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!

Project Runway Season 10: This Week's Challenge!

Thursday is once again drawing near, bringing with it an all new episode. This week, the designers are tasked with their unconventional challenge. This season, they're set loose in a candy store. In season 4, the unconventional challenge also took place in a candy store, however that one had a lot of items such as pillows and stuffed animals that gave the designers a bit of fabric to work with. This candy store, if the previews are correct, doesn't seem to have any items like that- just candy. That should make for a really interesting challenge! I really wonder how Kooan will do. It seems like something he would be good at. I'm also interested to see how much black licorice Melissa grabs. I'm going to guess A LOT. This also seems like a challenge that might be stressful enough to, say... cause a couple designers to leave in the middle of the night. It's just a hypothesis, but if there was any challenge to get freaked out about and feel like you're in over your head, it's certainly the unconventional challenge. I can't wait to see how the designers perform. I'll be here late Thursday night reviewing the episode! You can also expect an update in the next few days about a bit of information I've discovered, as well as another with some background on me and the designers. See you back here in a couple days!

A look at some recent unconventional challenges:

Mondo's design in the All Stars unconventional challenge. They had to shop in the dollar store. I loved what Mondo did and wish it would've gotten him the win!

Anthony Ryan's design from the unconventional challenge in season 9. They had to shop in a pet store. This dress is made entirely of bird seed. It was my favorite one. He was in the top, but didn't win :(

Andy South's design from the unconventional challenge in season 8. They had to shop in a party supply store. Andy bought lots and lots of ribbon and made this beautiful dress, which won :)