Photo Credit: Jordin Althaus/Syfy

Note: Last Week’s Recap

Well, we didn’t start off this week of Face Off jumping right into a new challenge as there’s still the elimination that we needed to get from last week’s episode, which didn’t show an elimination as it was the 100th episode! Missy and Jason as well as Meg and Nora were in the bottom. In the end, it was Missy who was sent packing. Ugh. That hurt to see. She was a positive spirit on the show and I wasn’t ready to see her go because I really was looking forward to seeing what else she was going to create. Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see from her.

This week, host McKenzie Westmore introduced a new challenge. A FOCUS Challenge. Not a foundation or spotlight challenge. Shaking it up in season nine! Okay! I like it! The artists had two days instead of three to make their creations focused on the face. Clean makeup with great edges, painting, etc… The theme for the very first focus challenge, also the very first individual challenge of the season? A classic literature and horror mash up! Whoa. Yes, please! Is it too early to say that this is my favorite challenge of the season? Probably. But it’s certainly one of my favorite themes ever. Each artist has to create their own protagonist based on one of seven predesigned mashups.

Jason and Meg (again, individual challenge not a team challenge) chose The Scarlet Letter Puritan Poltergeist. Scott and Stevie picked Don Quixote Monster of La Mancha. Jordan and Nora chose Gulliver’s Travels in the Underworld. Ricky and Libby picked The Exorcism of Monte Cristo. Jasmine and Evan went with Sherlock Holmes: Bloodsucker. Brittany chose Great Expectations of a Serial Killer. Kevon and Ben chose The Legend of King Arthur and his Undead Knights.

Yeah, there were a few classics I would have rather seen represented but it would never be perfect so it’s all good. Based on the mashups, I was most looking forward to creations from Jason, Meg, Jordan, Nora, and Brittany’s looks. In the lab, Jason was a bundle of nerves during the sculpting phase. After series mentor, Michael Westmore came in, Brittany was also in nervous company. But come day two, basically everyone was freaking out. The focus challenge is no joke! There’s no getting around a nearly flawless face. It either hits the mark or it doesn’t.

On the reveal stage, the judges were welcome by guest judge, Lois Burwell this week. Awesome to see her back! So Ben, Libby, Jordan, Evan, Kevon, Ricky, Nora were all safe. My favorite looks came from Evan, Ricky, Jason, Scott, Jordan, and Jasmine, especially rooting for Jordan and Jasmine, in particular, Jasmine. The judges’ top looks were Jasmine, Stevie, and Scott. Yes! Jasmine was a top look! Scott won the challenge this week and well deserved! Congrats, Scott! I was still rooting for Jasmine though so hopefully she’ll win a future challenge because her talent must be acknowledged.

The judges’ bottom looks were Jason (who didn’t pick the right skin tone and go dark enough for his creation), Brittany (who did too much), and Meg (who fell flat this week). I really didn’t want Meg to go because it’s been so much fun watching her and she’s a fellow Jersey girl so I’ve been rooting for her since before the show began! I also liked Jason’s look so I wasn’t interested in seeing him go home. This, unfortunately left Brittany who was the one eliminated this week. It wasn’t any easier seeing her go. Ugh. The eliminations are starting to get tough to handle already! We’re only four episodes in! You’d think it’s too early to say much at this point….but that said, I am going to say that I do see Jasmine winning or at least making it to the top four. What do you think?

Elimination Recap
Eliminated This Week: Missy (Last Week’s Elimination Shown This Week), Brittany (This Week’s Elimination)
Total Eliminations: Brittany, Jasmine, Libby, Meg, Melissa, Nora, Stevie, Ben, Evan, Jason, Jordan, Kevon, Omar, Ricky, Scott, Sidney

Face Off airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Syfy.