Hate-Reading The Selection: Updates & Opinions

Hey, y'all! So today, I'm going to be doing some hate-reading. Just briefly, before I jump into anything else, here's my little disclaimer about hate-reading.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post on the topic of hate-reading, which you can check out by clicking here. In that post, I discuss what it means to hate-read and include a disclaimer discussing my intentions when hate-reading a book. I won't go into full details, given that I wrote that whole post about it, but the long and short of it is this: hate-reading doesn't have to be malicious, and I don't intend for it to be. I'm not here to bash a book, and I'm certainly not here to belittle anyone for liking this book. My point here is not to offend, but to approach criticism with a snarky, comedic tone; to point out the ridiculousness of a book in a humorous way. So I urge you to remember all of this before leaving an angry comment.

That being said, let's take a look at the book I'm going to be hate-reading. And that is The Selection by Kiera Cass.

By the way, what even is this cover? Like... she looks like she's smelling her armpit. Not to mention the "girl in a dress on the cover" trope. Props for the dress being pretty, though. However, I do have to say that I think that the dresses on the spin-off books (The Heir & The Crown) are absolutely gorgeous and leagues better than the dresses on the covers of the original trilogy.

Anyway, this book has been on my radar for about as long as I've been on BookTube. Quite honestly, I've never really intended to pick it up, simply because it's not really my thing. I'm a self-described reality competition junkie. I can't even count the number of reality competitions I've watched throughout the years. But in that time, I've never watched a single episode of either The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. Ever. It just always seemed too dumb and too ridiculous. But, the temptation is there to watch an episode simply to laugh at it. And that's kinda what I intend to do with The Selection. It has pretty much the same premise as The Bachelor, and from reviews I've read, the writing, world-build, plot, and characters all seem to be on-par quality-wise with what I'd expect from The Bachelor (AKA laughably bad). Because of this, I expect to thoroughly enjoy every second of reading what I expect to be a laughably bad/cheesy book.

Continue reading below to join me on this adventure, as I will be doing updates whenever something stands out, is completely ridiculous, or is just plain dumb. I'm so excited, y'all.

*****

July 5th:

acknowledgement/dedication: So the dedication reads "Hi, Dad! *waves*" and I'm not sure if that's cute or annoying. I'm gonna go with cute for now, but I feel like this is just a little taste of the fluffiness that is yet to come...

pg 1: Starting off strong, y'all. "So far, I had a solid collection of my honest opinions. . . I didn't think there was a single one she would listen to." Someone explain that ellipsis to me. Please. And it's unnaturally spaced out as well. I fail to see how that makes any sense there. 

pg 2: "We did a silent dance through the kitchen and dining room..." There's nothing wrong with this, I just think it's a really weird phrasing, especially since they're mad at each other. Also, we just got an entire paragraph about how her mouth was watering for tea with lemon. Tea is not that dramatic. 

pg 4: Kiera Cass does understand that China acknowledges Jan 1 as the start of the new year, right? They still celebrate it at the traditional time, but the year still starts on January 1st...

pg 8: This dialogue hurts. "I'm so average." "Stop it, you're so pretty." "Am I actually pretty?" "You totally know you're pretty." *dramatization* *but not by much*

pg 12: "Finally the intruder spoke, a sly grin spreading across his face. 'Hey there, gorgeous.'" How is this romantic? This excerpt could easily be inserted into a horror movie and be incredibly creepy.

pg 15: "If only I could sit and patch them up for him. That was my great ambition. Not to be Illea's princess. To be Aspen's." Literally everything about this hurts me. 

pg 27: I love that we just got a quick little run-down of what's happening, in case we somehow didn't understand. Also, yes, I went a whole 12 pages without updating, but only because that whole chapter was cringey and there wasn't just one single moment that stood out. 

pg 33: Just realized that I haven't noted this yet, but the fact that America Singer is a... wait for it... singer is one of the most silly things I've ever read.

pg 45: Side note, the inherent sexism in this society is already about to drive me crazy, and not just toward the women-- America just mentioned that she couldn't see herself with such a "wimp" as Maxon.

