RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10 Pre-Season Predictions

Somehow, a year has already passed since the last time RuPaul's Drag Race graced us with a fresh bunch of queens, so I'm back here again to give my pre-season thoughts on this new cast for Season 10! Last season, I predicted the boot order and listed the queens in the order I thought they would be eliminated, but I'm shaking things up this time around. For this list, I'm going to be listing them in alphabetical order, discussing my general thoughts and opinions on each. For each queen, I'm going to list whether I think they're an early boot, middle of the pack, or going deep. In some instances, I'll modify these slightly (aka an "early-middle boot" but I'll explain my reasoning each time). At the end, I'll conclude by listing both my favorite and my winner pick. Because I think they're going to slightly differ. I'll also do a quick lil list predicting the boot order bc why not? and I'll also rank them from least favorite to favorite. IDK, I guess I just want to have more things to be wrong about.

Also, a general note: if there are spoilers out about the season, I'm unaware of them. I glanced around reddit for about 5 seconds before deciding that I wanted to go into the season without being spoiled. So if the entire season has been spoiled a la All Stars 2, I have no idea. I'm going based off the Facebook live, the meet the queens videos, and any other random videos I've watched while putting this together.

Without any further ado, ON TO THE QUEENS!

Aquaria

Two past Drag Race queens immediately came to mind as I began watching more of Aquaria's meet the queens content, as I'm sure they did for you-- Violet and Aja. For me, Aquaria is the personality of Violet mashed up with the fashion sense and Insta following of Aja (on her first season). Personally, I'd be begging for the exact opposite-- a queen with Violet's fashion sense and Aja's personality. But that's just me, and now I'm off track. Anyway, Aquaria has a large following on social media, and I find her to be one of the two queens who is the most prevalent in the promos (probably due to said following). However, unlike that second queen (we'll get there), I don't think Aquaria will live up to the hype. I think we're looking at an Aja S9 trajectory at best. Upon just seeing her looks, I was impressed, but when I watched the videos, I was super underwhelmed. Aquaria just seemed very unimpressive, and to me came off as a look queen that will last for a while... but not too long. 

Prediction: Early-middle boot 

Asia O'Hara

Whatever Drag Race employee made Asia wear that wig needs to be reprimanded immediately, because I know she did not choose that for herself. Anyway, Asia was the exact opposite of Aquaria for me. On first glance, I was not impressed. That hair is horrible, and the bodysuit didn't do much for me. But then, I watched her videos and I changed my tune real quickly. Asia has really impressed me. I'm not usually a huge pageant girl fan, but Asia seems to be able to do it all. She makes pretty much all of her outfits, which gives her major props in my book. She also came off as very well-spoken and she definitely is one of the more mature queens who knows who she is. Typically, when queens describe themselves as chameleons, I roll my eyes. But I believe Asia when she says it. I'm all-in on Asia, and I'm really excited to see what this pageant girl can bring to the show.

Prediction: Going Deep

Blair St. Clair

I went back and forth several times on Blair. At first, I wasn't a fan. The 50s/60s housewife aesthetic isn't my thing. But then, when listening to her, I found her endearing and was excited about a Broadway ingenue. But, once again, I did a 180 and have found myself a bit skeptical as to her ability to do well on the show. I like her. In the videos I saw, especially her confessionals, she was adorable. But I just don't think that she has the chops to make it far. I could easily see her skating by the first couple challenges being safe and/or because she can perform, and then promptly getting axed in the 4th or 5th week. A bit of me hopes that she ends up proving me wrong, but I would be surprised if she made it past episode 5.

Prediction: Early-middle boot

Dusty Ray Bottoms

I'm throwing any potential sense of objectivity to the wind with this prediction. I have no freakin' clue how well I think Dusty will do, but I want her to make it all the way to the finale and win because a punk girl who's also very Broadway?!?! SIGN ME UP. I've fallen head over heels for Dusty and I cannot wait to see her on this season. Ever since S8, my pre-season favorite has won, so... watch out for my girl Dusty (I probably just Jinkxed myself. Yikes).I love her makeup and those splotches on her face, and I love her witchy aesthetic, and she seems like a lot of fun and just... ugh I love her. She's speaking right to my soul with punk, witchy, and Broadway. Gimme gimme gimme. She also said that she sews, so she definitely gets points there. Also, this look in the picture was made by Mondo Guerra, AKA one of my favorite people to ever be on Project Runway (the two of them seem to be friends, bc he's shouted her out more than once on his Insta). Also, Sasha said she was a big fan. I'm 100% sold on Dusty. I was listening to a cast assessment on my favorite Drag Race podcast (RHAP) and they didn't seem to like her, but I juuuuust don't get it. I love her. I'm all in.

