Makeover

Project Runway - Season 2, Episode 10

Previously on Project Runway: People made awesome plant dresses. The designers were told the challenge winner would get immunity. Nick was incredulous that Danzzz actually came out when he felt the time was right instead of by some Nick-approved calendar. The judges all stupidly criticized the designers for not using more flowers, because they are, after all, totally free. Danzzz stole the challenge from under Kara's nose, but at least one correct decision was made, and Andrae was cut loose. Five designers remain. Who will be out tonight?

Opening credits. Santino: Let's get it on! Limecrete: No, thanks.

Morning at the Atlas. The ladies are a bit down in the mouth that Andrae was cut. Meanwhile, Santino literally talks to himself to establish that he misses Andrae, too. Still, he presses on, reminding himself (and us) that he's won two challenges, so he's in good shape. He neglects to point out that he's also been in the bottom two three times. Not the best average there, Santino. Nick is worried that he was in the bottom two last week, so he wants to "step it up a notch" this week. I hate that Emeril has ruined that phrase for us. Fucking hack. Oh, I should probably mention I'm in kind of a bitchy mood. But I'm sure that will have no effect on how I perceive these people tonight, right? Danzzz interviews that having immunity gives him a nice feeling. I'm sure. A tiny little part of me wishes Santino had won last week, just so we could see what abomination he'd send down the runway if he had immunity.

The designers head to the runway. Heidi comes out to introduce the next challenge. She says that they'll be designing a look for a very demanding client: each other. Yes, it's a head-to-toe makeover for a fellow designer. Jaws drop. Kara does the Home Alone thing with her hands. Heidi will draw random names to see who will be designing for whom. I sort of wonder what would happen if Heidi drew the designer's own name, but it doesn't happen, so I have no idea. Santino will design for Kara. Kara - Santino. Nick - Danzzz. Chloe - Nick. And that leaves Danzzz to design for Chloe. But before we get to the challenge, we have to get through the Heartbreaking Model Selection. Rebecca and Danyelle come out. Danyelle's already crying. Aw. *sniff* I really like Danyelle. Danzzz very kindly says that although he's sticking with Rebecca, he hopes Danyelle goes on to better things. Aw, Rebecca's crying too. There's a short interview with Danyelle backstage after she gets hugs from the other models, saying that it's an emotional goodbye. Fortunately, I've read that since this has aired, Danyelle has been signed to a modeling agency, and you can also see her strutting her stuff on Kara's website. Sweet.

Sigh. Anyhow, on with the challenge. In the Parson's workroom, Tim gives them the details. Naturally, the models won't be used for this challenge; the designers themselves will be the models. Huh, that'll make the model selection next week even more pointless. Nick's excited about modeling. The designers will have two days and $200 to finish the outfit, and Tim leaves them with an hour to discuss ideas. Nick tells Chloe he'd love to be suited up, but in an Italian Eurotrash look. Well, the suit part sounds good, anyway. Santino tells Kara it'd be a good idea to make him look preppy and clean-cut. That'd certainly be an accomplishment. Kara's just excited that there's finally an excuse to get Santino to shave and cut his hair. Hehe. Danzzz tells Chloe he envisions her as a fun-loving party girl. She seems fine with that. Nick doesn't say much, but does say that he wants to put Danzzz in a suit that accentuates his skinniness. Santino wants to make a jumpsuit for Kara that shows off her body and gets her away from the Earth-Mother-Granola-Hippie-Goddess thing she's got going on. Tim collects everyone to go shopping. Chloe, Nick, and Danzzz all find the fabrics they want pretty quickly. Santino complains that he had to waste time picking out fabrics for Kara's outfit instead of concentrating on his own. Kara can, indeed, get flummoxed easily (witness the fuss she made over her damn Barbie's hat in "All Dolled Up"), but I'm sensing some bullshit here. Santino is a huge control freak. Do you really think he'd just sit back and let Kara choose everything herself? No way. Nick says basically the same thing, noting how Santino rolled over him in "Window Shopping". Everyone finishes up and heads back to the workroom.

