Mark your calendars folks, as this is the day when Project Runway may have officially crossed the line in terms of product placement. The lucky sponsors for this week are Saturn. The designers meet Tim and this guy from Saturn, Chris, on the rooftop of a parking garage. Chris tells them that almost all of the Saturns on the roof are made with recyclable parts (don't know if I believe that). They all have to dig through cars that have been loaded with... parts of cars. Eh, it's very weird. Most people pick seat belts or floor mats. Kenley's model drops out of the competition and Kenley is honest enough to be really annoyed that she has a new model. As sorry as I felt for the new girl, I kind of admired Kenley for her frankness.
Keith got really tense, because he was frazzled by the criticism given him in the last challenge. He went really safe with his design. On the runway, my opinion is that most of the designs looked pretty good. The top three were Jerrell, Korto, and Leanne. The bottom three were Blayne, Stella, and Keith. Leanne won for her bustled vinyl dress. The loser... was Keith. Now, maybe I need therapy or something for this, but I found him so completely and utterly HOT as he was sobbing in his exit interview. The content was actually sad, too -- he doesn't have a lot of opportunities in Utah and wanted this to be his outlet; he is upset that he's being sent home for not following his own aesthetic; fashion is really important to him -- but all I could think about was how lovely he looked. Sad.
Previously: The designers had the awesome task designing an outfit for a drag queen. Several of the designers totally knocked it out of the park and created designs that were exciting and dramatic. Then, there were Keith and Daniel. Keith repeated his frayed swatch look and the judges hated it. Daniel insisted on being a snob, even during the Drag Queen Challenge. Snobs everywhere hung their head in shame. So, he was sent home with his aristocratic, high-end taste. I hope they'll be happy together.
It's morning in New York. The clouds are moving really fast. There's a newsstand. We're still being haunted by that issue of Elle with Mary-Kate Olsen on the cover. For the love of God, let's move on. At the Atlas Building, Kenley interviews that she was sad that Daniel was sent home. She says he was her best friend of the designers and they worked side-by-side. Dust to dust though, and she's anxious to see what the challenge will be.
In the boys' apartment, Keith is tying his shoes and we hear an interview where he says that he doesn't know how to "handle" being in the bottom two in the last challenge. He feels overwhelmed. It reinforces why he's there -- he wants to change the way the world dresses. Oh, Keith. He is soooooo SERIOUS. For real, could someone get this guy high or something? I understand how difficult it must get to evaluate your own ideas as this competition goes on, what with the exhaustion and the criticism. You'd probably be afraid to trust yourself. Or, it might just make you very defensive. But, this guy needs to fucking breathe. He's not going to last much longer at this level of intensity.
At Parson's, Heidi enters the runway carrying the velvet button bag. She greets the designers and tells them that they will choose models before they learn about the challenge. Joe's model is brought out -- as well as Kelli's and Daniel's models. News flash, this is also a competition for the models. I know, right? Joe says that he would like to "keep the peace in the modeling world." So, he's going to stick to his model, Topacio. That means so long to Germaine and Elena. Stiff upper lip, girls.
Heidi asks the designers if they are ready for their challenge and they weakly affirm that they are. She tells them to go to the roof of 142 West 31st Street where they will hear about the challenge. That's all she's going to say -- they hit the door.
So, now we're in that excruciating five minutes between finding out that they have a challenge and hearing what the challenge is where the designers have to tell us what they think the challenge will be. They never seem to be right, but here we go. Blayne thinks that they must be designing for a superstar and are required to be all exclusive and "rooftop style." He finds it all very scary. As they are walking down the street, Korto wonders if they are going to someone's penthouse, perhaps Mariah Carey. They wind up at a parking garage. As they all enter an elevator big enough for a car, Kenley whines, "I'm scared!" Terri replies, "This is hot though, if we're going to a party." It's never really a party, Terri. Learn that now, before it hurts too much. Kenley thinks it's like a haunted house in the elevator. She's a baby. Because it was only a matter of time, Blayne starts singing "The roof is on fire."
