Kristen's Back... Maybe...

It's so weird to be back on here! It's been a really long time since I've posted anything, mostly because I've been away at school and constantly in my dorm's common room just hanging out with my friends or doing homework. But, I'm on break now and have gone back to my regular TV watching schedule (which currently only includes Top Chef and Project Runway. Would anyone enjoy me doing a Top Chef blog? Tell me in the comments below if you would!)

Anyway, so much has happened since my last post! First off, I was sad that my Gunnar got eliminated so far away from the finale. However, I was extremely excited that my other three favorites (Christopher, Melissa, and Dmitry) were all in the finale. At that point, I really couldn't pick a favorite, and it ended up all coming down to the shows... though I will admit, if anyone had just the slightest edge, it was Dmitry.

After watching the shows, I honestly thought Fabio deserved fourth. Not only am I not a fan of him, but I really didn't think his collection was as wonderful as the judges thought. I thought Christopher deserved third, and Melissa should've been second. At least the judges and I could agree on a winner, though. I was extremely excited for him and I can't wait until I can get my hands on his Marie Claire fashion spread.

While I'm home for the holidays, I'll be *trying* to do some blogging. Any ideas on Project Runway related stuff (aside from reviews of each new All-Stars episode) would be appreciated... maybe favorite past designers?

Soon, I'll probably post something about my opinions on the newest batch of all-stars and the progress so far. For now though, I have a post from when I first heard about All-Stars 2. I listed the designers I thought would be on, so go check it out to see how correct I was (that's also actually what I'm about to do once I finish typing this!). And maybe I can crank out a review of last night's episode. Rather bittersweet, in my opinion.

I'll be posting soon!

Project Runway Season 10 Episode 6- Fix My Friend!

Fix My Friend!

I’m baaaack! First of all, sorry I’ve been gone for the last 2 episodes. Everything has been CRAZY trying to get moved into my dorm and start my college classes.

Anyway, on to this HUUUUGE episode… sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Be prepared for a lot of Gunnar praising and overenthusiastic Ven bashing!

Dmitry says he really wants to win a challenge. Usually, when an episode begins this way, it’s a strong indication that this designer will be in the top, or perhaps even win.

Heidi tells them that they have new clients for them. Before Heidi even says “Well…” I can tell that they will not be designing for the people standing on the runway. There are both men and women on the runway, and since the designers always *HATE* designing menswear, they wouldn’t make it unevenly difficult for the designers. That would cause a plus-sized problem. But I am a bit confused as to why these people were out on the runway. Generally, they try to trick the designers into thinking that they are designing for the people on the runway, have them pick, and then, SURPRISE! they’re not actually designing for them. But they didn’t even get to choose who they designed for. So the people on the runway were actually kinda pointless until the actual judging.

The designers meet with their clients about what they want to look like. Right off the bat, Ven the shapeless seems to be very rude to his client. He asks good questions, but then talks about how shocked and disappointed he is. Ut oh… Even if he’s really friendly to his client while talking to her, I’m not sure it will stay this formal.

It seems like Nathan is in trouble right off the bat too, because his client is very opinionated and wants something very outside of his comfort zone. Fabio’s client doesn’t like wearing dresses, but Fabio is pretty edgy so he should be able to give her a dress she will like.

Gunnar is a total sweetie pie to his client and her friend. He realizes how realistic this challenge is and knows how important it is to design for real women. And when his client starts crying he hugs her and is totally nice to her. I can tell this is going to go well. Yay Gunnar! Nathan’s client wants a sexy, not overly sexed up dress. Oh no.

The designers go to mood and Tim reminds them how important it is to choose great fabrics. Ut oh… I can totally see this being brought up later in judging! Fabio is going for 4 shades of grey. I wonder if that was alluding to the book Shades of Grey that has suddenly become really popular recently. Dmitry understands that they have real clients and have to tone themselves down. Ven disses fabrics and his client’s figure. Here we go…

 Ven is very blunt and rude, even when talking to the hair stylist about his client’s hair. And immediately after the hair consultations, Ven talks about something that I actually think is a bit of a good point, although somewhat rude. He asks why some designers get models with figures that aren’t too far off from the models they usually use, while other designers have women with fuller figures and much different proportions. To be extremely honest, I have to agree with him somewhat. These designers make outfits every day for women who could wear almost anything. But when they have to make designs for women that don’t have the “modelesque” figures, they have to figure out how to make an outfit look really flattering on a woman, because it’s much easier to make them look heavier and shorter than they really are. When designing for a woman with a slimmer and taller form, they have a much easier task. I’m not at all saying that Ven handed ANYTHING in this episode correctly, but I think he (and some other designers) were given harder tasks, and he decided not to rise to the occasion. He decided to sit in the corner and pout and whine and make his client feel bad.

ANYWAY! Back to the challenge.

Gunnar opens up a bit about the fact that his brother is in the army, and how he misses him so much. Fabio catches up with his boyfriend on the computer (btw, why are all the cute guys gay?!)

Tim: “How is her figure?” Nathan: “A pear shape, but she’s a shapely pear shape.” 

Nathan: “And it’s not like your old regular hooker mesh” Tim: “We hate that regular hooker mesh.”

And now, the size 30 Ven is attacking my Gunnar, saying he's not ready for this competition. Shut up, you plus-sized, talentless douche nugget! Anyway... Sonjia’s dress looks really pretty on the mannequin but looks a bit short.

And now Tim meets with Ven. He talks about how he was in shock when he met with his model, saying she’s a size 14 *cut to Christopher shaking his head* He says his client has no shape, she isn’t fashion forward, and has no fashion sense whatsoever. He calls her before picture a nightmare. Every other designer seems horrified at the way Ven is talking about his model. Every season, there’s that one designer that doesn’t want to give their “real woman” what she really wants. And this season, it was Ven’s client. Tim reminds Ven that, as a designer, he should be able to make something flattering on her body, and at the very least, make her look like she has a great figure. AND THEN, Ven goes after her age! He complains that she’s ALMOST 40. Is there anything good about this woman in his mind? News flash, people get older!

