Project Runway: Two's a Crowd

Everyone knows these team challenges aren’t going to turn out well.

I suspect producers know this too, which is why this has become an annual rite of passage on “Project Runway.”

If you’re a fan of workroom drama, then this episode came at just the right time because there really hadn’t been much in the way of confrontation in the season’s first two episodes beyond the designers giving Ping and her crazy antics the side-eye. (I’m actually perfectly ok without the drama because, unlike most reality show contestants, these people are really talented and work really hard, and there’s plenty of drama to be found in what they do.)

This week’s challenge had the contestants taking a field trip to the Met to be inspired by some of the most iconic designers of all time (Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, etc.) The challenge was to team up with a partner and create a signature look worthy of the Met. They had a budget of $500, the biggest in “Runway” challenge history, I believe.

If any of the contestants had actually watched the show, they should’ve seen a twist coming – Tim announced midway through the challenge that they’d have to create a second, “look for less” with a $50 budget that was also inspired by a fellow team’s signature look. (Oy, my head hurts – this was one twist too many.)

As soon as Jesse ridiculed Ping at the top of the episode, we knew they were destined to work together. The other teams were Anthony/Seth Aaron, Janeane/Ben, Mila/Jonathan, Emilio/Anna, Jesus/Amy, Jay Nicolas/Maya, but Ping/Jesse was by far the most (only?) combustible relationship.

It didn’t start well (Jesse slamming his palm down in a Mood counter) and it ended even worse. Look, I get that Jesse was VERY frustrated that he was partnered with someone that had such an erratic work ethic, but I don’t really see how being an angry jerk was supposed to help. (I always thought he looked like Christian Bale, but watching him pissed off REALLY made him look like Bale – what don’t you f---ing understand?!)

On the other hand, at least Jesse’s anger and frustration showed than he cared. Too many times on this show, a designer who doesn’t get along with their team captain will say, “F--- it” and take the week off and/or let their partner go down in flames. I mean, at least Jesse was trying.

Unfortunately for them, that didn’t really keep them out of the bottom 2/4 where they were joined by Anthony and Seth Aaron (who got low scores despite nixing the red in their “Vice President of McDonald’s” dress).

The runway show was eh (they have been more impressive, overall, than last season), but it was mostly head-spinning because you had to keep track of two different designers’ work for the first round AND keep track of which team they were supposed to be inspired by.

The battle for the weekly win came down to Jay Nicolas/Maya (Jay Nicolas may or may not have rested on his immunity this week, according to Maya) and Mila/Jonathan. The editing tried to trick us by playing up the fact that all team captain Mila had done was make their athletic-style jacket, while Jonathan did everything else. Fortunately for Mila, the judges absolutely LOVED the jacket and gave her the win (and immunity.) (Personally, I thought it was a little weird and ugly – but interesting.) I suppose if you’re only going to do one thing, you should do it really well, so kudos!

It was also pretty clear who was going home Thursday night. I didn’t think Anthony and Seth Aaron’s signature look, though costume-y, was as bad as the judges made it out to be. I also kinda, sorta liked their “look for less” (sue me). I certainly don’t think it deserved Nina’s stingingly-direct and harsh, “Both pieces are REALLY ugly.”

That left Ping to defend her Statue of Liberty-style signature look (it wasn’t much if the model wasn’t holding up the train) and their ill-fitting tragedy of a look for less. Ping was also besieged by her partner (Jesse/Angry Christian Bale complained about having to each her how to sew) and a model (Megan whined about Ping never even bother to fit her dress.)

The only question was whether Heidi would exercise the “or more” option in sending one person “or more” home last night. It came down to Ping and Anthony, and there was no way the show was going to lose its two most interesting personalities on the same night.

Farewell Ping. I’ll miss your broken English, and I’m sure the mirror in the workroom will miss you running over and trying on your own designs on yourself.

So what’d you think of this episode? Did Anthony deserve to go home too? Finally, was Megan right to throw Ping under the bus?