When the door of the elevator finally opens, the designers find a bunch of cars lined up on the roof. Tim is standing with the tiniest little dude in a floral print shirt. Tim introduces him as Chris Webb, the lead color designer for Saturn. He's presenting the challenge. He has a really thick Scottish accent. He says that behind him there are five Saturn Vue Hybrids. He says that 85% of the cars, by weight, are recyclable in today's environment. That feels like a mighty qualified statement, but good for them. So, today's challenge? The designers will have to recycle the cars to make an outfit of their choice. Terri interviews that she doesn't know how she's going to perform this challenge, since she doesn't have a blowtorch.
Tim says that the cars are stocked with raw materials used to make the cars. They will need to use them for their designs. This Chris fellow is smiling a whole lot and it's making me a little nervous. Tim says that this challenge is similar to the first challenge in that it's about innovation. Tim breaks it down and says that people weren't terribly innovative for that challenge. This is a second chance for them to wow the judges. Korto interviews that she's thinking she'd like to push it a little bit for this challenge.
Tim allows Chris the honors and he screams, "Go!" The designers have a bag and cart each and four minutes to get whatever they need from the cars. Kenley points out that the only thing in the cars were things that cars were made out of -- seats, mats, seatbelts. Blayne grabs some seatbelts because he thought they were beautiful. He says that he's already getting inspired. Joe says that, because he's from Detroit, the Motor City, this challenge is perfect for him. I'm from Mobile, Alabama. If they ever have the Azalea challenge, I'm gold. Jerell says that he was immediately drawn to these dashboard appliqués. He already has an idea for a futuristic bustier. He also grabbed a headlight and wonders if he will "work it into a brooch." Heavy. Tim sounds the one-minute alarm. Rayon says that he has so many wackadoodle things in his cart and he has no idea what he'll do. Stella says that she finds all of the rushing around to be really embarrassing and she's not doing it. Good for her. After the four minutes are up, during which time no one saved the word, Terri says that she can't carry her bag. Tim thanks Chris and we're on our way back to Parson's. Leanne says that she doesn't have a clue about what she will create for this challenge.
Back at Parson's, everyone hauled their junk into the workroom. 13 hours remain in the workday. Tim greets them and explains that the winner of the challenge will have immunity for the challenge. He reminds them to be innovative and to have fun. Korto interviews that, with the limited time people had to absorb the challenge, as well as the short amount of time they had to grab materials, they are all still trying to figure out what they are going to do. Kenley throws some piece of metal something across the floor and is excited when it breaks. It looks like she's trying to get to whatever is inside of it.
Joe says that they are taking these car parts and twisting them into garments. I think he's about to say how it's incredibly freeing creatively or how much he loves to work on cars. No, he says he feels really happy to have immunity for this challenge. That's pretty funny. Everybody's sawing and hammering stuff and they all have gloves and safety goggles on. Blayne says that everything is very "experimental" right now in the workroom. Joe offers to trade someone a carburetor for a light. I think that's the lingo for hookers in Detroit, I'm not sure, but I do know it's totally inappropriate for Joe to talk like that in this setting.
Keith interviews that if you don't make the fucking judges happy, they will send you home. He's tired of presenting outfits that are huge standouts and just having them criticized. So, his outfit for this challenge will be more tailored. Keith seems very angry. I don't think this attitude is going to work very well for him.
Jerell says that the materials are heavy-duty -- just working with them is difficult. Stella says that she's unsure what to do. It's not innovative for her to make a leather dress and all of her outfits have had grommiting, pyramiding, and hammering. She says that she has to let ideas come into her head. Rayon is making a top out of a thick leather mat, which he considers entirely wackadoodle. He has cuts from glass (that he's now not even using) and blisters from using the scissors on the floor mat. He says this is "blood for fashion."
With nine hours remaining in the day, everyone's deep in their work. Stella says that this really isn't her thing, but it might be a nice time to step outside the box "and get eliminated." She interviews that everyone expects her to make like leather pants out of floor mats or something, but she's going to do something different. She's going to make a skirt of tiered seatbelt fabric. She really wants to make something that's pretty.
Rayon says that he's going to make a one-shouldered dress with fringe at the bottom. It'll be black and silver. He says that his favorite memory of a car was when his father gave him his great uncle's 1966 Buick Electra. He says that his father passed away in 1999, so he's not able to be here. However, he's watching from above and Rayon performs that infernal double air kiss to the heavens, for dad. It makes me so angry.