Fabio’s client looks awesome and the dress seems to be going really great. I see good things in their future.

“This is the first time I see Elena is actually being nice to someone. So, it’s about time.”- Dmitry

Gunnar is still being super nice to his client. He’s doing a great job at this challenge, and I can tell that he really likes this challenge.

When Ven’s client comes in, he says how great her hair looked. When it cuts to his interview and he says “Her hair looked…” I was dead sure he was going to say that it looked terrible (Regina George style) but he actually does say that her hair looked good! Yay he found a good thing about her! And then comes “black is very slimming” to her. Oh no… And then the belt is too small… and Christopher send him the “cut it out” signal but Ven ignores him, saying he can ask for a bigger belt. Then Gunnar says how rude Ven is being, especially since this woman is his client! Ven just won’t drop the “you’re too big” thing!

Ven, who has no fashion sense, complains to his roommates about his woman. I mean, holy crap, does he ever stop?

They get to the workroom and I got a laugh out of them asking why nothing was done and saying: “Where were those elves last night?!”

Ven, the fashion backward, is talking about the outfit being slimming, and saying she WILL look beautiful and goes back to talking about wanting a bigger belt. She says it’s embarrassing, and he pretends like he’s not trying to make her seem fat. WHAT. A. JERK. Of course mister plus-sized designer was trying to make his client feel fat! Obviously his client is upset. And every other designer is saying how inappropriate he’s acting. Ven gives a half-hearted apology and says he wants her to feel special. Oh, sorry, did I say half- hearted? Oops. There was NO heart in his apology. And then, when he’s ‘trying’ to make his model feel better, he says he was surprised how beautiful she looked with the new hair. OUCH! Completely insensitive and RUDE. Her friend says she would wear it to a funeral! Haha way to fight back, friend!

“Treat her like a queen”- Gunnar (To the hair/makeup people). See, he is really nice!!!

RUNWAY TIME!

Nathan: oh dear! short, tight, and shiny. Not a good combo!

Elena: model looks happy, design looks pretty boring!

Melissa: I don’t think it looks that great, and the model’s walk doesn’t help!

Gunnar: his model was hilarious and the dress looked great!

Alicia: good color for the model, but not extremely well done, and totally not her!

Christopher: The dress was really pretty, but I’m sad you couldn’t see the jacket more! Poor Chris!

Plus-sized Ven: She does NOT look polished and sophisticated! It makes it look like she’s trying to hide her body!

Dmitry: The dress is cute, but I’m not a fan of the hair. I liked it better before!

Fabio: She looks GREAT! It totally fits her personality and is really cute!

Sonjia: makes her look a little chubby… it’s too short!

JUDGING TIME!

Melissa, Christopher, Elena, and Alicia are declared in.

“I literally wanna do a toe touch cartwheel round-off back handspring. I’m happy!”- Christopher

Heidi announces that the top 3 are Gunnar, Dmitry, and Fabio, and the bottom 3 are Sonjia, Nathan, and Ven. Hey, Ven! Remember how you were saying Gunnar wasn’t ready for this competition? Well look where you are, and look where he is, Mister plus-sized bottom 3 resident! (Sorry, I’m really mad at him.)

Oh wait, here he goes dogging his model even when he was told he was in the bottom. Douche Nugget.

TOP 3

Dmitry: They think it is sexy, not slutty, and a great color. They think the styling is great as well.

Fabio: They think the client is really cool, and they think the dress is really edgy and cool and perfect for an artist. Tonight’s Korsism: “It took a boy in a dress to get you into a dress!”

Gunnar: Personally, I think the chest looks a little wonky (the seam under the chest looks a tad lopsided, and the boobs look a little lopsided as well). However, she had a lot of fun with it, and the dress looks really good on her.

BOTTOM 3

Sonjia: They think the knot didn’t work, and that the skirt was too short. They say that the proportions are off and it’s too far away from who she was.

Ven, the fashion senseless: And here we go, dogging real-sized women. Terri says she was not happy at all.  And here Ven goes talking about ‘real women’ and Heidi can’t see this woman wearing this. Terri’s friend talks about how special Terri is, and I feel really sorry for them, because Ven is so rude. The judges like Terri, say it’s Ven’s fault, and don’t like his outfit.

Nathan: The client wants it tighter. Heidi thinks it looks cheap and that the client looks like a hoochi mama. It looks like a mess, doesn’t fit, is too short, etc. And Nina asks if the client chose the fabric. AHA! See, it did pop up in judging!

THE RESULTS

The winner of the challenge is… FABIO! I think he did a good job. I just still wish my Dmitry and Gunnar would win a challenge already.

Heidi says that one OR MORE of you may be out. Nathan is quickly declared to be OUT. Which leaves us to sit here and wonder whether or not he is gay. Sonjia is in, leaving only Ven on the runway. He is declared IN. I really wish they would’ve just eliminated him, but I guess he’s a good enough designer that they let him hang around a bit longer. Obviously they did this just to scare him but it didn’t work too well because immediately after returning to the other designers, he says there were other people who deserved to be in the bottom.

I also loved Tim’s little jab about character, obviously a jab at Ven's plus-sized poor character that needs to get its fat butt sent home.

So, did you enjoy this episode? How did you like my big, fat, jabs at Ven? I'll be back next week (hopefully) with a normal, model-sized review!

UPDATE ON WHICH 2 DESIGNERS LEAVE

Ok, obviously I just blogged about the last episode, but I found a link that I definitely had to share. In this blog post, I predicted that Andrea and Elena would be the 2 designers to quit. Last night, on Project Runway, one of my 2 was confirmed. Melissa and Buffi find Andrea's bed empty, and her suitcase gone. I just found another article, that for some reason, I hadn't seen before. Click here to see it. Basically, a male contestant has a breakdown and quits! From the promo, it looks to be Kooan or Nathan, but it could easily be Christopher because he felt bad about causing Andrea to quit. Anyway, I'm putting my money on Kooan! Keep scrolling to see my latest blog!

