Lunchtime Poll: Is Project Runway Still Relevant?
[There was a video here]
Last night, Project Runway returned for its 10th round. "We've had more seasons than I Love Lucy!" gushed Michael Kors, which I guess is a thing to be proud of?
Thing is, after 10 seasons in our ADHD-fueled pop culture, a show can start to feel real stale, especially one that has barely deviated from its initial format. Furthermore, we've seen some success stories as a result of participating on the show, but it hasn't been the nonstop star-maker that its reputation might suggest.
That said, I haven't watched this show in years (the last season I actively followed was the third), and so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed last night's season premiere. The cast is bonkers. There's Andrea, the 58-year-old "grandmother" of the cast who thinks Fabio's freegan, dumpster-diving lifestyle is "pretty terrific." There's Kooan, the fro'ed up Japanese dude with probably sticky fabric ("I do make clothing because of love. I like making a lot of love. Yeah."). There are the bitchy gay dudes bitching at each other in the clip above ("This isn't Project Obnoxious. This is get your shit together and put it on a runway."). There was Patricia Fields with braids so red they looked like the ends of the cigarettes that have permanently altered her voice. There was Heidi Klum mugging and camping like she was on whatever Céline Dion's on (saline solution and cabbage babies?). The whole thing was enough of a vivid, wacky spectacle to give RuPaul's Drag Race a run for its money/parody.
Oh yeah, and people also designed clothes.
In all, it was an enjoyable 90 minutes that didn't feel like 90 minutes. Does this season seem particularly great, or what?