Skin Wars (2014–…): Season 2, Episode 8 - Episode #2.8 - 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.

- Anatomy.
- Ooh.

This morning,

we go into the work room

and we see all these

anatomy books,

all these different charts,



bones and stuff.

Hello, painters.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Well, we are down
- to the final five.

Yeah.

Being on the top five,

um, I'm actually exciting.

I'm just realizing

that I can actually do it.

- Now, it's--I need to bring
- next level

and show the judges

that I can win it.

- You've made it
- into the final five

based on your creative

and beautiful body of work.

But for your next challenge,

we're looking for you

to create your work

based on the human body.

You will have two hours to

create an anatomically correct

body painting that reveals

an internal part

of your model's body.

You get to choose which area

of the body you want to paint.

- Cool.

- The muscles, bones, organs,

or whatever else

you choose.

It's definitely difficult

to make anatomy body paintings

look really real,

and we only have two hours.

Now say hello to the judges who

will be analyzing your bodies.

World champion master

body painter, Craig Tracy.

- Hello, painters.
- Hey.

- And a man that knows
- a thing or two

- about transforming
- the body,

RuPaul Charles.

- Gluteus maximus.

- Craig, what advice can you give
- to our painters today?

Painters, I want you to get

hyper-realistic today.

- I want to see
- all the details.

Make sure that it feels

real.

Okay.

You will be judged on creativity

and design concept,

- technique,
- and execution of the challenge.

So make it count.

- Especially because the winner
- of this challenge

gets a years supply of

Wolfe FX makeup...

Wow.

That's amazing.

And you'll be featured

on the Wolfe website

for the entire year.

- Whoa.
- Ooh.

You ready?

- Yeah.
- Yes.

Good.

Because your time starts...

Now!

Excuse me.

- Hey.

- Hi.

At this point,

I'm one of the five,

- and I feel blessed
- that I made it this far.

- It's been a lot of crazy rides
- in my life.

- Guess I'll do
- the back.

- I left my job
- to come to Skin Wars,

and it's a big risk,

but I'm willing to take it.

I'm four people away

from 100 grand.

Can you step your feet

apart for me a little bit?

So, after the last challenge,

I am a little disheartened

because it was the first time

I had been in the bottom two.

I've got to make sure

it's even.

Luckily for me,

this is anatomy challenge.

So I've had three years

of anatomy study.

This is right up

my alley.

Okay, guys,

we only have one more hour.

I love anatomy.

It was one of my favorite,

like, lessons,

back to my university.

My paint today, I decided

to combine muscles

and vein system.

So I think I have some

advantage in this competition.

- I think the first thing
- I'm gonna do

- is go to Israel
- for a good few months.

Yeah.

- I was supposed to go
- to Israel actually

twice for the last two years,

- and my mom told me,
- "Just stay there,"

'cause it's really dangerous,

and I miss her a lot.

Dr. Sirah's coming around

- checking everyone's
- anatomical work

- Okay.
- Even though he has absolutely

- no anatomical knowledge
- whatsoever.

Can I have prescription

for something?

This isn't a challenge

where a whole lot

of a person's creativity

is really needed.

I'm very good at the cartoons,

and comic books,

and things like that.

Not so much realism.

- Are you done already?

- No, I'm not.

I'm really not.

It's really important

to do well at this point

because the $100,000 could

change my life in every aspect.

Veins are cool.

After college,

I worked in a copy center

for three or four years,

and working a normal

office job

was just so boring,

so I quit.

Being a freelance artist

is challenging.

My jobs barely pay the bills.

- If I were to win the
- competition,

it would be like

a whole different world.

Guys, only one minute left.

Time's up!

Tools down.

- Hello, Avi.
- Hey.

- Hello.
- How are you?

Give us an anatomy lesson.

Well, I know some basic stuff,

so I wanted to bring, like,

the skin ripped.

And I wanted to bring

kind of like cover,

not reveal,

more like a cover.

- Oh.
- Uh-huh.

And then there is

the reveal of the...

- Okay.
- Inside skin.

- A little pointer on realism.
- Mm-hmm.

