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At the top of the show, we get a solid six minutes or something of April's momentous move into the apartment with Valerie, Ivy and Gretchen. Seriously, natural disasters have gotten less coverage than this move down the hall.
, the designers meet Michael Kors at a dock and he tells them that they'll be designing resort wear for this challenge. Oh, fun. After they go to Mood and are back in the workroom, Tim drops the bomb that the designers will be working in teams of two and executing their teammates' designs. Mondo is stuck with Other Michael and is furious and kind of rude about it but ultimately apologizes for his behavior. Ivy and Cute Michael are together, and she's a total pill to him because he's not the master sewer that she is. That said, Cutie is completely expressive and makes me love him more than I knew I could. Casanova and Gretchen have some communication difficulties. Valerie and Andy work together, and Valerie has a crisis of confidence. April and Christopher seem to have a pretty successful partnership.
Kristen Bell is the guest judge. Makes no sense. A lot of the designs are really pretty special. Mondo, Casanova and Ivy are in the bottom. April, Andy and Cute Michael are in the top! Ivy slags on Cute Michael when they are on the runway, and he is super-gracious about it. Seriously, she's such a bitch. April wins the challenge! Casanova and Ivy are the bottom two. Ivy is... in! Casanova goes home. I'm going to miss him.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: The designers were enlisted to transform some bridesmaids dresses into something not horrible. Other Michael won! If it weren't so exciting to watch the other designers freak out about it, it would not have been wonderful. But, it was. Peach, sadly, was sent home.
It's morning at the Atlas Building. April interviews that it was sad to see Peach go home, as they were roomies and good friends. She's wearing some little boy-short panties that make her statement about having a big butt seem ridiculous and untrue. What a cute bottom she has! Anyway, she tells us that she's moving into the apartment with Valerie, Gretchen and Ivy. She's a little uncomfortable, because she has heard of people saying that she's too young and shouldn't be on the show. Well, to that, April, I say eff that noise. We see Valerie say that it will be cool living with April, but she hopes they can "gel" with someone that much younger. She's a few years younger, not from a different species. Chill out, people. You're all fashion designers and therefore crazy. You have no business judging someone for their age. April says that the unknown is uncomfortable, but she's strong and doesn't take bullshit, so she's not really worried. As she's walking out of her old apartment, we see that she has written on the chalkboard in her apartment the following: "Peach...I miss you already. You are an amazing designer & friend. I can't wait to see you! L(heart)ve...your Ape Dawg " That is very sweet.
In the boys' apartment, Andy asks Other Michael how it feels to win twice. (Weird, I just had one of those brain things where the word "Michael" seemed super-foreign to me and I had to look back for how it was spelled. Brain, don't make this a habit). So, Other Michael says it's fabulous, and he feels like Gretchen. He interviews that no one was happy for him when he won the challenge. He says that it hurt him badly. OK, so there's something a little outsider-y about Other Michael. I mean, there's more to him being "other" than just not being Michael Drummond. But, it was ridiculous the way those people acted. I can't imagine being so nakedly unhappy for someone. The mannequins are like, "Strangle him in his sleep or get over yourselves. Two choices."
Other Michael says to Andy that there were a lot of haters in the workroom and it saddened him that no one was happy for him. Andy interviews that he tries to respect Other Michael as a designer, but he finds him to be the weakest person there. Who cares what you think about his designing? Just be nice to the dude. Unless this actually is high school. I don't know, these designers have me wondering. Andy says to Other Michael that, the thing is, he's still not sure who Other Michael is as a designer. He doesn't know what his aesthetic is. The inference being that Andy can't be nice to Other Michael until he knows what the guy thinks is pretty? This is scary and fascist. Try this on, Andy "Haircut" Whomever --- you know that, as an organism, he is a HUMAN, which should count for something. Honestly, I don't even really care about this Michael very much, but the weird snobbiness from these designers I find appalling. Other Michael calmly says that he likes evening wear with draping and pleating. He mentions that he has developed a sewing technique that works for him. It actually appears to be working for the judges as well. Andy drily replies, "Well, it's working." Jackass.
