S13: Korina Emmerich

[yeswedo]

Age 28, Brooklyn, NY

[Frisson]

Not that snottiness is ever really necessary or valid, but I don't understand her supreme bitchiness about other designs when hers have done nothing to wow me. I don't look forward to the inevitable pouting and eye rolls.

[heckkitty]

I declare her to be heinous.  

[leighdear]

Didn't you both know that heinous snottiness is the new black?

[April Bloodgate]

I really liked the coats she showed on "Road to the Runway" and I kind of liked what she made on the first episode, so I want to like her. But ugh, heinous snottiness is right. I hope that we see less of it from now on. (Or that her designs start to suck.)

[ExplainItAgain]

So, I guess those are tattoos on her shoulders/arms? Stitched hearts?

[TudorQueen]

I really liked her during the audition special - I remember crying out, "She's adorable!", and I thought her use of the native American fabrics and designs was interesting without being totally, "look at me, I'm Native American!". So imagine my shock when she turned out to be a major league Mean Girl. The fact that her main target was a gal from India gave the whole thing an even more unsavory tinge. Plus I love Sandhya. She's done nothing to deserve the scorn of the 'In Crowd' or whatever they think they are. So you don't "get" her? Maybe that's because she's doing something a little different from mainstream design.

[Kromm]

It certainly is disappointing that she rather consciously appears to be playing a Mean Girl/Bitchy card to get Talking Head time.  I bet she knows that even if those folks don't get the best fan voting, they DO get the biggest post-show recognition factor.

 

In person to their faces she seems polite, so who knows how much is pure performance and how much is her legit thought process.

 

Not that some of the stuff she's saying doesn't have some truth to it.  IMO (if not the judges) Sandhya's work was hideous.  But SAYING it in Interview means you want to be seen saying those things rather than just be the boring one who never gets camera-time.

[fivestone]

I was not feeling her at all during the 1st episode, but I feel like she redeemed herself during the 2nd episode. I don't think she was crazy about Amanda going into the challenge, but she didn't close herself off or act nasty or whatever. As a result, whether you like the end product or not, Korina and her team worked well together, which is the last thing I would have expected based on the Korina from episode 1.

[kitmerlot1213]

I don't quite understand why Korina's not understanding the other desingers' "looks" somehow makes them inferior to her.  She was so scornful of Sandhya's in the first episode that it actually shocked me--why does she have to "get" what everyone is doing?  And I hate that the camera keeps going to her to get her reactions--the overexaggerated confused expressions at other perople' work is going to get old very quickly.

[Kromm]

I was not feeling her at all during the 1st episode, but I feel like she redeemed herself during the 2nd episode. I don't think she was crazy about Amanda going into the challenge, but she didn't close herself off or act nasty or whatever. As a result, whether you like the end product or not, Korina and her team worked well together, which is the last thing I would have expected based on the Korina from episode 1.

I get the impression she's being a bitch for the Talking Heads because someone told her it's how to get camera-time, but in person she's being more... "normal" to people.  Which could be seen as two-faced or "being fake", except often in this circumstance it's the Talking Heads that are the "Fake", because it's just being made up.  Not that it's anything to admire, because it's still taking a pound of flesh out of people to boost yourself, but at least it may mean she's not that hard to work with.

 

Or not.  There are a lot of episodes left, and we could certainly see Stinkeye, or catty-comments in the lounge, or other classic signs of on-set bitchiness.

[potatoradio]

Best thing about her so far: she resembles so many different people that it's fun to read the various descriptions of whom she reminds people. So far:

1. Lost Kardashian sister/cousin (hee!)

2. Anne Hathaway

3. Irina from season something or other

4. Gretchen from the season that began (IMHO) the implosion of this show

 

To me, she looks like a Kardashian/Carnie Wilson love child.

It's more tolerable to have her on my teevee when I adapt this mindset than it is to listen to her self-entitled bs.

[pakalolo]

I thought her use of the native American fabrics and designs was interesting without being totally, "look at me, I'm Native American!". 

 

It amuses me that she keeps referring to herself as "American Indian" and everyone else carefully uses the term "Native American" instead.

[Frisson]

Another use of that neon yellow and another instance of me not getting her design aesthetic. It looked so ugly! I couldn't believe it wasn't in the bottom while Sean's was.

[Beden]

Am I the only one who noticed that she didn't applaude and congratulate Sandhya's win last night? She sat there like she was personally insulted and in disbelief. Even Amanda managed some enthusiasm. Bitch.

Oops, my bad--I didn't mean the departed Angela--I meant the one (name forgotten, sorry) who was brought back after being booted from a previous season.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Beden

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I couldn't believe it wasn't in the bottom while Sean's was.

Her construction was better.   Other than that I was having a hard time seeing the "future" part of it, although I don't think I've ever seen drop-crotch chinos before.  I wish we could have heard her rationale for them.

