Episode 5 Hair

Welcome to Hair. It's the semifinal and only four people

remain in the fight to be named Britain's best amateur hairstylist.

'Last week, the stylists attempted to impress judges Alain Pichon

'and Denise McAdam with elegant up-dos.'

My birthday obviously. It's absolutely stunning.

-'..precision cutting...'

-I don't want to make the first cut.

'..and out-of-this-world, sci-fi creations.'

May the force be with you.

'16-year-old Kobi impressed with his elegant alien.'

Your construction is pretty remarkable, I have to say.

'But for critical care nurse Annie...'

I've no idea what I'm doing to be honest with you.

'..her time in the competition was over.

'This week, it's the semifinal and just four contestants remain.'

We want to blown away - it's your last chance.

'The stylists will have to stand up to the pressure...'

-I'm not going to get it finished.

-This is the anarchist.

'..and show the judges they have what it takes...'

-I don't know where it's gone wrong.

-The theme is brides.

'..to walk up the aisle to the final.'

I just feel like I'm going to go home.

They are going to have to reach a level

that they've never been before.

-Almost perfect.

-Wow!

The judges are ready,

the stylists can't wait to get started and neither can I.

Let's get to work on Hair.

Good morning.

Welcome back, semifinalists.

Ready for more hair?

As usual, in the first round, the judges want to see you

incorporating a set element into your hairstyles.

This week's set element is, the punk classic, the mohican.

The judges want to see gravity-defying mohicans.

Judges, tell them more.

From here to here at a 90-degree angle all the way.

I want to see sleek, sharp at the sides, and,

of course, secure.

Also, we are looking for perfect symmetry.

It's going to be completely central

and the width has to be the same from the front hairline to the back.

Sounds easy enough. You have one hour and 15 minutes.

Your time starts now.

In this challenge, the stylists have chosen a model with the hair type

they want to work with.

-You OK?

-Yeah. You?

-Good thank you.

-Hello, how are you?

-I'm fine.

Nice to meet you.

-You know what you're having?

-Yes.

I don't even think I'm going to take the moisture out of your hair.

Why, Alain, have you chosen the mohican?

I think it's really important to learn how to fix the hair,

make it stand up all the way and how to make it hold.

So there's a technique for it,

that's what we're expecting from this challenge.

What's the perfect mohican?

The proportions are very important, cos obviously

if you're a wider mohican, you have to be much higher to carry that.

It should balance.

You can buzz it or you can slick it, lift it up into a pony tail.

-Many variations.

-It's their interpretation that we've asked for,

but it would be really good to see a classic mohican.

Threatening and Edgy, the mohican

originated with Native American warriors,

who plucked, rather than shaved the sides of their head.

It was picked up in the 1970s by young British punks who used

flour and water, sugar

and even glue to style their gravity-defying mohicans.

Today, the edge has been taken out of the style

and it's been seen on the catwalk and football field.

Working with Afro-Caribbean hair is the norm for me.

It's something that I'm very familiar with, so working with it

at this stage of the competition,

hopefully becomes an advantage to me.

Home hairstylist Marvin has his neighbour's queuing up

on the sofa for the latest hair trends.

His mohican will be formed by a series of pompoms

which will be shaped into arches along the head.

-Marvin.

-Hi, Denise.

So how are you going to interpret the mohican?

My inspiration comes from the Loch Ness Monster.

I'm going to get my base structure down with the hair bands,

so I'm going to bring it up and back and connect it into each one.

-I notice you're using the bristle brush.

-Yeah.

-Why is that?

-With Afro-Caribbean hair,

we have a lot more problem of smoothing the hair over,

so I find using the comb to tackle the problem underneath

and then using the bristle brush to smooth over on top,

it gives it a cleaner finish.

-That's why I prefer to use...

-And it works well with the pomade?

It works very well.

Marvin was using a bristle brush where I would use a comb.

He's getting a really good effect.

He's using pomade, it's a cross between a gel and a cream.

You've really got to brush it in well.

Traditionally a men's styling product,

pomade first became popular in the early 20th century.

It's associated with slick styles such as ducktails and quiffs,

making it a great choice for creating a sleek mohican.

Semifinals - just going to have to put in everything.

Serious business now, in it to win it.

16-year-old Kobi is keen to graduate from his Saturday job

at his local salon.

He plans to create a modern version of the Mohican with shaved sides.

-Hello.

-Hello.

You got long hair there, what's the plan?

I'm going to be actually cutting in the mohican to create that

classic shape with the shaved sides.

I'm going to make a twist on it -

I'm not going to have such a small panel, going quite wide.

So what made you think of the wider mohican?

I wanted to make it more current, I wanted to put my own

twist on it so it looks a bit more trendy, a bit more cool.

Can't wait to see it.

The plan is to be perfect, shiny, slick, very precise.

29-year-old Dominika studied art and design in Poland and brings the same

attention to detail to her work as a photographer's assistant.

She is attempting a 1970s-inspired classic punk mohican.

-Hello, Dominika.

-Hi.

-You OK?

So far, yeah.

Can't wait to shave all the mohican off.

What you going to spend your most time on?

To section the perfect mohican.

-Sectioning?

-Yeah.

And then I'll probably cut to shorten,

as I doubt I can stand that up.

