Hey, y'all! So, at the beginning of this season of Project Runway, I did a post where I discussed each designer and my prediction as to how well they'll do this season. I based my opinions solely off of their showing on Road to the Runway, so I had not gotten the chance to experience how they're being edited, how they work under pressure, how they handle the time constraints, etc. So, now that we've gotten into the top 10 and I've somewhat embarrassed myself (mostly just because of personal bias), I've decided to do updated predictions. And I'll still talk a bit about already-eliminated designers just so that I can discuss my opinions on their eliminations.
This time around, I'm not going to do both a "who I want" and a "legit prediction." I'm just going to stick to my legitimate predictions as to who will do well, and try to not be TOO biased. Plus, my personal winner pick is the same as my prediction, so there's that. Once again, I'll be predicting both the top 4 & the winner. I've also decided (just for funsies) to make an elimination chart prediction. So basically I'll be listing what I think will be the elimination order from this point forward.
Just as a reference point:
Early cut= first 3-4 eliminations
Long-term= top 6 designers
Middle of the pack= everything in-between
Amanda Perna
5th Elimination
Initial prediction: Middle of the pack
Technically, I was right because 5th cut does fall under "middle of the pack," but I expected her to do better. I thought she would make it a lot further, based on her edit and on the fact that she was a returning designer. I expected 7th-8th place, but given how much she's struggled so far, it's not that surprising.
Ashley Nell Tipton
Still in!
Initial prediction: Middle of the pack
I'll be the first to admit that I didn't give Ashley the credit that she deserves. I liked her, but was very worried for her pre-season, because I thought that her clothing looked reminiscent of other stuff, was worried about her being able to design for "model" size, and thought she would be an early-middle boot. Yikes. Yikes. Yikes. So very wrong. So far, she's been outstanding, and I expect to see her for a while longer.
Blake Patterson
6th Elimination
Initial prediction: Middle of the pack
I stand by my initial prediction. I'm actually surprised he stayed in this long. The only thing I actually liked of his was the dress he made for the team challenge. Seriously, we got pretty much exactly what I expected from him.
Candice Cuoco
Still in!
Initial prediction: Long-term
I'm not sure how I feel about Candice. I feel like she's made some really great things, but I think the team challenge really tainted my view of her. I'm hoping that she rebounds from that episode and becomes a little more likeable.
David Giampiccolo
2nd Elimination
Initial prediction: Out early
Well, at least I was right even he didn't get eliminated for the reasons I expected. I seriously thought that the judges wouldn't get him, but he barely even got to show them his aesthetic because he didn't do what he was supposed to on the unconventional challenge. It made me sad, because I thought that he seemed super sweet, but I'm not surprised.
Duncan Chambers-Watson
1st Elimination
Initial prediction: Long-term
This is the one that hurt the most, to be honest. I picked him as the person I really wanted to win, so I was thoroughly embarrassed when he was eliminated first. However, like I said in my original post, I didn't peg him as one of the four that I really expected to make it to the end, even though I really wanted him to. However, I stand by the fact that before the season, he seemed to have a lot of promise. I really wish we could've seen a bit more from him.
Edmond Newton
Still in!
Initial prediction: Middle of the pack.
I said in my last post that I didn't know what to do with Edmond... and I still don't. Part of me really wants to say that he's going to make it long-term, but I'm not totally sure. He's made a few things that have really impressed me, and some things that I didn't think were so great. (Mostly just that Hanmiao look and his first dress which I thought was really boring.) Overall, I like the designs that he's shown on the show a lot more than the ones I saw pre-season, so I'm really hoping that he continues to do well because I like him as a person.
Gabrielle Arruda
4th Elimination
Initial prediction: Middle of the pack.
Well, I was pretty much right with this one. I said I thought she could last a few weeks, and I was right. She ended up right on the bubble of early out & middle of the pack, and I expected that. She just didn't make much of an impression at all. My roommate (who watches the show just as regularly as I do) had barely even figured out which one Gabrielle was by the time she was eliminated.