Keith is in some sort of spiral. In the sewing room, he tells Terri that he's going for a more tailored look. He interviews that he's more concerned about making the judges happy than about his design. That sounds to me like a little bit of self-sabotage or cutting off your nose to spite your face. "I'll show those judges. I'm going to make something that I don't even care about. Oh yes, they'll be sorry." Doesn't sound terribly effective, does it?
Korto interviews that she's going to try to weave the seatbelts. She wants a very structured look that is day-to-day wearable with a touch of avant-garde. Kenley, whose voice I didn't realize was quite this annoying, says that she looks around and most of the other designers are using seatbelts. She's creating a zebra print on air vents. Like, she's drawing the print on herself. Rayon tells her that it looks really good and she responds like a brat. "Oh, thanks." I think Kenley might irritate me a little. She interviews that she's making something that no one else is making.
Blayne is making a long, flowing evening dress. But, he's having problems sewing it because all of the sewing machines are getting screwed up from the materials that they are using. He's getting frustrated. He's trying to hand stitch parts of it. Jerell interviews that he's not having the same problems as everyone else. He thinks his look is going to be innovative, chic, and elegant. Leanne explains that her dress is being made with car seats. She's attempting a different silhouette for a cocktail dress. Stella thinks that her design is going to look like Planet of the Apes. She has some funky helmet-looking hat that she puts on Blayne. He, in turn, mixes his references and says, "Luke, I am your father.
Back in the sewing room, Terri asks Keith what he thinks about a piece that she's working on. He tells her that he wouldn't trust his taste, as it's apparently "questionable" now. She laughs. In an interview, she says that she needs to win Project Runway so that she can start her own label. It has always been a dream of hers. Plus, she doesn't want to go back to her old job. I smell a bridge burning. Kenley freaks out that she's behind, but Jerell tells her that everyone is behind.
Tim enters and says that he's sending in the models for a fitting. He also tells Kenley that her model, Shannone, has dropped out of the competition. Kenley falls out. She starts to pace around and freak out a bit. Tim tells her that they've brought back Germaine to be her model. She's "professional and lovely," he says. She interviews that the news made her want to collapse, because it gave her hours of extra work. She says that Germaine's body is completely different from Shannone's, as Shannone was narrow and curvy and Germaine is flat and boxy. Germaine is really going to love watching this later. She's going to have to add a panel to the back of the dress. Korto is really excited about her design. Blayne is having problems with the fit of his gown. Stella is happy with the way her design looks.
With everyone gone, Kenley says that Shannone bailed on her and she's pissed. Jerell says that she probably booked a paying job and need to take it. He reminds Kenley that it's hard being a model in New York. Even if you already are one? OK. Kenley says that it's all about her right now and she can be mad. She's totally pointless sometimes. I'm really starting to get sick of her, I think.
Later, Tim comes in to check on everyone. Blayne calls him "Timlicious" which never fails to incite a rage in me. Blayne explains that his original idea of hand-stitching this floor length gown was not really reasonable. Tim has lots of questions about the shape of the gown. He tells Blayne to keep working. Blayne says thanks and that he loves Tim's face.
He thinks Jerell's look is beautiful and futuristic. He thinks that Korto's looks is fabulous, but doesn't want her to lose any sophistication. Stella explains her look to Tim. She thinks it's unexpected. Tim reminds her that it needs to be good too. And pretty. And innovative. He doesn't think that she's pushing any of those things far enough. He tells her to commit. He says "Wow!" to Leanne's design. He says that he "gets" what she's doing.
Keith explains his outfit. He says that he's shooting for clean construction, because he believes that the judges want to see that from him. Tim reminds him that he needs to believe in the design too. Tim tells everyone that he's extremely excited by what they are all doing. He reminds them not to lose their "trajectory." Seriously.
Terri says that she's loving Korto's "scarecrow." A lot of pressing is going to be necessary to get the arms on the look to relax a little bit. Right now, Terri thinks it looks like Jeepers Creepers. She says that you'd better run for cover when this thing comes to attack you. I love this because she actually thinks it's so funny that she doesn't get the sentence out clearly. I do this all the time. Terri falls on the floor laughing about Jeepers Creepers. Korto doesn't seem horribly bothered by it. Jerell says that Terri doesn't know how to talk to other people. He says that she has two faces and four patterns and that's it. First of all, I haven't seen her be two-faced to anyone. Secondly, she has a lot more than four patterns. Jerell needs to back up. He says, "Don't trust the bitch." Wow, I hope we bring this up at the reunion. Of course, no one ever will because the reunions have to be totally about blooper reels of people making fart sounds on the runway and asking who they think will win. There's no time for addressing actually compelling stuff that ACTUALLY happened.