Project Runway Season 10- Will You Be My Emmy Date?

Welcome to Episode 3! Quick Recap: Last Episode, Lantie was rightfully eliminated for her awful, non-unconventional dress, and Ven won for his stained-glass like dress. On to the episode!

We begin in the Atlas, as always. Raul talks about how he thinks Ven Is a one trick pony. Honestly, I couldn't agree more. I've said from the beginning, on both Road To The Runway and my Opinions on the Designers. (Click the links and find Ven to see what I said.)

Heidi tells the designers that they have to make a look that is red carpet ready. She says Tim and a special guest are waiting for them, so the designers skedaddle out to see what the details of their challege are, since they NEVER get the whole story from Heidi.

Tim meets them and tells them that this is the Lexus challenge. (I wasn't aware that we now HAVE a Lexus challenge. I guess it's another product placement ploy like the HP challenge is?) Their challenge is to make a red carpet gown for the Emmys. Tim says they are designing for someone who can empathize with them. Gunnar figures out that it’s either a past designer or each other. Like I said, he gets this! He also says that he thinks Heidi is a life size Barbie. The special guest is Brian Bolain. His only point is to talk about Lexus. Sometimes, I really wonder why we need special guests or Heidi at the beginning of the episode. They really don't do much. We all know Tim is the real star!

The designers are then given the news they never want to hear. This is a team challenge! *cue designers crapping their pants.* They’re paired up by picking keys, which also match them up with the cars they are supposed to be inspired by. For once, however, this inspiration doesn't seem to be a very big factor in the design. The teams are:

Nathan and Sonjia, Ven and Fabio, Dmitry and Melissa, Christopher and Andrea, Gunnar and Kooan, Raul and Alicia, and Buffi and Elena.

I gave a little fan-girl squeal when Dmity and Melissa were paired together. I love both of them and I think they will work amazingly together. Nathan and Sonjia and Christopher and Andrea seem to get along well! I gave a little gasp when Gunnar was paired with Kooan. I love my Gunnar, but Kooan’s aesthetic is definitely not one that I like at all. Buffi and Elena apparently don’t work too well together, and Ven was NOT happy to have Fabio. Boohoo bro, you have immunity. He should be the one complaining, because most designers don't take much seriously when they're given immunity, and if they end up on bottom, they're automatically the ones who get the Auf Wiedersehen. 

The designers go to meet their clients, who are all past Project Runway designers! (again, Gunnar called it.)

Nathan and Sonjia have Valerie from season 8.  I think this gives these two a really good shot of winning. Personally, I love Valerie and I think she's really sweet and easy to get along with. So she shouldn't be very hard to work with.

Ven and Fabio have Kenley from season 5 and All Stars. I know Ven is worried, and he probably should be. Kenley has a very strong aesthetic and we've all seen how she reacts when she's upset. But personally, I like her, so I was kinda sad she got the designers that she did.

Dmitry and Melissa have April from season 8 and All Stars. When I first saw her purple hair, I was like oh no, which past designer destroyed their hair?! (April, that is not a pretty shade of purple!) But when I realized who it was, I wasn't concerned. Her hair was already a purplish grey color. I suggest going back to blonde... Anyway, I think Dmitry and Melissa have the chance to score a home run. Their aesthetics work well with April's and they seem to be a great team. Personally, I'm not a huge April fan, but I think her aesthetic is cool.

Christopher and Andrea have Anya, winner of season 9. This should go well. Anya is a sweetheart and Christopher and Andrea seem to work well together. As long as Christopher can tone down Andrea's crazy aesthetic, they should be good.

Gunnar and Kooan have Irina, winner of season 6. I had a mini heart attack when Gunnar and Kooan got Irina. I really CANNOT stand her. At all. Season 6 I was a total Carol Hannah/Logan/Christopher fan, and couldn't stand Irina. I can totally see Gunnar and Irina butting heads this whole time while poor Kooan is left confused. Then again, Gunnar did say he likes to picture Cruella DeVil dragging a fur behind her in his clothes. And we all know Irina loves fur... and acts like Cruella DeVil!

 Raul and Alicia have Mila from season 7 and All Stars. I can already see a problem here. Neither of them have a mod aesthetic, first of all, and that's all Mila is ever going to request. I think the clothes she makes are cute, but if she's told to venture out of her mod box, it's as if someone told her she could never design ever again. Also, Raul and Andrea don't seem to be very 'formal' designers, so that's problematic.

Buffi and Elena have Laura from season 3. First of all, I'd just like to say that Jeffrey from season 3 is one of my all time favorite designers on Project Runway (he ranks #3. Maybe one day I'll post the whole list for you) so it's pretty obvious I'm NOT a Laura fan. At all. To use her own words, I think her designs are "some serious ugly." Trying to get Jeffrey out of the finale was not a smooth move, Laura. Anyway, Buffi immediately felt calmed by the fact that Laura was wearing animal print. I wouldn’t be so sure! Their aesthetics are SO different it’s not even funny. I hope she's actually seen season 3 and the way Laura dresses...

I was really happy when I saw 7 past designers, because on the promos for this episode, the only 3 they showed were Kenley, Irina, and Anya, so I figured more than one set of designers would get each girl. But having several past contestants makes it more fun!

They then take their customary trip to MOOD! Gunnar says he’s controlling (DUH.) and wonders if Kooan has even seen the Emmys. I have to concur with that. This pairing may not go so well. At least for Kooan. Gunnar probably won't let him do anything.

On to the workroom!

Gunnar definitely seems to be having a hard time. Irina is very hard to impress and Kooan is insanely impossible to understand, they are already having problems. Kooan has to trust Gunnar, because he doesn't know what he's doing. Tim comes in and tells the designers that the winner of the challenge will accompany their client to the Emmys. Whoaaa! Cool!