Prediction: Going Deep

Eureka O'Hara

If you saw last year's predictions (you definitely didn't, but that's alright), I predicted a 5th place finish from Eureka. While she went out much earlier than that due to her injury, I think that she was on a trajectory to absolutely kill a large chunk of the season, and I think she definitely could've made it all the way to 5th. And I feel kinda the same way about her this season! I quickly fell in love with Eureka last season, and I'm so excited to see her on the new season. My one hope is that she doesn't do hair loaves all season long. Hopefully, she switches things up and tries different things. She's said that she thinks she's found herself and her true drag aesthetic in the year between seasons filming, so I'm hoping that means that she has improved beyond where she was in season 9. Either way, I think we'll be seeing quite a bit of Eureka this season. 

Prediction:  Going Deep

Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams

Do you want to know what my biggest drag name pet peeve is? Naming yourself after a celebrity or brand (I'm looking at you, Mariah Balenciaga). Honestly, the second I heard Kalorie's name, I knew that this was not my queen. Look, I don't want to sit here and bash her, but I really found myself getting sleepy while watching her videos. I didn't think she was very interesting or compelling, and I found myself getting pretty bored. To her credit, I love that she embraces everything that "a big girl shouldn't be," and she does know how to sew. I feel like the entire fandom is pretty underwhelmed by her so far and thinks she'll be out early, but it's always possible that she'll be solid enough to make it to the middle of the pack. Because at the end of the day, a boring personality doesn't always show through when walking on a runway or performing. That said, I definitely think that there's no way she wins, and more likely than not, she's not going to be around too long.

Prediction: Early boot. (First boot potential)

Kameron Michaels

Kameron is one who's really interesting to me. I immediately loved her vibe. In all of her videos and interviews, she came off as very chill and easygoing, and that's always something I enjoy. She has a really unique perspective that I've never seen on the show before-- she's super buff. Like... that's kinda her thing-- she has muscles and she embraces it. From what she said, it sounds like people criticize her for it, but I'm intrigued to see how the other S10 queens react. One of the words she threw out about her aesthetic was grunge, and that immediately piqued my interest, because I'm a big fan of grunge. All that said, I have a sinking suspicion that she's not going to kill it. I see her going out somewhere in the middle, probably right after those early-middle boots. IDK why I get that vibe, but that's just where I think I see her falling. Maybe it's because she comes off largely as a "look" queen above anything else, even if it is a different take on it that we haven't seen before on the show. I would be thrilled if she got further, because I really like her personality and aesthetic, but I'm not confident about that possibility.

Prediction: Middle of the pack

Mayhem Miller

This is one of those moments where my bias kicks in and I have to try really hard not to let it overpower everything else. From what I've seen of Mayhem, gurl is just not my type of queen. Everything I've seen so far from her screams old-school dancing pageant queen who lip syncs the house down. It's a casting type that I personally get sick of. I'm very strongly biased toward quirky, weird, artsy, and comedy queens, and pageant queens tend to bore me. Also, I know this is a comparison that has already been said many times and criticized many times, but the girl looks like Kennedy from certain angles. I'm not saying she's a Kennedy reboot, but it's hard to not see that immediate connection. Anyway, back on track, Mayhem does seem like a lot of fun. Her personality seems very upbeat and positive, and I do find myself enjoying what I've seen of her personality. Mayhem seems to be very well known by the other queens, and it seems like a lot of people are impressed by her, so despite my own biases, I can see her doing pretty well. I'm hesitant to say that she's going deep, but I could certainly see her still being around when the group is narrowed down to 7.