In the sewing room, Keith tells everyone to not fuck up his machine. Blayne interviews that Keith's attitude has been really off lately. He's been swearing a lot. Crazy. He says that Keith has been slamming things and just generally seemed different. We see Blayne and Leanne talk about Keith having an attitude. Keith interviews that he can deal with the bitchy designers. He feels like he wants this more than anyone else. He feels like he deserves a win more than the others do.
At the Atlas Building, people start going to sleep. Stella calls her boyfriend, "Rat Bones." Yes. They have been dating for three years. His name is actually William. They are going to create a line together called "Zotis and Bones." She tells him how draining the show has been.
The morning, Joe says that the workroom looks like an auto shop. Tim enters and sends in the models. They will have an hour before the runway show. Kenley is a wreck. Korto thinks that she has a good chance of winning. Keith tells his model not to sit in the skirt. With ten minutes remaining, Alyssa approaches Keith with a tear in the skirt. She sat in it. He freaks out. He interviews that he knows it's a competition for her too, but the stakes are much higher for him. Leanne stuffed Karalynn's underwear with muslin to help fill out the silhouette of her design. Kenley says that her skirt would have fit better on Shannone, but she's happy with it. After Keith fixes the skirt, he tells Alyssa to not sit in it.
Heidi greets the designers on the runway. She introduces Michael, Season Three finalist Laura Bennett, and antichrist Rachel Zoë. The show begins. It's Jerell's look. It's made from seat covers, carpets, resin moldings, and metal dashboard trim. It's a bustier of gray over a black skirt. There are vinyl panels outlined in silver on the bustier. They are in futuristic, yet slimming shapes. It looks really good. The styling is very futuristic as well. Jerell is very happy with the outcome.
Keith's look is . It's a beige halter-top over a tan skirt. There is a leather brown belt at the waist. Keith says that he presented something that doesn't look like a car. I guess he's right. It is made of seat covers, liners, cushions, and cargo netting. The front is OK. The top is kind of cute. The skirt is tiered and also doesn't look horrible from the front. It's a wreck in the back though. The back of the blouse is totally opened and there's black netting near the waist. The belt kind of doesn't know what it's doing in the back either. Keith says that it's well-constructed, but there is a lot of puckering in the front of the skirt as she progresses down the runway.
Here's Terri's look. She made grey pants and a black top. She used seat covers, carpets, cushions, and cargo netting. She says that she wanted to make something with a hard edge. Mission accomplished. The slacks black rings of fabric at the knees. The black top is sleeveless and super-fitted. There is a panel of netting at the top of the bust. Everything fits really well.
Kenley's look follows. She says that she has made something very wearable. It's a black patent leather top and a skirt made out of air filters. The top is very fitted and sleeveless. The skirt is a long white pencil-shaped affair. There is an accordion-like apron with the zebra pattern at the waist.
Leanne's dress is and it is great. It's short and black with seatbelt fringe at the top of the bust. At the hips, there is a sort of side bustle. It's very chic. She is very happy with the results.
Rayon's look is . It is made of floor mats, sun visors, cargo netting, and seat covers. It's one-shouldered, with a black bodice. The skirt is shredded silver and blue metallic material. It's kind of meh. The bodice doesn't really fit very well, though the fabric is more to blame than Rayon is. He says that he's very happy with the outcome.
Here's Korto's look. It is entirely made of woven seatbelts. Korto says that she feels that she put a lot of work into this challenge. She loves it and thinks it looks great. It does look great. It's a high-necked jacket with bell sleeves. It's belted and creates such a chic silhouette.
Blayne's look is up. He used seat belts and broken glass from mirrors. It's a sleeveless floor-length gown. The seatbelts are draped vertically and sewn to just above the knee. Then, the flow freely. There is a v-shape of broken glass at the neck, suggesting cleavage. He wants to show the judges that he can design "outside of Blayne." He also managed to design outside of good. The dress puckers at the bust and just generally looks kind of stupid.