July 6th:
pg 50: "America, I'm supposed to be providing for you. It's humiliating for me to come here and have you do all this for me."... "I'm not some charity case, America. I'm a man. I'm supposed to be a provider." Again, with these stupid, seemingly pointless gender norms. First off, she's a class higher than him and has talents, so she's perfectly capable of providing for herself. Also, she literally made you food from the little money that she earned, because she knows you can't always afford to eat, and you have the audacity to be humiliated because of some seemingly arbitrary gender norms? Dude, get over yourself and eat the stupid food. //endrant.

pg 53: UPDATE! They just broke up over the food argument. LOL. That's the silliness I'm here for!

pg 56: y'all, she was chosen for the selection! Didn't see that one coming, did you?

pg 58: Her body now belongs to her country. Literally, her body has now become an object to be possessed by a country. ugh.

pg 64: "This isn't exactly a rule, but it would be unwise of you to ignore it. When you are invited to do something with Prince Maxon, you do not refuse. No matter what it is. Dinner, outings, kisses-- more than kisses-- anything. Do not turn him down." Great, so on top of all the other things that Maxon has control over, he also basically gets to do whatever he wants with her. Fabulous.

pg 76: America, you're in your upper teen years. DO NOT call your father "Daddy." It's just weird.

pg 90: Guys, this makeover scene is literally ripped from the pages of The Hunger Games.

pg 96: "Do you think Maxon will like it?" "Of course! What guy doesn't like a gorgeous blonde?" cringe cringe cringe cringe cringe. This dialogue hurts me. Also, there's a specific "Women's Room." Because even rooms have to be divided by gender in this society! :)

pg 99: So everyone in this society has really out there, unique names, and the maids are called Lucy, Anne, and Mary. It feels like Cass just chose the first 3 basic female names she could think of and was like "OK done!"

pg 102: It bears mentioning, but the entire point of the competition within this novel is to pit women against each other in a competition for a man's affection, which is just so obnoxiously stereotypical and catty that it almost physically hurts. Haven't women been portrayed as catty, gossipy, & unable to cooperate for long enough? I fail to understand why a woman would want to write a series in a world that she created that has such inherent, seemingly arbitrary, sexism ingrained in the society.

July 7th:
pg 104: "He is someone in this room's future husband, after all." A few girls sighed at the thought. Excuse me while I vomit. This is about as cliche as it gets.

pg 118: Currently LOLing at the scene that just happened in the garden. As usual, the dialogue is just uncomfortable. America is unnecessarily obnoxious and whiny. Maxon is rigid and awkward. Hooray. (Side note: If Maxon doesn't promptly stop saying "my dear," I'm gonna lose it.)

pg 123: "Tsk-Tsk. A lady never raises her voice above a gentle whisper?" Oh yeah, lady? Since the whole room just heard you, I'm going to assume you said that above a gentle whisper.

pg 125: Image that, guys! Prince Maxon has taken a liking to our little special snowflake! I'm so surprised! And when he smiled at her, she completely changed her mind! How romantic.

pg 136: I'm sorry, but that just seems like the silliest way, plot-wise, to create a way for America to have alone time with Maxon. Some weird, random bet? Shouted across the room for almost no reason? It's so ridiculous and just... weird.

pg 141: She's getting nervous about being with Maxon alone, and doesn't know why! What could it mean?! (obviously you're beginning to develop feelings, dummy.)

pg 159: Ooh, Prince Maxon has some theories no one will listen to! Given how this book has been going so far, he's probably right. #basic.

pg 178: Literally every time "King Clarkson" is mentioned, all I can think of is Kelly Clarkson. #sorrynotsorry. Also, America is now excited by the idea of Maxon visiting her that night. Shocker.

pg 197: Wow, she's starting to like him! Didn't see that coming! Also, I know that I haven't had snarky things to say for the last ~40 pages but that's mostly because it actually hasn't been that bad. Maybe it's that I'm getting used to it, but there haven't been as many cringey, awful moments. Sure, it's still incredibly cheesy, and the dialogue is mostly just ... ugh. But it hasn't been quite as awful. Actually, it's been almost sweet. Almost.