Prediction: Late-middle of the pack (6th/7th place)

Miz Cracker

I was extremely hesitant about Miz Cracker. Miz Cracker is the second queen I feel has been the most prominent in the promos. And when a queen is super prominent, I immediately get worried about how well they'll do. Plus, she knows a ton of NYC queens and is the drag daughter of one Bob the Drag Queen. I feel like she's coming in with all these accolades already, and that almost feels like a setup for a quick and surprising elimination. But, as I mentioned earlier, I think that of the two most prominent queens, Aquaria is the one who's more likely to get that story arc. Despite the fact that I went into Cracker's meet the queens videos knowing about her accolades and being worried that would somehow lead to an ironic twist of fate where she's out early, I found myself being charmed by her. Miz Cracker. is. smart. She's knowledgeable. Several queens mentioned being old school and new school, but Cracker made very specific references that I really appreciated. Also, in her interview with Sasha, she referenced the Feminine Mystique. I mean. Knowing all of her connections, I had high expectations of her, and I think that pre-season, she's meeting it. Like I said, I was very hesitant to love her, but I just really couldn't help but appreciate her. I can't wait to see what she brings. 

Prediction: Going deep

Monet X Change

This is another queen where I've essentially thrown objectivity to the wind. I love Monet X Change. I love her personality, she's well-spoken, she's really funny, and not only is she friends with Bob the Drag Queen, but could also pass as his twin out of drag. Just throw a pair of Harry Potter glasses onto Bob and you might not be able to tell the difference. They have the same New York accent, seemingly similar senses of humor, and they're both bald. Bob comparisons aside, though, I just found myself really loving Monet. Apart from being funny, she doesn't really fall into typical "types" that I immediately gravitate toward, but I found myself gravitating toward her nonetheless. I'm not totally sure of the general fandom opinion on her, but the people on the RHAP Drag Race podcast really liked her, so that makes me feel like I'm not alone there. Hopefully, my lack of objectivity with Monet doesn't come back to bite me, but in general, I feel really optimistic about her potential on this season. (Also she's an operatically trained vocalist and I AM GAGGING. SOLD. I LOVE HER)

Prediction: Going deep

Monique Heart

If you've been reading this post thinking "wow, she seems to think everyone is going to do well," prepare yourself. Because this post is about to go real downhill. Real fast. Starting here, with Monique Heart. I did not get good vibes from her at all. Not in the "she's going to be the villain" way, but in the "I think she's going to annoy me" way and the "I don't think she's going to last very long" way. I just reeeeeally don't have high hopes for Monique. Maybe she'll prove me wrong, but she screams early boot to me. I just really can't see a scenario where we've made it to the midpoint of the season and Monique is still around. She seems messy and she seems loud, so hopefully we get some laughs along the way, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she was a first boot. Also, maybe I'm reading into the edit a bit too much, but when I watched the first 15 minutes of the first episode, her entrance received that "shade" music that often accompanies someone doing something poorly and foreshadows their demise. The last person that happened to was Jaymes Mansfield, and we all know how that ended.

Prediction: Early boot (first boot potential)

Vanessa Mateo

And here we have another instance in which I'm unable to be objective, but like... in the opposite way. Vanessa grated on my last nerve in everything I saw her in. This is another "type" of queen who just isn't my thing, but while I'm able to recognize that Mayhem has some strong potential, I can't see the same in Vanessa. Vanessa, to me, falls squarely in line with queens like Gia Gunn & Kimora Black before her. She gives great looks, gets shaded for asking dumb questions, and is promptly eliminated in the first few episodes. And, for good measure, she probably lands in the bottom 2 on the first challenge, wins the lip sync, and then gets eliminated episode 2. We've seen so many queens follow that same trajectory at the beginning of the season, and I think that's where Vanessa is going to fall this season. I really can't see a situation for her where she gets any further than episode 5, and that's being generous. 

Prediction: Early boot

The Vixen

I want so badly to believe in The Vixen, but I just don't. First of all, based on the pictures alone when they were first released, The Vixen was the one I kept forgetting existed. To me, she didn't stand out in the promo shots whatsoever. Then, when the video content started being released, I continued to be underwhelmed. I liked the look that she wore when talking to Sasha, but that was the extent of the impression she left. But then, I watched her upon her entrance in the beginning of the season premiere. She talked about protesting and making a statement with her drag and how artsy her drag is, and I wanted so badly to love her. And I might find myself really loving watching her. But after everything else I've seen, I don't have confidence that she'll make much of an impact on the season. Also, the show threw the shade music at her when she entered the workroom. Not a good sign. I've got her making it to about episode 5, but that might be me being a bit too optimistic.