Everything inside

should always look wet.

All right.

- Thank you, Avi.
- Thank you very much.

So I wanted to do

a really detailed face,

and I combined muscle,

structure,

with veins infrastructure.

- Veins?
- Veins.

- Okay.
- So we're looking at--

A lung, a liver, and a kidney.

So your design overall was

inspired by the illustrations

- that are in those
- medical books.

- I was following
- illustrations,

but I combined two different

structures

inside of your body,

veins and muscles.

- Great.
- Thank you, Lana.

Thank you.

Aryn, give us an anatomy lesson.

The main square of her face

- is just with, like,
- the skin removed,

and then the second square

here

is with the skin

and the muscles removed.

And it's kind of the same

in this section as well.

It's very informative 'cause

everything I know about anatomy

- I learned from playing
- spin the bottle.

Well, I call this type

of work a cutaway,

and I appreciate that you've

given us a cutaway

- from a cutaway.
- Yeah.

- Thank you, Aryn.

- Thank you.

- Hey, Cheryl Ann.

- Hi, Rebecca.

So today, I wanted to be

a little ambitious.

Everyone else was focusing more

on the top half of the body,

so I really wanted to pull out

the bottom half of the body.

So I've got her spinal column

and vertebrae

with the pelvic bone,

and I actually used the points

of her iliac crest right here

to be the mark

of my pelvic bone.

Have you studied anatomy?

- Yes.
- Uh-huh.

- I feel like I just had
- a lesson, yeah.

Well, I apprenticed under

- a couple of different
- master painters.

I apprenticed in Madrid, Spain

under Senor Javier Pamplona.

Cheryl Ann is definitely

aiming to impress

in the most saddest,

most pathetic ways.

She is kissing up to

the judges.

And then I apprenticed under

Ben Long IV,

who was a Fresco master...

I'm classically trained.

So if I didn't do a good job

on this challenge,

I would be receiving

some phone calls.

I mean, come on.

That's all I can do

is shake my head.

Great. Thank you, Cheryl Ann.

Rio, tell us about

your piece.

- I started looking through
- some of the images,

and I was, like,

I have to be careful

not to do something

that looks like a diagram.

I love the way

you've bordered this out.

- What's going on
- design-wise there?

In that sense, yes, I was

kind of thinking of this like

a bit of an artistic x-ray.

Rio is more

my competition

strategy-wise and mind-wise

than he is painting-wise.

I wish we could go

a little bit deeper

- with the shadows.
- Mm-hmm.

Even though he's

brilliant with his ideas

and his concepts,

he just simply lacks the

technical ability to paint them.

Thank you, Rio.

Painters, great job.

- We will be
- in the other room deliberating,

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

What do you think?

- They all brought something
- different,

and all of it

was really, really good.

Cheryl Ann's

was spookily accurate

And I loved the proportions.

And it was just

beautifully done.

And then, of course,

our other blonde.

Lana.

The face on Lana's model

was exquisitely done.

Yes. It was scary. Yes.

It was kind of like, yes,

somebody pulled the skin

right off her face.

- Yeah, right.
- So how about Avi's piece?

It was real hit and miss

with me.

Rare for Avi's work.

I saw technical details

that bothered me.

The shadows and the highlights

were not where

I would have put them.

- How about Rio?

- That one scared me

because it really looked like

the skin had been peeled off.

Uh-huh.

So have you reached a decision?

- Yeah, yeah.
- Yeah, yeah.

- All right.

Painters, the judges were

impressed with all of your work,

but there can be

only one winner.

Lana,

Cheryl Ann,

please step forward.

- You are the top two
- painters.

- Oh!

- Yay!

Lana, amazing attention

to detail.

I absolutely loved the face,

and I loved the way that you

brought those main colors

throughout the design.

Really well done.

- Thank you.
- My pleasure.

Cheryl Ann,

you really turned it.

I loved that you used so much

of your model's body,

and the proportions.

- Very good.

- Thank you.

All right, let's find out

who came out on top.

- The winner of this challenge
- is...

- All right, painters,
- you've had two hours

to create your artwork.

