Project Runway Week 5 Recap

I missed re-capping last week's episode because I was out of town, but I managed to catch it at the hotel and was so glad Qristyl was sent home instead of Logan, who I love in spite of his crazy prom dress creation of last week. This week, the gang headed off to the L.A. Times, where they discover that this week's challenge is to create a garment out of newspaper.

The episode started off with Johnny singing a song about how he's not going to be in the bottom 3 this week. Anyone else sensing some foreshadowing? Johnny's original idea was to make a dress which appears to be held up by a bunch of origami birds that are wrapped around the neck. But after Tim told him that it looked like a "craft project gone awry" and like the birds were attacking the dress, Johnny wadded the dress into a ball and threw it away. He then lied repeatedly to his model and the other designers, telling them that the dress was ruined by a steamer and that's why he had to start over. He didn't like how the second dress was turning out, so he just started doing a crossword puzzle. Whaaat? Cue confessionals by the other designers in which they bemoan his bad attitude, lack of passion, and complete disregard for the truth.

Tommy Hilfiger filled in for Michael Kors--I miss MK! Nina was gone too, and things just weren't the same without them. Eva Longoria Parker was the guest judge.

Althea and Gordana both created really beautiful prints from the newspaper. The judges slammed Gordana because hers looked so wearable--personally, that's what I liked about hers, that had to take a lot of work. But I agree with Heidi that it was a little boring.

The judges loved Christopher's evening gown, with a really rigid bodice and gorgeous skirt out of layers and layers of paper "feathers", but they awarded the win to Irina, who made a trenchcoat with an incredible textured collar and cuffs, they almost looked like fur.

On the runway, Johnny repeated his lie about the steamer ruining his first dress, while Nicolas huffed about and rolled his eyes. Most of the judges tore apart the dress and the styling. Johnny responded by telling them how amazing his original dress was, which led to more huffing and eye rolling from Nicholas. When the judges asked him what his problem was, he told them about Tim's critique of Johnny's first dress and and about what a mess it was.

Johnny and Nicholas were the bottom two designers. As expected, Johnny is out. He started crying in his confessional and said that Project Runway was harder than battling addiction. Tim curtly dismisses Johnny, and as soon as Johnny is in the workroom packing up his stuff, says how ridiculous Johnny's crazy fiction is--Tim is "incredulous" and I have never loved him more!

Project Runway Week 3 Recap

I didn't post a recap last week because of technical difficulties, but decided to do one this week because I knew being a team challenge it would full of dra-ma!

The challenge: create a California surfwear look. The real challenge: work in teams of two. Duh,duh,duh... (collective groan from designers)

Team 1: My girl Sharin and Carol Hannah.

Team 2: Mitchell and Ra'mon. Ra'mon was terrified to work with Mitchell since Mitchell had been in the bottom two the previous two weeks. Who could blame him? Mitchell said he chose Ra'mon because he wanted someone who could carry him in the challenge.

Team 3:Qristyl and Epperson, who clashed from the beginning because Epperson kept bossing team leader Qristyl around.

Team 4: Jordana and Nicolas (who decides to create "an ombre of macrame" - huh?)

Team 5: Irina and Johnny

Team 6: Logan and Christopher, the no-drama team

Team 7: Althea and Louise

The teams consulted with surf girls, got their fabric from Mood, and then headed into the workroom, where you could tell which teams were working and which were headed for an implosion. Qristal and Epperson snapped at each other and tossed back Tylenol, while Mitchell made snide comments while watching Ra'mon do all the work.

Tim enters with a surprise. Each team has to create a second look: an avant-garde design which coordinates with the surfwear look. Duh, duh...okay you get it.

Basically, at this point it becomes very clear that Mitchell cannot sew. "I have wonderful ideas in my head, but technically, I'm in trouble...I'm in big, big trouble." Dude, how did you get on this show?? At a certain point, Ra'mon just started doing all the work without even telling Mitchell what he was doing. He was still sewing and hand dying fabric with less than 30 minutes left until the runway. He just kept plugging along, and he miraculously created their two outfits pretty much single-handedly.

Max Azria of BCBG was filling in for Michael Kors and adorable Rachel Bilson was a guest judge as well.

I thought most of the teams did pretty well--I LOVED Sharin and Carol Hannah's collection, but they were just safe. The two top teams were Johnny and Irina, who had a really cute macrame theme, and...Ra'mon and Mitchell! Whaaaat??? Ra'mon looked so relieved. Mitchell admitted to the judges that Ra'mon did pretty much all of it except for a swimsuit that is totally hidden by the dress. The judges love the looks and are amazed that Ra'mon did all of it himself.

The bottom teams were Qristal and Epperson, obviously, who seemed to forget the judges were there as they basically just carried their bickering from the workroom to the runway, and Nicolas and Jordana, who sent down a sheer lace bodysuit with garters that was pretty hideous.

Ra'mon won the challenge! And in a twist, Mitchell was eliminated, even though his team won--as Heidi told him "Three strikes and you're out." In my opinion, Mitchell should have gone home last week--those shorts he sent down the runway were even more ridiculous than Malvin's egg-top.