Christopher is honored to work with Andrea and wants to learn a lot from her, which I think is a really good move on his part. He's young, so he should really appreciate working with a more seasoned designer, but… more on this later. Elena had Buffi ironing the pleats and is rushing Buffi. They don’t seem happy…either Raul or Alicia do evening gowns. They’re both menswear designers. I don't see this ending well at all.

TIM TIME!

Melissa and Dmitry are using silk charmouse which is notorious for being difficult to work with. I'm sure they can make it work, though.

Irina is really critical and Gunnar wants to slap her and says he wanted Kenley. Dear Gunnar, please do. Just do it. I wanted you to get Kenley too.

Buffi thinks Melissa and Dmitry are a perfect pair. CALLED IT! Raul and Alicia are having issues with their print. Tim and Mila don’t think it works for the Emmys. Ut oh! Kenley is in love with her dress! So is Valerie. Chris and Andrea are having a bit of a problem. Christopher is a bit confused. He isn’t getting what they’re thinking.

“Elena’s personality sometimes seems like she escaped from the woods and she is ravenous and she will bite your head off until she gets what she wants”- Christopher Palu

Buffi and Elena meet with Tim, and their discussion makes Elena really nervous and she begins freaking out. She storms out, and Buffi declares she should go. When Elena goes back to work, she’s sewing supermega loudly.  Christopher. Buffi wants to eat, but Elena is freaking about time. I'm not sure why Christopher's quote above makes me giggle so much, but it's hilarious.

Andrea is working really slowly and it’s frustrating Christopher. He doesn’t want to be like HURRY UP WOMAN because she’s older, but he needs to say something. Kristen's favorite funny clip of the night was when Andrea was taking a long time cutting the skirt, and Christopher, in his talking head interview, he says she's taking forever. He pauses and then says "forever" much more dramatically. Then, the machines confuse her and Christopher gets more upset because she’s even more behind. She makes a joke and Christopher looks up from what he's doing with his eyeballs practically popping out of his head. Poor guy. He seems really frustrated. And somehow, he always ends up in my "funny moment of the night" clips. Not long after, Andrea messes up and begins showing everyone what she accidentally did to the dress. She’s laughing and he’s freaking out and upset. OOOOOOOOOH DEAR. 

It's almost runway time, but before we get to that, Irina throws a fit about the butt on the dress. Gunnar gets annoyed with her and pretty much tells her to shut up. Good job Gunnar. 

Runway Time!

Krysten Ritter is the guest judge. It was so hard to actually type her name and spell it like that. That's definitely not how you're supposed to spell KRISTEN.

Buffi and Elena designing for Laura- not terrible, a bit boring. Laura isn’t a good model. At all. The dress is done and pretty, though, so that's all that matters!

Christopher and Andrea designing for Anya- slit really high, the top is messy. Their arguments and frustration clearly got the best of them.

Ven and Fabio designing for Kenley- not sure if it’s right for the Emmys but it’s really well done and totally her.

Melissa and Dmitry designing for April- top looks like it doesn’t fit great, but it’s definitely really April.

Raul and Alicia designing for Mila- Raul hit it right on the head, it’s a mess. The top is really bad and it’s just… no. the back isn’t too bad.

Gunnar and Kooan designing for Irina- if they don’t notice the butt seam that Gunnar had to put in because of Irina's whining, it should be ok and be safe. But it’s not that great.

Sonjia and Nathan designing for Valerie- it looks great! It looks great on her and it’s appropriate for the Emmys. I think they should win.

 …OR NOT. I thought the ones called safe (Laura, April, and Valerie) were some of the best!

Ven/Fabio (Kenley) and Gunnar/Kooan (Irina) got the highest scores. WHAT?! I really thought Gunnar and Kooan’s dress wasn’t that great. But ok, whatever you think guys. The low designers go back to the lounge and Christopher is upset. Andrea, however, is very easygoing about it and pretty much says, well whatever. If I'm eliminated, it's ok.

Ven and Fabio- Ven has been in the top every week! Kenley loves it and thinks it’s perfect. I’m going to guess that they should win. Even thought I like Gunnar a lot more than Ven. If they win, I think Ven will get it.

Gunnar and Kooan- Heidi thinks it is fantabulously amazing and would wear it over Kenley’s look. I'm really surprised at this. I'd wear Kenley's! If they get the win, Gunnar will be the one to go, since Kooan doesn't even try to say that he made this dress.

Alicia and Raul- Mila thinks it doesn’t fit too well. The judges don’t think it looks good at all and they don’t like the styling. Neither will throw the other under the bus. Good job, you guys, but the judges do need to eliminate someone, so that might send both of you packing.

Christopher and Andrea- They think it looks like a big Hershey’s bar. Christopher is mortified by the dress and he and Andrea start arguing on the runway. Andrea and Christopher are completely at each other’s throats, and Christopher is having an Andrae-esque meltdown. Oh dear! I’m totally on Christopher’s side here, even though he needs to keep it together and should've handled it a bit better. What she said to the designers about being eliminated and what she said to the judges were two totally different things. To the designers it was kinda like "Whatever. I'm cool being eliminated." but to the judges it was "well, if I'm gone, I've had a great time here." VERY different statements on this show. The first one is like a death wish. The more I see of her, the less I like her. She took forever and was not nice. Christopher was genuinely upset. I hope the judges notice that.

I’m going to guess that Raul is eliminated and Gunnar wins. Crossing fingers for my Gunnar!

The Judges deliberate and...

Ven is the winner. I’m not happy about it, but it was very well deserved.

Out of the bottom 4, Christopher is the first one declared safe. I think this is really significant, because if you have a meltdown and the judges aren't on your side of it, that's pretty much an automatic bottom 2. He was called safe before Andrea, which makes it clear (to me at least) that the judges believed him over her.

Raul is out! I figured this would happen.

