Creative Competitions

Reality TV seems to be a staple in pop culture. Whether it's watching the Kardashians (did I spell that right? no? yes? yeah I don't care) or American Pickers or some random singing show, reality TV has something for everyone (just have to look for it). For me, my favorites are competition shows (yeah I have other favorites but this isn't about them). Trade competitions are the best competitions in my mind. I can relate to people and their craft, be it bladesmithing, interior design, creature design, food. I can relate to the heart and pride people put into their craft and trade (pretty sure most people can relate), but what I love about these competitions that highlight the skill and difficulties of a trade is that the contestants are given an overall concept and parameters to work with. So while they [the contestants] are working on their designs, I'm also thinking about what they could do or what I would do. I get to pick up on some of the lingo of their trade, like quenching and various cooking terms that I still can't remember. I get to see if any of my ideas would actually work on the off chance that some one on the show goes down the same line of thought. It's fun and I get to see people working their craft and produce something amazing. Here are some of my favorite trade competitions.

Face Off

You've seen movies where the actors are creatures or unworldly beings, or at least have seen the pictures. But have you ever considered how that movie magic happens. Yes there is CGI but there are still make up artists and creature designers who work their butts off to make things happen. Face off is the search for the next great special effects make up artist. Each week contestants are given a topic and parameters to create a creature to wow the judges and the guest judge for that week (once Josh Hutcherson from Hunger Games came on and was like, "I would gladly run from that creature."). Each season is a batch of new contestants and one gets eliminated every week while another gets high praise and invulnerability in the next challenge. SyFy's Face Off is great and amazing and full of whimsy (depending on the week that is).

Ellen's Design Challenge

I love interior design, but you need furniture to design with, Ellen's Design Challenge is a furniture design competition. Like Face Off, each season a new batch of contestants come on the show and one gets eliminated each week while another gains an advantage in the next week. Contestants have to design a unique piece of furniture that fits the area it will go in. I love seeing the different styles and how each contestant comes up with their idea (one used a flow chart mind map thing), and sometimes Ellen DeGeneres makes an appearance (hey it's her show). It's great and it's on HGTV. 

Chopped

Food Network's Chopped has a slightly different format than shows like Face Off and Design Challenge. Each week four chefs are brought in and face off against one another to prepare a three-course meal consisting of an appetizer, entree and dessert. The catch is that in each round, they have to use all the ingredients the show provides them with, however unlikely they might be (once they had to use chocolate in every dish). At the end of each course, a panel of three guest judges "chops" one chef who fails to measure up in terms of taste, presentation and creativity. The last chef standing takes home bragging rights and $10,000. Chopped takes a whole season of these other long competitions shows and wraps it all into one hour episodes. 

Forged in Fire

Now for my latest obsession, History Channel's Forged in Fire. Like Chopped, each week four bladesmiths are brought on to compete against each other. The set is referred to as "The Forge," and is stocked with a wide range of metalworking equipment, including furnaces, grinders, and shaping presses. At the end of each round, the smith whose weapon is judged to be the least satisfactory must surrender it and leave the competition. In the first round, the four smiths are presented with a starting material that they must use to forge a blade. In some episodes, they all begin with the same material; in others, they may choose from an assortment of metal objects. They are given a range for blade length and one feature that must be incorporated. Once the design and working period is over, the judges inspect their workmanship, quality, and design, the one who does make the cut gets eliminated and told to "surrender their weapon." For the second round, the three remaining smiths are given an additional three hours to turn their blades into fully operational weapons. They must attach a handle, grind, sharpen, and polish the blades as well as address any flaws or issues pointed out by the judges in the first round. The judges put each weapon through a series of tests to gauge properties such as sharpness, durability, and ease of use. For these tests, the weapons are used to chop/slash/stab objects that include coconuts, sandbags, and car doors. The one who doesn't make the cut gets eliminated. In the third round, the two remaining smiths are shown a historically significant bladed weapon and are given five days to create a version of it, traveling to their home forges to do the work. Once this time is up, they return to the Forge and submit their weapons for testing similar to that in the second round. Based on the test results, the judges select one smith to receive the $10,000 prize. Forged in Fire is becoming one of my favorite shows, in fact I'm binge watching Season 1 as I'm typing this post up, and I found my current favorite blade because of the show (it's a khopesh if you wanted to know). Forged in Fire is great and I love the historical aspect, and kill tests are the best tests. And I know what to look for if I ever get a blade myself.

Overall, I just love the creation and imagination as well as the heart and soul that goes into the work the contestants produce. I love seeing the passion people have for their trade and craft and I love knowing the passion behind what they do (my passion is photography, I get it). I also use shows like this as a way to make my writing a little more accurate if I decide to use something, like a weapon, in my writing. That's it for this post. Hope you decide to check these shows out, I'm going back to my blades, so for now... Sanders out.