You would find it too difficult to leave it that length?

Yeah, I don't want to...

Yeah, it's going to be too long to keep it straight.

OK, carry on.

I've seen Kobi and Dominika are both

doing buzz haircut on the side with a mohawk.

Right now, they are using perfection within their sectioning,

very equal on both sides.

Kobi, his mohican, is looking a little bit too wide

and a little bit short maybe.

Dominika says she's not going to keep the whole length which is

a great shame, that's what makes it so effective.

I'm planning to bring all the sides up smooth,

as smooth as I can get them and then triangular partings coming up.

Mum-of-two Katie has five years' experience in fashion design

and loves to be brave, using bold sculptured styles and shapes.

She will be slicking up the sides and will form

the mohican by moulding round shapes along the centre of the head.

You're going to have to help me out

cos I've never worked with your hair before.

OK. Obviously, it's been washed.

-Stretch it out a little bit?

-Yeah.

Hi. This is a different hair type for you.

First time ever I've worked with Afro-Caribbean hair.

-First time ever?!

-Yeah.

I thought I'd push the boundaries a little bit on myself.

-I don't want to stay safe.

-How do you find the texture?

It's easy to shape.

It's a lot easier than I thought I was going to be,

cos I can work with it, so...

Are you using product on it?

We've used serum and pomade to smooth out.

One side done.

With Katie and also with Marvin, using African hair is a great idea.

It moulds really easily and they don't have to use clippers and shave

the sides and things like that.

They get a great mohican shape with hair.

OK, I'm going to chop the hair

because I'm going to use the clippers with dry hair.

Bye-bye, hair.

The typical mohican is shaved.

That's what is says in the dictionary.

If it's put-up then it's not a mohican.

Hopefully, the judges will see that I've done my research

and I know what I'm doing.

-You ready?

-Yeah.

Clipper work is fairly straightforward.

You just have to work upwards, against the growth of the hair.

-I think you look good, no?

-I really like it actually.

I wasn't sure if I would, but it's really cool.

Oh, mamma! This is radical.

Yep, definitely.

Did you ask permission first?

-Of course.

-This is a big change!

-Yeah.

I now have longer hair than you.

-Yeah.

-This is insane. What are we going for?

A classic mohawk with the shaved sides,

as that's what a mohawk is.

So brave. I'm very impressed.

It's a different way of life, being a punk.

Have you ever smashed up a hotel room, or...thrown a TV out a window?

-No.

-I'm going to leave you to it

because I can't wait to see the finished article here.

Marvin stands up his mohican by putting hair bands around

a series of ponytails and pinning to the head.

It's going OK-ish.

Could have been quicker.

Now that the sides have been shaved, Kobi and Dominika

must create the mohican by cutting the remaining hair.

To do this, the hair is elevated 90 degrees from the head

and all cut to the same length.

-You all right?

-Yeah.

30 mins left, everyone. 30 minutes left.

And the award for the person a mohican is most going to suit

goes to this guy.

It already looks awesome.

Glad you think so.

You had long hair before and you were hiding this jaw of steel

you've got going on there.

As you can see, Dominika is very good at getting hair to stand

upright - look no further than her bonce.

It's almost like a plunger for dynamite.

Kaboom.

The key to sculpting a good mohican is using product correctly to

make it stand upright and stay put.

I've put very strong mousse, like loads of it.

To make the hair stand up,

defying gravity 90 degrees, it's good to blow dry before

the hair's wet to put a little gel on the roots,

so you get a kick right away.

I would expect a lot of hairspray, a little backcombing,

hairspray and blow-drying as you go along.

Make sure it's always central, working one side,

working the other, one side,

the other - all the way through to the top.

Dominika applies hairspray to the dry hair

and uses the heat of the straighteners to fuse it together.

What I'm going to do put a little bit of backcomb in it,

a little bit of clay, just give it some height

and just hope it stays there with a lot of hairspray.

I'm trying to decide whether to leave it

as a full-on mohican,

or to do my original plan

and bring it down into shapes...

..like balls.

I quite like that though.

It looks incredible, I love this.

I was thinking, Scotland, mohawk, Loch Ness Monster -

yeah, it could work.

Your mind really does work in a marvellous way.

That's why they call you Marvellous Marvin.

How you feeling about being in the semifinal?

Have you visualised yourself winning this?

Many times and different ways in different outfits.

Trust me, I've done it all! I've done it all.

Who do you think's your greatest threat in the room?

Who's the one person you're secretly having nightmares about?

-The eyes go straight to go straight to Dominika.

-Yep.

Cos she's so innovative, and even with her hair day-to-day.

Can you not do that with your hair?

No, Steve, I really couldn't.

A good stylist could, Marvin.

I'd probably make a wig and do it.

With just ten minutes to go, Katie has decided to stick to her

original plan and moulds the hair into round shapes.

I think you've managed to make the mohawk look elegant somehow.

I would put this on my mother.

I'm going to put it out there -

this is 100% a mohican, yes? It is?

-I think so, hair is 90 degrees...

-You think so?!

It's from the front of the head to the back of the head.

That was the brief, wasn't it?

Same width all the way down, 90 degrees off the head.

This is a mohawk - a very elegant one at that.

Sorry, a mohican. Americans say mohawk, because they are lazy.