July 8th
pg 200: Here we go again with everyone telling America she's amazing and her feeling uncomfortable and unworthy.

pg 207: And now we have girls actually slapping each other. Lovely.

pg 212: So we just got a scene that was obviously meant to be for world-build. The Selected girls are being quizzed on their knowledge of Illea's history, which serves to inform the reader of the history. This is problematic on so many levels. First, this scene is just very clumsy. Given that they're going to be selected on their personality and looks, their knowledge of the country's history doesn't seem like it's going to pop up anytime soon. So this is a rather clunky attempt at masking world-build for something that's actually important to the plot. Second, this is a really flimsy world build. Third World War, China invading, attacking Russia, these are all the easy explanations. It's just so baseline and surface level that it seems boring and unoriginal.
Also, this whole no written history thing-- clearly they're trying to hide something. If that was meant to be a subtle hint that something suspicious is going on, it's not. It's really obvious. And if this is a dead end, then she wasted our time with something meaningless and pointless.
One last note before I continue: At this point, a US history book would be hundreds of years old. And yet America's dad just happened to have one lying around the house? Really?

pg 218: What? Her feels are getting stronger and she thinks it's just nerves? I'm shocked.

pg 257: Ok, so now that she's finally realized that she has feelings for him (only because he kissed her), she's convinced that she's now the one. Like... slow your roll. 5 seconds ago, you were telling him you just wanted to be friends.

pg 262: Guys. There's literally a place called Honduragua in this story. Cass literally just created a super-country by creating a ship name for Honduras & Nicaragua. What even?

pg 264: "Why don't you run along?" And here, everyone, we have an example of a cliche line. America is annoying. Blahblahblah nothing new here.

pg 268: "I looked beneath my eyelashes at Maxon and smiled." I'm sorry but what does that even mean? That phrasing is just... what? Like yes, America, your eyes are under your eyelashes. Proud of you. Unless this is talking about her bottom lashes? This just makes no sense.

pg 289: So America and Maxon have been all buddybuddy for more than half of this book and suddenly she disagrees with him and he pulls out the "I am lord and master of this country" stuff and calls her "Lady America" again? I'm so over this. He was becoming vaguely likable and then goes and pulls something like this. That's one thing Kiera Cass is really good at-- making characters overreact.

pg 290: Ok, so America has been tossing and turning "for hours" and then out of nowhere, Aspen opens the door and comes in? That's creepy. Like, she didn't even indicate that she was still awake, but here he comes barging in. Not cool. Also, she's had mixed emotions about him for the entire book, and suddenly now that he barges in and practically forces himself on her, she's glad to make out with him? Even while saying she hates him? Really?

pg 297: So, that girl that America's been freaking out about the entire book? She tripped, and Aspen caught her. I swear, there needs to be an award for how many coincidences create a plotline, and it needs to be handed directly to Kiera Cass. Like, there are so many things that happen on this novel just because of sheer coincidence. That's not how to craft a plot.

pg 313: Also, just another quick note, but isn't it just so convenient that the girls America is the most familiar with/ get mentioned the most are the ones who keep staying? Even her mortal enemy Celeste is still here, despite being completely awful. With the exception of Ashley at the beginning of the book, everyone America interacts with has stayed. Imagine that.

pg 325: Ah, the line I've heard so much about. "I'm not choosing him or you. I'm choosing me." Cliche, cringy, and overall... not the truth that she says it is. Sure, maybe she hasn't chosen either yet, but she's still making up her mind. That's not choosing herself. That's being wishy-washy.

So, that's it for my updates while reading The Selection. Here are my very brief opinions, if you haven't seen my little discussion at the end of my video: 

I think that this is the first time I will ever give 2/5 stars to a book that I really enjoyed reading. Let me clarify. This book was insanely fun to make fun of, despite the numerous problems I had with this book. That's probably incredibly evident from these updates. I thought that the writing wasn't that great, the dialogue was pretty cringey, the plot was a bit of a mess (and rather dependent on coincidence), the world-build was pretty flimsy, and that the problem with gender roles within this book was frustrating. At its root, this isn't the dystopian novel it purports itself to be-- it's a plain ol' contemporary. It's made to be fluffy and cute, and in some ways I was definitely pulled into that a bit. I enjoy fluff and cuteness in moderation, but this book was pretty much no substance and all fluff. One genuine, interesting moment would be followed immediately by more cliches, insufferable dialogue, and general cringing. So, overall, I didn't think that this was a very good book. However, I had a great time reading it and intend to continue the series, because I want to see this train-wreck keep on going.