Here's April, wheeling her suitcase to the new apartment. Jesus, this is where the extra half hour of this show goes -- so we can watch the intense personal drama of April's move to the new apartment. How stupid! She's not Nell. She should be able to adjust. I'm not sure we need to watch so closely. Anyway, the girls greet her with hugs and a tricked-out blackboard with lots of "WELCOME" bullshit on it. April interviews that it appears that all of the girls are putting their differences aside so that they can get to know her. I know, riveting. Ivy interviews that it's nice to have all of the girls together and she's all WTF about there being only four girls left. They do that "FAB FOUR" hands-in "Whoo!" stuff that is so pervasive in reality television. People and their little groups. April plays along, but I can tell she thinks it is as stupid as I think it is. Valerie is happy to have April around, even if it takes up extra bathroom space. As they are leaving the apartment, April says (to big laughs), "Fantastic Four, you've abducted April." We know why she makes clothes now. First of all, it was FAB, not FANTASTIC. Also, she's one of the four, so she would be part of the group abducting herself. Unless there's another April we haven't heard about. Or, perhaps this April is speaking in code and she has, in fact, been abducted, partly by a fourth person who is not visible to us. My instincts say that she is just a person who was being a bit careless with her listening and made a clunky joke that was actually quite winning in its delivery. OK, folks that was the recap version of the extra half hour of this program.
At the runway, Heidi greets the designers wearing some harem pants that I could totally see on the runway followed by Heidi saying, "I would totally wear that." She reminds everyone that Other Michael has immunity, which is followed by a shot of Gretchen making a really nasty face. Heidi continues, saying that for this challenge, they'd like the designers to kick back and relax. Tim and a "very special guest" will meet the designers at the marina for brunch, where they will fill the designers in on the details of the challenge. Then, Heidi leaves. She's carrying the velvet button bag and never even uses it. Mystery.
At the marina, Tim greets the designers and is joined by... Michael Kors. He looks really uncomfortable standing. Apparently, this is a very "Michael Kors" challenge, and he's going to tell the designers all about it. Casanova interviews that he is immediately scared, because Michael has been so rude to him. Michael, whose years on the show have apparently not made him any more comfortable reading copy, says that the challenge is to create a resort wear look that exemplifies who they are as designers and is interesting and fashionable and all that. Other Michael interviews that he's from Palm Springs and knows his resort wear. He thinks he's got this in the bag. Michael reminds them that resort wear can include anything- swimwear, casual clothes, even an evening gown. Cute Michael is super damn cute right out of the gate. He says that he loves resorts. He loves to vacation. In fact, he's super-excited about this challenge. Mondo, however, does not go on vacation and does not know anything about resort wear. He says that lounging in a T-shirt and underwear is resort wear for him.
Michael adds that he wants the designers to be in a relaxed state of mind, so they are going out for brunch on a boat. There, they will sketch and wear sunglasses from Michael's line. At this point, the designer prods have been employed and the electrified designers cheer with glee on their faces. Sunglasses! Greatest thing that has ever happened to any of these people. They will have one day for the challenge. Gretchen says that Michael Kors has high standards for resort wear and it will be a challenge to live up to those standards. A kiss-ass even in an interview.
Once on the boat, they have a mimosa toast and off they go. Cute Michael suggests to the boys that they act like they're rich. So St. Louis of him. In New York, we "pretend" that we are not rich so that people will wonder if maybe we're rich. Wow, brunch looks like slim pickings. Fruit and a couple of crackers is all I see. When I hear "brunch," I hear "eggs," so somebody better be whipping up an omelette in the hull of that boat.
Gretchen, apparently angling for a job with Michael, offers a toast to his line of sunglasses then says that they match her outfit. Simple aviators match your outfit of common neutrals? Genius! Tim tells the designers that their time to sketch is about to begin, and they've been nice enough to bring along the HP sketchpad thingies they've been using. Cute Michael interviews that he doesn't want to sketch! He wants to continue looking at the sights with Christopher. I think he might have a bit of a crush on him, yes? Too bad Christopher is sporting that wedding band. Despite his thwarted affections, Cute Michael is thrilled by the boat ride. He says that the sights are phenomenal.