60 seconds.

Time's up, guys.

Please, step away from your punk

and, please, do not smash up your work stations.

Alain and Denise are looking for well-proportioned

and totally central mohicans which stand up at 90 degrees.

The judges are coming.

What's Marvin's handiwork looking like over here?

It's a really good styling variation of the mohican.

Let's see if it's central...

I want to push it a little bit in the middle here.

Just making sure that it's right in the middle,

but it stays in the middle.

So it's got to be solid, from the roots till the end.

It's definitely 90 degrees, all the way round, which we can see.

I absolutely love what you've done with the hairline.

-Thank you.

-Did you just use the pomade or the hairspray.

A bit of gel and my towel comb.

No, cos it's lovely, and it's a nice...

When you've got a fine hairline that you maybe couldn't have taken back...

-Yeah.

-You've made a nice - almost henna effect.

It's a great variation on the styling,

really think you pulled it off there.

Little bit biased towards the Nessie element there?

Yeah, he won me!

Like being back home.

-Nice work, Marvin.

-Thank you.

-Very clever.

-Yeah.

-Very good.

-Let's go see Katie. Nice work.

What's Katie doing?

-Feels a little low.

-Mm.

-In fact it's a little wider than it's higher.

-What about the central positioning?

-Let's see how it suits...

within the middle of it...

Again, as wide as it is, it's kind of more difficult to judge.

It sort of reached the 90 degrees, but it goes a little bit flat here.

-Yeah.

-So it needed to go higher.

-Yeah.

-The minute we start to lift it...

-Yeah.

Even working on your beauti... I mean, it's beautifully done.

-Yeah, I can see it now!

-We've actually - look!

-We've reached the criteria. We're at 90 degrees now.

-Mm.

Can I get a yea or nay, does this qualify as a mohican?

No, it's not a mohican. It's too wide and not high enough.

You just got your proportions wrong.

To Kobi.

You created a variation of the mohican.

I would say variation because it's a little bit wider.

Now, let's see if it's in the middle.

Need to lift it up to see what's going on, to tell you the truth.

It's even higher a little bit one side than the other.

Not completely even.

Isn't it supposed to be a bit of a messy mohican, though?

That's the idea, isn't it? It's punk, isn't it?

It's anarchy! This woman's head is anarchy.

-It's certainly a modern, very feminine twist on the mohican.

-Yeah.

-Which is what you wanted to achieve.

-Mm-hm.

You were at 90 degrees all the way round,

but what happened when Alain touched it? It fell.

-Yeah.

-So you were not secure in the base.

So we lost your 90 degrees there.

-Can I say one more thing?

-Yeah.

-Too much hairspray.

-And that's why you've got the wrong type of separation here.

-Yeah.

You've just got brittle...and it's just doing this.

It's not flowing softly, because you were just jetting that hairspray.

-A brave effort...

-Absolutely.

-..and an even braver model.

-Nice one, Kobi.

-Yeah.

Dominika.

Wow, it's all finished, and all perfect.

Look - it's completely central.

This is the anarchist. It's even all the way through.

Love the finish of it.

The only thing I would have said is it's a shame -

you had this length, and I don't know how secure or confident

you felt about making it hold all the way through.

A little bigger, the more of a chief he became.

-I like the length, actually.

-Yeah, I do too.

I think it's nice and sharp. It's really great.

You've definitely got 90 degrees,

you've really stayed true to the modern history of the mohican.

You two would make quite a funky couple.

-Shall we buy a hat?

-Yep.

-Well done, it looks stunning.

-Cheers.

-Brilliant.

-Thanks.

-That was nicer!

-Told you.

Thanks for your sterling work, guys.

The sanctuary of the prep room awaits you. Go take a break.

You deserve it. Well done.

(Give him your number! Give him your number.)

-Oh, man!

-Oh, man.

Oh, man!

-KOBI:

-I knew it wasn't how I wanted it to look.

There was too much hairspray on it. That was not intentional.

-DOMINIKA:

-I feel confident, you know? I got really good comments.

Now I want to make little village full of mohawk people.

Next up, it's the blockhead round

and this week the judges want the amateurs to get to grips

with a totally new area of hairdressing - barbering.

This week the judges want you to create your first short hairstyle.

It's the classic short back and sides with the square top

As you can see, it's a square shape.

So we want to see that horizontally and vertically.

The key of barbering technique is the scissor over comb.

Usually worked on the side and the back,

that's where you cut the hair shorter than your fingers.

So once you've done the basic cut,

-you finish it using scissors over comb.

-That's right.

Easy.

As usual, you will be ranked on this so do your very best work.

I should mention Kobi will have an advantage,

because he can just look in the mirror.

Yeah!

Extraordinary.

You have one hour and 15 minutes in which to complete this task.

Grab a blockhead and get to it. Good luck.

It looks like that guy who's hair you cut this morning,

Dominika, doesn't it?

Another boyfriend.

THEY LAUGH

He's a very attractive man.

Even got a wonky eye!

The short back and sides first became fashionable

when American college students sported it in the 1920s.

I'm not feeling confident at all.

This is nothing I've attempted to do before.

The judges want the amateurs' blockheads

to be cut to the same length as the demonstration model.

Never cut man's hair before, never.

So, this is a first.

