TVSquad

When I heard about Bravo's new reality program, The Fashion Show, a few phrases came to mind: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" was one. "Don't get mad, get even" was another. Then there was "Anything you can do, I can do better."

Yes, it seems that The Fashion Show is a show that was conceived as a replacement for Project Runway, the Bravo hit series that has run off to Lifetime.

Coinciding with the settlement of the Project Runway lawsuit, Bravo started blitzing commercials for The Fashion Show last night. I just thought of another expression that applies here: "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck."

The Bravo duck -- I mean show -- will get a head start on Lifetime's version of Project Runway. The latter isn't expected to start airing till this summer, while The Fashion Show will premiere on May 7 at 10 PM on Bravo.

How similar are the two shows? Well, we can only judge right now by the descriptions. The Fashion Show is described as a creative series in which 15 professional fashion designers compete for a top prize of $125,000 plus a contract to have their label actually marketed in stores around the country.

The fifteen designers -- six New Yorkers, five Californians, and one each from Florida, Illinois, Tennessee and London, England -- will be tested each week, facing off in two challenges – the Harper's Bazaar Mini Challenge, judged by the magazine's Special Projects Director Laura Brown, and the elimination challenge.

There are also three full-time hosts/judges: designer Isaac Mizrahi, Destiny's Child singer/actress Kelly Rowland and Fern Mallis, Senior Vice President of IMG Fashion.