Nick interviews about the fabric he bought, calling it gray. Granted, my television is far from state-of-the-art, but it looks light purple from where I'm sitting. In any case, it's a very girly color. Santino agrees with me. Nick goes on to interview that he wants to make a lot of pieces for the outfit, but he's got a secret weapon in that he's got experience doing menswear (which involves extensive tailoring). Good job, Nick. Tempting Fate like that sure worked out well for Andrae. It doesn't remain a "secret" weapon for long, as he lectures Chloe on how tight fitting the vest she's making should be. She seems skeptical, but goes along with him, because she's never designed menswear before. She interviews about how anxious she's getting. Commercials. When we return, Nick's already in the sewing room, finishing up the pants for the suit. The pants fit Danzzz well, and the other designers tell Nick how impressed they are with his speed. He responds by interviewing smarmily about how they need to catch up. What a fucking douchebag. I'm a little mad at myself that Nick was once my favorite contestant. He snowed me. But, hey, I just liked his Barbie dress an awful lot. I didn't know at the time that he'd turn out to be such a passive-aggressive, whiny, judgmental little bitch.

Evening. The designers while away the time with a game of "Would You Rather?", starting off with "Would you rather make love or have sex?" Boring! I always preferred starting off with "Would you rather be stoned to death by pickles or suffocated in a vat of mayonnaise?" At least that gets you thinking. Santino interrupts an answer of Nick's. Nick interviews about Santino is driving him nuts, and throws a pissy little snit about it in the workroom. Yeah, interrupting people is rude (I'm ashamed that this is one of my bad habits - when I've got something to say, I have a hard time repressing it, like I'm afraid I'm going to forget it), but it's not like someone asked Nick a direct question and Santino cut in. They're playing a game in which you ask multiple people a question at the same time, and they shout out their responses, so maybe Nick shouldn't be playing Miss Emily Post just yet. Santino sees he's getting under Nick's skin and revels in it. He starts saying whatever Nick's saying a half-second after Nick says it. Hehehe. I should totally hate Santino for being so childish, but he's cracking me up. He interviews that he's from Missouri (St. Charles, apparently - about half an hour from me), and non-sequiturs into the fact that he'll never give up on his dreams. OK, then. I'm from Missouri, but I'll never give up on my goal to pack my remaining Nutter Butters for lunch tomorrow.

Tim checks in with three hours to go. Chloe seems to be making good progress, but stammers when Tim asks her if she's prepared for the time limits. That last minute plant dress seems to have shaken her confidence a bit. Kara's got all her patterns done, but hopes she'll have some time to experiment. Tim likes Santino's color palate, but is a bit worried over the amount of work still to go. After that, Tim takes off, so we never see what he says to Nick or Danzzz. The designers get back to work. Kara fits Santino for his pants. "Are these space pants?" he asks her. "What do you mean 'space pants'?", she replies. "Because my ass is out of this world!" Heh. Lame, and yet I'm giggling. He does give Kara some grief for being behind, and she impersonates him crabbily in an interview. She looks exhausted, but there's still an hour left in Day One, so she gets back to work. Chloe fits Nick for his pants, and when he remarks on one of the improvements she's made, Santino calls out "You can't polish a turd!" Ew. That, I'm not giggling over. Nick interviews that Santino is an ass. Can't deny it. He also calls Santino immature, which you'll want to pack away for later. Danzzz also interviews that Santino is a good designer, but very arrogant and obnoxious. That night at the Atlas, Danzzz tries to defuse the situation by saying that tension between them can lead to no good. Santino responds that he's there to be one of the final three designers. Nick poorly tries to say this: Why are being in the final three and not being an asshole mutually exclusive in Santino's eyes? What about ragging on the other designers qualifies one as a winner? In a meta-sense, Santino is right, because I don't think he'd have gotten half this far if he wasn't a jerk. The producers love to keep him around to create drama. But I don't think that's what he's saying. He's just trying to play off hurting Nick's feelings on his overdeveloped competitive drive, which is bullshit.