Casanova is still worried. He says that this is not his challenge. That's odd. I would kind of peg Casanova for being adept at this. Eh. Andy, whose look is frankly getting far too precious for me, says that, since he lives in Hawaii, he doesn't think of the clothing as resort wear. I feel like a lot of the designers are super into talking about themselves this season. Everybody likes to share, but there's something really coy and obnoxious about this group and the way that they do it. He interviews that he is planning to make a luxury bathing suit that will be very sexy. It will have a cover-up that gives the wearer the option of wearing the outfit all day.
April, proving to once again be the exception to the self-obsessed trend (she always seems interested in others), tells Mondo that she likes what he does because he combines unexpected elements. He says that he was called out for the judges for just that. Well, most recently, they liked it, Mondo, so don't be such a Debbie Downer when someone's giving you a compliment. April says that she got picked apart too, but she wouldn't change a thing she did. I'm not entirely sure what is happening, but I'm seriously loving April right now. In fact, she says that she's liked everything that she has done up tot his point in the competition. Awesome. She interviews that she has never created resort wear before... except for the hat challenge. She laughs at the memory. She tells us that her story for the challenge is some creepy lady taking a dark trip to an asylum. Hot.
The boat docks and they all head to Mood, while trying to regain their land legs. Mondo says that he is creating a boy cut bikini with a windbreaker and visor. Cute Michael, while holding bolts of red fabric, tells Tim that he is a designer who uses dark colors, so this feels weird for him. Tim advises him to not stray too far from his aesthetic. He reminds him that there are customers who are looking for "dark resort." Cute Michael interviews that he has to stay true to his vision, and he's not letting anyone crush it because "it is a gift." Wow, I would hate that line on anyone else, but on the cutest boy in the zip code, it works just fine. Ivy seems very sure of herself. Casanova just randomly picks fabrics, or so it seems.
Once they're all back at the workroom, Tim enters, and he's carrying the lovely black velvet button bag. Everyone's nervous about what it could mean. He asks everyone to gather around. The challenge has a twist. They'll be grouped into teams of two and will be executing each other's designs. Minds are blown. April says that this is akin to giving your child away. Tim reminds everyone that successful fashion designers do not make their own work. They hand their designs off to technicians. There's no choosing here -- Tim pulls buttons for both team members. The first team he chooses is Valerie and Andy. Then, Other Michael's name is chosen. April interviews that she was seriously hoping that her name would not be chosen . Mondo seconds this emotion and reports that everyone was holding their breath. No one wanted to be with this Other Michael. And, the winner is... Mondo. He sarcastically goes, "Oh, yay!" and walks to the place where he's supposed to meet his team member without even looking at him. Poor Other just walks to stand beside him. I'm really surprised that Mondo would be so incredibly rude. He interviews that he is super-pissed. , April and Christopher are matched up. April interviews that she is thrilled to be matched with him because they work exactly the same. Casanova and Gretchen are matched, and that's amazing. Gretchen, with her mouth all poufed out cause she's a little girl and has to enunciate real hard, interviews that she was a little nervous about working with Casanova. That said, she grooves on him because they like spending time together. I predict some sort of success.
That means the last team is Ivy and Cute Michael. Cutie does a little Beyoncé dance in celebration and Ivy just lets out a shrill little laugh. Then. Then, she interviews that Cute Michael's "construction level" may not be equal to hers. OK, in this circumstance, maybe she has reason to be concerned about that, considering he has to, uh, construct her garment. That said, it's time to fill you all in on a little something. I don't know how closely you watch this show. If, like me, you watch it VERY closely, you become a little, I don't know, irrational about your feelings about certain people on said show. I'm not sure if I'm right or wrong, but I'm willing to say right now that, because of Ivy's little display right then, I consider her to be one of the three or four WORST people I have to think about during this part of my life. Because, I feel very strongly that Cute Michael is some sort of angel. Just passing that out there. Am I making myself perfectly crazily clear?
Tim tells everyone that the designer is responsible for how the sample maker creates the work. Then, everyone skedadles. Ivy asks Cutie, on a scale of 1 to 10, how comfortable he is making pants. He's a 2. OK. April and Christopher are on fire. He interviews that April knows her shiz, and they're going to be a great team.