Edited August 8, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[Kromm]

Am I the only one who noticed that she didn't applaude and congratulate Sandhya's win last night? She sat there like she was personally insulted and in disbelief.

As much as she comes off as a superior smirking presence in Talking Heads, I didn't really see the same in her "candid" bits. I think it's entirely possible there was some careful shot selection done to reinforce the prejudice against Sandhya we already knew she had.

Not that I'm any big fan of Sandhya either, but the thing to do is obviously be polite to people's faces, and I actually DO think that's likely what Korina did (while seemingly having no problem at all being a total bitch in Talking Heads).

[KimberStormer]

The editors really have it in for this woman!  I sure hope this pays off in some way--she'd better either start some major problems or else be eliminated on a clearly winning design (so we would be really mad, except the editing has made her out to be THE MOST HORRIBLE PERSON EVER, so we don't mind), or something.  If all this emphasis on Korina's facial expressions when others do well, etc, is just because some producer was like "we don't have enough DRAMA this season, let's character assassinate this one girl so we'll have a villain" I'll be really annoyed.

[RealityGal]

So, I guess those are tattoos on her shoulders/arms? Stitched hearts?

smelling a Helen.......remember the scissors?  Was there a heart in the mix too, I remember thinking it was all as pretentious

[TudorQueen]

Her enthusiasm for Christine's motorcycle jacket, disbelief that it could be in the bottom and strong words of support throughout the judging process have me starting to like Korina again. It seems to me that a lot of the designers - sans Hernan, who is now gone - have been able to acknowledge that they don't 'get' Sandhya's design aesthetic without going all out trash talk on Sandhya herself, and "I don't really get it" is actually legit. If Korina has found that road, I won't have the problems with her I was having earlier.

[PepperMonkey]

Late to the party because I'm just now reading Korina's thread, but as someone with American Indian heritage (my paternal grandmother was 100% Lakota), I had to quote Russell Means, my favourite American Indian activist and one of the founders of AIM (American Indian Movement):

 

   " I abhor the term Native American. It is a generic government term used to describe all the indigenous prisoners of the United States. These are the American Samoans, the Micronesians, the Aleuts, the original Hawaiians, and the erroneously termed Eskimos, who are actually Upiks and Inupiats. And, of course, the American Indian.

    I prefer the term American Indian because I know its origins . . . As an added distinction the American Indian is the only ethnic group in the United States with the American before our ethnicity . . . We were enslaved as American Indians, we were colonized as American Indians, and we will gain our freedom as American Indians, and then we will call ourselves any damn thing we choose."

Edited August 24, 2014 by PepperMonkey

[RealityGal]

Korina, following in the footsteps of Ven and Helen before her, has basically telegraphed her auf is not far off by going off on Twitter about Heidi's alleged hypocrisy in the "The Klum of Doom" challenge:

 

https://twitter.com/EmmerichNY/status/502632028291223553

 

As I said in both those prior instances (although Helen's completely drunk social media meltdown pretty much said it all): No one who is anywhere in the running lets their anger about one challenge that put them on the bottom get the best of them to the point where they lose their shit online as the season is airing. 

Korina can suck it, if she can't figure out there is a difference between a snakeskin print and using actual snakeskin, she is a moron.

[PepperMonkey]

Reality Gal! No shite, right?

It's like the difference between a cheetah or leopard print and the actual SKIN of a leopard.

Also, when I saw she's corresponding with Sam from UTG I thought, oh yeah, that explains quite a lot. I have absolutely NO respect for any of those players, with the exception of Oscar, Natalia and Shan. Well, to be fair, there might have been a couple who left early who were ok as people, but we didn't get a chance to know them so I can't really say.

Edited August 24, 2014 by PepperMonkey

[RealityGal]

Reality Gal! No shite, right?

It's like the difference between a cheetah or leopard print and the actual SKIN of a leopard.

Also, when I saw she's corresponding with Sam from UTG I thought, oh yeah, that explains quite a lot. I have absolutely NO respect for any of those players, with the exception of Oscar, Natalia and Shan. Well, to be fair, there might have been a couple who left early who were ok as people, but we didn't get a chance to know them so I can't really say.

 

She is a dummy, and now she looks like a dummy with a chip on her shoulder.  Whatever happened to people just admitting they may have made a misstep or a mistake.  Ugh, I've tried to repress all memories of that awful show.  Nobody was okay except for the people you mentioned, + Nick!

[CherryMalotte]

I do like what Sam has to say about her design here. He thinks it's gawd awful as well as the rest of the known world.  

[LexiconDevilOne]

OMG, That was hilarious...Thanks.

 

 

Korina is a jealous, untalented, bitch. Other than that stupid jacket from tonights episode, and that horrible dress (I wish they got rid of all of the bottom three), I don't remember a single thing she's presented. That's not a good thing.

Edited August 29, 2014 by LexiconDevilOne

[PepperMonkey]

You know it really was funny, except for one thing: Sam.

