America's Next Top Model could learn a few things from LOGO's reality show Rupaul's Drag Race. Although the two shows are different beasts (one is about models that accidentally look drag, the other intentionally looks drag), the competitive qualities of the show remain the same. There is still runway walking, working in different fashion themes, and looking fierce. RuPaul has said that the two shows aren't interchangeable and it's true: Drag Race is colorful, fun, and intriguing; qualities that Top Model has lost after all these years. Here are several good reasons why Top Model isn't on top anymore.
Fox Reality channel has 
Let me just come right out and say it: Jeffrey Sebelia, winner of Project Runway Season Three, is making costumes for the Bratz movie. Is that really the glorious post-Runway life? The cocky persona that Sebelia took on all season certainly led me to expect him to spend his prize money and fame on jetsetting and more neck tattoos to decorate his massive, massive neck, but, as it turns out, he isn't doing as great as one might expect. Not only is he quite broke, but ... did I mention his post-Runway project is doing the Bratz film? I was quite furious with him when he was on the program, but 
According to 
(S03E01) What a crazy start to a new season. Already, I've been outraged (I'll explain later). This challenge started almost right after the designers met Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn for a little champagne to celebrate their first day. They were told to create an outfit defining their personality with absolutely anything from their brand new apartments. Armed with scissors and their greedy hands, the designers totally ripped their beautiful apartments into pieces. Shower curtains came down, couches were skinned, lamps were attacked, and cushions were destroyed. Sigh. It looked like so much fun. I was green with envy.
Bravo has 
You see what I did? I took the
"you're out" catchphrase from Project Runway and made it about homosexuality! Applaud me for my
cleverness! ... Okay, don't. On to my point: The fashion industry has plenty of gay designers (shock, surprise) so it's
not that startling to see more than a few on a reality show about fashion design. This season, there were a few brief
discussions about sexual orientation, including some stories that let us better understand and appreciate the designers
(like Daniel Vosovic's background and how accepting his parents were when he finally came out). Well, I was reading this
Chloe wins! Chloe? Chloe. I didn't really want Chloe to win.
I really liked her stuff in the beginning, but I absolutely hated her collection for Fashion Week. I know the judges
kept saying how much she "knows women" and understands a "woman's body", but my body doesn't
look like a couch. I'm not a La-Z-Boy recliner and no way would I want to be covered with half of that
dreadful stuff she used. Everything was so heavy and overdone. I know that fashion shows are supposed to be about
drama and "the show", but I found her stuff borderline laughable. It looked like the
1980s barfed all over her collection. And I thought her 13th outfit was stupid, especially those pockets that
Diana slaved over. I just have so many mixed feelings about Chloe winning because while I like her, I
don't love her. 
I wish it was next Wednesday already. I want
to know who is going to win this thing! I thought that this episode was going to be a lot of filler and flashbacks, but
they actually did a great job building the narrative thread (as far as a reality show can do that.) I'm not
sure how I felt about the nicer and friendlier Santino. See what happens when someone watches themselves on TV and
reads about themselves on the Internet? They start to pussy-foot around things. I liked the old Santino! We all loved
the old Santino! Apparently, Santino doesn't want to be the man that everybody loves to hate, but he should. It's a
great gig. Afterall, regardless of who wins or loses this season, everyone is going to remember Santino.
On the first season of Project Runway, just one
episode was enough to convince me that Daniel Franco was a little loopy. A little too much craziness and dancing but
not enough talent to back it up. When he returned for another season, he definitely toned it down a little (good for
you, Daniel!) but the folks at Project Runway still managed to portray him as the token weirdo. For example,
when the designers had to show Heidi their sketches and ideas for the lingerie competition, Daniel whispered to her,
"I want to show you something beautiful" and gave her this really weird smile. Whoa, buddy. Awkward. Well,
giving him the "auf wiedersehen" didn't end the creepiness because on the latest episode (the reunion one),
he said, seemingly out of nowhere, "I love you, Heidi".
This is a big episode because it
determines the final three who will get to present their collections at Olympus Fashion Week. Er, well...so we know
that because of TV scheduling, they actually film all four contestants at Fashion Week. Check out Annie Wu's great
post 
Project Runway has been winding down, leaving only four
designers to go (Chloe Dao, Kara Janx, Santino Rice, and Daniel Vosovic), but the big finale of Project Runway
is the actual runway show at Olympus Fashion Week, which took place between the 3rd and the 10th. What they did at
Fashion Week was have all four contenders present collections so that none of the spectators could give away who had
been booted (they did the same thing last season when poor Austin Scarlett was Auf Wiedersehen-ed)... The actual top
three finalists of Runway will not be announced until next week's episode, and only those three collections
will be televised.
If you've been watching Project
Runway lately (and if you haven't been watching, why the hell not?), you've been lucky enough to see Santino's Tim
Gunn impressions. They're pretty spot-on, I must say, because if I'm not watching the screen, sometiems I'll wonder if
it is Tim talking. During this week's episode, Santino revealed that he had created a fake Tim/Andrae relationship to
go along with his impression. In Santino's mind, Tim and Andrae are currently going through some couple-trouble and
have the occasional relationship squabble at Red Lobster... It's absolutely priceless. 
Heidi Klum announced that the designers would be getting a
package instead of telling them what their challenge was going to be. After the designers waited a while in their
rooms, season one's Rob (the one that busted his head open when he was trying to show off his mad hanging-upside-down
skills to the ladies) showed up in an USPS uniform with a bunch of boxes. Everyone seemed excited to see him (except
Emmett, who, embarrassingly enough, didn't recognize him) and eagerly opened their boxes. Inside was a short a message
telling them to put on the enclosed outfits and go to the lobby. The ladies don itty-bitty, form-fitting dresses and
the guys wear tight-fitting pants and puffy shirts (again, except Emmett... he wore an atrociously bright pink top. He
tried to class it up with a fedora, but to no avail). It looks like someone threw up the Ice Capades and a box of
Crayons at the same time.
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
