For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by using glass in art. One of my favorite classes I have ever taken was a stained glass course. However, I’ve always been particularly drawn to glass blowing. This is likely attributed to my mom’s great great grandfather being John Dannenhoffer of Dannenhoffer Glass Works in Brooklyn, NY. My mom has a bunch of glass works that have been passed down to her, so I grew up inspired by them. So, when I was scrolling through Netflix with my roommates a few weeks ago and saw an ad for Blown Away: Christmas, I knew I had to watch it.

Blown Away is a glass blowing competition on Netflix. It has two seasons, from 2019 and 2021, and just recently released its four episode Christmas season. While I haven’t watched the two regular seasons yet, I was very excited to get into the holiday spirit with this short season. Plus, it consists of four 30 minute episodes, so it was easy to binge in one night!

The show sees five returning contestants getting a second shot in the hot room. Each episode has a different challenge for the artists, such as depicting a holiday dinner and creating a set of cohesive ornaments for a bare tree. Each of the five artists are insanely talented, and it was so interesting getting to see the process of glass blowing. Although I knew glass blowing was an intense process, this show really gave me perspective on just how intense. I was able to put myself in the burning hot shop, feel the stress of cutting the glass of just right, and imagine the physical labor required to handle all of the material. It’s the kind of thing that either makes you really want to try it, or terrified to go near it: and I really want to try it! The show is great for anyone interested in various art forms and anyone who likes to play critic from time to time. After watching the Christmas season, I can’t wait to go back and watch the two general seasons!

Here’s a sneak peak at some glass works from the show!