By By Samantha Nwaoshai
There has been high anticipation for season two of Bravo’s reality show, “Project Runway,” after Jay McCarroll was selected as the winner of the last season. After a while (and host Heidi Klum’s two pregnancies), it looked like “Project Runway” was going to be only a one-season hit. So when Bravo started airing ads for season two’s Dec. 7 premiere, cable television viewers were sure to mark the date. The seemingly endless wait was well worth it, as this season of “Project Runway” started with a bang.
While the auditions were interesting (they included a man who designed “spacesuits for chickens”), viewers’ attention was drawn to the talent of the designers, not the rejects. Also, during auditions, cast members of season one acted as judges, including Kara Saun, Austin Scarlet and the woman everyone loves to hate, Wendy Pepper.
The first twist of the season arose in the LA auditions, when the first contestant eliminated in season one, Daniel Franco, was back for more. Franco felt that he didn’t really get a chance to “show what he could do.”
After the 16 semifinalists were picked, it was already time to move on to the challenge that would eliminate two and reveal the 14 that will compete during this season.
The contestants were given a challenge to take six yards of plain, less-than-desirable muslim fabric and $20, and make an outfit defining themselves as a designer. They were given a week to complete this task, nearly triple the time they would normally get during the season. Heidi Standridge made, basically, a bandeau and a skirt with lace over it. Anyone who knew how to sew could have made that outfit and a bit more creativity could have made it better. Standridge herself said, “When I saw her [the model] on the runway I thought, ‘How pretty are you?’ The outfit was just so pretty.”
Another competitor, John Wade, should have used his time more wisely. It took him eight hours to make a simple tie-dye sundress, making it seem like he had waited until the last minute.
Unlike Wade, fellow competitor Santino Rice’s design, a teal-dyed dress, had intricate detailing and looked as though he had actually put a considerable amount of thought into her outfit. Diana Eng also put a lot of thought into her design, a skirt that used magnets as closures. The skirt also had a reverse-closure that changed the silhouette of the entire outfit. The concept was ingenious, but didn’t work out so well. The magnets’ polarity kept changing and the skirt didn’t close right, almost peeling off the model as she was strutting on the runway. Francos’s outfit for the challenge looked really beautiful, but it was an ill fit for the model wearing it. It made this stick-thin model look like she had gained 25 pounds.
When everything was said and done, the judges-Michael Kors, Heidi Klum and Nina Garcia (editor of Elle magazine), called Rice, Eng, Franco, Wade and Standridge to the runway to defend their designs. Audiences already knew that Rice had won the challenge and that Wade was going to be eliminated because of his lack of thought. The real question was, “Who else was going to go home?” After Rice and Eng remained, it was only Standrige and Franco left. Basically, Franco got to make it to season two because Heidi’s “pretty” outfit just wasn’t creative enough.
The remaining contestants moved into their home for the duration of the competition. During move-in, audiences could instantly see that Zulema Griffin is going to be the Omarosa (from “The Apprentice”) of this season. She made it very clear that she is out to win and does not believe in the “fair is fair” policy. Viewers are just waiting for someone to get into an argument with her.
However, the best part of the season opener of had to be the second challenge with Andraé’ Gonzalo’s breakdown and Griffin’s dress. It’s reminiscent of Omarosa’s breakdown before she got fired from “The Apprentice.” The premise of the challenge was for the contestants to go to a party, and whatever clothes they had worn to the party became the material for the outfits they would design for the challenge. They were given one day to complete the challenge.
Griffin’s design was basically her cardigan made into a Paris Hilton-esque mini-dress. Griffin had worn a cardigan and a pair of jeans, but she only used the cardigan for her design. And the dress had a shortage problem; the model’s lower half was hanging out of the dress. If the runway had been longer, the audience would have seen much more.
Gonzalo made a traditional Oriental dress from the denim ensemble he had worn the previous night. He was still working on the dress form 15 minutes before the designs were due on the runway. He had to get another contestant to help him sew the model into the dress, which looked horrid. Tim Gunn, Chairperson for the Department of Fashion at Parsons, must have been cringing while watching. When asked to explain his outfit to the judges, instead of admitting he didn’t really consider the time factor in his design, he started to cry and complain. Amazingly, both Griffin and Gonzalo both live to see another challenge.
Overall, “Project Runway” promises a season full of talent, drama and of course, tears. It is definitely worth watching and will probably be the source of many interesting conversations at the water cooler.