As part of Lifetime's Project Runwaymania, we now have a completely new spin-off show that gives us a peek inside the lives of the models who work with the show's designers. It's the usual reality show mix of cameras recording every move and giving us the highlights; plus the winning designer's model each week will get a prize. The girls, as you might expect, are not the brightest bulbs. One of them says she is super happy and super pleased and doesn't feel she has to be super cool all the time. "Pink's one of my favorite colors!" another one rhapsodizes. We're talking big ol' model stereotypes here, the bread and butter of reality TV.
The winning model this week gets to take a friend and go kinda crazy in an Emmy gifting suite, bringing back to the model house bags of free designer clothing and jewelry. ("This is like Xmas for rich people!" one of them exults as they try on fringed boots). We also get to be a fly on the wall as Erika, the losing designer's model, goes to meet with her agent and polish up her runway walk. "Do it again but don't do your kickstart like you're on a motorcycle. That's like New York but that's like two years ago New York." (Don't forget, folks; the show takes place in L.A. this season).
We find out that instead of the winning designer being the only one who has the chance to choose a new model each week, every contestant will choose a new model before each challenge. Ouch! That's gotta hurt -- for both models and designers -- and mix it up even more dramatically. This week, after the designers pick, the model who is sent home is the girl who was sent to walk down the runway nearly naked in a sheer outfit. Her designer (Mitchell) is still smarting because her measurements were so far off from what he was given and he had to trash most of the outfit he'd planned since it didn't fit her. He was nearly sent home for the way it looked. And we're never told exactly whose fault the wrong measurements are. Curiouser and curiouser...
Read my review of Project Runway's first episode on Lifetime here
Read my review of Project Runway: All Star Challenge here
Models of the Runway airs on Lifetime Thursday nights at 11pm.