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Project Runway to kick ‘auf’ Season 4 tonight

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by Alex Garens

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The day we've all been waiting for has finally come — today, Nov. 14, is the premier of "Project Runway Season 4." Some may wonder what all the hype is about, regarding the program as just another season of a television show. Yet, this season of "Project Runway," a now iconic series that has garnered several Emmy nominations and proven that reality TV isn't necessarily tantamount to garbage, had been pushed back for months, leaving "PR" fans deathly deprived, with bated breath.

As true fans recall, "Project Runway" hasn't aired a new episode in more than a year, effectively making it rarer and thus more important than your birthday, Christmas and Halloween all at once. Bravo ran Season 3 from July to October, following it with "Top Chef Season 2," which was a surprisingly satisfying substitute, owing much to endless bitch fights between cocky Ilan and even cockier Marcel. Like all things in life, "Top Chef" came and went. But then it came again. That's right — Bravo departed from its previous cycling between its two biggest shows and ran "Top Chef 3," pushing "Project Runway" back to "mid-2007," which later became "Quarter 4." Fans were further devastated by rumors that Tim Gunn, arguably the show's wisdom spouting, unintentionally comedic (Will we ever forget his incessant search for Andrae?) staple was leaving due to a new position with Liz Claiborne. Fortunately, this nasty little rumor was proven untrue. But here we are a year and a month later, hungrily lusting for more runway drama and sick of all of Bravo's failing, uninspired "PR" knockoffs.

Despite Bravo's depriving cruelty, they've at least generously filled their site with bios and videos of the new contestants, simultaneously allowing us to get a taste of Season 4 and tantalizing us even more for the long overdue return of Heidi, Tim and the infamously bitchy judges.

So how does this season fare? The 15 aspiring fashion designers seem disappointingly similar to prior contestants and especially similar to each other. Most obnoxiously notable bios include Chris, a self-trained, gaudy costume designer who looks like Season 1 winner, Jay, in 20 years, minus the talent, while Christian's bio makes him appear frighteningly androgynous, annoying and emo enough to make Fall Out Boy pout. In addition, more than four members oh-so-originally list Alexander McQueen as their inspiration, and we're also presented with a middle-aged woman who calls herself Sweet P. I don't think further commentary is necessary on that subject. Once again Bravo has also included several contestants without formal design training — a complete waste of space, as they get auf'ed in the first few episodes of the season.

Will they dramatically clash a la Angela versus Jeffrey or Santino versus everyone? We can only hope the wait has been well worth it. Preliminary bets on who will make it to Olympus fashion week? Carmen, Elisa, Marion, Rami or Victorya.

So, are you in, or are you out?

Project Runway airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

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Anonymous (November 14, 2007 @ 12:20pm):

I believe a sports guy should've written this.

Erica Andrist (November 14, 2007 @ 12:37pm):

"Project Runway" hasn't aired a new episode in more than a year, effectively making it rarer and thus more important than your birthday, Christmas and Halloween all at once.

My thoughts exactly. Nice work.

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