This week’s guest judge for the shortcut challenge is celebrity stylist Jose Eber – I love this guy, but I don’t know how much I trust a man who makes a living doing hair but always wears a hat. Sometimes I wonder if he’s one of those. You know, the guy with the Woodstock-era ponytail in back but rockin’ a baldie up top. Eww…
Jaclyn Smith introduces the remaining contestants to their clients and tells them that the point of the challenge is to get to know their models in order to create a dynamic and compelling hairstyle that reflects their personalities and lifestyles.
Charlie’s client is all-business Monday through Friday but kinda wild on the weekends, so he decides to give her an outdoorsy look in a light, sunny blonde all-over color with white-blonde streaks. Dee’s client works in the motorcycle industry and leans toward being a rocker, so Dee opts for daring yet subtle purple peek-a-boo streaks. Daniel asks his client a great question: if she were to select a dream job in the entertainment industry, what would it be? She answers, “Reporter,” and from there Daniel creates a look that would work well on camera and thus look great in person. Nicole’s client is a singer who adores Christina Aguilera and Paris Hilton (whoa, don’t know if I can stand two consecutive Paris Hilton references), so she chooses to keep her blonde.
When Jaclyn interrupts the stylists to announce that they are double-booked, they freak out a bit but take the extra kink in the challenge in stride. They enter the waiting room to meet their new clients, only to be met with the same faces they just left back in the salon. Yes, we have twins! How cool it would be to have an identical twin! I always wanted one – I think I might’ve asked my mom for one when I was 5. I’m glad neither of the remaining male stylists is straight, so there aren’t any funky sexual innuendos about tag teaming or sister sandwiches.
After a second consultation, the stylists figure out how to capture each twin’s uniqueness. Charlie’s twin client admits that she’s a bit prissier than her sporty sister, so he creates a sexy, loosely curled Euro-chic look. Dee’s twin possesses her sister’s similar rocker sensibilities, so Dee goes bold with red chunky pieces. Nicole is stuck with another X-tina fan, but twin sis is open to dropping the blonde for a trip to the dark side (chocolate brown, that is). Daniel takes an interesting approach to getting personal with his clients; instead of talking about them, he prattles on about himself.
Jose is impressed with everyone’s work. He particularly pays attention to Daniel’s choice of juxtaposing two very different blondes with his twins. However, he declares Nicole the winner and she squeals like a stuck pig. With this shortcut win, Nicole secures for herself a spot in the final three. Daniel is okay with Nicole winning because he still sees her as too green to be much of a threat. Charlie wants to throw her off the closest balcony – oh, how Charlie!
The following day, the stylists meet Rene Fris at an L.A. studio where he introduces them to celebrity photographer and guest judge Michael Grecco. For the elimination challenge, they must create an avant garde hairstyle for a photo shoot based on one of the four seasons. Sounds like this may be the best challenge all season, and Charlie agrees. After selecting scissor boxes, here are the matchups:
Nicole: Winter
Charlie: Spring
Daniel: Summer
Dee: Fall
Each of the stylists meets with Michael to receive direction. Nicole is told that for the winter scene, her model will be lying on her back in a bed of fake snow. Somehow, she misinterprets this and is surprised by the amount of white fluff all over the floor. With immunity, she can afford to be a bit safe so she chooses simple and soft over avant garde crazy. Also, the model’s dress is very detailed so she doesn’t want her style to clash with it and the complicated set. As the model lies down for the first frames, fake snow immediately becomes fastened in her hair like giant dandruff flakes. Nicole wastes most of her time cleaning the pieces out of her hair and smoothing flyaways.
Michael requests flowy style from Dee because her model will be jumping on a trampoline. Dee stubbornly sticks to her trademark trendy cut with colored tips. She chops off hair in the back and shortens her bang. Kim Vo has seen this look before, and so have we all. Guest judge Allure Magazine editor in chief Linda Wells thinks it’s a nice, wearable daytime look – the complete opposite of avant garde. However, each bounce makes the model look like “a village idiot.” Ha!
Charlie’s model, like Dee’s, is also meant to be in motion: swaying back-and-forth on a swing. Rather than focusing on hair movement, Charlie sticks with his own interpretation of avant garde. He creates a hedge-like shape interspersed with a few flowers and teases out random tendrils on set. At first, Michael is confused by the pretty, Romantic-period style. But he eventually appreciates the attitude Charlie brings out of it by simply messing it up a bit.
Daniel’s technical challenge is to create a style that will stand up to misting. So he adds hair. And more hair. And braids and waves and hair and flowers and hair. Michael is understandably disgusted by a long ratty, red braid Daniel wraps around his model’s pompadour. And everyone is perplexed by his choice to have all the action happen in the back – the model’s facing the camera, Daniel; we can’t see your extra oomph. However, Daniel handles himself pretty well on set and adjusts his style to better suit Michael’s needs and vision. And when the photographer’s assistants turn on the misters, he gives a really hilarious quote: “[They] hosed this bitch down like she was on fire!” Kim , on the other hand, conjures up a scary, disgusting image when he describes his reaction to Daniel’s use of contradictory styles and textures: “It’s like taking a laxative and a sleeping pill in one night.” After next week, I’m gonna miss the quotes on this show.
At the close of judging, Charlie is declared the challenge winner and joins Nicole in the champions’ circle. Between Dee’s inappropriate cut and Daniel’s sloppy style, the judges choose Dee to move on to the finale and Daniel to return to the Lone Star State. Oh, Danny Boy. Big hair in Dallas is calling…
Next Week: The finale!
