When Bravo aired the reunion episode of Project Runway, there were two sure things: There would be drama among the divas (and thanks to Zulema, Daniel Franco and a nearly 10 minute clip of Andrae’s runway meltdown, there was plenty of that), and the season was coming to a close.
After 12 episodes of cutting, sewing and bitching, host Heidi Klum’s Project Runway will soon be gone; but before we say “Auf Wiedersehen,” let’s reflect on the happier times before Dirty Diana came out of her shell, before Nick hated Santino and before we couldn’t find Andrae (maybe he and show mentor Tim Gunn went to Red Lobster).
A last strut down the catwalk on March 8 will decide the fates of Chloe, Daniel V. and Santino. Only one can be “in,” and this season, without Wendy Pepper tainting the competition, fans are split.
There’s Chloe, who pulled off a pink-and-pinstripe suit yet managed to make her 6-foot-tall model’s butt look huge in a satin gown. After his orchid-inspired creation, Daniel is the favorite, but last week’s red dress and leather vest combo was worse than another contestant’s infamous Barbie outfit/potato sack fusion.
And then there’s Santino. Reality television has had villains and vixens, Omarosas and Jay McCarrolls, but there has never been a Santino. Both his Nicky Hilton conception and his German lederhosen lingerie were unforgettable moments in “The Santino Show,” as his fellow cast members dubbed it, but his Tim Gunn impression has been a ratings — and catchphrase — winner.
Before you get sentimental, or “bedraggled” as Andrae would say, consider that by this point, the contestants have already won a prize better than the winner’s Banana Republic mentorship and 2007 Saturn SkyRoadster, and that’s exposure. Besides, what’s so great about winning? Fourth runner-up Nick designed Brenda Strong’s (Desperate Housewives) Screen Actors Guild Awards dress, while the only thing that’s come out of Jay’s season one Runway victory is another reality show (aptly titled Project Jay).
On the other hand, if the goal is to become another Galliano, Chloe’s, Santino’s and Daniel’s mission for Olympus Fashion Week is a much more arduous one. Being safe has gotten Chloe and Daniel this far, but threatens their runway shows as much as Santino’s edgier, over-the-top designs jeopardize his. When left to their own devices, what will these designers dream up? One can only hope that the winner will be the one who does more than “make it work,” but rather makes it “wunderbar.”
Finale airs on Wednesday, March 8 at 10 p.m.