Last week on The Cut: Little Mr. Jacko had a diva outbreak and got himself cut after he messed up Princess’ design. Oh yeah, and Ears proved himself more useless than usual. Who will get the big heave-ho this week? Will Jacko show up again mysteriously? I’m pretty sure that, if he does, we’ll be able to spot him because of the bright, painful colors that he chose to wear.
The show starts off with the usual “wow, I was close to getting eliminated”/“nobody’s safe”/“I feel responsible for the axing” banter between the contestants as they return to their SoHo loft. Shauna mentions that she feels responsible for Jacko’s axing. In the meanwhile, Deanna takes issue with Liz stealing part of her idea and taking it as her own. Apparently, Deanna did something important with the sleeves. The conversation Deanna and Liz are having quickly devolves into Deanna getting annoyed with Liz and Liz talking about how she doesn’t want drama and running away. Shauna and Deanna discuss the matter in their bedroom, and guess who overhears it? Liz! Surprise, surprise! However, when Liz mentions something, Shauna and Deanna are unphased and keep on talking about her. I must admit, although Shauna and Deanna are slightly evil when they’re together, they’re... deliciously evil. I can’t help but like them whilst they’re catty.
The next morning, the 12 remaining contestants gather at an airport where Tommy greets them and discusses their next challenge. This time around, the teams will be going to either Texas or New Mexico to study Rodeo culture and Native American culture, respectively. They must create 2 outfits – one for men and one for women, that are fashionable and up-to-date. Deanna and Princess were chosen first last week, so they will get to pick the teams. At the end of the process, Deanna’s team is Wes, Deanna, Shauna, Chris C., Jessica, and Ears, and they will be going to Texas. Team Native American is Princess, Liz, Felix, Rob, James, and Julie, who is picked last. In a confessional, Julie says that she doesn’t like getting picked last, but everyone is eventually last, and today must be her day. After staring intently into the television screen whilst paused on this scene, I finally catch a glimpse of foreshadowing. And I think he’s screaming, “Look at me! Look at me!”
The teams are all prepared to leave, when Tommy throws another TWIST at them: not everyone will be going to their destinations. Oh, no. 12 plane rides to places far from NYC? Tommy would not have that. Instead, only half of the each team will go to their location, making the challenge harder because the two sub-teams will have to talk to each other by phone, and cutting costs in half. And, in the end, I’m pretty sure CBS only cares about the latter. Deanna chooses Wes, Jessica, and herself to go out west, while Princess chooses Liz, Felix, and Julie. The six people chosen to leave pick up their bags and board the planes, but not before Tommy advertises a card of some sort that the contestants will use during their travels. I do not know why this card is important, but it is silvery, and that is all that matters.
Team Texas arrives at Fort Worth and heads over to a rodeo, and six ladies do a little choreographed horse dance sequence that involves a bunch of whooping and screaming like a banshee and pants with weird streamers hanging off of them. And their outfits are shiny, oh so shiny. In the meanwhile, team New Mexico arrives and goes to see indigenous clothing on... Forbidden Mountain! *hawk cries in the background* Liz is automatically mystified by how detailed the work is. Over in Texas, Wes, Jess, and Deanna wrangle a cow. I have no idea what significance this has, but it’s slightly amusing. Just slightly. Back at Forbidden Mountain, the Native Americans do a cool little dance, Liz is just mystified by the designs. However, when they call the team, fireworks start! Liz starts throwing out what sounds to me like a costume for a Halloween party, and Princess says that it’s not modern enough. Somewhere along the line, Rob takes the phone and tries to talk Liz out of pushing designs so close to the original, but Liz just gives the phone the “look of disgust”™ and the three in Albuquerque continue down costume road.
Over on team Texas, Deanna finally calls Shauna and gives them the details of what they need to do in NY. Ears, in a desperate attempt to save himself from sure elimination if his team loses, finds a person that I will call “Walter Nye, the Denim Guy”, and Ears and Chris meet him at a little place in NY. They give Walter some designs and let him loose to make two wonderful pairs of pants. And oh, these pants will be wonderful – they hope.
