Episode Report Card Jeff Long: A | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Raw Talent
By Jeff Long | Season 4 | Episode 10 | Aired on 02.05.2008
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.God woke up!
This challenge calls upon the designers to pull inspiration from their inner bodyguards-slash-prostitutes and design costumes for the "Divas" from WWE Raw. It is actually not at all as gross as it sounds. It is maybe amazing? The designers meet their muses as they are battling in a wrestling ring and they all seem genuinely terrified. The Divas introduce themselves and describe the themes of their personas; then the designers choose who they would be working with.
Christian, per usual, gets it immediately. He designs this leather-and-lace number that was smokin'. The schizophrenic Christian edit is on its meds this week -- all of the designers seem really entertained by him. Jillian doesn't have time management problems this week. Chris obviously could do this challenge with his eyes closed. In fact, the longer this season goes on, the wider Chris's mouth seems to be opened in repose and the squintier his eyes get. Exhaustion?
Sweet P seems to be coming to the end of her time on the show. She's more and more frantic every week. She can't seem to grasp the drama of this challenge and says as much, which is weird to me considering she is so heavily inked. Aren't tattoos dramatic? Rami drapes this little number in pink that all of the judges hate. I don't know if it's his fault as much as it is the reaction to his muse, who seemed totally effing crazy. In the end, Chris wins his first challenge! He points out how appropriate it is that he would win the tackiest challenge to date.
And: Ricky. Oh, Ricky. You have cheated death for the last time, my little crying hatter. He is reviled for his scattered vision that results in a weird bathing suit with a hair-cutting smock. So, he is eliminated. And he doesn't cry. Ricky, you confound us! Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Previously: The designers had to create an iconic look from old Levis. Jillian almost lost her mind due to exhaustion. Victorya was sent home for not really creating anything at all. Ricky won the challenge. Project Runway viewers lost their minds.
It's morning at the New Gotham apartments, and Jillian tells Sweet P that they can't let the final three (four?) be all boys? She further interviews that she would be very disappointed to have made it this far in the competition and not get to show in Bryant Park. Agreed. I don't think there's any real danger of her not making it though. I'm still struck by how the elimination of each new designer emphasizes Jillian's robotron qualities. She's such a little weirdo.
In the boys' apartment, Rami and Christian are talking in one of the bedrooms. Rami notes that the competition is "almost over" and Christian adds that there are some "hot messes" in the final six. He says that Ricky's winning garment from the last challenge had ruffles attached to the bottom and it wasn't even seamed. Rami giggles at Christian's comments. Even though it seems to never really happen, I'm interested to see if anyone calls him on his behind-the-back nastiness at the reunion show.
Meanwhile, Ricky says that his win in the last challenge didn't really go far towards earning him respect from the other designers, but winning taught him that he doesn't care what other people think (judges excepted, I'm assuming). He's wearing a trucker cap in the interview. One mannequin says to the other, "Do you remember when Ashton Kutcher was relevant?" The other says, "No." I wonder if Ricky made that cap.
At Parsons, Heidi enters the runway wearing a knee-high shiny cocktail dress. She brings on the models for the winning and losing models from the last challenge. Ricky decides to stay with Amanda, which means that Jacqueline, Victorya's model, goes home. Everyone seems really sad about this. Jillian interviews that Jacqueline was very talented and it's a disappointment to see her leave. That's interesting. I feel like the designers this season as a whole are more high fashion-y and the model competition has been an example of that (though, of course, the professional models have actually modeled in fewer challenges than ever before). Several times this season, we've seen the designers discuss the models (and traded, see: Leah) in such a way that it's clear they really respect the finer points of modeling and what a good model can contribute. I'm not sure I see what they see all the time, but I admire their appreciation of the nuances.