Prediction: Early-middle boot

Yuhua Hamasaki

I feel like a broken record, but Yuhua was another queen that I wanted really badly to fall in love with, but I've gone back and forth on her so many times. Her interview with Sasha was so. freaking. awkward. She was completely tone-deaf. AKA, she didn't realize that her sense of humor was NOT coming off well. She kept trying to be funny, but it fell flat. There are a couple queens in this cast where I worry that they could say something that would potentially be off-putting and offensive, and Yuhua is right at the top of that list (the other queen is Cracker, BTW). She doesn't seem to have a great filter, and while that isn't necessarily something that impedes you from winning Drag Race, it is something that can turn RuPaul against you if you try to be funny and offend her instead. Some people said she seems like Gia Gunn mixed with Bianca Del Rio, and while the Gia comparison is lost on me apart from them both being Asian (please tell me that's not the reason for the comparison??), I can definitely see the Bianca comparison. Hopefully, Yuhua doesn't offend anyone, and hopefully she's actually funny, because she seems to be friendly with the other New York queens in the premiere, and I want to like her and want her to do well. Keeping my fingers crossed with this one, thus concluding the cast list!

Prediction: Middle of the pack

Winner Picks & Rankings

Winner Prediction: Asia O'Hara

(AKA the person I think has the best shot at winning)

Asia just seems to be incredibly well-rounded and good at everything. I'm not sure if I can peg one thing that I think she's going to be best at, but never underestimate the power of being versatile and being able to be decently good at everything, even if you aren't amazing in one certain field. Our S9 winner, Sasha Velour, didn't necessarily have one type of challenge that seemed tailor-made for her, but she was able to do well at all of them, even if she didn't win a ton of challenges. That said, I can see Asia absolutely killing this season, and I can't wait to see it happen. 

Predicted boot order

(AKA the order I think they'll get eliminated in)

(I moved this around about an hour after initially posting, so if you remember seeing something different, that's why. I started feeling less and less confident in Kalorie, so I moved her down to the bottom)

14. Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams

13. Monique Heart

12. Vanessa Mateo

11. Blair St. Clair

10. The Vixen

9. Aquaria

8. Kameron Michaels

7. Yuhua Hamasaki

6. Mayhem Miller

5. Eureka O'Hara

4. Miz Cracker

3. Dusty Ray Bottoms

2. Monet X Change

1. Asia O'Hara

Personal Winner: Dusty Ray Bottoms

(AKA the queen I would most like to see win)

To be fair, my heart is currently being torn in 4 directions right now, because while my thoughts are a little scattered on the cast overall, my top 4 are veeeeery definitive and are the same across my predicted boot order and my favorite queens. So there are 3 other queens begging me to pick them here, but Dusty's pulling at me just slightly harder. She hits so many of the bullet points of things I immediately gravitate toward in a queen, and that has just immediately completely endeared her to me. Plus, at this point, given how down my podcast was on her, I want to see her prove them wrong. I just hope she goes out there and kills it, because I have high hopes for her.

Favorite Ranking

(AKA least fave to most fave. Or, I guess, my ideal boot order.)

14. Kalorie Karbdashian-Williams

13. Monique Heart

12. Vanessa Mateo

11. Aquaria

10. Mayhem Miller

9. Blair St. Clair

8. The Vixen

7. Kameron Michaels

6. Yuhua Hamasaki

5. Eureka O'Hara

4.  Asia O'Hara

3. Miz Cracker

2. Monet X Change

1. Dusty Ray Bottoms

So, that's it for my Pre-Season Drag Race Season 10 Predictions! For some reason, I'm feeling overly-confident with my predictions, so feel free to laugh at me if Dusty or Asia get eliminated tonight on the season premiere. I'm super, super excited to see these queens in action & I can't believe we've already made it to another new season of Drag Race!! Hopefully these predictions pan out well, but if not, oh well-- I'm excited either way. 

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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!

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!

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