Why a men's cut all of a sudden?

-Here we're on semifinal...

-Yeah.

Blockhead challenge need a new technique,

a little more difficult,

introducing barbering technique of scissor over comb.

-OK.

-Only one blade should be moving,

you apply it along the comb itself

and just one blade should be moving into it.

We could, if we wanted to,

use a set of clippers on a one or two blade, but that's not a craft.

That's easy.

To use scissors over comb for a finishing

is a proper finish on a barbered haircut,

which gives you that lovely velvet feeling,

you can actually feel every hair concertina-ing all the way up.

Oh, yes. Nice.

So, this is like an art form. Any idiot can use the clippers, yes?

-But this is art.

-Absolutely.

The semifinal - that's going to definitely define

who can and cannot do it.

So, what are you looking for out there?

So, the important thing with this shape is this square line -

you get this lovely square shape.

It's a great challenge.

The stylists have been given a sectioning map

to guide them through the cut.

I'm literally following the sectioning map...

to the letter.

For beginners attempting the short back and sides,

they must first create a horseshoe shaped section

around the top of the head.

-Concentration, Kobi.

-Yes, definitely!

-Now, have you cut this hairstyle before?

-Never.

Never. What do you think about the sectioning map? Is that helping you?

Um, I've just literally looked at the first step

-and got that section done.

-Uh-huh.

I can see you've got a nice horseshoe step there.

The next step is to remove the length from the hair

below the horseshoe section.

I'm just using my finger as a length guide...to cut.

Not even sure if I'm doing it the right way, but I'm doing it anyway.

Once the length has been taken off the sides,

the stylists should move onto cutting the hair

on the top of the head using a technique called square layering.

Square layering is literally pulling the hair up 90 degrees

very tight and completely straight.

Like a flattopper.

There was a thing called the flattopper.

How are you getting on?

Done the basic shape?

Yeah, I've took all the weight off, I've got me...

I've done me top, lined all that up straight, and everything,

and I've just took the weight off.

I understand. And your timing? You're doing OK?

-I've no idea.

-Right.

Right, well, keep on going.

30 minutes remain.

Are you heading in a pink cheek direction?

Yes, very, very close.

-You're starting to get a bit flustered.

-Very, very close.

You need to start believing, Kobi.

-All right, I'll leave you to it.

-Thank you.

Don't panic, loose.

Think "relaxed."

Once the stylists are happy that all of the hair on the top of the head

has been cut to the same length,

they should then finesse the sides and back.

Once you can't reach between your fingers any more

and it has to be shorter,

you work with the scissors over comb technique.

You just have to work higher, higher, higher and repeat.

Higher, higher...

It's moving very slowly, many, many times with the blade.

I have never, ever, ever done scissors over comb.

I'm trying to get the scissors over comb levelled,

cos you could take chunks out of it by accident.

I feel like it's a little bit like cutting the bush.

I still think that should be shorter.

I will get there.

"That is absolutely awful."

Thanks.

No, not the haircut - I was doing a Simon Cowell impression.

-Looks a little bit like him.

-It DOES look like him, a bit.

-Is that what you're going for?

-Must be the eyes.

Dominika's got a Simon Cowell thing going on over there.

Do you know who this reminds me of?

-Who?

-Deirdre Barlow.

Oh, my gosh!

The final and most difficult step of this haircut

is connecting the short sides with the longer top.

One of the little problem areas with this hair cut

is the joining between the sides to the flat top.

What happens when people lose a haircut

is they start to try and join this in and round it off.

I think I need to round the sides, I'm trying to blend it nicely,

so it's like...

So, the longer layer with the shorter one.

Pretty much guessed how to do the sides.

I don't want to take them too short.

I guess now that it's not the same sort of look.

Ten minutes, guys. Ten minutes left.

It's not as hard as I thought it would be.

So, I'm quite happy with myself.

I feel like it looks close to the model.

It's fine.

It's just too long, which is making those bits too long.

If that was slightly shorter...

the back'd look better.

I haven't got time to go back through it, have I?

-How are you getting on?

-That's the thing -

-I don't know where it's gone wrong.

-It looks a lot longer.

-Yeah.

How thick are your fingers?

Normal.

I don't know!

I just don't know. I...

Two minutes left!

I'm stuck.

Could you flatten it down with a little bit of product, maybe?

-Stick it down.

-Yeah.

But then it's only hiding what's there.

Too long!

And that's time.

The blockhead challenge in the semifinals is over.

Step away from the blockheads. Thank you, guys.

The judges are looking for a cut

which is shorter than the width of the fingers,

has a square top, no lumps or bumps and a smooth, velvety finish.

Here come the judges.

Kobi.

We'll check first how square the shape is.

You can see it's bending down.

-OK.

-It's gone round.

-So the top isn't square, you're saying.

Absolutely not.

-Where it feels a little bit bushy, through here...

-Mm.

So, when you were doing your scissors over comb to clean your shape up,

you've not got in there just to give that lovely velvet feeling.

You left it quite long, yeah?

Would you say it's a recurring thing,

where Kobi cuts his initial cut too long?

Yeah, I think he's a little shy.

Overall, this haircut is a little too long.

-Not square enough.

-Call it chop anxiety.

Let's go see Marvin.

