Project Letdown

Spoilers ahead, proceed at your own risk.

After all of the hype about someone getting kicked off of Project Runway, it didn't play out very dramatically at all. I hadn't read any spoilers (which Holt linked to in her post a few weeks ago), but I got an idea it would be Keith with the blatant foreshadowing at the fabric store, when Keith said he always feels like the rules don't apply to him and he likes to bend them a little. Of course, he said this as he was trying to sweet-talk himself a good deal on thread. I actually thought that might be the infraction, even though it seemed really dumb. Of course, it wasn't.

So Keith wanted some pattern-making books around. And he blatantly displayed them, even though they were against the rules. Along with his internet usage (who knew that wasn't allowed on Runway? In fact, who knew pattern-making books weren't allowed? I liked a glimpse into the show's rules--I wish there were a place one could access the rules for all reality shows), it spelled his dismissal from the show. It's a little sad, because clearly he was a front-runner, and his personality was getting bitchier by the episode, so he would have been fun to watch.

What I did think was very poor form was Kayne lecturing him after he was already dismissed. Way to kick a guy when he's down. Particularly when it was Kayne's whistleblowing that resulted in Keith getting kicked out in the first place. You would think Kayne would have said something sympathetic to Keith, but no--as Keith apologized before leaving, Kayne continued to tell him why what he had done was so wrong. Nasty! I do love how the show didn't pull any punches, though, naming the person who had tattled.


As for the actual challenge and results, I have mixed feelings. It was another collaborative challenge, and I never think that the designs look as good as when the individuals do their own thing. I thought that Angela was really smart to choose Michael and Laura. I think Michael's designs have been among the best every week, although he hasn't managed to crack the judge's top three (he has definitely been in my top three, though--I'm sure that's quite the consolation for him). And Michael and Laura worked really well together on the last collaborative challenge, so Angela made a great choice going with the two of them. She was also smart to listen to their criticisms in modifying her design. It was the clear winner, in my opinion.

I also agreed that Alison and Jeffrey's work(with Keith's original design) was the second-best. But that's really not saying much. And how could the judges not have pointed out the strange thing going on at the waist/hips of the model? What was that?! It looks like the model was wearing Kevin Federline's wifebeater, decided to shed it but for some reason couldn't lift her arms above her head and decided to step out of it instead. But then she got distracted when the straps were at her waist, so she just wore it down the runway instead. Yech. I also didn't love it when Tim Gunn told Alison and Jeffrey that, despite Keith's absence, they would have to "carry on, and, frankly, make it work." I like it when Tim uses those terms naturally, but now they have become a part of the Project Runway phraseology, and it seems so scripted.

I didn't like Robert or Bonnie's designs. Robert's pieces were fine on their own (I wouldn't wear the jacket, but the dress was cute), but they just made absolutely no sense together. The jacket was way too J.Crew-barn-jacket-circa-1992 and the dress was polished. They just didn't match up as pieces. Would Robert have dressed Barbie in those clothes? I think not.

Bonnie's also had jacket problems--as her model walked down the runway, I kept wondering why she didn't take off her jacket at all. Of course, when she finally did take off the jacket at the judges' behest, I realized why it had stayed on. The pants were awful. Does a rise that high look good on anyone? When the model's butt looks saggy, you know it's no good.

When I realized who the two last-place teams were, I fully expected Bonnie to be the one to go. Not because her outfit was any worse than Robert's, but just because they were both bad and I think the judges based their decision on who they think has more potential to be on the show long-term, and they decided it was Robert (I would have made the same decision). But what really bothers me about these team challenges is that unless someone really messes up, the team leaders end up on the chopping block. (Malan and Bonnie this season, Kevin in season one.) They have already managed to do something better than their teammates--that's why they were chosen as leaders. But they don't receive any real credit for that. Why would anyone even want to be a leader? Wouldn't the better strategy in terms of staying on the show be to propose something boring, not get chosen, and then work your hardest doing what your team leader asked?

I'm hoping we don't see another team challenge for awhile.