With seven hours remaining, Princess makes a dress based mostly off of what Liz gave her. Liz, Julie, and Felix return from New Mexico and bring back... a bunch of beads and odd patterns. This could turn out badly. Over on team Tejas, Ears and Chris return to pick up the jeans and are amazed by the handiwork. In fact, Ears is in such awe that he gives Walter Nye, the Denim Guy all the money that him and Chris have: 500 dollars. This strikes me as a stupid move, but Ears is quite certain that it’s the right thing to do, and he’s just done so well in the past that I’ll trust him here, too... They arrive back at the SoHo loft and all get busy. Deanna, Wes, and Jessica return to the SoHo loft a little bit later and Wes begins telling Shauna how everything was expensive in Fort Worth, and it turns out the entire team has about 50 dollars to pay the seamstress with. To say the least, Deanna is not pleased at all. Ears tries to place the blame off of himself and puts it on Shauna instead, saying that she didn’t do anything. Shauna takes issue and mentions that she did almost all of the sketches for the team, and they both eventually stomp off in a fury.
Back at team New Mexico, Princess is putting the finishing touches on the dress that Liz will wear, and mentions that she still wants to use a little bit of denim in the outfit. Liz shoots the idea down immediately, saying that it would be a little bit too much, and Princess says that what they have now is not modern at all. The rest of the team puts the finishing touches on their costume outfits and appears to be just about ready for the style forum, although James mentions that he thinks that they took the wrong path in the challenge. In the meanwhile, Julie paints the moccasins and makes a purse for the team. Huh? Is that all she did? That’s just a little bit depressing.
Over on team Texas, the teammates minus Ears make a pretty little gift basket for the seamstress, and with two hours remaining Ears gets the bright idea to take the only piece not finished, a jacket, over to Walter Nye, the Denim Guy for some more work. In the next 20 or so scenes, time ticks away as Ears waits for Walter to get the denim jacket finished. With about 20 minutes to go, Chris calls Ears and tells him to just get whatever Walter has and leave so that the jacket could still count, but Ears still sticks around and waits for it to be done. Finally, with 7 minutes remaining, Walter gives Ears the completed denim jacket, and Ears somberly walks back to the taxi, fully engrossed in his mini pity party that he’s throwing himself. Seriously, it makes me want to barf.
The teams arrive at the style forum, ready to face Tommy yet again after their walk down the runway. The people modeling the outfits are Liz and Felix for team New Mexico and Wes and Jessica for team Tejas. Looking at Felix’s outfit I am immediately amazed by the blanket that he is wearing around his shoulders, and Liz’s outfit looks like something you would see in the Flinstones. Team Tejas, on the other hand, looks much, much better, although it is still a little bit costume-y. The models go back to their teams, and Tommy mentions the jeans, and Ears takes responsibility with the denim specialist. However, by taking that responsibility he also gets the blame of his horrible money management. Tommy starts laying into Ears, and we all (ok, I) cheer. But wait! Suddenly, he starts siding with Ears! Huh? What? Does he want to make me barf? Why did you have to shatter my dreams, Tommy? Whyyy??? Anyways, Tommy says that the New Mexico team is too costume-y, so Tejas wins!
Tommy talks to the New Mexico team about how their outfits aren’t wearable, and asks Princess what she thinks went wrong. Princess mentions how her, James, and Rob already had an idea with a more urban flair, but ended up scrapping it after the phone call with the New Mexico team. Next, Tommy asks Julie what she did, and she says that she took notes and did the handbags, along with the paint job bottom of the moccasins. We are all impressed with how much work she did... except not really. Rob mentions that there was a breakdown in communication, notes that Princess thinks that Liz is controlling. Tommy asks Princess if she was the spokesman for the group, and she says no. Suddenly, Liz spontaneously sets afire, screams “LIES! LIES! LIES!”, grows wings, and screeches like a dying banshee goes for the kill on Princess, saying how she was, indeed, the group spokesman and how she was being jumped on by everyone and how she just wanted everyone to like her. I almost expect her to start crying and then say “I want my blankey, mommy”, but it doesn’t happen. Tommy puts Liz, Princess, and Julie. Tommy mentions that it is a difficult decision, and he sends... Julie down the runway because she doesn’t have the leadership skillz. Mad crazy cut, Tommy! Mad crazy.
Next episode: the teams open clothing lines and people cry! Woohoo! How I love the drama.
Do you enjoy painting the bottom of moccasins? If so, send me an e-mail atboredsim133@yahoo.com .