BUT WAIT! The next morning, Buffi and Melissa wake up and Andrea is GONE. (CALLED IT!) It shows them in the workroom and it appears that Nathan and Kooan want to leave too. I’m very confused. Heidi said 2 left in the middle of the night, not 1 left and then another decided to leave during the day. Anyway, I guess we'll find out next week. See you then!

My Run-Ins With Project Runway Designers

Being an avid Project Runway fan, I've added quite a few Project Runway designers as friends on Facebook. Some of these include:
-Mondo Guerra and Michael Costello from season 8 & All Stars
-Valerie Mayen and Andy South (who now goes by a different name, now living as a female) from season 8
-AJ Thouvenot from season 8 (his page is now only a like page- he got too many friends. But I was friends with him when it was soley his own personal profile)
-Anthony Ryan from season 9
-Gunnar Deatherage from season 9 & 10- I've been friends with him since he was on last season, and got to see some of his designs over the last year. He actually did some of the challenges from last year on his own, following the same rules. He turned out some amazing work!
- Jesse Lenoir from season 7- who is now married! :)
-Just added Melissa from this season as well :)

I may be missing some people. I feel like I am.

I know what you're gonna say next: "But Kristen, they must be their fan pages run by someone else, right? Or their facebook account where they only have fans?" Nope! Except for AJ's recent move to a like page, all of them are their real, personal, pages. Which makes it even cooler :) I can go back and see pictures from before they were on the show, see old designs, stuff like that. It's super cool!

I really enjoy befriending them because it gives me a chance to see what they are like outside of the abnormal circumstances they're put in on the show. Sometimes, they seem exactly the same, and sometimes they are a bit different. It's also great to be able to follow them once they are off the show. For example, I found out Andy was now in the process of becoming a woman before most people found out, because of all the pictures and comments on his page. Only recently did articles begin to come out about it, but the transition has been going on for a while now. It's also fun seeing if people stay close after the show. Mondo did NOT like Michael at first, but now 2 years after the show, they're still close friends.

Another perk of being friends with them is that I can send them a message and get the chance to talk to them, which is a bit of a starstruck moment for me! So far, I've had personal contact with 2 of them.

The first time I talked to a Project Runway designer was while season 8 was on. I had friended Michael Costello and he had accepted. One day, my friend 'sent me a video' asking if that was me in it. It was really one of those viruses on facebook that spams ALL of your friends' walls. Usually, I don't fall for these, but it came from a friend that would be very likely to have an old video of us together and I was curious to see which one she was referring to. My facebook got hacked before I could change my password and it first sent the "video" message to a bunch of people and then spammed EVERYONE's wall, including Michael Costello. He thought I had posted it on his facebook on purpose, so he sent me a message about it.

So as you can see, he thought I had put it on there and was really wary of being portrayed in a negative way when asking me not to do that. I felt SO BAD about the spam, but it was cool getting to talk to him even though it was about the stupid spam :/ At least he was nice about it when he realized I didn't really want him to check out my new ringtone...

My next chat with a designer was actually extremely recently- Last Monday. It's what made me think "hmm I should write about this". If any of you watch much tv, you might have seen a recent Geico commercial. It begins with some bikers walking out of a bar. They see a guy made entirely out of money pulling up to a gas station on his motorcycle. The whole point of the commercial is that basically, you aren't made of money, so don't make it easy for people to take your money. Anyway, in the commerical, there's this guy that works at the gas station who looks EXACTLY like AJ Thouvenot from season 8. His hair, nose, everything looks the same. I googled it and couldn't find an answer whether it was him or not. So I went straight to the source. Here's how it went down: (I know it says I sent the first one on Wednesday. He didn't reply til Monday. Just btw.)

I was so relieved that he didn't think I was crazy and actually knew what I was talking about! When I first saw it, I replayed it over and over trying to figure out if it was him- sure it couldn't be- but after seeing it so many times the next few days, I was sure that no one could look THAT much like him and not be him. But I guess his doppelganger is an actor! I'm glad I asked him, because now I don't have to wonder AND I got to talk to AJ (one of my faves, if you couldn't tell). I should've asked him if he'd been asked to be on All Stars 2... but then again, if he HAD been asked, he probably couldn't say. And they may not have even asked anyone yet.

So, those are my 2 personal conversations with the designers. This also made me smile:

I wasn't sure if he was going to see it, because it didn't show up on his wall, but sure enough, I got an alert that he had liked it :D

Outside of Project Runway and Facebook, I hadn't really had any personal contact with celebrities, UNTIL a couple weeks ago :) I was at Mall of America, and ran into one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE contestants on American Idol. I happened to get a picture with him as well :) If I get some comments/feedback, or some guesses as to who he is, I miiiight possibly post the picture... which means you could see what I look like :P. Hints, you ask? They'll be vague >:D

-He didn't win.

-He was in a ball cap, v neck, and skinny jeans, drinking a red slushie.

-I think he's cute. My dad thought he looked goofy.

-He's a blondie now, but wasn't always.

Not gonna tell you age cause that could tell you around which season he was in (like if i say 30s, that indicates an earlier season, but if I said 17, you'd know it was in the last 2 years) So, that's all you're getting. I would find it pretty easy to figure it out if you'd just given me a certain one of those 4 hints. Anyway, happy guessing and Project Runway watching ;)

Project Runway Season 10- Candy Couture

It's that day of the week again! Project Runway is back for the 2nd episode of the season, and it's one CRAZY episode!

The episode starts out with the designers being sad that Beatrice is gone. We then go to the runway, where Heidi vaguely tells them that they're meeting Tim somewhere 'sweet'. Gunnar kinda looks like he’s already got this challenge figured out as the unconventional challenge. I find it interesting that even though he was only on Project Runway for a few minutes last season, but he seems to have things figured out really well. Also, WHAT is Elena wearing? You can barely see her face!