The winner of this challenge

is...

Yay!

Cheryl Ann,

congratulations.

- You are the winner.
- Oh, my God!

I love paint so bad.

I am the winner.

It feels amazing

to get back on top.

Thank you.

I am a little bit sad

I didn't win this one

- 'cause she did
- bottom half,

but it wasn't

that detailed.

My painting looks better.

Okay, thank you, Kiana.

- All right, painters,
- your first challenge

was all about the anatomy

of man.

For your next challenge,

it's all about...

the machine.

Ooh.

And for that, we're bringing out

the big guns.

What?

- Bodybuilders?
- Holy ****.

These guys are huge.

Like, they're so much bigger

than our regular models.

Hello, gorgeous.

- I'm looking forward
- to getting my hands on them.

It's true.

I can't tell a lie.

Muscles. Yay!

Blecch!

As you can see,

these guys are the ultimate

human specimens.

And because they are

a bigger canvas,

you will have to flex

your artistic muscles.

You will each have

four hours

to create a head to toe,

front and back

robot-inspired design.

Front and back?

- Yeah.
- Are you panicking?

A little bit.

Four hours is not a long time.

You will create

your own bot,

give it a purpose,

and give it a name.

Please use the body

wisely.

- The devil is in
- the details.

All right.

Well, good luck and good-bye.

Robots, guys.

- I'm a little freaked out
- about this challenge.

I think I'm, like,

overwhelmed

- with the amount of time
- that we're gonna have,

and with the amount

of person that we have,

and I'm drawing a blank.

I don't know what to do.

I wonder what crazy concept

Rio's gonna come up with.

Probably something awesome.

At this point,

I'm one out of the five,

and this is very important

to me.

My training is 100%

self-taught.

For many years, I've been trying

to get my art seen,

and it's been a long

uphill climb.

Hell, I was 19 years old

when my father passed away,

and then, um,

I've been homeless twice,

- but I never backed down,
- and I don't quit,

and I don't run away.

- Good morning.

- What's up, guys?

Good morning.

- I don't think I've ever
- been close to this many muscles

in my lifetime,

so it's pretty exciting.

You're gonna be, like,

a Secret Service robot.

I love it.

So, I'll show you

the overall idea.

So I spend all night trying

to think of different ideas,

and I am having

a painter's block,

and I just can't come up

with anything that I like,

and so finally in the morning,

I have this concept

for making my model, like,

a Transformer robot.

- He's a robot on the front,
- and then he'll be

a jet plane on the back.

So you kind of travel around

and you collect trinkets.

- It's really challenging
- getting started

on a concept that I don't have

fully fleshed out.

So at no point am I, like,

"This is a great idea."

I decided to take it more

kind of personal.

I want the judges to know

a little bit more about me

and who I am.

Are you familiar Israel?

- Oh, yeah, I'm fa--
- yeah.

My concept,

it's the Iron Dome,

Gaza sending a lot of missiles

into Israel,

and my mom lived

very close to Gaza.

Every time Gaza sending

rockets into Israel,

the Iron Dome machine

finding the rockets in the air,

and attacking it

before it's landing in Israel,

but it's only 30%

successful,

so I'm going to create

my machine

100% successful.

All right, people,

we have three hours left.

This is going to really be

important for me.

I had a very powerful dream

- where I had to face
- this bear

that I believe was

a representation of my fear.

Everyone else is doing

a typical traditional robot.

I'm doing my

inspired version of a robot.

There's going to be

this giant grizzly bear

coming out of your chest.

I'm looking at

Cheryl Ann's model

and I see no robot.

- I see Smokey the Bear,
- and I was, like,

- "What the hell
- is she doing?"

Oh, my goodness.

I am just using the airbrush

because there's so much

body to cover.

Okay, turn the other way.

I am a little reluctant

- going all the way through
- using the airbrush

because I don't really

use this airbrush a whole lot.

I am teaching myself

on the spot somewhat,

and I am struggling

a little bit

with making sure that

my lines are good,

- but if airbrush paint is what
- I'm gonna have to use

- to get it done,
- I'm just gonna have to buck up

and get it done.