-WHISTLES:

-No chop anxiety down here.

No.

So, it's short back and sides.

SHORT short back and sides!

Short short back and sides!

With a round top!

You've gone quite a bit shorter.

Too much contrast between really short

where you've cut on the sides, and the top.

If you look here, you'll actually see that corner's missing...

from the haircut. So, when you've come up with your scissors over comb,

-you've gone in, like this - the comb's followed the head in.

-Yeah.

Instead of feeling a kind of velvet, I'm almost getting Velcro.

-Does that make sense?

-Yeah.

-So, it's just a wee bit...

-I understand.

It's a little bit shorter.

-Once again, not quite the cut we were looking for.

-No.

All right.

-The top feels a little long, to tell you the truth.

-Yeah.

Shame you haven't got shorter.

Still, the shape is the closest we've seen, right now.

-And the top is flat.

-And the top is flat.

-Yeah.

Beautiful.

Ooh, velvet!

What does that tell us?

It says that the scissors over comb

have actually finished off very nicely.

-Overall...

-Flat top, velvet finish...

-Yeah.

-..jackpot.

-You must be happy with that.

-Yeah.

-You seem quite chilled,

-but you're dancing on the inside, aren't you?

-I am, yeah.

Yeah! What has Dominika been up to?

Too long. Way too long.

You would have nailed it if you had cut about that length, more or less.

If you were sticking the hair up itself, using some gel or

something, you would see that the shape is round on the top.

Feels good.

Your scissors over comb, it feels velvety.

If it feels lovely, does that mean it's a good cut,

or have you just got a velvet fetish?

No, I've not got a velvet fetish.

Her scissors over comb this way has been - as you can see -

look, nice and even.

But then what's happened is she's followed the head shape

-and it's gone too round.

-Lesson learned.

-Thank you, Dominika.

-Thank you.

You all know what happens now,

the judges will rank you in the blockhead challenge.

I recommend you seek refuge in the prep room.

You might want to put ice on your burning ears.

Take a 5.

Thanks, guys. Great work.

-KOBI:

-This is an important round,

it's the semifinal and this will all depend on what model I get

for tomorrow, so it could ruin my chances for tomorrow.

Let's face it, it's too long and too round.

-Little bit looking like the hulk from the back.

-Yeah.

-MARVIN:

-The comment of the hair being like Velcro - I suppose it was true,

but for it being my first time, I think I done pretty good.

I think he made a mistake,

-and he had to cut it shorter and shorter and shorter.

-Yeah.

Eventually rounded it off too much.

Hopefully, if I've done well on this one

it's kind of evened me up a little bit.

And I just have to smash it tomorrow.

Just feels a little long, that's the only problem.

Wish she would have cut it, like, an inch shorter.

If I come fourth I'm going to be very angry with myself.

-Hey, guys.

-Hi!

The judges have made four tough decisions

in the blockhead round, and they are as follows.

In fourth - slash last - place this week is...

..Kobi.

Bronze this week...

..that's going to be...

..Marvin.

The person who's in second place this week

in the blockhead challenge is...

..Dominika.

Which means Katie is first in the blockhead challenge.

Congratulations!

Thanks.

-Happy with that?

-Yeah.

-You've got to be.

Let's repair to the board, shall we? Join me, guys.

All right. Here's the board.

Although all of the hair provided by the judges is long,

the length of the layers differ, textures vary

and some are colour treated.

I can reveal at this point,

the theme of the freestyle challenge this week is...

..brides.

Katie, type A, B, C or D.

What's doing it for you, keeping in mind that brides is the theme?

-We've been spoilt this week.

-Mm.

-All right. Er...

-I'll just go with that one.

-Going with blondie.

-Yeah.

OK.

Long, wavy blonde hair.

Which is good. It will work.

That's the redheaded lady, yes?

SHE SQUEALS

Very interesting, really looking forward to it.

-She's all yours.

-Thank you.

-Have a good night. See you tomorrow.

She has long, light brown hair, so, yeah, I'm very happy with my choice.

And then there was one.

How are you feeling about type A?

-Are you OK?

-Going to have to be.

-Cool.

-See you tomorrow.

-Bye!

I did have my eye on Dominika's choice

of the coppery coloured natural hair,

so I am a bit worried about it.

It's quite heavy, but it's long, still,

so hopefully I can still do what I planned.

Well, it's the big one, it's the freestyle round,

and the theme is Brides.

At the end of today,

three people will walk down the aisle to the final

and one will be going home.

It's not going to be pretty.

Who, yesterday, excelled, who is teetering on the edge?

Let's face it, Dominika is standing out of the rest.

She's killing it.

I would say that Dominika's really strong to be in the final.

-There's three that are in a weak position...

-Katie, Kobi, Marvin.

-Absolutely.

-They've got to really deliver today.

Marvin's never been on the top of this challenge.

-Never won a freestyle round.

-So, he's really got to make it.

Kobi, let's face it, didn't do too well on the first two sessions,

so he's really got to pick up.

And Katie, well, she always has great ideas,

but sometimes it's not very well executed.

What do you think, Denise?

I feel nervous for them all, actually.

Good morning. How are you doing?

OK...

I trust you all slept well, because today is the big one.

As you know, the theme of the freestyle challenge is brides,

but the judges don't want to see any old brides.