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How I Rate Books! [2016 Update]

Hey, y'all! So, I've been doing a lot of reading. I know what you're thinking: "Kristen, you always do a lot of reading!" and to that I would say, "Well yeah. Kinda." I got a bit slumpy last year. A lot. And now that I've gotten back in the groove of reading a lot (12 books in February, 9 in March!) I've realized that my descriptions of ratings no longer accurately describe my reasoning for giving out certain ratings. And what I mean by this is that (for example) I have descriptions explaining what a "6/10" means to me, and literally every time I give out a 6/10 rating, I think that the description no longer describes how I actually feel about that number rating. So, I'm going through and re-vamping everything. Below, you'll find the list of possible ratings (with some excluded-- you'll see why) as well as descriptions of what these mean to me and words/books that I associate with that specific rating.

Explanation/Changes

After using my previous rating system for ~ a year, I realized that it was very skewed toward enjoyment of a book. I realized that 95% of ratings I was giving were 3/5 or higher. And that's not necessarily how I actually feel about the books that I read. So, I decided to do something to fix that.

I personally give ratings out of 10 stars instead of 5. I feel that it allows for more accuracy/nuances within my system. However, I also have recently realized that I do still rely heavily upon the 5 star system. I discovered that my personal feelings toward a book tend to dictate the star rating out of 5, while my critical eye dictates where within that star rating the book falls. Allow me to explain by giving you my description of each rating out of 5, as well as the "10 star" breakdown within those.

Ratings out of 5:

5 STAR RATING

If I give a book 5/5 stars on Goodreads, it means I really loved that book. Like, a lot. I could have a couple problems with it, but my feelings are strong enough about the book that I ignore them. 

Ratings out of 10 within this rating: 10/10 & 9.5/10

4 STAR RATING

If I give a book 4/5 stars on Goodreads, it means I really liked the book. Books within favorite series tend to be 4/5 or higher. These are books that I enjoyed that will also stay with me. They may not have been as amazingly outstanding as their 5/5 counterparts, but they're ones that I thoroughly enjoyed and that will stick with me.

Ratings out of 10 within this rating: 8/10 - 9/10

3 STAR RATING

If I give a book 3/5 stars on Goodreads, it means I liked it. I enjoyed reading it, and it *probably* didn't have any huge, glaring problems. The key difference between 3 and 4 star books is that 3 star books don't stick with me as much. They're not going to show up on any favorites lists, but they're also not going to show up on any least favorites lists. 

Ratings out of 10 within this rating: 6/10 - 7.5/10

2 STAR RATING

If I give a book 2/5 stars on Goodreads, it means I had definite problems with it. If I think about a book and the first thing that comes to my mind is a laundry list of problems I had with it, it's probably here. It's likely not an outright hatred of the book, but I just didn't like it. Maybe it wasn't my thing or there were aspects that I thought were bad, but either way, my overall thoughts about it are negative ones. This is also my "most likely to lie to myself rating." I don't know how many times I've given a book a low 3/5 only to change it to 2/5 later because I'd been trying to convince myself that I liked it. 

Ratings out of 10 within this rating: 4/10 - 5.5/10

1 STAR RATING

If I give a book 1/5 stars on Goodreads, it means I strongly disliked the book. I like to call this my "kill it with fire" rating. Unlike a 2 star rating, when I think of this book, I don't automatically think of its problems. I automatically think of my complete disgust for the book.You're probably wondering why this one takes up the largest numerical range, and that's just because I give it out so infrequently. Rarely do I pick up a book that I loathe, and rarely do I make it all the way through a book that I really don't like. However, this rating stays here, ready for whatever awful book I see fit to put into it eventually.   

