RECAP: Project Runway Season 22, Episode 3
The Rest of Episode 2
Happy Leo Season to all who celebrate. It’s me. I celebrate. And I celebrate by being exhausted by the producers of this season.
And we’re back into the elimination with Christian acting like an Florida election worker looking for hanging chads…or sequins. Al Gore won that election, is what I’m saying.
And in less than two minutes we find that Bi swayed the jury (or was it Bryan with his tears?). And I am asking again why we can’t have those 110 seconds in the previous episode to give us a complete story.
Anyway. Dani is still a flight attendant, Bao is (rightfully) salty about being culled, Bi can’t poop, and the dozen remaining designers are immediately back on the runway for their next challenge.
Read on for my take on Episode 3. SPOILERS AHEAD!
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The Challenge
And it’s a team challenge! I actually love the team challenges because it’s a chance for me and my husband to shout at the TV more, saying, “Where is the cohesion? Where is the taste? Where is your personal vision in this group challenge?” And what is this team challenge, you ask? Three groups of four, each making a capsule collection inspired by the NFL. The designers all politely clap and exclaim.
I’m sure it’s a major deal for a designer to collaborate with a major sports organization, but I was surprised by this campaign. Fashion and football? But then I checked my dead gay heart and remembered that some of my favorite lady friends are football fans and they’re the least toxic football fans I’ve ever met (sure, they scream and shout, they’re from Philadelphia, they can’t help themselves, but it’s for the joy not the rage), so you know what? Hell, yeah.
Challenge: Three-Piece Capsule Collection for the NFL
Budget: $1,500
Time: 1 Day
Elimination: Double (continuing to cull)
Our first bit of drama is who gets to be a leader. Heidi asks for volunteers and immediately Bobby is incredibly vocal about how 1.) she’s from Philadelphia 2.) an actual Eagles fan 3.) really wants this leadership role. There are five volunteers for four teams (and why not, the head of house of the winning collection gets immunity and two Super Bowl tickets).
So how do our teams shake out?
Bryan immediately picks Bi “because I saved his ass,” and can I just tell you again how exhausted I am with this fake beef? My working theory is that Bryan tried to hook up with Bi, but since Bi is a man of class and taste, said “No,” and now Bryan is saltier than the Dead Sea.
Team Falcons: Bryan (Head), Bi, Elizabeth
Team Giants: Jeffrey (Head), Anna, Chloe
Team Panthers: Andriy (Head), Bob, Jude
Team Eagles: Joseph McRae (Head), Naheim, Aaron
We go to Mood and Joseph immediately chooses all of the loudest fabrics and lets us know he’s going to rule his team with an iron first. Bobby and Andriy are already at odds with each other: Andriy wants something for the everyday football fan, Bobby wants something high fashion; Andriy wants all the same fabrics to help with cohesion, Bobby wants to choose her own fabrics that are in the same color family. This pair of best friends is going to show us exactly why Russia and Ukraine are at war with each other.
The Work Room
The Eagles are a full mess (and we knew they were going to be). Jude and Andriy are making jackets you can buy off the rack; Bobby is confused and not quite sure what to do. This is fully a case of a person who really wanted to lead a team being forced to take a back seat, and hating everything their leader wants. It’s not NOT self-sabatoge, but it’s a cousin to it.
The Panthers give us a little history lesson (as was part of the challenge) and educates us that the Gullah-Geechee culture of South Carolina are the indigo dye experts of the fashion world and Aaron is all about bringing that history into this challenge (under the eye of Joseph).
The Giants are being corseted everywhere. Christian gives them the honestly great idea of each person picking a color and going with it.
The Falcons are pleating everything and creating their own fabrics and patterns. It’s a super cohesive and tight team, and it’s a breath of fresh air. Bi is taking the correct tactic of working well with Bryan as his team leader (Bobby could learn anything from him).
We move back over to the Eagles and they are incredibly messy. Andriy and Bobby aren’t designing and just shouting and fighting with each other and making it everyone’s problem. It’s a personality problem, apparently, and these two just will not let up. And sweet Jude is just in the middle, tailoring his jacket away. Andriy and Bobby just do not want to actually talk to each other and Bobby is just in inconsolable tears as the models enter because she is so flustered and sewed a lot of her garment wrong — and no one on her team comes over to help.
Christian is the epitome of an exhausted teacher, barely comforting Bobby. Andriy just ignores the entire thing and doesn’t acknowledge it. I am stressed for everyone on this team. They clearly suddenly hate each other and no one wants to talk or listen. Disaster.
