Well that episode was pretty much a complete disaster.By disaster, of course, I'm referring to some more wonky judging, an overly goofy and complex challenge resulting in some of the worst designs EVER on this show (outside of menswear challenges). Still, "disaster" also means that the episode was kind of a treat to watch.
With 8 designers left, we're at the halfway point in the competition, so what better time to bring back the first 8 contestants to be kicked off the show. Wait, wha?! (needle scratching on record sound). I actually LOVED this surprise twist because it meant that we'd get to put off missing Stella for one more week. I just wish I remembered who those "Emily" and "Jennifer" people were.
The challenge this week was for the remaining designers to team up with an auf'ed contestant and create an avant garde look. I immediately thought of last year's avant garde challenge and how Christian and Chris came up with that incredible (in every sense of the word) organza gown. After dealing with car parts and drag queens in recent weeks, I was excited (and I'm guessing so were the designers) to see the contestants get a chance to cut loose, go over-the-top and show their creativity.
There were two chicken/egg-ish problems with this: 1.) The producers decided to completely mess up an already interesting-sounding challenge (albeit one that'd been done before) by adding the wrinkle that the contestants needed to be inspired by a team member's astrological sign (which could have been an interesting challenge on its own). 2.) Generally speaking, the designers' work was absolutely terrible. I haven't decided yet if this challenge was an epic fail because the designers this year are not on the level of contestants from past seasons or because the challenge was too jumbled and overstuffed. I'm actually feeling generous and leaning toward the latter because, like I said, astrological signs and avant garde would've been two solid, separate challenges, but, when joined, ended up being two great tastes that didn't taste great together (like chicken and ice cream). To top it all off, the producers (in their infinite wisdom) decided that, after this particularly impossible challenge, TWO people would go home. Wha?!
In the workroom, Tim reached into that fetching black velvet bag, announced the teams and the designers headed to mood where Kenley began bossing Wesley around (no surprise) and Terri and Keith clashed over fabric selection (an even smaller surprise). If you know anything about the way reality shows are edited, you knew these two were in for a rocky week. Also, if you've watched a minute of this show, you knew the Blayne/Stella team was going to be a disaster.
At least Blayne and Stella appeared to enjoy each other's company. Keith (released from his suicide watch) and Terri clashed almost instantly since Terri didn't appear to trust Keith with any tasks (except for counting the pins that fall on the floor). Like most people, I've enjoyed Terri (pictured, left) immensely during her run this season, but I really soured on her this episode. It started with the show's opening scene where she inexplicably declared "the witch is gone" regarding Stella, and continued with her condescending, egomaniacal treatment of Keith. Of course, we've seen her pull this before (with Suede), but the main difference that instead of dissolving into a puddle of tears (ala Suede) Keith seemed content to take a power nap and let his "partner" sink herself.
Even with all that, Terri was a CLEAR second for Most Irritating Person in the Workroom to Kenley. I've defended her in the past, but she sailed cleared off the rails this week, bragging about her AWFUL looking Glenda the Good Witch (good one Tim, even though she stupidly ignored you) outfit with what Leanna rightly called "insane overconfidence." But she didn't stop there. She went on to chastise a few contestants for "talking s--- right in front of her" (would she rather they do it behind her back, ala Kenley) and threatened to set Heidi straight, after Heidi questioned the location of the model's boobs on her bustier. Kenley's so tough that she went ahead and changed the bustier anyway before the runway show. I have to move on, but I didn't even mention her talking back to the judges and claiming that she didn't follow other collections when Michael Kors said he'd seen her look before. Does she think that her not following other fashion collections is a good thing? What a brat!
You've probably noticed I haven't spent any time talking about the successful designs. Well part of the reason for that is that there weren't really any. In fact, for the first time I can remember, we didn't even see the judges talking about the garments they liked. Yeah, I get that the winner was selected by a group of past contestants — including Daniel V., Alison Kelly, Jay McCarroll and the always-welcome Christian Siriano — at a Hayden Planetarium party the day before, but I think part of the reason also included that the top four outfits this week really weren't worth talking about too much.
Sure, my boy Jerrell (one of maybe two or three people this season who seems like a nice person) picked up the win, but I actually liked Joe's "fire" dress a little more (but not nearly enough to get worked up about it, as I have in weeks past). Korto and Leann's designs were nice, but not out-there enough and a bit too literal for my taste.
The bottom four consisted of Terri, Suede, Blayne and Kenley. I already talked about Kenley's bratty behavior, so I feel like I have to dedicate some space to the other atrocities. Was Blayne's fabric-pooping, granny-panty-colored look the worst design this season, or the worst design ever? (Discuss). Meanwhile, my girl Erica and the judges agreed that Terri's outfit looked straight out of "The Wiz." Nina — great to have her back — REALLY hated Terri's outfit, and she did herself no favors by arguing with Keith on the runway. Meanwhile Suede's Aquarius outfit was deemed too boring.
The right move was obviously to get rid of Blayne and Suede because they haven't made anything good yet. Of course, that makes too much sense, so I figured the show would throw in a wrinkle and get rid of Blayne (who HAD to go this week and whose explanation for his "joke" of a look I'm still trying to figure out) and Kenley, who'd made a hideous outfit and had not taken criticism of it well at all.
I was a little shocked when Kenley was the first person to be saved, and I immediately got the sinking feeling that Terri would be going home as well (that feeling was confirmed a minute later). I mean, does past work mean nothing on this show?
Yes, Terri had fallen into the habit of designing the same outfit over and over again, but she was a fixture in the top 3 AND an interesting reality show character. Suede, meanwhile, has barely made anything worth a damn, and the most interesting thing about him is that he refers to himself in the third person, apparently, when he's nervous.
Here's the thing though: I was shockingly a little sad to see Blayne go (licious — the first and last tribute to the guy from me). He was a nice guy, seemed to get along with people, but was just terrible when it came to the work. Also, I think I'd be a little more outraged about Terri being gone if she hadn't been such a beast in this episode, but I still wish it had been Kenley. Hopefully, Kenley will have a Keith-esque crisis of confidence and completely shut down.
So what'd you think of this episode? Which ousted designer were you happiest to see back? Since Bravo is losing the show at the end of the season, why wouldn't they discourage a double elimination and try to keep the show going for as long as possible? Finally, with six designers left, who do you see getting to Bryant Park? (I don't think Suede has any shot, I think Joe has a VERY slight chance, and I think someone will murder Kenley before Fashion Week, so I'm going with Korto, Leann and Jerrell.)
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