Ratings out of 10 within this rating: 0/10 - 3.5/10


Ratings out of 10:

(and books that are examples of that rating)

10/10: Literal perfection. My mind is blown and I probably just want to hug it.
Examples of 10 star books:  The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson & The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

9.5/10: I still absolutely love this book, but I either have some small problems with it or there's something indefinable about it that makes me feel like it's not quite a 10 star book.
Examples of 9.5 star books: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell & Night Film by Marisha Pessl

9/10: I really enjoyed this book, and it's right at the upper end of the 4/5 spectrum, but I just can't bring myself to give it a full 5/5. I kinda view this as an -A. Really good, but not quite amazing. A key aspect that gets a book up to a 9 (instead of an 8.5) is that typically, there's a specific aspect that really impresses me, whether that's world building, the characters, etc.
Examples of 9 star books: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson & The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

8.5/10: This book is really great, and I really enjoy it. This book is really solid and it's definitely going to stick with me. I may have had a couple problems with it, but it's overall very strong across every aspect.
Examples of 8.5 star books: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen & City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

8/10: I really enjoy this book and it will definitely still stick with me, but I found some problems. Technically, this book might borderline a 3/5 rating because of the quality, but I enjoyed it enough that I felt that it deserved a 4/5 rating.
Examples of 8 star books: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie & Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley

7.5/10: On the flip side of the 8/10, this one borders on 4/5, but doesn't quite get there because I didn't enjoy it quite as much. I find problems with it, but it gets a rating within the 3/5 rating because of my enjoyment more than because of the quality.
Examples of 7.5 star books: Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman & Lexicon by Max Barry

7/10: I like this book, but I don't think that it's particularly special. I enjoyed it, and might think that it's a fun read, but it didn't really impress me in any way. It's missing some sort of depth, uniqueness, or freshness that's present in books with higher ratings.
Examples of 7 star books: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs & Murder After Hours by Agatha Christie

6.5/10: Essentially the same reasoning as 7/10, but I like it less than I like a 7 star book/have more problems with it.
Examples of 6.5 star books: Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

6/10: Once again, the same reasoning as the two before it, but right at the bottom of books that I can still say that I like.
Examples of 6 star books: In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Ten by Gretchen McNeil

5.5/10: I didn't like this book, but I also don't hate this book. I found a lot of problems with it. I guess my feelings toward it could be described as vague dislike or indifference. 4.5-5.5 are about the same in the fact that I have a vague dislike or indifference toward them, but the variance between them is mostly in how I feel about them quality-wise. As stated in the 2/5 description, the first thing I tend to think of with these books are the problems I have with it. And the more problems, the lower the rating.
Examples of 5.5 star books: Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie & Where Futures End by Parker Peevyhouse

5/10: Like with the previous rating, I have a vague dislike or indifference toward this book. With this rating, the indifference is probably the strongest because it is exactly in the middle. And, it should go without saying, but I had a lot of problems with this book.
Examples of 5 star books: Ghosted Vol. 1: Haunted Heist by Joshua Williamson

4.5/10: Once again, this is pretty much the same as the two before it, but there's more of a dislike and the quality is lower. If I give a book this rating, I once again had problems with it, but I could see myself saying that I dislike it.
Examples of 4.5 star books: Wildflower by Janine Carbone & Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

4/10: I'm not quite to hatred of this book, but I could definitely say that I dislike it. As noted in the 2/5 rating description, the first thing that comes to mind with this book is still a laundry list of problems rather than "I hated it."
Examples of 4 star books: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi & The Leveller by Julia Durango

3.5 & lower: If I give a book 3.5 or lower (AKA 1/5), I really disliked this book. When I think of it, my immediate reaction is "ugh, I hate that book."
Examples of 3.5 & lower books: Looking for Alaska by John Green

So, that's it for my re-working of my ratings! I've tried very hard to make everything as clear as possible, but let me know down in the comments if there's anything that you're confused about or would like clarified.

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Updated Project Runway Predictions/ Top 10 Designer Rankings!

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.

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Project Runway Season 14 Cast Overview & Predictions!

Hey, y'all! So, every time a new season of Project Runway rolls around, I declare once again that I'll be blogging (or attempting to blog) the new season, but after a few episodes, I give up. But not this season! Because I'm not even starting. Seriously, I'm not going to be doing weekly recaps!

However, what I AM going to be doing is running through the cast, talking about my first impressions. I'll also be giving these predictions:
-how well each person will do in the competition (out early [first 3/4 boots], middle of the pack, long-term [top 6ish])
-the 3 4 people that I think will make it to the finale (because let't be honest, it's not 3 anymore at this point)
-my dream top 4 (because this is probably different from who I think will make top 4)
-the person I want to win
-my way-too-early official winner pick (AKA the person I think stands the best chance of winning)

*Also, as a side note, this will probably be going up after episode 1 is aired, but I'm writing all of this before watching the episode and without looking up spoilers to see who was eliminated first* I say this because I've both been scarily correct (All Stars Season 1- pegged the first like 5 eliminations either on the nose or like 1 off), and incredibly incorrect (Season 12- pegged Miranda as the winner... yeah you probably don't even know who that is because she was eliminated like FOURTH).