Oh, here come the judges.

Wow.

- Hi.

- Good morning, painters.

Good morning.

- How's everybody feeling?

- Awesome.

- Everybody, please welcome back
- Robin...

Hi, Robin.

- Hi, everybody.

- Who can't wait to walk
- around and talk to you

about your ideas, and I think

we'll start down here.

- Awesome.
- Avi.

So I wanted to bring

the Iron Dome from Israel

into my piece.

- Okay.
- In Israel, like, you know,

Gaza sending rockets

to Israel, like, all the time.

- And my mom live very close
- to Gaza.

- Mm-hmm.
- Now the Iron Dome is only

30% successful.

This robot never miss.

When you were a kid,

did you see these kinds of...

- Every time.
- Violence?

And actually every 20 minutes

you have to run to shelters.

Wow.

- Okay, great.
- Thank you, Avi.

- Thank you very much.
- Lana.

- Hello.
- Hello.

My robot,

he's a donor machine.

He carries the blood inside,

and he'll have, like,

a big pumping heart,

- and it's, like,
- emergency call

going and save people.

- And then does he store
- the different blood types

- in his muscles?
- Yes.

- It will be, like,
- right here.

Like, containers.

- Aryn. Hi.
- Hi.

Now we haven't seen a whole lot

of prosthetics

- this morning.
- No.

I see you've gone with a helmet.

I have.

My concept is to do kind of

a jet plane-based robot thing.

- Are you worried
- about time?

Mm-hmm.

- I have a couple more
- prosthetics to add on, so...

- Do you really?
- Yeah.

- Oh, so more prosthetics
- are coming.

- All right.
- Yeah, we'll see.

Good morning, Rio.

Good morning, Rebecca.

- How's it going?
- Good morning, Robin.

My robot is going to be

just a robot android brand

- of soldiers
- that protect the President

instead of having

a real-life person.

- Right.
- I noticed you are

double-fisting

your airbrush guns here.

Is this mostly

gonna be airbrushed for you?

- This one I feel I can get done
- with it a little faster

in certain areas if I just

use the airbrush.

Technically, Rio's piece

doesn't look very clean

at all.

That's a huge factor

in your points.

You know, Rio, when you have

this perfect canvas

- to work on, and you're trying
- to create

something structured

and uniform,

- make sure that it looks
- real perfect.

- You gotta keep checking
- your work from the front

- to be sure that
- it's symmetrical.

Gotcha.

- Good morning.
- You both look fierce today.

The night before last,

I had a really vivid dream.

And my dream was

I had to pass this grizzly bear.

- I just heard a voice in the back
- of my head that said,

"Just keep walking

and don't look back."

So today, I'm doing, like,

this giant grizzly bear

coming out of this robot.

- And how are you
- making sense

of this natural element

of a very realistically

painted bear

with the metallic

of a robot?

A metallic robot would have

an emblem or something

- on their chest.
- Okay.

So he is, like, the bear.

I look over, I see Cheryl Ann

come up with a reason

for her robot

- 'cause she didn't
- have one.

- Does your robot have a name?

- The Golden Grizzly.

Come on, you made up a story,

and it just sounds

like a bunch of crap.

Okay, painters,

your work is looking really,

really good so far.

Robin, any advice?

At this point,

everything counts.

You've got these amazing

canvasses,

so use the structure

of your model's bodies

to really show off

your work.

Indeed.

Definitely.

- Thank you very much.
- Be careful with your time.

- Good luck,
- and we'll see you soon.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

It's just gonna be

amazing.

I know it's a risk,

but this body painting

is me.

It's a representation

of my personal journey.

We got this.

This is what the judges

- have been pushing me
- to do,

so if I don't do it,

I'm going home.

Hey, guys,

we have two hours more to go.

I don't have enough time.

For this challenge,

we have four hours

to turn bodybuilders

into robots,

and this is, like,

a really big challenge

'cause my model,

he's 230 pounds,

so, like, I'm half of him.

- What's up, chica?

- Not much.

Check out my grizzly.

So he's like a bear capsule.

