Hands down, that was the most jaw-dropping episode of the series that I’ve seen (and I think I’ve seen all of them). The comeuppance for the ultra-smug, cattily-superior “Luxe” team during the judges’ review was pure Schadenfreude - a reality show hall-of-fame moment.
We all knew that Gretchen had grown too big for her britches, but oh my. Who knew that she would melt down so spectacularly under the judges’ criticism? Graduate-level business management programs ought to archive Gretchen’s performance, and show it to their students in perpetuity, as the textbook example of how NOT to respond to criticism from superiors.
The expressions on the judges’ faces, during the Luxe team’s feeble attempts to justify their “collection,” were simply priceless. Michael and Nina, you could tell, could hardly believe what they were hearing at first, but then they verbally sliced and diced those outsized egos into three hundred little pieces. And I loved every second of it! Heidi, you could tell, was trying her damnedest not to laugh out loud at Gretchen’s histrionics. No worries, Heidi. I had you covered. I was laughing my ass off enough for the both of us.
Every time you thought Gretchen would realize how “done” she was, and that she ought to just STFU, she’d start talking again and dig the hole even deeper. And that smackdown that Tim delivered at the end, primarily though not entirely at Gretchen, had me cheering. When Tim Gunn says you’ve behaved despicably, is redemption even possible? Tim Gunn is God. At least on Project Runway.
But, fun and games aside, “I’m concerned,” as Tim would say:
Has the show ever done a “group” project with this many designers (six) on each team? If so, I can’t remember it ever causing this much upheaval. With this episode, the show seems almost on the verge of flying apart. As in, the center cannot hold, and we’re fast approaching Lord of the Flies territory. And although at least a dollop of drama is part and parcel of what this show is about, I don’t think it can survive becoming Survivor-like. The promos for next week are already dishing up “revenge” story lines, though, so I guess the producers have decided to go “all in” with this. I hope they know what they’re doing. I love the show, and I’d would hate to see it reduced to The Real Clothes Designers of New York.