What the hell happened to Anya??? (Project Runway: Under the Gunn)

Anya Ayoung Chee, looking terrifying

I've never been an Anya hater. I know they're out there (and they are many) but I've never jumped on the "Anya didn't deserve to win Season 9" bandwagon (now Gretchen's win from Season 8 is a whole different story). I've always loved her and thought she was a good choice as mentor on Tim Gunn's new show, Project Runway: Under the Gunn.

Back in her own season of Project Runway, the criticism was basically this: she famously said she only learned to sew in the months leading up to coming on the show, so everybody (including most of her fellow competitors) took this to mean: (A) that she DIDN'T know how to sew; and (B) that she didn't know ANYTHING.

I've always found both of those things to be unfair. Anya Ayoung-Chee went to design school. She had been designing and making her own clothes for years, including pageant gowns which I'm sure aren't easy. But she had gotten a lot of help with things like pattern making and sewing with fancy sewing machines (like the ones she'd be using on the show), so when she decided to audition for Project Runway she decided she'd need to learn to sew properly. Which is how she spent the months leading up to filming. Hence she "just learned to sew" for the show.

The thing is, there are a LOT of contestants who don't even do that much. How many times have we heard contestants complain that they don't know how to thread a needle in commercial sewing machines, or that they never had to sew or make patterns before because they have "people" for that? How many times have we seen contestants acting bitchy to the self-taught designers because they didn't go to design school?

It happens nearly every season, but almost no one got the kind of criticism that Anya got. So why? What was different about her?

Anya, looking tired but fabulous in Season 9

Well a couple of things. First of all, she was honest about her crash course in sewing and didn't apologize for it. A lot of other designers come on the show without even bothering to make sure they're going to be able to handle the basics (like using the kinds of sewing machines they have on Project Runway) but they all make a million excuses about it (I hand sew everything, I have a different kind of machine at home, I have assistants for that, my sewing machine is in metric, I don't believe in electricity). Anya just made sure she knew how to do it before she came on the show. Point Anya.

Secondly, she did really REALLY well, which pissed off the other designers. They interpreted her "just learned to sew" as "doesn't know anything" and then got mad when that wasn't the case. Plus she's very pretty and accomplished in other areas (wasn't she Miss Universe or something?) so I think a lot of them really wanted to not have to take her seriously. But she kicked their asses and didn't apologize. Again, point Anya.

So I never had a problem with her winning her season. I liked her designs, I liked her, I thought the criticism was overblown and unfair, and I didn't feel there was a clear front runner who should have won instead. Certainly there were other contenders, but no one who I thought was clearly the intended winner (like, ahem, Mondo in Season 8). I was on board with Anya.

But now I'll admit I'm starting to have some doubts. Was everybody right about her after all? Anya's mentoring style on Under the Gunn is, at best, confusing.

Do you all remember when the challenge was to design a look inspired by Vampire Academy, a teen vampire movie, and Anya told one of her designers (what was that guy's name again?) that his looks were "too junior" so he should think about what a 35-year-old would wear instead? When have the judges ever wanted that?? And especially on a teen-inspired challenge? It's crazy talk.

Then when that designer was in the bottom two and Anya was asked to pick who should go home, she picked him! "I can't help but feel responsible," she said tearfully. YA THINK? Of course she's responsible!

Anya putting a hex on What's-His-Name for not being good enough

Then this week her mentoring strategy seemed to begin and end with making all her designers feel guilty that they weren't living up to her expectations. How is that helpful?

She was particularly hard on what's-his-name, the boring guy with the white shirt that made him look like he was catering breakfast for the show, um, Nick? He's so boring I can't even commit his name to memory. Still, Anya's idea of encouraging him was to imply that he had tricked her into thinking he was a good designer and that maybe he was just a big fraud. Ouch.

What a shock he was on the bottom again.

And yet again, two of Anya's designers were in the bottom and they made her choose which one should go home. That can't be great for team morale. Her designers must always be worrying not only about whether the judges like them enough to keep them, but whether or not Anya does. Eesh.

On the plus side, Nick Verreos seems to be doing a lot better as a mentor (his team's win last week really helped) and Mondo is, as always, killing it. I think it'll probably be someone from Mondo's team who wins the whole thing, but we'll see.

Next week: Anya Ayoung-Chee slaps her designers and makes them cry. (jk jk...well, maybe)