TVSquad

Ever since Season Three, I have been feeling a bit nervous about Project Runway. I didn't feel as strongly about the talent and I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with the decisions and challenges in each episode. Of course, like any other lover of arty TV and sucker for punishment, I kept watching and even made it all the way through the travesty known as Season Four.

Then came the news that the show would be switching homes from Bravo to Lifetime. Despite having a few weeks to get over it, just saying it still makes me twitch. Seriously, I am smart enough to know that I am about twenty years too young to comfortably sit among the channel's main demographic. Sorry, Reba. With this change, I fully expect a turn for the worse in terms of quality and possibly even more tactlessly inserted product placements. Take Season Four for example: Having an accessories wall sponsored by BlueFly is one thing, but that Blockbuster nod in the RAW episode knocked me out of my seat, it was so heavy-handed. It doesn't seem like something above Lifetime.

And now here's even more information to make my hope for the show wither faster than the staying power of Christian Siriano's "fierce". It looks like Marie Claire magazine might take over for Elle in the Lifetime season. Major downgrade. When I think "fashion magazine", the likes of Vogue and Elle immediately pop into my mind, not Marie Claire. It feels more "grocery store mag rack" than "couture" to me.

All whining aside, there is a little bit of hope for Project Runway. It's all about the talent. If they continue down the path of the American Idol juggernaut and absolutely suck the fashion talent pool dry and exhaust our interest, the show will inevitably fail because it cannot live through a drop in quality, shift in audience and increasingly pathetic artists. However, if the creative minds turn back to Season One and Two and re-examine what it was that made the world fall in love with the show, things might be okay.

I was going to put something here about permanently turning TV "auf" in protest, but it made me want to punch myself in the face. Let's just say I did it and it was super-cute and punny.