Morning. Tim has an announcement. He brings in Collier Strong, a makeup artist who will be consulting on this challenge. The designers treat him like he's the freaking King of Siam or something. Collier tells Santino that once he gets rid of his scraggly beard, he'll look much better, just like Brad Pitt's nasty beard. Santino jokes in an interview about how he'll outshine Brad Pitt once his makeover's done. Heh. I do confess I've never seen what the big deal about Brad Pitt is. I don't think he's sexy at all. Collier would like to thin Kara's eyebrows a bit. Nick tells Collier that he suggests a bronzer or tanner for Danzzz. Collier responds that he thinks it'd be better if they kept Danzzz pale. "Exactly!" Nick says, as if he'd agreed with Collier all along. Nick is grating my last nerve like parmesan. Collier tells Danzzz he'd like to define Chloe's eyes and lashes a lot, and Chloe that Nick should shave off part, but not all of his beard. Back in the workroom, Danzzz fits Chloe with a leather vest that she finds a bit too tight. Santino tries to talk to Nick, and Nick ignores him. Because the silent treatment isn't at all "immature". Nick complains to Kara in the sewing room, and she says Nick needs to take Santino with a huge pinch of salt, and realize that he exaggerates a lot. Kara's a lot smarter than I think she gets credit for. Nick continues to ignore Santino, even after Santino asks for a truce, which is about as much of an apology as the original comment called for. Santino shrugs it off, interviewing that Nick's outfit for Danzzz makes him look like a girl and is sewn bad [sic]. That's a bit "I didn't want to come to your birthday party anyway!" for my tastes, but he's right on both counts. Commercials.

With four hours until the end of Day Two, Tim stops by again. Kara tells him she's nervous that she's not changing much about Santino's style. Tim advises her not to worry about it, because she shouldn't turn Santino into something he's not. Heavens, no. We wouldn't want a makeover to involve change, would we? Tim then turns to Santino and mentions that there's two and half hours left, so unless Tim chatted with Kara for an hour and a half, that "four hours" caption was a giant lie. He tells Santino to only include what is necessary on the outfit, and not to go wild, as he is wont to do. Chloe's suit for Nick is coming along nicely, though Nick jokes that he looks like a flight attendant for British Airways. Do they wear pinstriped suits? Whatever. Danzzz seems unsure of his outfit. Tim admonishes Nick for creating an outfit that's too feminine, especially because the pants have no pockets. Nick appears to agree, and says he's working on a way to "masculinize" it. He interviews that since his outfit is so close to completion, the only thing he can really do is ask Danzzz to "butch it up". Sigh. The designers continue working, both on their own outfits and wearing the ones designed for them. Danzzz gloats a bit about his immunity, though not in a jerky way. Santino complains again about having to put too much energy into suggesting things for Kara to design for him. It's still as shady an argument as it was in the fabric store. In fact, Santino falls behind on his own outfit because he's so busy haranguing Kara about hers. There's an extremely cool time-lapse shot of fog rolling in and obscuring the Chrysler Building. It has nothing to do with the show, but it's such a beautiful shot, they had to throw it in there. No complaints here.

The morning is bright, however, which the editors make sure to emphasize with twittering bird noises. Heh. The sound guys must be a little bored this week. At the Atlas, Danzzz and Nick socialize while Santino sulks in his bed. He interviews that the other two guys have made him into the enemy, which is "half competitive spirit - half, just...jealousy". I see. They don't dislike him because of any character flaws; they're just jealous. Especially Danzzz, who has won more challenges, and has never been in the bottom two. I'm sure we all totally buy that. On the roof, Chloe and Kara discuss their chances. Chloe thinks they'll both be safe, but Kara says "Baby, we're down to five people. Safe is, like, not even a word anymore." See what I mean about the smart?