Joe's design is here -- and he's very lucky that he had immunity. He used seat covers, cushions, seatbelts, and logos. I'm not even sure what to say about it except that it's very ugly. It's a short sleeveless dress with a red and silver logo emblazoned across the front. He thinks it was very innovative. He feels like he achieved a motor cross dress of sorts. Sure, but it's still pretty ugly.
Here's Stella's look. She used seatbelts, seat covers, seat backs, carpet stays, and keys. She created a tiered pencil-shaped skirt and a racing style jacket. She says that she stepped outside the box and wouldn't necessarily go back there again. But, she feels proud of it. The skirt is kind of cute, but has nothing whatsoever to do with the jacket, which looks a little uneven and out of place.
The show is over and Heidi calls forward Rayon, Terri, Joe, and Kenley. They are qualified to move to the round. They leave the stage. The models for the other designers (high and low scorers) return to the stage. Jerell is asked to begin. He says that he was drawn to the resin moldings, which suggested the futuristic aspects of his design. Rachel says that the tailoring and what he was able to achieve with the materials amaze her. Michael feels like he really gave his model a look. Heidi thinks it's exciting and wearable.
Blayne is asked to explain his look. When you follow someone who just got a ton of kudos, you must not be feeling so hot about pumping up your stuff. Blayne says that the natural draping of the seatbelts inspired him. Laura says that she likes the idea, but the fit at the top of the dress (it's puckered and misshapen) is distracting. Michael says that he's not a fan of the "car wash" dress. Rachel wishes that the dress were shorter. Heidi reminds him that breaking a mirror means seven years of "no sex." I thought it was bad luck, but in this circumstance, I'll happily go with "no sex." Hopefully, Blayne will believe it's a rule and not fate and he just won't do it for seven years. Instead, he says that he's not superstitious.
Korto says that she knew she wanted to start with a coat dress. Everyone thinks it's elegant and restrained. Rachel says that she would walk out the door in it. They love Leanne. They think it's interesting, chic, and well-crafted. Rachel thinks she could go straight to Paris in it. Stella says that she tried to step outside of her comfort zone. Rachel thinks the silhouette is lacking. Laura doesn't think that the top and bottom go together. Michael thinks it's random. Keith says that he tried to transform the materials. Rachel doesn't like the back of the look. Laura thinks that there's no concept. Keith says he doesn't feel like his other stuff was appreciated. Michael says that they don't want him to feel like they're trying to reign him in. He replies, "There is criticism and there are insults." OK, somebody's being a baby. Michael reminds him that fashion is a public endeavor and he's going to have to get used to hearing remarks that he doesn't like.
The judges confer. They were very excited by this challenge. Everyone did a good job. The found Jerell cohesive, Rachel wants to own Korto's coat, and they find Leanne's look flawless. They think that Stella's garment combo was off, Blayne's outfit was poorly made, and Keith was uninspired. Rachel thought it was totally uninspired. Michael thought it was crazy that Keith blamed the model and the critics for his shortcomings.
The designers return to the stage. Jerell is in. And, the winner is... Leanne. Korto looks a little pissed. Leanne interviews that she is thrilled to have "finally" won a challenge. Korto is in. Blayne is in. That leaves Keith and Stella. Heidi says that Keith's design was boring and poorly made. Stella was too simple. Stella is in. She leaves the runway. Keith seems really upset but he gets his kisses, says farewell, and leaves the runway.
Keith says that he didn't want anyone to see his tears. But, he's crying really hard in his interview. He says this is what fashion means to him. He says he's most upset because he is being eliminated for presenting something that wasn't his aesthetic. OK, I totally admit that this is completely weird, but Keith... I mean, he's a cute guy, right? He's a handsome guy, nice shape, whatever. He doesn't drive me wild or anything. But, for some reason, I find him so hot when he's bawling like this. It's weird. I've got issues. Keith says that he doesn't have many opportunities in Utah and this was supposed to be his big break. Still crying. Still hot. He says that he knows he'll show at New York Fashion Week one day.
Jeff Long usually doesn't like to see people cry. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com.
Discuss this episode in our forums, then see who we think are the Most Controversial Designers in the show's history!
And head on over to Bravo where last season's Runway winner Christian Siriano interviews the exiting designer this week on Watch What Happens: After The Sew.