Edit (right after first episode): As I said, sometimes I'm really right, and sometimes, I'm really wrong. I thought about editing my choices to make myself seem less dumb, but I just decided to leave it because it's honestly how I felt about things going into the season. So enjoy laughing at my FAIL, at least for this first episode...

Amanda Perna

So, I actually didn't recognize her until she started talking about being cast on season 9. I remember being slightly annoyed by her. Everything about her seemed too happysunshinerainbows. I do think that she shows some very obvious and considerable improvement. I thought that her clothes seemed really cool and interesting... for the most part. However, one thing that seems to have stayed consistent is that she seems to be a little too trendy. Last time she was on, her clothes seemed pretty trendy, and I kinda felt that again this time. Pretty much everyone showed one or two elements that other designers showed (high/low seemed to be the biggest commonality), but it seemed like Amanda had the most overlap. (I hope this makes sense...) That being said, I do like her clothes a lot more than last time and she seems to have grown a lot.

Prediction: Middle of the pack.

I could definitely see her being a late middle boot (as in top 7ish), but I'm not sure I could see her going much further, and I don't think I really see her winning it. 

Ashley Nell Tipton

I really like Ashley! She seems super nice and lots of fun. Aesthetic-wise, however, I have worries. I just kinda feel like it's been done before. I mean, obviously, a lot of stuff is reminiscent of other stuff, but I just feel like the clothes we've seen from her so far don't feel fresh, new, or unique. Not to say that I don't like the clothing she showed, I just feel like I've seen it before. And I do worry that because she designs for plus-sized women all the time, she might have trouble designing for the "model" size. Because I feel that designing for a different shape than you're used to designing for is difficult, but she seems extremely confident in her ability to switch over. We'll just have to see.

Prediction: Middle of the pack. 

I could see her as an early boot, but she strikes me as someone who's going to be middle or early-middle.

Blake Patterson

Half of me likes him, and half of me hates him. I think he's adorable when he keeps his mouth shut, but I think he can definitely become really obnoxious really quickly. I also don't see him lasting extremely well if he keeps up this bubble thing. If he keeps up the bubble stuff, I can see Nina haaaaating him. He also mentioned that his aesthetic is really over the top, and that usually doesn't go over well with the judges. The only person who's really lasted long like that is Joshua McKinley, and he still got constant comments telling him to tone it down. I think Alison Edmond pegged it in the interview. He seems to have two different things going on, and I think that his success on the show is completely dependent upon which of those he ends up going after. 

Prediction: Middle of the pack.

This is a very hesitant middle of the pack. I don't think he's going to make it incredibly far, and could definitely see him being out early. However, I think that if he heads in the right direction, he's good enough to make it through the first few eliminations. 

Candice Cuoco

I'm not sure which vibes I'm getting more from her: Elena (PR 10, All Stars 4) or Maya (PR 7). She also reminds me of Mila (PR 7, All Stars 1) and Helen (PR 12, All Stars 4). All of them are strong women with bold POVs who have done very well in this competition. It also means that I have about a 50/50 chance of liking her, depending upon which one of these women she ends up being most similar to. Right now, I like her and I think that she has a very strong aesthetic and will do really well.

Prediction: Long-term.

David Giampiccolo

I'm very torn here. I just... don't get it. There's one every season where I just don't understand their aesthetic. I think David seems like a super nice guy and I think I'll like him as a person on the show, but I just really don't understand what's appealing about oversized quilted coats. At all. Obviously, I don't mean this as rude or derogatory, because everyone likes different things, but this is the one that I just don't get. Also, almost everything we saw from him was outerwear, and I feel like most of the outerwear designers that we've seen on the show just don't do extremely well because they typically don't have time to get to the outerwear. 

Prediction: Out early.

I could also see him getting a bit further as well, and this makes me sad because I really like him as a person, but I'm not sure the judges are going to get his aesthetic either, and the outerwear thing doesn't have me extremely optimistic about his chances. 

