Marissa is eliminated.
This week’s theme is “Tenacity” and to help the kids reveal what they are made of is Max Adler, who plays the closeted bully on Glee.
Max leads them through their homework, which is to perform the song “Bulletproof”. Halfway through, he asks them to stop. He wants them to try again, bringing something to the table that will surprise him. The kids try way too hard on the second go-around, and it’s kind of hilarious. Max thinks everyone did fantastic, but he chooses the beautiful red-headed Marissa to win the challenge–her second in a row. Might as well go for hot if you’ve got to choose, right Max? Later, she’ll get a little one on one time with Max to prepare for the group video. Cameron, who has never won a challenge is very very jealous.
Max reveals to the group that for this week’s video project they will need to muster up all their tenacity in order to perform “Under Pressure/Ice Ice Baby” while getting slushied in the face. The kids are really excited. Of course, this is before it actually happens. Getting a slushie in the face totally sucks, as they will soon find out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI7wderQiwI
The choreography for the number is elaborate and a little difficult for the chunky kids, Hannah and Alex. Alex once again refuses to practice. Maybe he’s afraid of looking bad.
In the vocal booth with Nikki, some of the kids struggle. Sam isn’t feeling it. Nikki is intimidating, because she does not hide her disdain when the kids are sub-par. Marissa admits to Nikki that she didn’t practice her parts. Mistake #1. Nikki and the producers think Hannah is such a great rapper, they bet she can do it in one take. That makes her so nervous, she proceeds to screw up several takes afterward. Nikki tells Hannah that she’s crumbling under the pressure. Well, bitch, if you didn’t mess with their heads, they might be a tiny bit more relaxed!.
The time to get slushied has come! The tough part, is that the shots HAVE to be done in one or two takes, because it takes too long to clean up the mess. Marissa gets some one-on-one slushie work with the master, Max Adler. When she hits the set, she handles it OK, but the crew thinks she’s lost her spark.
Samuel reacts in the opposite way–he dives even harder into his character when the cold hits his face. Damien and Lindsay handle it like champs. The crew is really impressed. Hannah handles it pretty well too, making up for her disastrous vocal session with Nikki.
Alex deals with it by having an out of body experience. But Cameron completely falls apart. He can’t deal with the cold or stay in character. The director has to cut the scene over and over again, which would never fly on the actual Glee set.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-vFFc3ALPQ
The finished video is slushie hell. Overdo it much? Damien, Lindsay and Samuel are the most natural actors. Max gets a cameo!
It’s time to reveal the bottom 3. For the first time, the team decision was not unanimous. Much to their relief, Samuel, Damien and Lyndsay are called back for next week.
Marissa has never been in the bottom 3. She’s hoping it saves her. But she’s in the bottom 3 anyway, because she hadn’t rehearsed her lines, and didn’t seem to be cutting it in the video. The team was deadlocked over Hannah and Cameron. Cameron messed up the team’s tight shooting schedule. Hannah had problems in the choreography and in the recording booth. But she ended up giving a great performance anyway, so she’s called back. Cameron will once again give a last chance performance in front of Ryan Murphy.
The kids will perform songs they’ve sung before as their last chance performances. Alex will sing “And I Am Telling You, ” Marissa will sing “Hate On Me” by Jill Scott and Cameron will sing one of his original songs.
proj rev from MJ Santilli on Vimeo.
Alex decides to sing his song in drag. Which is ridiculous. Marissa is angry and begins to cry. Cameron is a little nervous to break out that original song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fac9nGGK1aE
Last chance performances:
Alex is first. He walks on stage dressed in full drag as Effie White. Alex decided to do drag because Ryan seemed a little disappointed that he didn’t sing Amy Winehouse in a bee hive (So glad that didn’t happen) The act is unimpressive. It would have been more interesting and challenging if Alex had taken the song, male pronouns and all, and performed it from his point of view. But, Ryan thought it was brave and unusual. He felt Alex, for the first time, performed like he really wanted it. I thought Alex looked like a guy clomping around the stage in high heels. Just. No.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geY080wSlWw
Marissa is next. She sings “Hate on Me”, asking Ryan not to “hate on her”. Somethings missing though. She’s not killing it up there. It’s like she’s tired, or given up. Ryan’s response is lukewarm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTU6GDArd7g
Cameron sings his song, “Love Can Wait”. He’s a dynamic singer. The problem-and Ryan points this out–is his acting. If he can’t handle a kiss (last week’s disaster) or a slushie in the face, he’s not going to be able to keep up with the rest of the cast.
Untitled from MJ Santilli on Vimeo.
Ryan feels all 3 are talented, but it’s going to come down to who they can write to. Well, that pretty much gives away who will be eliminated. Gay guy in drag vs geeky and charismatic rocker boy vs pretty but blandish red head? Uhm yeah. Being normal is a liability on The Glee Project.
The kids wait for the call back sheet to be posted. Alex and Cameron are certain they are headed home. Both have made several trips to the bottom. Cameron is sure that Marissa is sooooo safe. Marissa herself feels like she’ll “probably be ok”.
Ryan’s thought processes are as mysterious as ever. He doesn’t send home the guys who have been in the bottom a ton of times. He eliminats Marissa, and it’s probably because he finds her boring. And ya can’t write to boring, now can you.
Cameron and Alex are absolutely shocked to find themselves safe. Marissa tries to hide it, but she’s surprised too. She stayed safe, under the radar, for the entire contest. But in one week? She sunk like a stone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2J8STN6xIE