In the workroom, Tim tells them they have two hours, not only to finish their outfits, but to get suited up for the runway show. We cut to Collier doing the designers' makeup, and he kind of creepily tells Nick that he's pretty. I half expect the Deliverance banjos to kick in at any second. Nick interviews that the lost time is nervewracking, because his outfit's not done. The seams on the jacket keep rippling, so he keeps taking it back to the steamer. His efforts to keep the fabric from puckering appear to be a losing battle. Santino enters with shorter hair and a Fu Manchu mustache, accentuated by a soul patch. Eh. I still don't think he's good-looking, but he does look better. Kara freaks out when she sees him. Nick finishes tying a scarf on Danzzz and declares that the outfit doesn't look feminine at all. Keep telling yourself that, Nick. Chloe complains in an interview that Danzzz's dress doesn't fit well at all, but kept it to herself, because she's just playing model for it. That's exactly the right attitude to have. Somewhere along the line, I think midway through "Inspiration", I realized that I'm totally rooting for Chloe to win the whole shebang. Kara has similar problems, interviewing that the jumpsuit is glued to every part of her body. Ouch. Santino is still fiddling with the sleeves as they're getting ready to go onto the runway. Kara is furious. Nick gleefully interviews that Santino's outfit was unfinished "yet again". When has Santino's outfit been unfinished before? True, they've not always been attractive, but has there been one that was incomplete? Danzzz interviews that Santino was bullying Kara into basically moving as little as possible on the runway so the whole thing doesn't come flying off. There's also an interview with Santino saying he wanted Kara to at least pretend that she loves the jumpsuit, but in the interview, Santino still has his long hair and scraggly beard, so this quote is not referring to the event that we're supposed to think it is. Really, show. Do a better job of fooling me, please. Commercials.

When we return, Heidi addresses the judges instead of the designers, who are still backstage, though there are chairs set for them for no discernible reason. Present as usual are Michael Kors and Nina Garcia, and tonight's guest judge is Freddie Leiba, a fashion stylist. Let's start the show. First up is Santino in Kara's outfit. It looks really good. He has plaid pink Madras pants (I know, it sounds awful, but it suits him), and the shirt is three layers of different colors. The collar of the shirt has a matching plaid pattern, as does the hat he's wearing. Kara did a fantastic job of making Santino look different, but not oddly so.

In fact, I'd like to have a brief sidebar called: In Defense of Kara. Everyone I've talked to both online and off about this show has their own favorite designers (Go, Chloe! I miss you, Diana!), as they should. Santino naturally creates the most discussion, because people disagree about the balance between his level of talent and his attitude. However, the second most argued designer is Kara. A lot of people, including first-time visitor Dan Vera (welcome!), feel that she's coasted her way through this entire competition; that she's "dead wood". And I have to disagree. True, she can be flaky. She can be flighty. She can be indecisive. And Lord knows I'm not defending all of the outfits she's made (she fell apart in "Window Shopping", and I wasn't thrilled with her overly simple dress in "Inspiration"). But Kara belongs here. She's shown talent in different areas, creating sleeves and hats while other designers went for the easy shapes. She's shown creativity and technical skill. Seriously, how she missed the win in "Flower Power" is beyond me, and the urban Oliver Twist thing she made in "Clothes Off Your Back" was super-cool. Finally, and this may be slanting my opinion somewhat, she seems like a really cool person. So. Thumbs up on the Kara. I know she doesn't have a prayer of winning this season, but I really think she doesn't get the kudos she deserves, so I salute her.

Anyway. Speaking of Kara, she comes down the runway in Santino's jumpsuit. He voices-over that it's going to come apart at any second, and he hopes that's not noticeable to other people. Kara's long hair does seem to help hide the sleeve problem. She barely walks, though, because she knows any large movement will make her outfit split in two. Construction problems aside, I don't know how I feel about the jumpsuit. It does show off Kara's shape very well, and it's more simplistic than Santino's usual designs, which is progress, I guess. Still, I can't say that I love it. Next is Danzzz in Nick's design. Feh. "Not feminine"? Cripes, Danzzz looks like he just walked out of a Lane Bryant catalog. His blown-out hair doesn't help. The suit is gray (still looks purple here), and has no buttons or pockets. There's a foofy scarf which Danzzz attempts to whip off dramatically. As he walks back towards the screen, you can see the fabric dimpling all over the place. Ick. Chloe is next in Danzzz's dress. It's weird. It appears to be a basic, cleavage-baring red dress, but with a brown leather bustier that zips in the front. That's basically all there is to it. Finally, Nick in Chloe's outfit. It's phenomenal. You're telling me Chloe has never done menswear before? The tailoring is flawless. The pinstripes line up perfectly. Nick has a pink shirt under the pinstriped vest, and Chloe has made it match by putting a satin pink back on the vest itself. Sometimes, when I see outfits that the designers have made, I'll think to myself "Well, it could use some work, but after all, they only had $100 and two days." This looks like actual clothing someone has gone out and bought. It's amazing.