Duncan Chambers-Watson

Duncan was the one person who stood out to me throughout the show personality-wise. Regardless of whether or not he ends up doing well in the competition, I know he's going to be one of my favorite personalities on the show (if not my definite favorite). I loved the jacket that he showed. Like, possibly my favorite item of clothing shown all episode. Overall, I just really liked his aestetic as well as him as a person. Two thumbs up.

Prediction: Long-term.

I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't do as well as I think he will, mostly because I'm really biased. However, regardless of how I felt about his personality, I really like his aesthetic and think he has the talent to do well. 

Edmond Newton

Personality-wise, I really like Edmond. He seems like a really down-to-earth, chill guy. However, I liked very few of the clothing he showed. Maybe he has other, more cohesive stuff to show, but I just didn't think he had a very clear POV and I'm not exactly sure what his aesthetic is. On top of this, I also know that whenever someone tries over and over and over, it's typically for a reason and they don't do extremely well on the show (with the exception of my all time favorite PR contestant EVER, Seth Aaron Henderson, who tried out starting in season 3 and wasn't cast until season 7. Which he, of course, eventually won. Also, All-Stars 3.) Anyway, I digress. I'm not sure where to put Edmond. On the one hand, he doesn't seem to have a strong POV, but everyone also said that about Michael Costello, who has become one of the most commercially successful PR alums ever.

Prediction: Middle of the pack. 

I'm not sure I'd be surprised of his placement regardless of whether he goes early or makes it all the way to the end. He seems really tenacious, which could take him far. But, I'm also extremely unsure of his POV, which is usually seen as a weakness on PR. So I'm going to put him in the middle and just see what happens.

Gabrielle Arruda

Ugh. I think my negative opinion of her as a person is clouding my judgement of her designs. I just got a very "spoiled rich girl" vibe from her, but perhaps without the rudeness/cattiness (but I mean, who knows, maybe we WILL see that!). Anyway, apparently she graduated first in her class at Parson's, but I'm just not sure she has a clear POV. 

Prediction: Middle of the pack

I don't have too high of hopes for her, but I think she can last a few weeks.

Hanmiao Yang

I'm surprising myself by really liking Hanmiao. I think it's because usually the people who are these oddballs with really quirky personalities also have these really quirky/odd aesthetics that I just don't understand. But Hanmiao's strength (in my opinion) is that instead of channeling that quirkiness into crazy color schemes and odd shapes, she seems to channel it into really modern, interesting designs and patterns. And if there's one aesthetic that I appreciate above all others, it's androgyny. 

Prediction: Long-term. 

I might be biased, but I see a lot of potential in her, and can see her doing really well. 

Jake Wall

I don't feel extremely confident about his chances. Originally, I thought he might do well, but I think that might just be because he was so confident in his abilities. He seems like he's stuck in a bit of a polka-dot rut, also. He seems to rely heavily on his team, and a lot of the clothes he designs are things that take longer than a PR day to make. However, I also see him as someone who could float by in the middle for a while without getting much screen-time and then would suddenly re-appear because they ran out of obviously sub-par people to eliminate. 

Prediction: Out early.

I'm not 100% confident about this. However, I definitely don't think he's making it past the halfway point of the competition. Those dual-fabric jackets he showed were really cool, but I don't think he can make anything that outstanding within the confines of the competition.

Joseph Charles Poli

I think Joseph is going to get on my nerves. Maybe not as bad as some of the other people on the show, but unless he's just really funny or something, I'm probably not going to be a big fan of him. However, his clothes do seem to be really sophisticated and his construction seems on point. Even though he does seem to be a bit full of himself, it doesn't necessarily seem undeserved (if that makes sense). I'm not sure he's going to win, necessarily, but I can definitely see him sticking around for a long time.

Prediction: Long-term.

I'm not totally sure of position. I could see him making it to the finale, but I also wouldn't be surprised if he only made it to top 6.