Tim meets them outside Dylan’s Candy Bar with Dylan Lauren, the owner (and Ralph Lauren's daughter). Tim announces this is their unconventional challenge (To which Gunnar exclaims “I knew it!” He apparently dreamed about a candy challenge). This isn’t a normal candy store though- they have EVERYTHING imaginable. Dylan tells them not to eat the product… like they’re gonna listen! We get a bunch of shots of the designers eating candy.

The designers dash around the store, accidentally bump heads (ouch!), and Tim realizes the wonders of Lego candy ("you can build with them!"). Kooan asks to take an entire container of orange Twizzlers. 

Lantie is super-focused on the foundation instead of candy. Big Mistake. Hasn't she heard of muslin? Hasn't she seen past seasons? The unconventional materials are all that they really want you to use, NOT anything fabric-y. When designers use materials that are like fabric, they go home. The end.

We then get a particularly funny scene of Christopher asking the cashier about buying a chocolate boyfriend, followed by him pretending to whip Buffi. Uhh... no comment? Gunnar gives us some funny bits too, saying how he needs a helper to hold up his arm and ordering the cashier: "Be nice to me when you tell me the price!"

The designers get back to the workroom and... Oh no, more Gunnar/Chris drama. Chris just wants everyone to be nice to each other. Gunnar thinks Chris is threatened by him.

Commercial break: *Cue Kristen running to find candy because all of this candy is making her sweet tooth scream at her*

We get to see the ideas of some of the other designers, which involve dirt and earth for Alicia. Not sure how well that will go over. Sonjia is making something with sharks, which I think is really interesting.

Christopher thinks he is the nice twin, and Gunnar is the evil twin. Funny, I thought that Christopher and Michael Costello were the twins. Michael even called Christopher his mini-me, and I couldn't agree more!!!

We get a short little laugh as Buffi loudly breaks an umbrella, much to the annoyance of the other designers.Lantie talks about how she was about to open her store, but the economy screwed her over.

Andrea is making an apron… for a Victorian candy bar clerk… gone wild. Because that totally makes sense. She's using a lot of Dots and it looks really easy to make. It looks like all she has to do is to sew all the separate panels together. That’s not too hard.

Kooan has a sketch of an outfit with a giant eye on it… That will be interesting to see...

Ven talks about how when he graduated, he was the designer of the year and won all 4 awards for his class, which has apparently never been done before. (Hypocritical Kristen Alert) The more Ven talks about himself and everything he's done, and how sub par everyone else is, the less I like him. And yes, Gunnar can be rather full of himself, but there's something about him that makes me like him.

TIM TIME!

Nathan’s making a chocolate skirt that is extremely heavy. Hopefully, his model doesn't lose her skirt on the runway.

The pattern on Chris’s skirt is exactly like the one from the last challenge. Different color, yes, but the pattern is the same. Gunnar claims he would have pushed the envelope harder if he’d had immunity. I'd honestly love to see that

Elena’s dress is monochromatic. ALL she seems to have is this neutral, nude color of twizzlers (pina colada flavor apparently). With her very hard aesthetic, the twizzlers look very... pasta-y

Tim and Ven both love Sonjia’s look, and I have to agree. Her shark bib almost looks like a scarf. Ven is making a stained glass window dress. Looks like he has a good start! Buffi is doing this basket weave and Lantie says Buffi isn’t up to par… Right, she's really one to talk... Gunnar’s look is all checkered, and he too seems to be doing well.

Dmitry is waiting until his model gets there to start doing his beading… bad idea.

Kooan strangely describes how he feels: “aaaaaaaaaaaaah” .There’s no way to even explain how he reacted. Everyone in the workroom was laughing.

Lantie... Computer cases? Boots? No, no, no! Chris thinks she’s sub-par. Agreed. Those materials will get her the Auf Wiedersehen.

Andrea is very underwhelming, sloppy, and crafty to Tim. Her immediate reaction? To scrap the dress and cut it up. She gets upset during her interview and asks to turn the cameras off. Not sure how much longer she can stand this competition (Hmm maybe she'll be one that quits in the middle of the night... I definitely didn't predict that here or anything...) She then regretted cutting it up.

The designers ask Kooan about his look and Chris mimics Kooan. That gave me a bit of a giggle! The models come in, eat the designer’s candy and don’t do much else.

Kristen's favorite moment of the night that she watched over and OVER:

Gunnar runs around asking what everyone is doing, really curious about everything.  And, in my opinion, he was genuinely interested just to see how everyone was doing. Chris thinks Gunnar is really weird because at first he was really rude and is suddenly curious and friendly. Christopher then gives this fake high pitched laugh (shown in the gif above). The camera cuts to Gunnar laughing and his face is one of pure, hilarious, insanity (gif above!). He looks absolutely CRAZY. Like Cruella DeVil cackling- he could even pass as her with his two-tone hair. He did say he likes imagining Cruella DeVil in his clothes. That one shot was worth rewinding 10 times… and that wasn’t an exaggeration. It was priceless. I love him. He makes the show so much fun to watch. 

Andrea calls something heavy (does everything weigh more in the future? Sorry, couldn't help the Back To The Future reference) and really regrets cutting up the dress and goes back to making it.

"Lantie has dug her own grave and is stepping into the coffin"- Gunnar Deatherage

Gunnar's quote accurately explains how Lantie is doing the same thing over again. I know she’s not going to do well because she’s using mostly real fabric!!!

Everyone’s using hot glue guns, getting minor burns and Elena accidentally drops fresh hot glue on her hand and upper thigh, burning her and causing a lot of pain. I was feeling pretty bad for her, until Chris said this gem and had me laughing again, because he's completely right!

“But why are you wearing hoochie shorts to work?!”-Christopher Palu

 DAY OF RUNWAY SHOW

The designers return to the work room and Kooan and Buffi’s cotton candy is all gone! Someone didn't think that all the way through!

Lantie thinks her look is girly and edgy. NO. I'm not sure she knows what edgy means. She also says she’s never seen anything like her look. Ever think that was for a good reason, Lantie? She isn’t concerned about her look. She should be...

