The Arena do Vidro judges: who they are and how they score glaziers

On a reality show for glaziers, the people judging have to know how to do the work. That's why the Arena do Vidro panel is four judges who live off glass and metal every day. And to keep everything spontaneous, not even they knew the challenges in advance: they found out with the contestants, on the spot.

Anyone who watched season 1 saw the panel went easy on nobody. In this post I introduce each judge, explain what each one looks for in a mirror and show how the panel got to its scores.

Vinícius: 30 years in glass and the question that stings

Vinícius came from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte for the shoot. Thirty years in the glass trade, old school through and through. He's the one who explained in EP1 the "oyster" chip the cutter's ball leaves in the silvering, and the light tap from below to break out glass. He also saved Rômulo's edging when the machine started chattering: he told him to lower the speed and the tilt.

When scoring, he's the toughest-talking judge. His evaluation starts with one question: "Would you buy what you made?". And in EP3 he left a line that applies to every glazier: if the two had put even 10% of what the panel had been saying into practice, the result would have been different.

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Natan: the judge from Peru who scores in Spanish

Natan is from Peru and judges in Spanish. In EP1 he gave Janael the 6, with the line that ended up in the trailer: "the pressure worked against you". He acknowledged Janael had good timing early on, but said nerves kept him from fixing the problem with the bow.

In EP2 he said that if he had to buy one of the two mirrors, he'd buy Janael's. He also shared a sales-closing technique he uses in his own business. In EP3 he showed where the cut went wrong: it needed measurements at the three key points before cutting the curves. And his criticism lands in any language: in EP1, one contestant said that "even in Spanish" he felt the jab.

Rui: the perfectionist with the caliper

Rui is the toughest scorer. In EP1 he opened his evaluation like this: "the only thing that matches is the cut, and you didn't make it, the machine did". Outline, outer measurement, width of the sandblasted band, the button: everything was compared with the model. In EP3 he pulled a caliper out of his pocket to measure which cut came closest to the template.

In the final, Rui showed his other side: a metalwork specialist, he was one of two people allowed to give 10 minutes of welding help. In under 10 minutes he welded the frame of Rômulo's mirror and moved on to the stand.

Pet: the panel's "Paizão"

Pet, short for Peterson, is a partner of ours and also a metalwork specialist, with 10 years in the trade. On the panel he looks at faithfulness to the brief and each contestant's progress. Midway through EP1 he read the challenge better than anyone: Janael started fast and had the break-out technique, while Rômulo, not used to CNC and with a more manual process, was slower but steady. Later he told Rômulo he'd been more faithful to the model, with Hello Kitty's bow and whiskers. In EP2 he credited the one who risked two processes and still delivered.

In the final, Peterson was the one Janael called to help with welding. And he, "Paizão" (big daddy), announced the scores that decided the season.

How the panel reaches a score

• Each judge brings his points and the panel discusses them together. In EP1, Rui said each of them put in his points, like the drawing, until they landed on 7.5 for Rômulo.
• Faithfulness to the brief: when the challenge is copying a model, measurements and outline matter.
• Finish and value: in EP2, the panel gave weight to whoever added more value to his work.
• Consensus with no favorites: in the final, the judges deliberated for more than 10 minutes before giving the scores.

Who are the Arena do Vidro judges?

Vinícius, with 30 years in the glass trade; Natan, from Peru, who judges in Spanish; Rui, the toughest scorer and a metalwork specialist; and Pet (Peterson), a Routeck partner, also from metalwork.

Did the judges know the challenges in advance?

No. In season 1, only Leandro and his crew knew the format. The judges discovered each challenge along with the contestants.

Do the judges help the contestants?

In the final, yes, by the rules: Rui and Peterson could give 10 minutes of hands-on help to whoever called them. In EP1, Vinícius gave an edging tip when Rômulo asked for help.

EP1, where the panel first appears, is at the top of this post. And if you want to hear Vinícius's question about your own mirror, applications for the next season are open here on the site.

Full episode 1 · Episode 4: the final · Rômulo Sullivan and Monte Glass · How to cut a mirror into shapes