Project Runway Episode 5: Teamwork

After last week’s drama with two contestants leaving, Project Runway producers thought it would be fun to push the designers even further past their limits with a large group challenge.

Heidi meets the designers on the runway and she has the dreaded button bag with her. On top of that she calls out “Nit-picking Nina” Garcia to join her on the runway. (Hey, I like Nina. It’s the designers who have decided to call her that this season.) Nina delivers the challenge this week because it involves her magazine Marie Claire. They’ve launched another version of the magazine called Marie Claire @Work and the designers are asked to create a cohesive collection for the working woman. They’ll be split into two teams to create the collection.

They’ll also have to direct a photo shoot for their collection and the winning team’s shoot will appear in Marie Claire @Work.

Heidi calls out Sonjia since she won the last challenge. She’ll start the first group. Also in her group are Elena, Melissa, Dimitry, Alicia and Raul. The other team is Nathan, Ven, Christopher, Fabio and Gunnar. They’ll be called Team 6 and Team 5 based on the number of people in their group.

Everyone hates group challenges, so the grumbling and bickering starts right away. With Christopher and Gunnar in the same group, they’re either going to rip each others heads off or rip each others clothes off. Either would add just the right touch of dramatic flair to the episode.

Sadly neither thing happens. Everyone is too busy micromanaging Gunnar and questioning his taste. On the other team it’s Elena vs. Dimitry, actually it’s Elena vs. everybody. We get the usual frantic mood shopping only this week the asshole factor is amped up with the group challenge and then it’s time to start sewing.

At the photo shoot, Elena’s inner monster really comes out and everyone is ready to kill her. On the other end, everyone is still giving Gunnar ridiculous looks about his garment, which looks perfectly fine to me. Ven continues to be a pompous A-hole and everyone else is just kind of there or annoying. Let’s get to the runway show before I start typing bad things about this cast.

The Runway Show

The Good: The judges loved this look from Melissa, and while I didn’t love it love it, I decided to pull it out as the best look just so I can make a terribly inappropriate joke. This dress makes me think of an uncircumcised Smurf. But then again, my mind is pretty much always in the gutter.

The Bad: What woman would want to wear this all day at work? First of all, the top is basically an old-lady scarf and the pants are I don’t even know. Are those even pants?

The Fugly: The pants Alicia made and Elena made the jacket. The pants are fine. It’s the jacket that’s offensive. It looks like the top of an 1988 poofy-sleeve prom dress from a southern American high school.

Project Runway Scorecard

• Winning Team: Team 6
• Winning Designer: Melissa and her Smurf peen dress
• Bottom 3: Elena, Gunnar and Raul
• Out: Raul (for the second time this season)

I’m not too onboard with the judges’ decision this week. I wouldn’t have picked Melissa as the winner and I wouldn’t have sent Raul home. But what do I know.