Well, kind of like

a bear-bot.

- Ah. Bear-bot.

He can do anything,

so he's the defender of animals.

So, like, wait, the bear's

controlling him on the inside?

Yeah, like he embodies

the spirit of the bear.

He released the wrath

of the bear.

It's the same Cheryl Ann

that's been painting this way

since she started.

- She drew a bunch
- of circle bubbles,

and she tried to act like

she was going to connect that

to some type

of robotic way.

It's--it's not a robot.

- Cheryl Ann, how do you feel?
- I feel pretty good.

- All right, baby.
- I'm getting a lot done.

- I'm using airbrush,
- you guys.

All right.

Clap my hands, stomp my feet.

Ever since the incident that

happened with the drag queen,

Rio has looked at me

differently.

- There's been a little bit
- of bullying.

So here I have Cheryl Ann

under the bus,

by our drag queen,

who is driving the bus.

I think

that's silly and immature,

but obviously

my painting style

is intimidating enough

to unsettle him so much.

Rio's piece looks

really sloppy.

At least my lines

are very clean

His lines are not clean

at all.

All right, people.

We have an hour left.

Uh, um, ****

I don't think four hours

is enough time on a bodybuilder

to do an awesome robot

because robots are all

about details.

- Oh, we'll have to see
- if the back

- actually looks
- kind of like a plane

if I can't get

the things done.

I still have to finish

half the armor pieces.

I still have to detail

the tubes that are inside

of my robot.

And I realize that I'm just

not gonna have time to do that.

I have to change

the concept

- because he does not
- look like a jet plane.

So my new concept

is a robot

that gets alerts from different

places in the world

when they are having

a water crisis.

Okay.

Hey, you guys,

we have 15 minutes left.

- I'm just over
- this time thing.

- Okay, turn around
- please.

I'm panicking because

I'm looking at the clock,

- looking at my painting,
- looking at the clock.

At this point, I realize

that the amount of things

that I have to do

in order to make this even

- sort of seem like
- it's finished,

they're just not feasible.

Time's up!

Tools down.

You ready to show the judges

your big, beautiful bots?

Yes.

All right.

Everybody, follow me.

Okay.

I'm really nervous.

- I'm probably going to get
- points off

if the judges question

my concept change.

I'm freaking out.

Welcome, painters.

You had four hours to create

a robot-inspired design.

In the end, there will be

one winner,

and one of you

will be going home.

Now let's say hello

to our esteemed judges.

Craig Tracy.

Hello, painters.

Robin Slonina.

Hello, everyone.

RuPaul Charles.

Power up.

And we thought we'd bring in

a true robot expert.

He is the visual

and makeup effects genius

behind such films as X-Men,

Aliens, Starship Troopers,

and Spider-Man to name a few.

He also wrote and directed

the upcoming sci-fi horror

feature Harbinger Down.

Please welcome the

Oscar-nominated Alec Gillis.

- Wow.
- Hi.

Alec Gillis has created

characters

- that I have drawn
- over and over as a kid.

- He's become a part
- of everything

that we watch in

the superhero world,

so salute.

Alec, what makes a good

special effects character?

- It's about what is
- it's motivation,

and what is it's purpose.

That's what I look for

in designing a character,

and that's what

I'm looking forward to

with the work tonight.

Okay, painters,

it's time to get

those machines in motion.

I'm really proud of

bringing Israel into my piece.

- My main colors are
- blue,

that's the Israeli flag,

- and I'm bringing the green
- that it's the Israeli uniform,

and I'm really proud

to bring the Star of David,

and the meaning of

my life into the piece.

- I feel good and bad
- kind of at the same time.

I feel pretty good

'cause he is, like,

he is kind of striking.

Like his colors are bright,

and he definitely looks

like a robot.

- But I can't unsee
- those things

- that I didn't get
- to finish detailing.

- Doing just more in general
- to the back,

so I'm feeling mixed emotions.

The color of the robot itself,

I really wanted it

to be a little darker,

not so white.

Of course, just making

the symmetry of his body

- a little better
- than what I did.

And I think I'm most proud

of the glass openings

of his head.