We want to see immaculate, beautiful, secure hair.

Don't forget - any bride, it's the most important day in their life.

We want to be blown away. This is your last chance.

Thank you, judges.

Great job terrifying our contestants.

You need to throw everything into this freestyle challenge.

Two and a half hours, three places in the grand final.

This is it, people. Time starts now. Off you go.

Good luck.

-How are you?

-I'm well, thank you. How are you?

OK.

Right, I'm just going to blast your hair dry for now.

Just going to ask you to put your head in between your legs.

-Upside down.

-OK.

The stylists can use anything available in the prep room

to achieve the look they're going for,

and this week the judges have also provided

a selection of bridal accessories.

I felt like I was going to pass out in the other room.

I can't take this pressure no more!

What are they going to have to do today to set your world aflame?

This is my world - braids. I love them.

We want stunning hair.

And also, the really important thing about a bride

is what happens at the back,

because that's where, you know, everyone looks -

at the back of a bride as she walks up the aisle.

Now, wait a second - you're talking about the Dynasty wedding.

-I want to see freaky stuff.

-You'll see freaky stuff, too.

But beautifully done.

What about yourself, Alain?

Yeah, I really believe that if you have inventive ideas,

even pushing it, you know, being a little brave

into the normality of what you can do, making a theme out of it -

but eventually, it's how to make it cool

-and how to make it beautiful.

-Mm.

So, what is the style, then?

The style I'm going for is my take

on a classic Victorianesque hairstyle.

It's going to have quite a big quiff, quite textured.

I'm going to make some roses out of hair extensions as well.

-That sounds exciting.

-Yes.

-You're curling right now.

-Yes.

I want to make sure that the curls are all evenly the same tightness.

-Uh-huh.

-And then, hopefully, they will keep the hold.

Kobi learned in the last few weeks that his curls have dropped,

so this time he's going to make them really tight.

The only thing that concerns me a little bit, that hairline's very low.

When you're doing hair for a bride,

you've really got to think about their face shape,

their hairline, everything, because it's hair, but it's beauty as well.

I feel he should have done a little bit more work

on that hairline immediately,

and really thought that out before he started going in with his curls.

Semifinal. What are you going to do?

I'm going to do a spin on a classic wedding hairstyle.

-It being half up, half down.

-Half up, half down.

I'm just going to accentuate everything.

I'm going to make my bun resemble, like a chain,

kind of similar to the chain I have on.

-Wow.

-And I'm going to extend the back, like super long.

-Right.

What kind of accessories do you have in mind?

-I'm going to use some net curtain for a veil...

-Sounds great.

-This is a beautiful colour here, isn't it?

-Oh, I love it!

Absolutely stunning. And what do you call this colour?

Um... Just ginger, I think!

-Really?

-Yeah! Don't shy away from it.

-It's called Titian.

-Oh!

-That's its real colour.

So, what's the style?

The plan is to have on the front victory rolls

which are going to go in the shape of hearts,

and then go through nice, big waves to the sides,

and I will put a skull, as well.

-A skull?

-Yeah.

-So she's a real Goth.

She's Goth, and it's going to be "till the death do us part."

-Till the death do us part!

-Just a gentle remainder, you know?!

Remember.

So, tell us, what's the plan?

-I am trying to create a birdcage.

-Wow!

I'm going for catwalk type of couture wedding.

Have you everything ready, or you got to build everything?

-Well, I've got to build the cage.

-Wow!

-Good fun.

-Yeah.

-I've got to be quick.

-This is your forte, you like building things.

-Yeah, I do.

In fact, I have seen this technique before...

You're braiding it to...

It's just to hold the structure and it gives me a base to pin into.

Right.

-You're confident?

-I'm a bit worried about me timing.

I am going to be running round a little bit.

Really looking forward to see what you come up with.

Alain and Denise have allowed plaits and braids in this challenge...

I'm literally going to leave you for about an hour now.

Back in a minute!

..but have asked that they are not on show in the finished hairstyle.

I've just made a doughnut bun real quick,

just to go on top of her head.

I'm just taking the hair small section by small section.

Adding a bit of pomade just to smooth out the ends.

And then I'm twisting up the hair...

..and pinning it.

Katie is using a canvas wigmaker's block to shape the wire frame

for her couture bridal design.

I am trying to make a birdcage.

Very awkwardly.

I'm hoping that all stays together now.

Dominika wants to incorporate synthetic hair extensions

into her "till death us do part" hairstyle.

I'm doing clip-in extension.

So, normally we should stitch them nicely,

but obviously we can't afford that luxury.

Just glue gun.

-Marvin.

-Hi, Steve.

So not only are we trying to secure a place for you in the grand final,

we're trying to secure your first win in the freestyle round.

-Yeah.

-I can see a lot of this spongy thing here.

-Are you going to cover that?

-Yeah.

Yeah, I'm going to pull it out and cover it up, and disguise it all.

-It resembles like a chain, like jewellery, kind of.

-Ooh, nice.

-And then...

-A hairy chain.

What?! That's what you just said!

OK, let the fun begin!

Dominika is backcombing the hair to give it more texture

and make it easier to roll into shape.

I did the victory rolls, which I hope looks like a little heart.

I might stick, like, tiny roses inside. I don't know.