The judges tally their scores and the designers come out onto the runway. Everyone loves what Kara has done for Santino. They say she's made him look more casual, but without losing his Santinish kind of style. She tells them she appreciates it. The judges move on to Danzzz. They hate his dress. They start by telling him the hemline's a mess, which it is. I didn't notice that during the show, but they do a closeup on it now, and it's pretty damn raggedy. They also say that he took the normal "cute" Chloe and turned her into an '80s power bitch. I'm not seeing that. On to Chloe. They like the suit she's made, though they don't seem to be as wild about it as I am. Nick. Freddie points out the rippling fabric. Michael (with grudging respect, it seems to me) tells Nick that making a full men's suit was incredibly ambitious of him, but the fabric is womanly. Heidi takes issue with the fact that the jacket can't close, because there are no buttons. They also note the absence of pockets, and compare it to a jacket someone would have worn on The Golden Girls. Hehe. Yeah, the wardrobe department on that show should have been shot out of a cannon. Santino. Nina questions the practicality of a jumpsuit, and Heidi thinks she looks self-conscious. Santino starts weaving some fabrication about how excited she was to be wearing it before, and gives her some trouble for not selling it. I'll agree that she looks more miserable than she could be right now, but it's ultimately his fault for not fitting it correctly. Nina points this out, saying that this is certainly not the first time that Santino has designed something with more of an eye towards dramatic statement than the woman wearing the clothing. Nina asks Kara point blank how she feels in the jumpsuit. Kara is speechless. It looks like she's torn between lying to help out Santino, and not wanting to get called out for lying, since it's kind of obvious she's uncomfortable. She's in a rough spot. Nina's eagle eye also spots the sleeve starting to come undone, and Santino lies some more about it getting ripped in some backstage excitement. Freddie inserts a comment about how he likes the jumpsuit, and the designers are sent off.

Deliberations. Danzzz. Heidi really hates what he made. I'm still not understanding her level of disgust. I can see not liking it, but is it that bad? Chloe gets universal praise. Kara is the other favorite, not only for the style, but for the fact that she was able to make so many different pieces, like the hat. Nick's suit was ugly and poorly made. Santino. Freddie apologetically defends the jumpsuit again. It was creative, but poorly stitched and didn't show any thought for the model's comfort. Backstage, Kara is crying on Nick's shoulder about how bad she feels for not saying anything. I think she means that she's sorry she didn't defend the jumpsuit, but is too upset to apologize to Santino directly or something. I don't know, that's my interpretation. Chloe and Danzzz take the opportunity to rip on the jumpsuit some more, wondering what took so long in such a simple garment. Again, they may be doing that to make Kara feel better or maybe they're just being bitchy. It's pretty vague. Heidi calls the designers back out.

This week's fun trivia tidbit to avoid tiresome, repetitive show dialogue: As of episode 10, Kara has not won a challenge. As of episode 10 in Season 1, Jay McCarroll had not won a challenge. And he won the entire season. I'm just saying.

Elimination time. Danzzz is in, but is extremely lucky to have immunity this week. Heidi hints strongly that he may have been cut otherwise. Seriously, what is so horrible about that dress? And now the winner of the challenge. There's a badly dubbed bit of Heidi talking about what a great job both Chloe and Kara did. The winner is...Chloe! Good. Kara is in too. Also good. That leaves Santino and Nick. Santino (more badly dubbed Heidi) had an interesting idea with the jumpsuit, but it was unfinished. Nick (yes, more bad dubbing) fell short in every aspect of his design. And in a completely unsurprising decision, Santino is declared "in", and Nick is eliminated. He thanks the judges, and starts to cry. In his final interview, he's disappointed but hopes that he's given his parents something to be proud of. And while my opinion of him has gone steadily downhill, I think he has. See ya, Nick. You'll always have the triumph of that Barbie dress.

Next week on Project Runway: The evening gown competition. Danzzz confronts Santino about the bullshit he spewed on the runway this week. The designers meet up with several of the Season 1 designers, where Jay's bitchiness does battle with Santino's bitchiness. A "big celebrity" comes into play. That'll probably mean Mary Hart or some shit.

Overall Grade: C+