Beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice!!!!!!!!!! That’s the first thing I think when I think Tim Burton. Then George Clooney’s Bat Man, and most recently Alice in Wonderland. Ahhh Tim Burton, he’s quite the innovator when it comes to over the top quirky creations. Am I right?!

With only two challenges left after this one before a winner is chosen, it’s getting down to the wire. Bring out the big guns. It’s go Burton or Go Home!! On this episode of Face Off…(With guest judge Burton film vet Catherine O’Hara!!)

Poor Rayce, he misses his family so, so much… tear. After he’s done missing his family the contestants are explained the task at hand: create a wacky and whimsical character out of a person with an everyday profession. The pick from a list…

Matt went a creepy ice cream man, Ian a steampunk plumber (no plumber’s crack on this guy), Beki a baker, Sue the toymaker, RJ a bellhop, and Rayce the cellist. Interesting. I wish someone had chosen the farmer that could have been cool. Oh well.

During the walk throughs they all received privileged feedback from one of their regular judges (and secret wannabe love of RJ’s life), Ve Neill, she’s worked with Tim B. for (count em!)  five films.

Ian steampunk plumber went a sufficiently unique route I felt. His idea for the hydraulic plunger backpack as the appliance was pretty neat. As was the water pump that went through the eye. (this was a feature Sue originally was going to incorporate in her own project, but nixed when she saw Ian’s). Patrick thought he played it safe; Glenn said it was too much like a Burton character. (See Beki’s mistake as well) When Ian was so pleased with himself after the makeup application because it reminded him so much of Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands, that should have been his red-light moment to think to himself…oh what have I done… When Glenn remarked that he but didn’t see Ian’s work in it, I was like exactly.

S is for Slow Sue…she took forever to get that idea ball a rolling, and she paid for it later needed help from any and everyone willing or able. Namely her model. Yikes. Picking a toymaker—blah, too freaking easy and we all know it. When I first realizes that Sue is doing the same eye thing he is, I’m completely confused on why she was creating it in the first place. It made perfecto since for the steampunk plumber, but for the toymaker? Huh?? Glad she quickly let that go. (Ian was freaking out.)

I was not impressed with her original ideas involving a full fat suit and working marionettes. (besides the fact that that was the pretty ambitious concept, how much time did she think she’d have?) Even after she let the fat suit idea go, and had only one puppet stay, it still wasn’t even Burton creepy fun. I think you almost have to work hard to not make a toymaker creepy fun, so to fail at that…geez. When Ve remarking during the judging that she was un sure if Sue  even knew who Tim Burton was, it was like wow…poor Sue. Yeah she went realism, and did pretty well at it, but yeah that’s not Burton.

Beki has a thing for cupcakes I guess. She went a little cupcake happy for a prop. She spent like half her time making that thing! If your inspiration is Mad Hatter of Wonderland fame, then what did the weird teeth have to do with anything? Eat a mega cupcake and you’re likely to loose all those chompers.

Hmmm…I wonder what that would have looked like? Glenn (a judge) wasn’t pleased with the Burton inspiration connection. I wasn’t either, when she explained during the earlier walk through’s that she wanted to go classic Tim with the bright colors and stripes, it was like-this challenge wasn’t “try to replicate a Burton creation.” It’s be inspired and motivated by—but put your stamp on it!!! (see Rayce later on). In a way she was more ripping him off then anything. I just wasn’t impressed. But I did want a cupcake.

Catherine wanted to know what Beki was thinking. It wasn’t clear. I think her biggest problem was that without the friggin’ cupcake who would have really realized that her character was a baker?! I mean, who bakes in a pink tutu? Hmm…

Matt chose ice cream man. With that cone coming out of his head and shoulders, it was like Tim Burton meets Wes Craven! I loved the use of candy sprinkles over the face of that was in a way similar to blood on a zombie. Ve thought that “this would be the villain if Burton ever did an out-and-out horror film.” My sentiments completely!!!!!

I wasn’t the only one who love, love, loooooooooooved Rayce’s cellist. Maybe it’s because the biggest crush of my life in high school played the same instrument, so instant I was drawn to the story concept: the character has lost the love of her life, but he morphs into a cello and she keeps him alive as she plays his heart strings. So maybe I was bias in that regard, but hey, the judges raved just a s much! Glenn remarked that the cello was what the challenge was all about (wow!), and guest judge Catherine called it soulful…Aww, quite delightful. Bringing in the elements of the cello into the face of his model, beautiful does describe it best.

Ve said RJ’s bellhop was “great”. Could have been plucked or inserted in a Tim Burton film. Patrick was impressed; and Catherine said it was a strong. Best comment though was Glenn saying that, “Burton’s signature style was in every aspect of RJ’s work but RJ made it his own as well.” It was really fun. Great spin on the whole chest of drawers thing! His motivation to focus on that aspect was definitely the way to go versus being overly concerned with the facial aspects.

At the end of the night it was Rayce’s romantic cellist that won, and Beki’s silly ballerina baker that bit the dust.

Photo Credit: SyFy Channel and Fearnet.com