Are you as worried about this hairdo as your model looks?

She's like, "What is going on with my hair? What's happening?"

I need to finish making the rest of my - almost, like, flowers...

Black flowers, cool.

-That's my sort of accessory.

-You've got some black on your chops, too.

You had a tough day, yesterday. Is that playing on your mind?

Yeah, it is. An awful lot.

Um...

It's just such a knock-back from last week.

-So it's sort of like...

-Yeah, that's the game, isn't it?

Swings and roundabouts.

One minute you're up there, the next minute you're...

-you're down here.

-Down here.

-I'm sure you're going to slam it, book a place in the final.

-Cool.

Didn't think this part through.

Oh, I WILL get it off.

Did no-one see this coming?

Yay.

I was about to send out a search party -

you're hiding in the prep room again.

Your model's been sitting on her own for like half an hour.

You've only got about one hour left.

That's just great, yeah(!)

-Is that going to be enough?

-I don't know.

Got a feeling I'm not going to get it finished.

-KOBI:

-I've now moved on to actually create my style.

Um...

Just going to start by brushing out my curls.

I was under pressure to make sure that my curls come out right.

They have, I'm really, really pleased with them.

I'm basically attaching the flowers by placing them in

and then wrapping the own model's hair around it,

to create the outer petals.

And it's just going to have a pearl in the centre.

It shouldn't look like fake hair made into roses.

It's got to blend into the hairstyle.

Seeing bits of green hair in there.

The green looks amazing in the red, there, it's incredible.

-But what are you going for?

-I'm going to put some skull in her hair.

You're going to put skulls in her hair?

-GASPS:

-That is crazy!

You're quite a scary lady.

And I'm proud of it!

I can tell.

I love it.

I'm making long extensions out of 100% human hair.

I'm going to blend it with the back of her hair,

just make it look a lot longer.

I might add a few lighter colours in it

just to make it look a bit more natural.

Marvin glues the hair extensions onto a long piece of netting.

I've never actually done it this way before.

He attaches the long extensions to his model's head

by sewing them into a small braid using a curved weave needle.

Unlike synthetic extensions,

real hair extensions are easier to heat and curl.

Dominika is featuring hair nets as part of her design.

So, you've backcombed the hair - quite fluffy.

It looks, basically, a mess, you know?

And then you get the hairnet and you put the hair in.

Secure it, like, maybe a couple of places, so the net doesn't come off...

..with the grips, and then you just stretch it

and you know, you mould the shape.

-You've got half an hour left, guys.

-Eek!

With the challenge almost over,

Katie is only just returning to her model.

I need these to heat up.

I'm over this. I need to sort this out.

Oh, man, you can still see the doughnut bun

and it's getting on my nerves.

I know, I'm totally just messing everything up.

I'm just running out of time.

So Marvin is feeling the pressure.

He has struggled with finish in the past.

This is his last chance, really,

to prove that he can deliver what we need in the immaculate finish.

Five minutes.

Five minutes, everyone.

-Looks fab to me.

-Thank you.

How does it look to you?

I like it, yeah.

But I don't know if it screams bridal as much as I thought it would have.

Hmm. What are we lacking in the bridal region?

-Veil. How long have we got?

-Five minutes.

-Well, about four and a half at this point.

-I have veil fabric.

-It's just going to be too much.

-It's too much.

You're not doing your happy face. What's going on?

-I'm just not in the mood right now.

-What's wrong?

This looks pretty beautiful to me.

-Are you happy?

-I'm very happy.

-Sold?

If I was going to get married, I would have a hairstyle like this.

I just feel like I'm going to go home.

Everything is gone. One second.

-Sorry, Steve, I'm just...

-It's fine.

Listen, there's a huge amount of pressure out there,

of course, and I get it.

You'll be all right, man.

This looks way tacky as well, it just look stupid.

It just looks so dumb.

Thank you, guys.

Your time's up. Step away from the bride.

'Alain and Denise will be looking for immaculately finished designs

'that last a whole day.'

Here come the judges.

Let's take a look at Dominika's work.

-Does it say bride?

-I believe so.

Look, it's a beautiful shape.

360, as we saw it walking, it looked really consistent.

The proportions are quite beautiful

and I do like the effect that you've created by using the nets

and you have a different kind of texture.

It's immaculate, this is beautiful, the pinwork's beautiful, it's lovely.

Every angle... Just one little criticism.

The blue here and here, which is very pretty in one respect close up,

but from a distance I thought you'd left the rollers in.

-Oh.

-Yeah. Just very slightly.

Is this meant to be a heart here? That's amazing. I just noticed that.

-It's almost perfect. Beautiful, isn't it?

-Incredible, yeah.

That's beautifully done.

It's superb. I love it, actually. It's definitely bold

and avant-garde and exciting.

Bold, avant-garde, exciting. That's our Dominika for you.

-Yeah.

-Exactly.

-Amazing, thank you.

This is Kobi's bride.

Does it say bridal?

I think so.

It's fairly bold because you brought the height

and the texture within it.

These two sides which stick out, again it would have been prettier

to make them a little bit closer to the head.

Do you mean how well the hairdo suits the shape of the model's face?

Eventually, yes.

Proportions, I agree with Alain.

You didn't look enough at your bride in the mirror.

