What is the technique called that's on the third tier and does anyone know the easiest way to do this?

It is called pleating with fondant, if you goggle it you will find a lot of different techniques and tutorials :)

Ogh. I had someone come with that exact sam pic and want a cake like that.

I think that cake is so butt-ugly, but I did a similar one and they were happy.

I almost started kicking myself for taking it. To me its a pretty easy cake, but that 4th tier scares me. Did you do it just like the pic? I posted earlier asking about structure. if you did it like the pic, how did you stabilize the 4th tier? With the one I am making, the bottom is styrofoam, so I am thinking it would give more support for dowels. 

It looks like it is just has a stryofoam wedge inserted there to make it "topsy" and has flowers around it to hide the styrofoam. If it were me, that is what I would do.

That is what it is.. a styrofoam wedge underneath the cake. I have seen it done on other cakes before..