Project Runway Season 10--Episode 2: WHAT THE HELL, PROJECT RUNWAY?

Season 10-Episode 2-Candy Couture

We were promised an episode filled with drama and breakdowns! What the hell, Project Runway? I get that sometimes the promos are for the whole season, and not just the next episdode, but it really made it seem like all of the craziness was going to happen in this episode!! What happened to the female designer who sneaks off in the middle of the night? What happened to the male designer who goes crazy and can't go on? What happened to Michael Kors telling the designers that "fashion is not for sissies"? I'm still looking forward to seeing all of that drama, but I was hoping it was all going down THIS WEEK.

Okay, I just had to get that off my chest. Moving on...



Last Week:

Lantie is a hack. Ven is kind of brilliant. Kooan is Japanese and kooky and does not want you to forget that for a single second. Christopher won and Beatrice went home because she didn't know how to sew (even though her parents owned a fabric sewing workshop for her entire childhood). Oh, and Gunnar's this year's whiny bitch. Although, I must say, after re-watching the episode, I can almost see what might have made Gunnar so mad. It did kind of look like Christopher was going around asking EVERYONE how they were doing with their designs. Every single season there are designers who try to pull off this "How are you doing over here, buddy?" kind of thing, and they always think they're being super subtle about it (I'm just being helpful! I'm just being friendly! I'm just very personable!) but everybody knows they're just trying to check out the competition. As a viewer it doesn't bother me, but the other designers usually find it irritating. So obviously I still love Christopher and hate Gunnar, but maybe there's more to it than just "Gunnar's a whiny bitch" (which is probably also true). (On the other hand, this week Gunnar turns into the worst "I just want to check out everyone's work" busy body, so maybe Gunnar is just a jerk.)

Anyway, moving on to this week!

The Challenge:



It's the unconventional challenge and the designers have to make outfits using candy from Dylan's Candy Bar. They have a budget of $250, which is a lot for an unconventional challenge, but then the owner gives them a 50% discount, giving them $500 worth of buying power. Nice!

Dylan Lauren also warns everyone not to just eat all the candy. No one listens.



Did anyone else notice Elena's hood? I think she thought it made her look like a warrior, but it just looked like a sport model hijab (which totally exists, by the way).

Of course, as with any unconventional materials challenge, the group is divided between those who buy fabric and those who don't. (We all know which approach tends to impress the judges more.) Raul even buys a pair of candy inspired boots for his model to walk in, though Tim is dubious about whether he'll be allowed to use them. Andrea spends most of her time looking at T-shirts and sheets of candy dots.

The Workroom:

Gunnar is giving Christopher the evil eye, causing Christopher to quip that Gunnar is like his evil twin. So true!

The designers seem like they're doing well for the most part, but some of them seem like they still have ALL of their work ahead of them when Tim comes in. Dmitry wants to wait until his model comes in before he starts applying any candy. Kooan's critique is comprised almost entirely of him breathing theatrically at Tim. And Andrea is in serious trouble when Tim tells her that her sewn together sheets of candy dots are like "throwing the competition," which makes her cry. Nathan and Ven don't seem to be doing any work since every time the camera shows them, they're sitting around bitching about everyone else's work.

And everyone keeps eating all the candy!


I think Ven's model was on last season too. She looks excited to have such an awesome dress. 

Elena "Ms. Dark Warrior" cries like a little kid when she burns her leg with hot glue. Cut to Christopher saying, "But why would she wear hoochie shorts to work??"

Everyone is making fun of Buffi's cotton candy bird's nest and Kooan's melted cotton candy dress, but it looks more like Lantie and Andrea are in real trouble since they used mostly fabric or fabric-like paper. And Sonjia nearly doesn't make it out of the workroom.

But finally it's time for the runway!

The Runway:

Okay, first can I just say, what was up with Heidi's outfit at the runway show? It was like she was wearing snakeskin pajamas! I bet Lantie just wanted to alter the shit out of that look.



Alicia
Who knew she could make a candy jumper? It's very Georgette of the Jungle meets The Flintstones.





Andrea
Twister in the front, gigantic skirt wedgie in the back



Buffi
I'm pretty sure she's the top contender for drag queen designer this season. Or possibly Toddlers and Tiaras designer (which Michael Kors mentions...boy that show is getting a lot of mentions already!)



Christopher
It's good, but the top is WAY too big for the model. Of course most things probably are.



Dmitry
Very cute, even if the top part isn't covered in candy. I love how it moves!



Elena
She's really committed to that boxy shape that makes all models look thick waisted. Or in this case, thick waisted and covered in spaghetti. She claimed she wanted to stick to her monochromatic "tough girl" look, but Melissa pulled that off perfectly while Elena did not. At all.



Fabio
It really looks like fabric! And it's gorgeous! But I guess it IS his strong point, because it's a little like making things out of leftover food, which he loves. He could have been in the top three, except I'm not sure what the skirt is made out of. It might be paper?



Gunnar
I love the checkerboard pattern but why did he even need the peplum? It's so weird and unnecessary, I just want to rip it right off. I'm surprised the judges didn't have a problem with it.





Kooan
It might have been good if it was in fabric, but it looks like the model was eaten by a candy monster..and then it threw her up in the back



Lantie
God, this girl is lazy. She claimed she didn't have enough time, but I guess I missed the part where Lantie only got 20 minutes to make her design.



Melissa
It really does look like leather. It's not an ideal fit, but for candy it's pretty fantastic.





Nathan
Geez, Tinker Bell got kind of fat...and slutty...well, sluttiER. It must be from her 90s rave scene days.



Raul
I guess he didn't get to use the candy boots after all. Just as well, they would have been horrible with this. The top of this outfit has so much potential, but it all falls apart with the tacky exposed midriff and clashing skirt. Pity.



Sonjia
So interesting! Like a futuristic candy-themed stewardess, but in a good way. I'm not crazy about the shape of the skirt though. It's like a lap bib.



Ven
Holy hell! That's astounding! How did he even do the signature rose thing with candy??


The Judging:



Guest judge: Dylan Lauren of Dylan's Candy Bar (who is also Ralph Lauren's daughter, apparently. Crazy!)

Somehow Andrea manages to escape being in the bottom three (yay! I like her!), but Dmitry looks pissed that he didn't make the top three.



Heidi tells Buffi that her model looks like a five-year-old going to a birthday party. Again, the judges tell Lantie that all she did was slightly alter things that were already made. Michael Kors even called her "just a decorator." Elena's dress is barely still in tact by the time she faces the judges. What I don't understand about Elena is that all her designs make her model look HUGE, yet the clothes she herself wears show off how skinny she is. Maybe she just hates her model.


The Results:
WINNER: Ven wins! Despite some debating among the judges, he seems like he was the only serious choice for the win. Ven agrees.

OUT: Lantie is out. It's no surprise, except that I really thought she would be the female designer who later sneaks off and goes home in the middle of the night. Now I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I was actually looking forward to hating Lantie's brattiness for a little longer.


Next Week:
Team Challenge! And it looks like their clients are Anya from Season 9, Kenley from Season 5 and Irina from Season 6 (Irina? Really?) Is this where we'll see the drama? I'm not sure. In the promo clip for next week, it shows the designers standing on the runway before the judges and all fourteen of them are there, so I don't think next week is the week people start quitting. Grrrr...