Kelly Dempsey

Yikes. Mondo and Dmitry (the two PR alums who were in her casting interview) are two of my favorite contestants EVER on PR, but I just don't know what they were thinking. Kelly strikes me as being that contestant who will use fabric-like material in the unconventional challenge... if she even makes it there. Like, I just think she's going to be in way over her head here. I don't think the judges will get her aesthetic and I think that her clothes can turn tacky very easily. If I were to pick a "most likely to get kicked off first" contestant (which, I guess, is what I'm doing right now...) it would definitely, without a doubt, be Kelly. Also, on a personal level, I know she's going to annoy me. I can spot it from a mile away. She's going to get on my nerves.

Prediction: Out early. 

I just really can't see her lasting very long

Laurie Underwood

*Sigh.* I'm not a fan. Of anything. I feel like her designs, rather than being inspired by time periods in the past, look like they were dragged out of that time period or (even worse) look like costumes representing that time period. And she doesn't even seem to have nailed down a time period either. Like, some of her stuff looked really 40s, some looked like it could've stepped out of the 70s, and then there was like one lone dress that actually looked pretty current. And I'm not a huge fan of her personality either. She's one of those "too nice" people and people like that annoy me. Either way, aside from my personal dislike, I'm not sure the judges will like her designs if she keeps making stuff that looks so old.

Prediction: Out early. 

I'm sorry, I just can't see her doing well. 

Lindsey Creel

I'm going to just say it outright. I like Lindsey, and I think that she will do well. She has a very clear aesthetic that is very clean and minimal, and has shown to be very successful on the show. (Ex: Gretchen S8, Anya S9 and Sean 13, just to name a few, all had very well defined, clean aesthetics. And look where they are now.)

Prediction: Long-term.

Her POV is clear and she seems to really know what she's doing. 

Merline Labissiere

She didn't exactly make much of an impression on me. My impression of her clothes is that they look like they belong in a dystopian film because they're just so incredibly minimal, both in design and in color. I'm just not sure how well she's going to do. On one hand, I could see the judges thinking she's too minimal and sending her home early, but I could also see her designs not making huge waves and allowing her to slide through the first few eliminations without much trouble. 

Prediction: Middle of the pack. 

I see her as someone who's not going to get a lot of screen-time until a few episodes in, when the editing inevitably suggests that she's probably going home that episode. 

Swapnil Shinde

Y'all. Y'all. The second I saw his designs, I thought I heard angels singing. This was the first designer (halfway through the Road to the Runway episode) who really, truly, impressed me. I don't think that I saw a single design of his that I wasn't incredibly impressed with. However. His stuff is very intricate, and I'm worried about how well he will do within a short time-frame. I'm also getting shades of Christopher Palu (PR 10, All Stars 3) and Van (PR 10) in the sense that he does seem to use one specific design feature/pattern quite heavily (for Chris it was a V shape pattern, for Ven it was putting a rose into everything) and I worry that he could be someone that the judges are impressed with, but where they say "Hey, we've seen this a million times. Show us something different."

Prediction: Long-term.
I was really impressed, Y'all.


Prediction for the Finale!
(These are the ones I think will make the finale, not necessarily MY picks)

Swapnil


Lindsey


Candice


Joseph


I think these four stand a really great chance of making it to the finale because they have really strong aesthetics, and that has shown to be a huge advantage on PR. They all seem to have a very strong drive to win, and I think that this is the most probable finale.


My Finale Picks!
(AKA the designers that I subjectively think are the best)

Swapnil


Lindsey


Duncan

Hanmiao

Now obviously, I've only swapped out two people. And it's not that I don't think that Duncan and Hanmiao can make it to the finale. I absolutely think that they have strong aesthetics and will do really well. But, I also have a tendency of being somewhat blinded by my own like or dislike of people, so I worry that I see them as better than they actually are. Does that make sense? Anyway, I think that this is also a really viable option for the finale. In my opinion, this would be a really strong finale, and these are the four designers that I personally think are the best.

The Person I Want to Win!

Duncan

I just really think he's a cool dude and I really like his aesthetic. I'd be really happy if he were to pull out a win. 

My Official Winner Prediction!

Swapnil

I was just really, really impressed with his designs. Out of anyone, he seems to have the best chance of winning.

So, that's it for my Project Runway Season 14 cast overview and predictions! I can't wait to look back in a few weeks/months and see how horribly wrong I probably was on a lot of these... or, ya know, in like 5 minutes when I look up a spoiler to see who the first person to go home was. 

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