My robot,

it's blood donor machine,

so it's more like

different colors

of red and gold.

I used airbrush to paint

his six-pack,

kind of, like, filled with

different types of blood.

And I'm so proud

of what I did.

Looking at my painting,

I feel extremely

accomplished.

The bear looks amazing.

- And when he goes into
- his pose,

it looks even more amazing.

He's got high contrast.

He's really clean.

He's a different type

of robot,

but he looks really good.

The painting's beautiful.

And in the end,

that's all that really matters.

Wow, you guys.

- What an amazing
- robot parade.

- All right, Aryn,
- you're first.

Yeah.

I feel pretty awful

especially because I told

Robin and Rebecca already

about my first idea,

- so I'm not excited
- to hear

- what the judges have to say
- for my piece.

So his name is NeoH2O,

and he actually makes water

inside of his body

by combining the hydrogen

and oxygen atoms

so that it gets really hot.

And then he pumps it out

for the people that need water.

And I had to divert slightly

from my original concept

- because I did run out
- of time.

Was he still gonna be

a water conversion

machine?

Um, no.

One thing that shows me

what you're capable of

are the pectorals.

The reflectivity and the sort of

chrome-like aspect of them.

I think it's

a really great effort.

Thank you.

One of the first things

I noticed was the face.

- Like, that looks
- maybe a little bit rushed.

And the tubing seemed

a little bit unfinished.

- It looks to me like
- you sketched it out,

but you didn't have time

- for those wonderful shadows
- and highlights

that we know really

makes things pop.

I am so mad at myself

for not giving an outcome

that I'm really happy with.

I just feel strongly

that I'm going home.

Great.

Well, thank you, Aryn.

Okay, Cheryl Ann.

Okay.

A couple of nights ago, I had

this very empowering dream

where I had to face

this bear

that was just growling,

so my robot is

the Golden Grizzly,

and he defends

the defense of animals.

There's so many endangered

species in the world,

and there's so many animals

out there who need help,

or needs someone

to stand up for them,

and speak up for them.

Throughout this competition,

we've asked you to bring out

the fighter in you,

and it's actually emerging.

- Yes.

I think your bear's too large,

and it overpowers

the front of the painting.

- Okay.
- I also wish that the bear

- would have been rendered
- in a way

that connected

to something robotic.

I'm getting more, like, shaman,

you know, spirit master.

Everything needs to have

a purpose and a function,

and I feel like a lot

of the markings on it

are purely decorative.

- Okay.
- Gotcha.

Thank you, Cheryl Ann.

Thank you so much,

you guys.

Okay, Rio.

- Give me some.
- Hit it right now.

Pow.

My piece is

a Secret Service robot

for the President.

Rio, there is so much good

about this painting,

but it actually hurts me

to look at it technically.

It just feels

quickly painted.

It doesn't feel smooth.

Craig is not happy.

And I'm just hoping that I'm

not the one going home.

Rio, there is so much good

about this painting,

but it actually hurts me

to look at it technically.

It just feels

quickly painted.

It doesn't feel smooth.

I just see so much

that bothers me.

Some elements I think

you did really well.

The back of the neck

is beautifully painted,

and the top of the head

- I think is also
- really effective.

One thing that I can't help

being irritated by

is that I warned you

in the work room about symmetry,

and, you know,

you can see just on the waist

that's really different.

The size of the flags

are really different.

You could have used

your model's body

to direct you.

The thing that I get a kick

out of here is the concept.

It just brought a smile

to my face

when he came walking out,

but I would love to see

version two of this,

and see what you would do

with it to refine it.

Thank you.

- Thank you, Rio.
- Thank you.

- Thank you, guys.
- Give me some.

Good luck, man.

Okay, Lana,

you ready?

Let's go.

Thank you.

I thought to create

blood donor robot.

If some people lost blood

in accident,

or something happened,

he carries different types

of blood inside of his body

like containers.

And he have pumping heart

inside of his body,

so he's could be internationally

wide famous robot,

who is saving life.

I like the idea of a robot

that can, you know,

manufacture all

the different blood types.