Christian tries to get Joseph to lead his team by making it more NFL, but Joseph is a cartoon character and loves everything to be just that much extra (but maybe “Tyra will like it” is an excellent bit of shade from Christian, because everyone knows that lady doesn’t have the best taste). But suddenly he’s giving notes to Aaron about how it’s too much and not cohesive? Did…did someone learn a lesson? Let’s watch.
The Falcons are a non-story because they’re working so well together like Jell-O and ham. OK, Bi.
The Giants are a giant mess. Chloe just cannot figure out what to make and ends up just scrapping her look and wraps our model Liris in fabric. But more on that later.
The Runway
Where. Is. Nina?!
At least Grammy-winning football wife Ciara is here. Let’s one-two step into these looks.
The Panthers
Naheim (and model Badu): this look is instantly forgettable. Law likes the jacket and Ciara thinks it’s fierce.
Aaron (and model Jessica): I have never liked these babydoll dresses. I will never like a babydoll dress. I appreciate the story behind it (that’s the entire reason we kept Aaron last week, his history lessons) and I don’t hate how everything was pieced together. I just hate this silhouette.
Joseph McRae (and model Rebecca): I loved this. It’s so editorial and exciting. Those pants just stay their shape, the exaggerated shoulder giving her a Beetlejuice character vibe that I’m not hating, the way the jacket stays slightly open, the collar rising to the heavens. I love this look.
Has Joseph learned taste?
The Giants
Chloe (and model Liris): it’s fabric wrapped around the body with a belt. Next.
Jeffrey (and model Lexii): this is drag fashion and in that order. It’s starting to push the envelope but it needs to be edited to be fashion. Next.
Anna (and model Christina): maybe this just didn’t read well on television because of the bright whiteness of it, but I didn’t like this look either. It makes her look so bulky.
The Falcons
Bi (and model Amanda): this is gorgeous. The pleating of this dress is honestly perfection. The way that the pleating opened up on her chest and compared to the pale skin of our model — I honestly thought we were in danger of having a wardrobe malfunction on the runway, but when I saw it was the fabric, I loved it harder. Honestly the best look of the night.
Elizabeth (and model Anna): I think this is the start of a good idea. It’s not bad, but it feels incomplete? Full safe territory.
Bryan (and model Briana): another puffy look from Bryan? I hate this look so much. It’s awful. What the hell is happening with that bottom? And by bottom, do I mean on the model or Bryan?
WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Why is he still here?
The Eagles
Andriy (and model Rain): the first thing I notice about this garment are the shoulders. And I liked it. But the longer I look at this, the more I hate it. Andriy is worried about how much they argued instead of designing, and honey. You were the problem here.
Jude (and model Yu): another forgettable jacket, but this time with a half peplum that does nothing. Safeville.
Bobby (and model Naimah): this curvy girl is made to look like a linebacker. Bobby is embarrassed and stressed, and she should be.
The Judging
The Eagles and the Giants are the least favorite, and that’s correct.
We find out that the Panthers won and Joseph is going to the Super Bowl and has immunity. And Bryan is not happy (but girl, that puffy bottom was trash bag garbage). We get nothing more about them. More time for what we hated, I suppose.
Anna’s is chic but forgettable. Law thinks the girl looks rich, but rich in what?
Jeffrey’s is a costume and Heidi, famous for her Halloween parties, would immediately buy this.
Chloe didn’t even try. You can tell. Jeffrey gets grilled because he didn’t lead her to a good design, and I see both sides of this argument. Law wants to make sure Jeffrey understands that he’s a bad leader (like Law is a bad judge), and I get that. But ultimately, if a designer starts over constantly, what can you lead besides a disaster?
The judges try to get the Eagles to talk about what happened, because clearly something happened. Law rightly points out that Bobby’s look is the worst of their team but doesn’t look like what she can do, so something obviously went wrong. The team squabbles their opportunity by squabbling, and Bobby is ready to fight.
So who goes home? Obviously, we have to wait until next week. But we know that Jude and Anna are safe. So we’re left with Jeffrey, Chloe, Andriy, and Bobby. I think Jeffrey should be safe here. Sure, he was the team leader, but Chloe was unleadable in this. Just like Bobby was unleadable, but in this case, Andriy didn’t lead because he was being a little tyrant.
Any combination of Andriy, Bobby, Chloe is the right choice here.
Until next week, designers.
What do YOU think of “Project Runway” Season 22? Who are you rooting for? Drop your comments below!
