Wickedly Perfect, Episode 4: Framed

Previously on Wickedly Perfect: Denise joined Team Artisan. The teams decorated campsites. Margo was frustrated by her team. Mychael kept cooking. The judges named Team Artisan’s campsite the better one. Mychael and Heather were on the chopping block, and Mychael was voted out.

It’s day 10 at the Domestic Domicile, and the teams are eating breakfast together. Mitch says that he hated sending Mychael home, but it was a good choice, because she was tough competition. Heather agrees with the choice her teammates made.

Joan Lunden enters the kitchen and tells the contestants that the next challenge will test them as artists. She introduces them to Alease Fisher, an art patron and a member of the Bruce Art Museum’s board of directors. Alease tells the competitors the museum’s season opening party is the next night in Greenwich, Connecticut, and they want the competitors to provide the entertainment. Joan clarifies that they will be the entertainment. They will form a living portrait, using at least three team members. They’ll be judged on costumes (at least one must be made from scratch), the frame, and the overall execution and concept.

Their individual project will be to make a mask, since the party is a masquerade ball. The creators of the two least impressive individual projects will be on the chopping block. The ball is the next night at 7:30 p.m., so they have about 36 hours to get everything done. Each team gets $1,500 (for both projects) and access to art supplies and a fabric store. The two teams will rotate shifts between the main house and pool house.

The teams are excited about the ball and their projects. Darlene says that she feels comfortable with sewing and working with textiles, so this task plays to her strengths. Team Artisan brainstorms and Darlene suggests something along the lines of Sunday in the Park with George. That makes perfect sense, since that was a play about a painting. Margo wants to do something with the phases of life or the phases of a woman. Dawn wants to do something upscale and classy. Margo suggests couture, but Dawn wants to make something tongue-in-cheek. Kimberly interviews that Margo has been a little bossy in the past, and the rest of the team wants to be more aggressive in having their opinions heard. Margo notices this and complains in an interview that no one is listening to her.

The Beavers are brainstorming as well. Amy wants to do a Moulin Rouge theme. She says that this is her strength, since she’s an artist. Mitch likes the Moulin Rouge idea and wants to use bold colors and patterns. Tim says that Mitch is being headstrong, even though this task isn’t one of his strengths. He says something about being a transsexual in the painting. All right, then. Mitch wants Amy to lead the task, since he wants to give her a chance to “shine.”

Artisan is still trying to decide on something. Dawn suggests “women of a stuffier time.” Denise worries that the task will turn into a “sorority skit.” From the ideas they’re brainstorming, that sounds like a well-founded fear.

The Beavers head off to shop. Heather is glad that she wasn’t eliminated, because she’s good with costumes. Mitch and Tim work on the frame, and Mitch doesn’t seem to want to listen to Tim. He says that he’s skeptical of Tim’s skills. Tim sings a song about carpentry. Sorry, Tim, I think your song is wasted on Mitch.

Darlene and Kimberly decide on some patterns and rush to get fabric. Kimberly says that she just has to let Darlene go and do her thing. Heather and Amy sing each other’s praises as they pick out paint. Heather wants to blow the judges’ minds. In the car on the way back, Darlene and Kimberly discuss props. Darlene says that the judges have brought up the team members’ roles, and that’s caused division. Darlene and Kimberly agree that they can’t let Margo take charge anymore.

Team Artisan reunites and Kimberly tells Margo, Dawn, and Denise what to use on the frame. She says that she’s going to be more assertive where Margo is concerned. She doesn’t even want Margo to touch anything that’s hers. Has she been hanging out with Mitch?

At 6:30 p.m., with 25 hours remaining, Kimberly works on the frame. She thinks this is good for her because she’s worked with these materials before. Once she’s done, she asks Denise’s permission to go work on her individual project. Over at the Beavers’ workplace, Mitch says that everyone wants a great individual project in case his or her team loses. Kimberly wonders how the other team made their masks without putting them on their faces.

The Beavers work on their frame; the women love what the men have done. They pose with wooden cutouts of champagne bottles. Darlene compliments Dawn’s sewing, then gives her some instructions for what she’s supposed to do next. She seems like she would be a good sewing teacher. Heather doesn’t think that anyone’s going to sleep that night. She thinks it’s interesting that Mitch is staying in the background and let the women take charge. She notes that he worked on his individual project a lot. “How can you take a backseat on this one and not even pay attention to who’s driving?” I guess he either trusts the women to pull this one off or he thinks that they’ll fail and he wants to make sure he’s safe. From what we’ve seen, I’m leaning towards the latter. Heather thinks that Mitch is so confident in his individual project, he doesn’t care if the Beavers lose.

Mitch takes his mask and headdress past Team Artisan and they exclaim over it. He says that he had a strategy for showing it to them. He brought it through late so that no one would have a chance to redo his or hers to make it better than his. He wants to show that he’s serious about this challenge.

At 6:30 a.m., Margo carries Team Artisan’s frame across the lawn. She says that Kimberly likes to start projects and get credit for them, but she doesn’t finish anything. At 9:30 a.m., Margo tells Denise that Kimberly said she would paint the frame, but she hasn’t. Denise points out that it has to be dry by 2:00. Kimberly isn’t happy that Margo messed with her frame when she said not to; now she has to watch her back. Oh, please.