I actually hated this red,

limited color palate

until I found out

what your character was,

and then I loved it.

I love how the pecs sort of

activate the flow of blood.

Oh, yes.

Pump me up.

- Thank you, Lana.

- Thank you.

Okay, Avi.

I represented

the Iron Dome 3000.

His job is to protect

the Israeli,

to find the rockets

and blow them in the air.

- My--all my family
- live in Israel.

I--and my mom live

very close to Gaza.

Every 20 minutes, she have

to run, like, to shelters,

so I decided to create

the futuristic Iron Dome

that never miss.

- The back-story that you've
- applied to this

is really very moving,

and I think that drawing

on your personal experience

is what gives any artist

a point of view.

And this has a very definite

point of view,

and I applaud you

for that.

Technically, it's difficult

to find fault with this.

It's rendered almost

flawlessly.

The symmetry's great.

The highlights are great.

I wish that the Star of David

popped a little bit more

- because I feel like
- it's a bit lost,

but just overall a great job.

Thank you.

- Avi, are you real close
- with your family?

I am, yes.

And when was the last time

you saw them?

For the last seven years,

I saw them for two weeks.

- Do you know when you're gonna
- see your mom again?

When I win the $100,000.

- Yeah.
- Okay.

Thank you, Avi.

I miss my family,

so to win this

will mean a lot.

Hey, you.

All right, painters.

You've certainly given

the judges a lot to discuss.

- Please head back
- to the lounge,

and we'll call you back

shortly.

So, guys,

what did you think?

This was, I think,

Skin Wars at it's best.

- It's a tough choice
- to make

- because while they may score low
- in some categories,

they're all scoring high

in other categories.

Let's start with Avi.

The work itself is technically

virtually perfect.

- There were so many
- elements of it

- that were so
- three-dimensional.

That little compartment that

opened on the model's thigh.

- I thought it could have
- had even more heart

had he had

the Star of David

just loud and proud

on that chest.

Lana's piece actually

gave me the chills.

It was really different,

and it really was

human and warm.

- The fact that she is
- taking her notes,

and focusing her vision,

and simplifying down

to one great story,

- I think shows a lot
- of progress.

- And it was sort of
- the opposite

of what happened

with Rio's piece.

I loved Rio's piece

from a distance,

but then as I got closer,

it fell apart.

It looked more like

a robot to me than any other.

It's just that the rendering

of it was weak.

I warned him about his symmetry,

so there was no excuse

for how wonky that painting was.

Let's talk about Cheryl Ann.

If you were to say,

"What is this?"

I wouldn't have said

this is a robot challenge.

- Yeah.
- Not so robotic,

but I did love it.

The rendering of that bear

was absolutely gorgeous.

To me, it was so obvious

that she's just not

in tune with hard-edged

- architectural robotic shapes.
- Mm-hmm.

All right,

let's talk about Aryn.

- She really set herself
- up on the back

- to have a great
- focal point.

You know, all of those lines

converged and led the eye

to that central square

that she made.

Unfortunately,

inside that square

was some unfinished tubing.

This is a huge problem,

and we can't forgive

these things.

Okay, guys,

so have you made your decision?

I think so.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Welcome back, painters.

As excellent as your work is,

tonight there can be

only one winner.

And one of you

is going home.

Avi...

Lana...

Congratulations.

You're the top two.

- Please come forward.

Avi, it seems like

you really gave us

a personal story tonight,

and it showed.

- Awesome job.

- Thank you.

Lana, I was really moved

and touched by your concept,

- and I thought you took
- a big chance

in using such a limited

color palette,

but ultimately I feel

it really paid off.

Thank you so much.

And the winner is...

Avi, Lana...

Congratulations.

You're the top two.

And the winner is...

Avi.

Congratulations.

- Thank you.
- Congrats.

Oh, my God.

Thank you so much.

This mean a lot to me.

I know my mom gonna be

really proud on this.

Your story and how you brought

that out in your painting

was very moving,

but beyond that,

your technical expertise

is just excellent.

Well done.

I'm happy the judges--

they now know me better.

Sorry.

