as Hell.

- It's a big risk,
- but I'm willing to take it.

That dental work

is extraordinary.

There was something missing.

We're gonna be expecting

something spectacular.

Whoo!

- I don't have
- too much experience with UV.

Everything shows

with the black light.

- I want to make sure
- that Cheryl Ann

doesn't step all over me.

Yay!

Oh, my God.

It's a lot to take in.

Who's responsible

for the design?

- I guess it was more my idea.

- I am going home.