Project Runway 6, Episode 1: Adventure of a Lifetime

Almost exactly a year after being filmed, Project Runway Season 6 finally started airing last night. The designers seemed a standard crop of the usual suspects. Perhaps a few more straight men than usual, but otherwise everyone was there. The crazy woman. The crier. The self-taught Midwesterner. The token black lady. We even have Daniel Franco back for a 3rd time. (Here's the real Daniel Franco.)

Location:
The show moved to LA. Fortunately for the producers Mood also has a location there enabling them to keep their fabric sponsor. Why the move? Apparently Heidi wanted to stay closer to Seal and their brood. Who can blame her, really? They can also work the Weinstein’s Hollywood connections better enabling things like Lindsay Lohan as a guest judge. (New drinking game: do a shot every time she says “I really like this dress”. She’s on the show for all of 5 minutes, but you’ll be surprised how drunk you get.)

The change honestly didn’t bother me. It’s hardly noticeable except for the fact that the workroom now has windows. WINDOWS! Crazy.

Please Tell Me You Still Teach:
As we watched Tim Gunn talk form meth addict Johnny through his complete brain lock and coax him back into the work room, Diana turned to me and said “It’s a shame he’s not still a teacher.” He used to work at The New School for Design in New York when the show began but has since become Chief Creative Officer for Liz Claiborne. Hopefully he still teaches classes from time to time, because he’s really good at what he does.

The Winner:
Christopher Straub won the challenge of designing a red carpet gown. Personally, I liked Ra’Mon’s gown better and think Johnny would have won had he made his dress black, but I’m still glad Christopher won. Why? Because he was wearing a replica 1914 Cubs hat at one point. Booya.

The Looser:
In a shocker, the aforementioned crazy woman, Ari Fish was sent home. I say it was shocking not because her dress wasn’t horrible, but because I assumed they’d keep her on the show because she’d make for good TV. I guess she was too crazy. Or maybe they were worried about her strange neon wardrobe causing viewers to have seizures. I actually wish she’d stayed because I would have liked to have seen what she designed after getting the note to pull back some.

The Dick:
Mitchell’s a dick. He was the runner-up loser after sending a nearly naked model down the runway. I didn’t think he was such a dick watching the show, but after the half-hour Models of the Runway special I wanted to slap him upside the head.

The Models:
I won’t be staying up until 11:30 every week to watch the Models of the Runway, but I like the show in concept. The model competition was always a lost part of the show, and I’m glad it’s getting its own spotlight. I wish it were airing immediately before the show instead of after it.