Elena’s dress looks like a nude nightmare. It doesn’t look good with the model’s skin color. I think if you're going to wear a nude colored dress, it should be close to your skin color. Even in the workroom, it was falling apart. The models come and they do hair and makeup. Dmitry wants his girl’s lips to be Skittle red. Yum, red skittles...

Andrea’s dress confuses me. She’s put a big fat 1 on the front and a ginormous bubble butt in the back! I just don't get how anyone thinks that looks good!

The models get all dressed and Ven orders his model to pretty much not move.

The RUNWAY

Heidi looks like she took a nod from Lantie in her snake skin jumper. Supposedly, it’s a Michael Costello piece. I bet Chris loved it. The guest judge for this challenge is Dylan, the owner of the candy shop.

Like last week, I'll only go over the top/bottom and those that stood out to me. Let's start the show!

Gunnar- looks great. Yes, you did turn this one out! I really thought it looked good. He made candy look really pretty!

Sonjia- the colors are great together and it looks really great and is well put together. I love turquoise, and I think she used it well.

Melissa- I actually liked it. Supposedly, the leather-like material in the middle was licorice. I really didn't think it looked like licorice, but I guess I'm wrong. But, I did say here that I was curious how much black licorice she would grab. Apparently a lot.

Nathan- Fortunately, we didn't have a skirtless model moment, but his 20 lb skirt had to be held up by the model

Andrea- I bust out laughing when I saw it. It looked RIDICULOUS. The bubble butt was unflattering and there was this big, pointless 1 on the front. Chris's comment (“I’d play Twister on her”) made it even funnier!
Elena- it doesn’t look great, the model can’t walk, and it’s falling apart. Not good at all.

Dmitry's dress

Dmitry- His dress was BEAUTIFUL. It really looked like beads, not candy. I think Gunnar commented that when he was making his rounds in the workroom as well. I LOVED it. The more designs I see from him, the more I like his designs.

Kooan- Loud, crazy, zany, creepy, really interesting, but absolutely ridiculous. NO. just no.

Chris- it looked kinda like it didn’t fit… Gunnar was rolling his eyes the whole time, and he should've been. The pattern was very similar to last week, just worse.

Buffi- pretty top, not so great bright pink skirt.

Lantie- hers was awful. Almost no candy at all, and that is never a good thing on an unconventional challenge. The dress didn't even look like a pretty dress.

Ven- really pretty. Although there’s that pesky flower again! I get that it’s his “trademark” but such a big one that is in every design should get mentioned and he should be told not to do that!!!

 JUDGING:

The safe contestants accurately figure out the top and bottom. Good job. Gold star. Season 8 was AWFUL at that.

Buffi: Bottom 3- Carrie from sex in the city was the muse. Looks like a 5 year old. Weaving on top was the best part, over accessorized, bottom was too much paper. Wanted carrie bradshaw, got toddlers in tiaras.

KORSISM!: “If you saw her wandering down the street, someone would probably put some money in a cup.”

Sonjia: top 3- they love the shape, texture, and color, but not the hat. She did a great job connecting disparate things.

Lantie: bottom 3- 2^nd dress, meltdown, never great way to start. Had same problems again, didn’t transform it. More decorating, ornamenting. Excuses, time, blahblahblah. They get upset about her excuses.

Ven: top 3- he has great taste, it looks beautiful and flattering, candy couture, refreshing, on trend pastels, not over accessorized. Just a long list of pretty words to describe the dress.

Elena: bottom 3- uses excuse that she doesn’t use much color. Needs to adapt! Now that she’s at judging, it’s COMPLETELY falling apart. Gunnar was standing next to her giggling his head off about this and I was too:

More KORSISMS! Michael's comments about Elena's dress: “Riggatoni Mad Max”, “Now her boobs are turning into old man’s eyes and then the crotch looks like a mustache”

Gunnar: top 3- All of his accessories, he made himself, and added stuff to the shoes to make them his own! Gold star! Dylan wants to show it in her window, which makes him happy. Gunnar’s super thankful as they keep calling it cute, chic, and flattering.

The RESULTS:

The Winner is… VEN. He really did a great job, and earns immunity.

Sonjie, Gunnar and Elena are declared IN.

Honestly, I knew who was going to be going home before the episode, but I was 100 percent sure by the runway show. I wasn’t even concerned that Buffi, one of my favorites, was in the bottom two. I knew she wasn’t going home.

LANTIE is eliminated. Honestly, not at all surprising. I would’ve been surprised if she hadn’t gotten the boot.

When Buffi returns to the designers, Gunnar gives her a little tidbit of wisdom, which I will leave you with. See you on my next post!

“Don’t change your personal self ever. That’s what got you here.”- Gunnar Deatherage

Awesome Project Runway Tumblog!!!

There's this really awesome Tumblog called Little Project Runway Things. The first time I found it, I literally went all the way to the bottom looking at everything! There's so much cool stuff on there that I wanted to just save every single picture! Here's just a few of my favorites:

That last one especially cracked me up! The Josh M. gif pretty much describes my reaction to that picture :D

Anyway, it's a super awesome blog with a BUNCH more cool stuff, so you should really go check them out. If you didn't catch the link at the top, click here to see it. They were kind enough to promo me and compliment my blog so they deserve some love in return! <3

Currently re-starting the next episode and immediately after I finish this, I'll be starting on the review, so watch for it soon!

Project Runway All Stars SEASON 2!

It's on Wikipedia, so it must be legit! Haha

COMMENT WHO YOU THINK SHOULD BE AN ALL-STAR FOR SEASON 2!

Ask me questions! I like questions! I could also tell you my dream cast of All Stars, with no reflection on who's won or been on All Stars before. Either way, comments! Feedback! :) 

I may be totally behind in the times, but I happened to be glancing around Wikipedia on the Project Runway page and came across this little blurb about Season 2 of Project Runway: All Stars. I hadn't even considered the idea of having a second season so soon. I've seen many other shows do All Star seasons recently as well, but I've never seen any show do a second All Star season so quickly. Or at all. Anyway, with this announcement of a new season of All Stars, I've made a list of people I would like to see and think would do well on All Stars Season 2.