Hanmiao Yang
3rd Elimination
Initial prediction: Long-term
OK, let me explain myself. I was skeptical about her making it to the end, which is why I put her in the list of people I wanted in the finale, but not in the list of people I expected to see in the finale. I was really worried that she would not be edited as the second coming of Ping, and that's what happened. I was really hopeful because she seemed to have a more modern & approachable aesthetic than Ping, but alas, she was eliminated in essentially the exact same way that Ping was. It was really disappointing. I knew by the first episode that she wouldn't make it anywhere near as far as I had hoped she would.
Jake Wall
Still in!
Initial prediction: Early cut.
This most recent episode is finally showing us exactly what I've been expecting from Jake. I've been pretty down on him since the pre-season and I'm honestly very surprised that he's still there. I only vaguely remembered a couple of his designs, so I went back and looked at them, and so far they've all been painfully boring. I don't think he has a clear point of view, and I really don't think he has any chance of winning.
Joseph Charles Poli
Still in!
Initial prediction: Long-term.
Joseph is an interesting one. We got a lot of him in the team challenge, but really haven't seen him much either before or after that. I think that I was a little too impressed with him pre-season. I thought his designs were clean, simple, and really well executed. However, all I ever hear about his designs is matronly, so it's really not looking good for him right about now. I definitely think he's going to make it for a while longer, but definitely not as far as I originally predicted.
Kelly Dempsey
Still in!
Initial prediction: Early cut.
I was a little mean to Kelly in the pre-season. I predicted that she would be the first elimination, but clearly I was very wrong. I still don't have high hopes for her, because she really hasn't made anything outstanding, She's really flying under the radar right now, but I think that once some more of the weak designers get eliminated, Kelly is going to come more to the forefront and get eliminated shortly thereafter. And I still really don't like her aesthetic.
Laurie Underwood
Still in!
Initial prediction: Early cut.
Every season, there's that one person (sometimes a few people) that I just completely forget exists. Laurie is that person this season. And is it really that surprising? The most interesting thing she's made so far was on the team challenge when she was paired up with Swapnil (AKA Kristen's winner pick since the pre-season) and he seemed to do the work that the judges really liked. She isn't getting much camera time or much time with the judges. For some contestants, that's just temporary and they eventually break out of that rut, but I think she's going to be one of the designers whose aesthetic just isn't going to get them very far.
Lindsey Creel
Still in!
Initial prediction: Long term.
I don't know what to do about Lindsey. I don't think she's quite living up to my pre-season expectations. So far, she's been decent, but not outstanding. She's one of the one's who's floating the most, but unlike Laurie, I think that she has a strong enough aesthetic that she can thrive once some of the weaker designers get cut. That being said, I'm definitely not as optimistic about her as I was before the season.
Merline Labissiere
Still in!
Initial prediction: Middle of the pack.
I really just don't know about Merline. She's done pretty well, but I'm not exactly sure what her aesthetic is. I think that she's definitely going to make it quite a bit further, but I don't think she's going to make the finale cut.
Swapnil Shinde
Still in!
Initial prediction: Long term.
Did I make a good winner pick, or what?! Sure, he hasn't won a challenge yet, but he's been in the top for every single challenge except for the first one. He's just been performing incredibly well and incredibly consistently. I'm just really impressed with his performance so far, and he's definitely the one who I believe most deserves to win.
Predictions!
Ranking Predictions:
10) Jake Wall
9) Laurie Underwood
8) Kelly Dempsey
7) Joseph Charles Poli
6) Lindsey Creel
5) Merline Labissiere
Predictions for the Finale!
Swapnil
Ashley
Edmond
Candice
I'm not going to do an official ranking of the finale designers until I'm able to see the collections they're presenting at NYFW, but if I had to choose right now, I'm putting Ashley in 2nd, Edmond in 3rd, and Candice in 4th.
My Official Winner Prediction!
Swapnil
Duh.
So, that's it for my Project Runway Season 14 updated predictions! I can't wait to see how the designers' NYFW collections turn out! Fingers crossed, you might be seeing a post about that sometime next week.
Check out my links below!
Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!
(Harry Potter, jic you were confused...)