I try not to be emotion.

Thanks to both of you.

You may head back

to the lounge.

Aryn...

Rio...

Cheryl Ann...

You are the bottom three,

- and one of you
- is going home tonight.

I can't believe

I'm in the bottom three again.

I feel scared.

- Like, I followed
- my heart,

and I could be going home

because I took a risk.

- It's time to find out
- who's going home.

Cheryl Ann...

You are safe.

Thank you for giving me

this chance.

All right, Cheryl Ann,

- please head back
- to the lounge.

Thank you.

Aryn...

Rio...

One of you will be

packing your brushes tonight.

Aryn, your painting

was an explosion of color,

but we had to judge this

based on what we saw,

and not what you wanted

to bring.

Rio, your piece was

the most like a robot,

but the lines just didn't

meet up.

Rio...

I'm sorry to say

you're going home tonight.

- Judges, I got respect for
- you all,

but this is the biggest mistake

you've ever made.

That was just B.S.

I'm sorry.

I mean, Cheryl Ann didn't even

make a robot, period.

She shouldn't even be here.

Rio, I appreciate you have

a lot to say,

and a lot of emotions,

and a lot of passion,

but something that I learned

a long time ago...

Mm-hmm.

Is don't judge the judges.

I think some things

were completely overlooked.

- If we're doing a challenge where
- the concept is supposed to be--

You--you're telling me

- that we overlooked things?
- And we--

The challenge is a robot,

so what does she make?

A spirit animal.

We deliberated thoroughly.

- Respect that.

- Got you.

- Focus on yourself.

- I--

If your painting would have been

technically strong,

you'd still be here.

Worry about your

technique,

and we'll worry about

Cheryl Ann's creativity.

- Aryn, that means
- you survived,

but the judges want you

to work on time management...

- Yeah.
- If you want to stay in

- this competition.
- you can head back to the lounge.

Thank you so much.

Rio, I see so much

of myself in you

- and it's not just
- the hair.

You have that "It" factor,

and this is from my heart

I'm telling you this.

Your imagination, man,

you can't buy that.

You are a winner, baby,

and nobody can

take that away from you.

I appreciate

this experience, yo.

I, like,

I've been through a lot.

A lot.

So much I could write books,

and books, and books about it,

but...

My mother always told me

my--my...

gift would make room

for me.

And it has, you know?

And I know I'm going to be

a super success because of it.

So much--

so much hell and pain

and so many different things

that I...

- you know, went through
- in my life.

- And I'm still here,
- you know?

Technique-wise,

you know,

- I did take some risky steps,
- but it don't make a difference

'cause I'm willing to grow,

I'm willing to learn,

I'm willing to change,

I'm willing to build.

I thank all of y'all.

for this experience.

I-I don't quite know

how to follow that,

but I'll say that

when your character

walked on stage,

it made me smile.

And then when I saw you

walk on stage,

- and I watched how
- you carried yourself,

that made me smile.

- And you did some things
- that nobody else did.

And you should be

very proud of that.

Okay, Rio,

- it's time to go
- wash off your canvas.

Cool.

Thank y'all.

Leaving here,

opportunities I know

are already awaiting me.

I now see that in my life

- that there's no such thing
- as a negative.

You know, it doesn't

hurt my feelings.

I'm gonna just grow.

Y'all do the same thing.

- All right, now.

- Good-bye, Rio.

Peace.

And I thank God

that I went through

all of those situations.

The good and "the bad."

It definitely a testimony

for other people out there

- ever feel like they may not
- be able to go that far

with their art.

I want to be an extreme

great example for that.

That you can make it,

and you can do it.

Just keep pushing.

Bye.

Next time on Skin Wars...

We want each of you

to do something unique.

He stole my idea.

No, no, no.

Now we did tell you

to try to be unique,

and it seems like

everybody ignored me.

'Cause sun is coming

that direction, so...

- The lighting situation
- for this challenge,

it's a big deal.

The wig cap is tearing

around her ear.

That head'll stick out

like a sore thumb.

This is a battle royale.

We all really want to win.

We're all passionate

and hungry.