It’s a case of “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the workshop” when it comes to Blown Away. Basically an artistic version of The Great British Bake Off that trades cakes for glass, Blown Away takes down 10 contestants in an effort to find the ultimate glassblowing expert.
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How can I watch and stream Blown Away?
Blown Away is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
All 10 episodes of Blown Away can be viewed on the streaming service.
What is Blown Away about?
Follow in the footsteps of shows like Fixer Upper and The Great Pottery Throw Down, Blown Away takes another artistic skill to the next level. While a glassblowing show may not sound the most poignant, Blown Away has found itself a loyal fan base.
By tasking 10 professional glassblowers to create their own perfect piece, each episode gives them a single challenge and an opportunity to showcase their artwork. Accidents happen all the time in the hot shop which means there is no second chance here.
The grand prize is $ 60,000 and an elusive residence at New York’s Corning Museum of Glass. As with all these shows, there are plenty of puns and talk of contestants having a ‘smashing’ time. Running for about 23 minutes per episode, Blown Away is an easy-to-hear watch for those wanting to watch a match heat up.
Where do they film Blown Away?
Blown Away is produced by Marblemedia and filmed in Canada. Architectural summary reveals that Blown Away built the hotshop specifically for the series. It contains 10 work stations, 10 warming furnaces and two melting surfaces where participants can put their glass blowing skills to the test.
The hot shop is currently the largest glass blowing company in North America. Blown Away consulted with The Craft and Design Glass Studio at Sheridan College in Toronto about what the hot shop needed.
Who presents Blown Away?
Blown Away is hosted by Nick Uhas. A former Big Brother contestant in the US, Uhas is also known for his YouTube science channel, NickipediaNick is joined by resident glass evaluator Katherin Gray. Gray is not only an associate professor at California State University, but also a renowned glass artist.
Each episode also features a guest judge who will help choose the winners and losers from the challenges. These range from lighting experts to restaurateurs, ballet dancers to sommeliers. Every week the panel selects a lucky artist as “Best in Blow”.
Who’s blown away?
Here are the 10 contestants who took part in Season 1 of Blown Away:
Alexander Rosenberg: 36-year-old Alexander has a glass art degree from the Rhode Island School of Design AND a Master of Science in Visual Studies from MIT. With more than 15 years of experience, Alexander is one of the show’s most experienced participants.
Annette Sheppard: Annette was a professional glassblower for 12 years before changing her path to become a management consultant in San Francisco. At the age of 37, Annette returns to the art world and admits that she didn’t make anything with glass for four years before Blown Away.
Benjamin Kikkert: Benjamin, 45, has the privilege of serving as president of the Glass Art Association of Canada. Benjamin works in hot glass and mixed media, is a graduate of the Sheridan College Craft & Design Program and even received the RBC Glass Award 2012.
Deborah Czeresko: 57-year-old Deborah, a veteran of the glass blowing scene, has 30 years of experience. Deborah bases her work on social and political commentary and has permanent exhibitions at the Museum of American Glass in New Jersey, the Ebeltoft Glass Museum in Denmark and the Frauenau Glass Museum in Germany.
Edgar Valentine: At 22 years old, Edgar is the youngest participant of Blown Away. That said, he has 10 years of experience and started working with glass when he was only 12. Edgar works at Tacoma Glassblowing Studio in Washington and is also a student at Pilchuck Glass School.
Janusz Pozniak: 53-year-old Janusz is on pole position for the most experienced artist and has worked with glass for the past 30 years. Growing up in the UK, Janusz started working with glass at the age of 19 and partnered with some of the world’s greatest glass artists.
Kevin Kiff: Kevin is 23, is relatively new to glassblowing and has only four years of experience. Kevin is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and is eager to build his portfolio.
Leah Kudel: Canadian-born Leah is a 34-year-old mixed media glass artist. She tends to create unique pieces and claims to use her glass to fill the voids between people and objects.
Momo Schafer: Kristen Momoko Schafer is better known as “Momo” and is a rising star at the age of 24. Momo earned two full scholarships for Brooklyn’s Urban Glass. She has also had impressive residencies at FireSeed Studio and the Worcester Center for Craft.
Patrick Primeau: 44 from Montreal, Patrick is inspired by Venetian artwork. His works can be found in the prestigious Montreal Fine Arts Museum and the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec. Patrick also co-founded the Welmo Glass Studio in Montreal.
Will there be a second season of Blown Away?
Netflix dropped all 10 episodes of Blown Away on July 12. Since Netflix doesn’t release its ratings, it’s unclear how Blown Away fared with Netflix viewers.
As it stands, there is no news as to whether Blown Away has been renewed for Season 2. Even Bobby Berk of Queer Eye has admitted to being a fan of Blown Away, so let’s hope it warms up again in the hot shop.
For more suggestions on what to watch now, check out our TV guide, our best series on Netfix guide, best movies on Netflix or the best shows on Amazon Prime.
