Project Runway Rundown: Now and Denim

Last night's "Project Runway" was just off.

And it wasn't just because some struggling designers rose to the top, while some favorites took a bit of a tumble (up was down, cats and dogs living together!)

While I'm ready to concede that this cold that's currently kicking my ass may have made me a bit crankier than usual, I can't be the only who was disappointed when we found out this week's challenge.

I mean, they have the designers take this elaborate road trip (by sea, no less!) make a big show out of slowly opening a warehouse door only to find what inside? Jeans! Lots and lots of jeans! (cue "needle scratching on a record" sound) I think I would've preferred to have the producers go with Rami's suggestion of having them make a dress out of garbage. That frustrated me because, after he acted like a total ass last week, I didn't really feel like agreeing with anything Rami said.

So off the designers went on a foot race to grab up the premium denim (which is apparently the dark denim) and we saw a replay of the season's very first challenge as Chris comically could not keep up with his quicker, non-fat ass competitors. Also, Sweet P. (or Kit, as Victorya kept calling her in the beginning) lost her shoe.

Back in the studio, the designers went to work and it wasn't long until a few of them were sniping at each other. I'm completely shocked that it took someone, ANYONE this long to call out Christian (pictured, right, with lots of jeans) for being an arrogant little peacock. Christian was doing his usual thing where he proceeds to tell everyone what they should be doing, prompting Chris to say "it's so cute to see youth." Meanwhile, Rami reminisced some more about growing up in Jerusalem and how he is more fashion forward thinking than many Americans (and I found it easier to hate him again).

We also had Jillian, Victorya, and the case of the dueling denim jackets. I have to say that, even though I question Jillian's wisdom in making a coat for the second straight week, I side with her on this because it IS sort of her thing, whereas Victorya (who didn't even want to make a coat last week when she was teamed with Jillian) mostly seemed to be ripping her off (wouldn't be the first time either). I also sided with Jillian because, you know, I hate Victorya. A lot.

The best part was when a few designers (including, surprise! Christian) openly questioned why Ricky was still in the competition. In fact, Christian, another guy I truly enjoy watching despite myself, pretty much summed up how everyone feels word-for-word (Ricky should've gone home last week, not Kit).

Eventually, Tim Gunn stopped by to drop some knowledge. As usual, some listened and some didn't. Chris seemed afflicted by the same laziness disease that afflicted the departed (and straight) Kevin, and refused to fix the frayed sides of his dress. On the other hand, Sweet P took Tim's advice about cutting the bottom of her wedding dress off to heart. Of course, it turned out to be a great decision, but it IS a little disconcerting how Sweet P can be so easily swayed (by Tim, by Christian) to follow her own vision. Then again, maybe her vision isn't good enough to advance her and she's smart to be open to new ideas.

Either way, I'm glad she followed Tim's advice because during the runway show Sweet P (not Kit) and most of the rest of the designers delivered some of their best work.

In my opinion, any one of the top four designs could've won — except for Ricky's which was basically a short, relatively simple dress (for the 18th week in a row). However, this time, Ricky decided to construct well and he finally showed the judges that his lingerie background IS worth a damn.

I was kinda scared that we wouldn't see him cry because he got good reviews, but dependable Ricky came through and turned on the waterworks, calling the competition "a roller coaster." Umm, Heidi tells us that "in fashion, one day you're in, and the next you're out" every week. Sounds like a roller coaster to me. Are you sure you're in the right business buddy?

The rest of the best were Sweet P's terrific use of different color denim and "slimming voodoo" (according to Michael Kors), Christian and another futuristic/motocross jacket and jeans combo that looked exactly like what I figured he'd come up with. I thought he had the win sewn up because of the way he incorporated different types of jeans (including jacket sleeves in the bottom of the pants), but they gave it to Ricky instead.

My favorite was actually Rami, who came up with an interesting, intricate design without draping something (and without yelling at Sweet P), so he's out of my doghouse for now.

The bottom came down to Chris (whose dress was dated, frayed and lame), Victorya (who appeared to finish her uninspired design in 8 minutes) and Jillian (who made her model look poofy). It came down to a battle of the disappointing jackets, with Victorya going home (yay!) despite the fact that Jillian had time management issues for the 22nd straight week.

So what'd you think of this episode? What was up with Jillian bleeding? (I didn't see any blood, did you?) Where would you rate Christian's "I just shit a brick face" when Ricky won compared to his past "I just shit a brick face"? Finally, is Ricky now a legit contender? (nah!)