Project Runway 14, Episode 12 Unbuttoned: No Surprises Here

I never for one second thought Chris was going to go to Fashion Week. Despite how much I wanted it to happen, I knew the judges were too lukewarm on his designs to allow it. I was surprised he was given the second chance to face off with Rami in the first place. (Actually, it was a third chance, if you really think about it.) The judges rarely raved about Chris, even in the Divas challenge, which he won. His designs were always creative and innovative, but they often didn’t achieve the level of class and glamour the judges were looking for, and ultimately they didn’t think he was right for Fashion Week.

Which is too bad, really. Some of those Fashion Week shows are out of this world. Chris would probably fit right in. And if you’ve seen any pictures of his show online, you’ll see that he did a really good job and had a very cohesive show with a lot of beautiful designs. Judging from the poll that ran during the episode, most of America wanted to see Chris at Fashion Week over Rami. It’s too bad we didn’t get our wish.

It was nice to see Chris at home, though. I always like to see the designers’ studios and see what their families and friends are like. I got the feeling that his family isn’t very supportive of him (in a family of five boys, it’s a safe bet that he was looked down upon for going into a profession that’s usually seen as feminine), but his friends have become his family and are extremely supportive. Either they really are that proud of him for making it this far or they just wanted to meet Tim Gunn. Eh, it could be both.

Contrast Chris’ life with Rami’s - his parents were extremely supportive and he sounded very pleased that they have such a good relationship. They could have easily ostracized him for being gay and for wanting to design, but they didn’t. It’s always nice to hear about a family that supports someone who takes a different path from what they expected. They should be very proud of Rami - he’s proven himself over and over in this competition, and he earned his spot in the final three.

It was interesting to see Rami and Chris using different criteria to pick their three strongest looks for their face-off. Chris chose three from the same color family while Rami chose three that showed different facets of his line. I think Rami’s decision was the best. Though Chris showed just how cohesive his line is, he should have gone with three pieces that told different stories. I think that going into the face-off, he was the underdog (and hasn’t he always been this season?), and he should have gone for a bigger punch in what was ultimately his last chance.

Still, we wound up with a very strong final three. We have Christian, who has been consistent through the whole competition; Jillian, who seems to really understand what people like and what they’ll wear; and Rami, who may understand the female body better than anyone else this season. All three are so different that the final show can’t be anything but interesting. Though I think Christian will win, this is the first time that I think all three designers in the final three have completely earned their spots and I would be content with any of the three winning.

Speaking of Christian, I just don’t get how he won Fan Favorite. I didn’t realize so many viewers liked him enough to give him $10,000. (Especially when it’s so obvious to me that he’s going to win and get even more thousands of dollars to start his own line.) Has everyone forgotten how nasty he’s been to his fellow competitors? How bratty and immature he’s acted? How he just never shuts up? Oh, I guess they have forgotten. Never mind. Carry on!

Has anyone noticed that for a fashion designer, Jillian dresses… not so much like a fashion designer? In case you’ve forgotten (and really, I’ll never be able to forget), when Tim visited her at home, she was wearing a snowflake sweater with a huge neck, black shorts, and tights. I’ll say it again: BLACK SHORTS AND TIGHTS. What was she thinking?? Did her mother’s clairvoyant ever predict that? Jillian’s going to wind up on a worst-dressed list someday and be really embarrassed to call herself a designer. She has to know that if she sent that outfit down the runway, she’d be laughed off, so why would she wear it herself?

While I think Jillian (despite her personal sartorial blunders) is Christian’s closest competition, I think Christian has it in the bag. But I have to wonder how grateful Christian will be when/if he wins. Will he say, “Thanks for this great opportunity?” Or will he say, “Of course I was going to win - I’m awesome.” (“Awesome,” “fierce,” whatever.) I’m afraid it’ll be the latter. I don’t think he’ll be gracious in victory, and I certainly don’t think he’ll be gracious in defeat if he happens to lose. He’s still young, and not only that, he’s not very mature. If he thinks he deserves this - and you know he does - how is he going to feel when thinks inevitably turn out in his favor?

Obviously we’ll get our answer on Wednesday, when someone (Christian) is crowned the winner. This has been a good season overall; I liked it more than last season but not quite as much as Season 2. And I’ll be much more pleased with the winner (Christian) than I was when freaking Jeffrey won in Season 3. (I’m still bitter about that. Laura, Michael, and Uli were ALL robbed.) I’m pleased that the show is just as popular as it’s been in the past, and I look forward to future seasons of fashion excitement after this one.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Project Runway 4 articles on RealityNewsOnline:

Jenn Brasler is an Associate Editor of Reality News Online and an aspiring writer from Falls Church, Virginia. By day she works for a court reporting firm, and by night she’s a spy for a covert branch of the CIA. You can e-mail her at luckyjenn@hotmail.com. Jenn wants to know why Michael Knight is releasing a fragrance instead of, you know, DESIGNING CLOTHES.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find out about some other popular shows at our Survivor: China and our Dancing with the Stars page; and don't miss The Reality TV Hall of Shame. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about this show, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Project Runway!