You really didn't, you stayed focused here so much

and you didn't actually look here because I'd like to just do something

because the minute you do that, she's beautiful and she's a bride.

I think that there was an element of

-getting to understand this type of hairline.

-Yeah.

You used the model's own hair, now, for the roses here.

-Some are extensions and some are the model.

-Some are extensions?

-So he fooled you, Denise.

-Fabulous. That's superb.

-Thank you.

-And even on this side, you've done it so well.

-Look how close Denise is.

She's touching it and she can't tell!

One thing I just see that you had the veil, the tulle,

-and you didn't use it.

-No.

Very easily you can create beautiful little type of flowers

and you place it in the right area, even on the side.

-It's a good effect, you understand what we mean.

-Yeah.

-OK.

What's Katie been up to?

This is what I call bold and brave.

You really took it on.

I really like the incorporation of the hair into it.

It looks really good 360 degrees.

Love the veil, love the accessories.

-I think it's pretty close, isn't it?

-It's very, very secure.

It's beautifully made. If she walked up an aisle, you can see through it.

But while I'm looking through it,

that does look like a lot of plaiting

and we did say no plaiting.

I love how this style says,

"When you marry me, you'll be in a cage forever."

What's Marvin been up to?

Solid as a flipping rock.

Does it say bridal, though? That's the question.

I believe so. You've got your chain effect pretty well,

covered it well enough but you can still see it.

Would have been easy enough to put just a little layer of hair

on the top of the bun and then work from that.

Your pinwork's very neat and this is totally in proportion.

She looks gorgeous.

The extensions - it's beautiful, the way that's the model's real hair.

I didn't even know if these were extensions. That's incredible.

Brilliant extensions. They're lovely and tight and I can't pull them out.

-My only disappointing area is this seam at the back.

-Yeah.

-I'm a little bit disappointed with this.

-That line?

-I think it looks quite nice. What's wrong with that?

-No.

If you're in the back of a church looking up,

you'll just see that line.

Even if we'd done something to disguise, or you'd used that veil.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, guys. Once again, very, very good work.

The judges will now decide on a winner of the freestyle challenge.

And then they will attempt mission impossible

and that's choosing the person who will be leaving us today.

Go take a well-deserved break. Thank you very much, guys.

-Feel it?

-Yeah.

I think with all the pressure

and the stress of it being the semifinals,

I think it just got to me. It really just got to me at that one point.

'I'm not ready to go home.'

I am really quite nervous this week, more than ever.

'I wasn't as strong as I set out to be.

'It would really upset me if this week was my last week.

'It means so much to me to stay'

and make it into the final.

I'd be gutted if I was going home.

Everyone wants to be in the final now.

In deciding who's going to leave us today

we're taking into account all three of the rounds

over the last two days. Who is looking not so safe?

So, Kobi and Marvin, they really are two,

that didn't give their 100% we were asking for.

It was just a weak round for both of them

and Marvin was really strong on the mohawk

and Kobi was quite weak on that,

but then on the other hand, Katie,

her mohican just didn't reach the criteria at all.

We're going into the finals now. It's really exciting

and you've watched everybody grow,

so it's going to be... going to be tough.

Go for it. I'll see you in a bit. Good luck.

We can't really judge on the taste of the hairstyle,

we just want to see, technically, how well it's achieved.

Kobi's could have walked down an aisle,

-into any registrar office. It could have been a bride.

-Absolutely.

Marvin's was stylish and modern but as it walked down the aisle,

-it would look unfinished.

-Absolutely.

He needs a lot more work in his finish and he hasn't delivered that.

Katie had the braiding, something we have to think about,

which they were told not to do.

Katie, Kobi, Marvin, Dominika...

..your work has been outstanding.

As you know, though,

only one of you can actually win the freestyle challenge.

And the judges believe that person, this week, to be...

..Dominika.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you.

Nicely done, again.

Fabulous, fabulous work. You've all done fabulous work,

which makes this next part especially difficult

because we can only take three people into the grand final.

So with that in mind,

the person, unfortunately, who will be leaving us today is...

..Kobi.

-So sorry.

-Well done, mate. OK?

'Sending Kobi home today was a really, really tough decision'

because he's grown in this competition unbelievably.

'But overall this last two days, he's been weak in all three rounds'

and it just, you know, people were better than him, in a sense.

Kobi is a really passionate 16-year-old.

At the end of the day, getting to the semifinal of this competition

is exceptional. He should win an award just for that.

'I actually couldn't believe it.'

I can't really explain how happy

and like, the feelings that's going on around my head now, but...

I am, I'm very happy and I'm very proud of myself.

'It is a nice feeling to get to the final,

'but it's kind of overshadowed by someone leaving'

so I think it will be more, on my way home I'll think, "Oh. I'm in the final!"

It feels so comforting knowing that the judges had faith in me

and to know that I got this far is still good,

so this is completely not the end for me.

It's just the beginning.

Next time on Hair...

This week, the victory roll.

I'm just going to keep it real, cos this is the final.

-Beautifully made.

-Wonderful.

-I really like it.

-Bring on the hair!

-Oh, no...

The theme is Hollywood glamour.

I cut too much hair.

-Tight one, isn't it?

-It's very.

The winner of Hair 2014 is...