Then, we have the naked display of Other Michael and Mondo. Other tells Mondo that he's not a fast sewer and he only drapes -- no patterns. Mondo replies that he's not psyched about this partnership because Other's construction is shitty and he has immunity. Other just shrugs. However, he interviews that he's not banking on his immunity and wants to show that he can do outstanding work.
Andy interviews that he's worried about Valerie because he isn't sure if she's worked with swimwear very much. She's right there, why don't you just ask her? Of course, she interviews that he asked her if she did swimwear and she was all, "Um, sure, OF COURSE," like a liar. So maybe he should be worried. Cute Michael's guns are killing me. Seriously, he's so cute, y'all. I hate myself right now. Ivy's trying to freak the shit out of everything, and he tells her that they should just be calm. Mondo is acting like an asshole. He's throwing tape measures and babies and chairs. Because he doesn't sketch, Other is having to take notes and listen very carefully. I don't know, maybe he's an idiot, but he's trying really hard right now. Mondo says something about not believing that Other doesn't have a ruler, and he just laughs in response. Casanova feels that Gretchen thinks that he's retarded because, due to their language barriers, she made really LARGE sketches to communicate her designs to him. He tells us that there's nothing wrong with his eyes. Actually, they don't open very wide.
So, Cute Michael tries to describe his design to Ivy and she has a problem understanding and that's apparently his fault as well. Gretchen is nice enough to clue Casanova to the fact that he's trying to design for old ladies again. Mondo tells Valerie and Andy that he's really freaking out about how little Other Michael knows. Valerie interviews that she wonders when OM's bag of tricks is going to be emptied.
After a couple of hours of working, Mondo decides that he was being a dick to Other Michael, because he was working hard for him. Mondo apologizes for being a bitch and says that he has faith in OM. That seems like it was big, but I can't be sure.
Tim enters for consultations and says that he's brought along a special guest. It's Michael Kors! Can you believe it? He tells Casanova that his stuff needs to look more youthful. He tells Gretchen that she might need to step away from the bordeaux color palette that she's obsessed with. He tells Mondo that he can be weird, but he has to be good. April gets neat advice from Michael. He recommends that she make a brief under a sheer dress, but she reminds him that she got diaper criticism. He insists that she push forward. Cute Michael feels that Ivy has dumbed down her design based on her perception of his construction skills to the point where it's basically nothing. Mondo wishes Cute Michael luck in an interview, because Ivy is such a bossy lady, but all I'm looking at are his milky white stacked arms. Seriously, I'm disturbing myself right now, and we are going to live in a shoe and have a garden of jalapenos and Corgis. Michael tells Valerie that her obsession with dark blue is weird. She wonders why the judges don't appreciate what she does.
Cute Michael says that he sucks at sewing Ivy's design and he feels horrible about it. She feels horrible too. She's frustrated. Valerie calls her family. She tells them that it's intense, and she starts to cry a little bit. Mom does not get it. She feels that she's going to let people down if she doesn't get to Fashion Week, and that freaks me out a little bit for her.
The day, they all get set for the runway show. Ivy and Cute Michael are both concerned about not finishing her look. He doesn't want to look like a complete doo doo head. They go to the runway, and it's rush rush rush. Other Michael tells Mondo that he'll tell the judges that their collaboration was really nurturing.
Tim comes in and sends in the models. Everyone scrambles, and it's terrifying. Finally, they head for the runway. Heidi welcomes everyone and introduces Michael, Nina and Kristen Bell. Weird, but she has a movie coming out, so I get it. The show begins with Other Michael's look, which is very similar to J.Lo's famous look at the Grammys, with the boob-separating green whatnot, except it's a pantsuit. I kind of like it. Mondo's look is a silly little bikini with boy shorts and a kind of bolero. Stupid. He loves it, but thinks his model is not selling it. Cute Michael's look is , and it's a freaking revelation, but I don't know. Maybe I've lost my mind at this point. Seriously though, it's this floor-length black number that is cinched in all of these classically resort ways, but it's super-modern. Straps and skin showing and classy and sexy all at once. He says that Ivy executed his piece really well.