Potential All Stars

Kara Saun, Season 1- I'm guessing that by now, she has a pretty established business, since she was doing well before the show too, but if she was up for doing All Stars, she would be a great addition to the cast.

Santino Rice, Season 2- Extremely interesting, extremely talented, Santino even got his own show (with Austin, of course). He's highly entertaining and makes for great TV. He should've been picked the first time around!

Andrae Gonzalo, Season 2- "What happened to Andrae?" That's one of the most quoted lines from Project Runway! I would love to see Andrae back again. He never failed to make people laugh, and got really far in the competition.

Daniel Vosovic, Season 2- Now, I'm not sure if it would be acceptable to bring him back. Before the premiere of Season 6, they had an "All Star Challenge". Personally, I've never seen the full thing, because I don't think it's been on since its premiere. Basically, multiple designers were brought back with a simple task: One challenge, winner gets $100,000. Daniel won. So, I'm not sure he'll be able to come back (if he even wants to) and I think that his absence from the first season of All Stars is a pretty good indicator that he can't be on it. (As much as I would love to see him on there)

Daniel Franco, Seasons 1 & 2- Ok, I'm kidding about this one. But I think it would be kinda funny if they did bring him back. I wouldn't be surprised if they bring him back just for giggles. And I wouldn't be surprised if he was the first one eliminated.

Michael Knight, Season 3- He was the fan favorite in his season, he made it to the top 4, and kinda just missed the mark. He was a really strong designer, and I think it would be a good idea for them to give him another chance.

Uli Herzner, Season 3- She was a really strong designer in season 3. She was really likeable and  was a great designer. They would be making an excellent choice in bringing her back.

Jack Mackenroth, Season 4- He was extremely talented and was forced to leave purely for medical reasons. He really should have made it further than he did, and I think he deserves another shot at the title.

Chris March, Season 4- Ok, so he has his own show now and there's probably almost no chance that he would come back, but I would enjoy seeing him compete again.

Jillian Lewis, Season 4- She got to the finale and was really good throughout the season. I think there's a good chance she could get called back for All Stars Season 2.

Korto Momalu, Season 5- She got SO close to winning in Season 5, and she did come back for All Stars Challenge and got 2nd. She could do really well!

Blayne Walsh, Season 5- He didn't do extremely well, but he had a HUGE personality, and that can go really far on Project Runway. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw him again purely for the entertainment factor.

Carol Hannah Whitfield, Season 6- I think most of us Project Runway fans consider season 6 as a bit of a throw-away season. It came on amid a lot of controversy, and it definitely showed. The talent really wasn't as strong. It's my least favorite season, and I tend to forget it even exists. There is one (well 2) gem of a designer that I think shines above all the crap that season, and that is Carol Hannah. Funny, Sweet, and a great designer, she was insanely likeable and- in my opinion- should've won that season.

Logan Neitzel, Season 6- Logan is my other person I enjoy from season 6. It's partially for the eye candy, but I think he can do much better than what he presented on the show. I wanna see him on All Star 2... though I'm sure he won't be there.

Emilio Sosa, Season 7- Emilio was a FANTASTIC designer on season 7. He won a lot of challenges and came really close to winning. I'm not sure if he would jump at the opportunity to be on an All Stars show, but if he did, I would be totally intrigued.

Maya Luz, Season 7- She quit the competition because she needed to figure out who she really was as a designer, and maybe by now she has. She was really strong and could have gone much further had she remained in the competition. I think she deserves another shot.

AJ Thouvenot, Season 8- You might think he got out a bit early to be considered an 'All Star' but I disagree. Consider the situation surrounding his elimination. He was stuck with a team of huge personalities who all stabbed Michael Costello in the back, after they all said they weren't going to point fingers. AJ was the sole person to not blame anyone, yet he was the one who was eliminated. He was manipulated by Gretchen, and I really think he should get another chance to prove what HE can do with HIS aesthetic.

Valerie Mayen, Season 8- I'm not sure whether she would come back, but she started out extremely strong and then kinda started to fade. Maybe with a second shot, she could stand a bit stronger!

Anthony Ryan Auld, Season 9- I absolutely love love love Anthony Ryan and was sad to see him go (in my opinion) much before his time. He's extremely talented and I REALLY want him to come back for All Stars 2.

Viktor Luna, Season 9- My second favorite from season 9! Throughout the season, he proved how amazing of a designer he is, being in the top over and over. A small mis-step in his finale collection cost him the win. I think he deserves another shot!

Joshua McKinley, Season 9- For last All Stars, they season they pulled the most designers from was season 8, the most recent one at the time of filming (I think season 9 was just beginning to air when they filmed). I have a feeling they might take this same approach again, and why not bring back the runner up? HUGE personality, lots of talent!

So I've listed 20 designers- some because I like them, some because I really think they might be back. Obviously, they won't have 20 designers, so here's a list of the designers I think are most likely to make the cut for Project Runway All Stars Season 2:

Project Runway All Stars Season 2: Kristen's Cast!

Santino Rice, Season 2

Andrae Gonzalo, Season 2

Michael Knight, Season 3

Uli Herzner, Season 3

Jack Mackenroth, Season 4

Jillian Lewis, Season 4

Korto Momolu, Season 5

Carol Hannah Whitfield, Season 6

Emilio Sosa, Season 7

Maya Luz, Season 7

AJ Thouvenot, Season 8

Anthony Ryan Auld, Season 9

Viktor Luna, Season 9

Joshua McKinley, Season 9

What do you think of my choices? Who would you put in your All Stars cast? Who, out of my list (or your list) do you think should WIN? On my list, I would have to pull for Santino and Anthony Ryan :) See you later tonight for my review of tonight's episode!