Project Runway 6, Episode 12:

Wha… what? Wait a minute. So they are only having a final 3 this year? Ok, on the one hand, thank god. My dream of a final three with only three designers showing has become a reality. On the other hand, how bad is it that I had no idea they were eliminating two people last night until Heidi mentioned it in the runway show intro?

Double Elimination
I cannot comprehend how the producers didn’t think the double elimination merited even a mention. Instead they made sure to let us see Irina and Gordana bickering, rather than use the fact that only 3 of the designers were moving on to fashion week as an opportunity to raise the stakes and build tension throughout the episode. They had a whole year to find footage of someone mentioning the double elimination, and if they didn’t have any usable footage then #1 shame on the producers for not asking the right leading questions during taping and #2 they had a whole year to bring someone back into the studio to record a voiceover and insert it over footage of the designers running around looking for a sewing machine bobbin. A technique they’re intimately familiar with as close to 50% of Heidi’s comments during judging and eliminations are obviously voiceovers added in post. Somehow it just didn’t figure into their arch for the show, the only excuse for which is shear incompetence.

Bad TV
I’m sorry, but this season has just been some bad TV. You can only blame so much of it on the designers being a rather bland nondescript bunch. (What was Christopher smoking saying he was the “wacky” one? The last word I would use to describe Christopher is “wacky”.) How was Michael Kors not one of the judges for the final challenge? That’s inexcusable. I’m sorry, you build your shooting schedule around him being available for the last challenge. And what was the point of the mayor’s cameo? Oh, right. There wasn’t one. And the challenges were all pretty lazy. As you sit there right now reading this, can you remember one of them? Their non-traditional materials challenge was paper. PAPER. That’s not a non-traditional material for clothing. I liked that challenge, but not as their non-traditional challenge. Ugh. Bad, bad TV.

Heidi
Whatever Chirstopher was smoking, Heidi must have had some too. She actually said “Christopher has made some beautiful garments the last two weeks”. Now, true, the challenges only span a day or two in real time. So her two weeks could have encompassed the entire shooting schedule of the show, but even so he’d spent 5 consecutive challenges in the bottom three.

Nondescript
Whoa, suddenly we get some character development and backstory on Irina. Where did that come from? It made me realize that I don’t know anything about any of these people, except that Christopher was self-taught and from Minnesota. I didn’t know that Carol Hannah was self-taught until she mentioned it on the runway. They’ve made a lot out of Gordana’s immigrant status and history, but suddenly Irina is an immigrant too? Might have been nice to mention that earlier. Anyone know anything about Althea? Cuz I don’t. That ladies and gentlemen is more bad producing.

The Final 3 and the Losers
No surprises here, thank god. Gordana made a beautiful dress, but was still sent packing because she had no real point of view. Christopher made a nice top, but screwed up the skirt and finally went home because he wasn’t skilled enough to have made it as far as he did, let alone go to Bryant Park. Irina’s dress was strange, but a good strange. After ripping on Gordana for not taking a risk, the judges weren’t going to send Althea home for taking a risk that didn’t quite pay off. Carol Hannah’s dress was pretty but had nothing to do with the challenge. I guess that was ok this time, where it had been unforgivable in previous challenges.

What’s Next?
Two more boring, poorly edited hours of watching the three designers bicker until Irina finally wins. Yawn.