The Great Pottery Throw Down: The Great Pottery Throw Down Season Five
May 12, 2022 12:14 PM - Season 5 (Full Season) - Subscribe
An assortment of potters come together at Middleport Pottery to compete in clay. Keith and Rich judge, and Ellie Taylor holds down the host spot until Siobhán McSweeney's broken leg improves enough to let her rejoin the crew. The show is streaming on HBO Max in the US.
I binged this when it first became available. Very satisfying season; all the eliminations were exactly as they should have been and the right potter won.
posted by pasici at 3:51 PM on May 12, 2022
posted by pasici at 3:51 PM on May 12, 2022
I like Siobhán, too, but my wife and I were both kind of surprised by how bothered we were by the way she came back in episode 7 and just tossed Ellie to the curb - not just the fact that she came back, but the way it was handled - I mean, just let Ellie finish out the season! She'd built a relationship with the potters that seemed real and authentic and it was just kind of jarring.
But yes, super glad with the person that won and the potters were all lovely.
posted by kbanas at 4:43 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
But yes, super glad with the person that won and the potters were all lovely.
posted by kbanas at 4:43 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
I made it to the halfway point until I had to stop at the beginning of e6 and look up just how much longer it was until Siobhán came back, I missed her so.
posted by rewil at 5:03 PM on May 12, 2022
posted by rewil at 5:03 PM on May 12, 2022
AJ is the reality show contestant of a lifetime. I was so happy for them throughout the whole season. It's really entertaining television to watch someone that talented be challenged by stuff like, for example, Wedgwood jasperware. Really fun group this season in general but AJ stood out as being exactly the kind of person you watch this genre of show to meet and root for.
In general, I love this show. It's sort of a cross between a pottery reality show and a slice-of-life pottery apprenticeship show, so you're seeing people work to adapt and learn in a way that makes this much more positive and interesting television than just about anything that leans more towards the competitive, to me.
Edit: Down with urinals, give me back the toilet challenge or give me death
posted by Rinku at 5:56 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
In general, I love this show. It's sort of a cross between a pottery reality show and a slice-of-life pottery apprenticeship show, so you're seeing people work to adapt and learn in a way that makes this much more positive and interesting television than just about anything that leans more towards the competitive, to me.
Edit: Down with urinals, give me back the toilet challenge or give me death
posted by Rinku at 5:56 PM on May 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
Didn't ever enjoy Ellie, was waiting impatiently for Siobhan to return. Loved AJ, was generally ok with who was lost each week, though Christine was lucky to have made it through. Missed seeing more of Rose. I agree that I prefer toilets to urinals but the knight's helmet was amazing and different.
posted by jeather at 7:12 PM on May 12, 2022
posted by jeather at 7:12 PM on May 12, 2022
I really enjoyed this season, and although I like Siobhan a lot, I also took to Ellie. This show is really good about not trying to fool the viewer or play up drama about who is going to go home - you can generally see what has concerned the judges so there usually aren't any shocking ousters. I really enjoy that, and I also enjoy the fact that everyone there seems to be having a good time and bonding and making friends. It's just very satisfying. Also, they love themselves a dirty innuendo, and I do too!
posted by PussKillian at 7:10 AM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by PussKillian at 7:10 AM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Down with urinals, give me back the toilet challenge or give me death
I was really weirded out by the urinal challenge! Everyone's familiar with toilets, but being female, I've never even seen a urinal except on television, much less used one. I don't know how they work (do you flush them, or do they have a constant stream of water, or...? What shape is the part that you pee into? Where's the drain? What is a urinal cake and where does it go?) and if I wanted to answer those questions by getting a good look at one, I wouldn't be able to. It seemed like a very odd choice, especially given the specific group of contestants involved at that stage.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 7:40 AM on May 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was really weirded out by the urinal challenge! Everyone's familiar with toilets, but being female, I've never even seen a urinal except on television, much less used one. I don't know how they work (do you flush them, or do they have a constant stream of water, or...? What shape is the part that you pee into? Where's the drain? What is a urinal cake and where does it go?) and if I wanted to answer those questions by getting a good look at one, I wouldn't be able to. It seemed like a very odd choice, especially given the specific group of contestants involved at that stage.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 7:40 AM on May 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I liked the urinal both as a change of pace and as an opportunity to hear British people say uRInal a bunch of times.
posted by PussKillian at 11:16 AM on May 16, 2022
posted by PussKillian at 11:16 AM on May 16, 2022
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And now I want two hosts, just like GBBO, damnit.
This is one of the better seasons. I felt like the producers did a great job giving the potters enough time to actually make REALLY RAD SHIT instead of just getting something in a time.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:27 PM on May 12, 2022 [2 favorites]