Ivy's piece is and it's a yawn. Bland top and bland skirt. She says that she screwed herself. Cute Michael is embarrassed by it and thinks it looks like the Statue of Liberty. Christopher's look is and it's a loose top and knee-length shorts. Cute. Oh my God! April's look is and it's sick. It's this completely wacky top with an asymmetrical strappy neckline and sheer otherwise. It covers short shorts. Love it! April thinks it looks sexual, and she is RIGHT! Gretchen says that it's perfect. Casanova's look is , and it's very very Ivana Trump. I think that's great, but I feel it might not be good for the judges. He thinks Heidi might like it, and he's really wrong about that. Gretchen's look is , and it's a slouchy pantsuit that would make a person trip on it. Valerie's look is , and she should have stuck with the blue. It's a revealing top and weird shorts. I don't think she liked Andy's sewing so much. His look comes down and it's an empire waist wrap over a sexy swimsuit. Beautiful colors and silhouette.
After the show, Andy, Casanova, Mondo, April, Ivy and Cute Michael are called forward. The others are free. Andy, April and Cutie are in the top. The losers leave for a moment. The models and the tailors return to the stage. Michael thinks that April's work is nice. He thinks it's tough, punk and baby doll. Kristen thinks that she, too, is a tough, punk baby doll. Andy says that he was trying to be sophisticated. He says that Valerie did an excellent job. Ivy says that Cutie doesn't know how garments go on and off, and he actually agrees and says that Ivy is technical. I love him. So not drama.
The losers return. Mondo explains that he doesn't know resorts. They're not buying it. The judges think it looks junior. Nina doesn't like the excuse. Other Michael says that working with Mondo was amazing. Ivy says that she had to edit her patterns to fit Cutie's knowledge. She's a bitch. The judges wonder if she has any ideas or only sewing skills. Eat that, Ivy. Seriously, eat it. Ivy talks about my lover's poor sewing skills, and Other rolls his eyes so Heidi asks him about it. He merely states that Ivy is a hardcore bitch to work with. Simple fact, judges. Kristen tells Ivy that she didn't work to use Cute Michael's strengths. Ivy disagrees, but all of the judges agree. Casanova says that he's making clothes for his grandmother. He's gone. Nina hates it so much. She doesn't understand why Casanova vacillates between super-sexy and matronly.
Backstage, Ivy apologizes to Cute Michael for throwing him under the bus, as they all so love to say. He says it's OK. Then, he interviews tearfully that her look was the most poorly sewn garment that he has made on this show. He's ashamed of it. Oh God. He thinks that it's due to the fact that she didn't trust him.
The judges are conferring. Nina loves that Andy made a bathing suit. Michael loves that Cute Michael was able to describe what he wanted to Ivy. Kristen loves April's look. Nina thinks it's very editorial. They're totally bored by Mondo's look. Heidi wonders if maybe his look could be editorial, but Nina says not a chance. Nina thinks that Ivy's look was a total wash. They are all suspicious of her claims that her look suffered for Cute Michael. They think that nothing is cool about Casanova's look.
The designers return to the stage. Cute Michael is in. I think it should have been down to him and April. He goes backstage and says that he's glad that he didn't win, due to the Ivy drama. He says the blaming she did was childish, and he doesn't need to do it. April wins the challenge!!! Totally. She was amazing. She goes backstage to applause!
Andy is in. Mondo is in. It's down to Ivy and Casanova. And the boot goes to Casanova. Cute Michael is thrilled when he hears that Ivy didn't get eliminated. Heidi gives a big smile and kiss to Casanova. He goes backstage and pretends to hang himself from the door. Awesome. He tells us that he's not sad at all, but a little ("a quart") disappointed. We see a series of weird Casanova moments. Tim comes in with a sad look on his face and asks what they will do without him. He explains that he lives close by. He tells us that life is about opportunities and maybe he will have another one. He thinks he grabbed one of New York's balls, but it also grabbed one of his.
Discuss this episode in our forums, then see who we think will win! And see below what vlogger Sean Crespo thinks of Runway when he has No Prior Knowledge!
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Jeff Long is a performer/writer in Brooklyn. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com