I'm going to preface saying this by adding this is JUST MY OPINION, but I have no respect for anything he has to say on any subject. I don't know why he thinks being a fake finalist on UTG makes anyone interested in his opinion on Project Runway. He is not without talent, but he is an ungracious child who needs to learn that just because you're young, doesn't necessarily mean you're a prodigy.

I'm on board for everyone's feelings on Korina, though.

[AZChristian]

Best thing about her so far: she resembles so many different people that it's fun to read the various descriptions of whom she reminds people. So far:

1. Lost Kardashian sister/cousin (hee!)

2. Anne Hathaway

3. Irina from season something or other

4. Gretchen from the season that began (IMHO) the implosion of this show

 

To me, she looks like a Kardashian/Carnie Wilson love child.

It's more tolerable to have her on my teevee when I adapt this mindset than it is to listen to her self-entitled bs.

 

Julia Roberts . . . I see an uncanny resemblance whenever she smiles.

[Oholibamah]

I still don't really think Korina's a bitch. I think she's socially awkward and lives by a "tell it like it is" doctrine, which is a dangerous combination. if she was truly a bitch I think we would have seen a lot more aggression from her this week instead of her awkwardly dancing around Amanda the entire episode.

 

I do, however, think she's kind of stupid. If Amanda hadn't finished her pants, Korina was sending out a model with no pants. Plain and simple. Korina simply doesn't have the skills to finish a pair of pants in 30 minutes considering she couldn't finish a basic slip dress in 6 hours the episode before.

 

She's one of those contestants who must not be adapting well to the time constraints because I really liked her rack in the casting episode. Everything she's designed since has been basic and uninspired.

[zillabreeze]

I can't decide if the dark red lipstick is her idea or the producers. Either which way, just try not to think of The Joker when she grins in the Talking Heads. Heath Ledger would be jealous.

[PepperMonkey]

She is either getting the worst edit in the history of the show or she is the most unpleasant person currently on reality TV. Her talking heads during Find Your Muse were unforgiveable.

The opinion she has of her own skills is out of whack as well.

I am beginning to fear she may win this whole thing...

Edited September 26, 2014 by PepperMonkey

[RealityGal]

She is either getting the worst edit in the history of the show or she is the most unpleasant person currently on reality TV. Her talking heads during Find Your Muse were unforgiveable.

The opinion she has of her own skills is out of whack as well.

I am beginning to fear she may win this whole thing...

 

Ugh, I agree, PR seems to be going out of their way to make her the person I hate the most, and that can only mean that she is going to win, and I will vow to not watch Season 14, and then will forget my vow around August.

 

After her whole facebook post, I think that this is just who she is.  And frankly, I'm not that impressed with her, or her outfit, I've seen a motorcycle jacket before, I will see one again, hers was cool, but nothing I want to make babies with, or in.  And even if I was impressed with her, I wouldn't be half as impressed with her as she is with herself.  

[heckkitty]

Ugh. At this point, I'd trade her for any past contestant. You know you're bad when you make me want Wendy Pepper back.

[Julia]

I kind of like Emily. I also think if one of their pets had produced the pieces she has so far the judges would have been ecstatic about them.

[TudorQueen]

I don't really like her, but I do like her designs. I think she's gotten steadily better during the competition and could peak at the perfect time. So we may possibly end up with a champion who is talented, but not likable. Kind like with Irina the Hollywood season.

[KimberStormer]

I'm going with worst edit.  Her "horribleness" has been entirely talking heads (and some mysterious interaction with Amanda we were only told about.)  She's not shy about her opinion, certainly, but neither are we, right?  It wasn't long ago that our God-given right to vicious snark was being hotly defended right here in this forum.

 

I'm honestly not a fan of her work at all, but I have no problem with Korina as a person so far.  There's neither any design talent nor any really honestly big personalities on the show this season, so they're making do by giving her an absolutely tremendous "megabitch" edit.  I would be fine with her win--one of these mediocre losers is going to win, and looking at the people left, I would honestly prefer her to almost anyone else.

[RealityGal]

I'm going with worst edit.  Her "horribleness" has been entirely talking heads (and some mysterious interaction with Amanda we were only told about.)  She's not shy about her opinion, certainly, but neither are we, right?  It wasn't long ago that our God-given right to vicious snark was being hotly defended right here in this forum.

 

I'm honestly not a fan of her work at all, but I have no problem with Korina as a person so far.  There's neither any design talent nor any really honestly big personalities on the show this season, so they're making do by giving her an absolutely tremendous "megabitch" edit.  I would be fine with her win--one of these mediocre losers is going to win, and looking at the people left, I would honestly prefer her to almost anyone else.

 

She can snark, but when you decide to viciously snark, then you shouldn't be shocked when other people have an opinion about it.  I love to snark, but I realize there is a time and place, if I decided to snark in the middle of a business meeting with a client, its probably not the right time/place, and I can expect a reaction to reflect that.  If you choose to share your snark on a camera for a reality TV show, I think you shouldn't be shocked when they use it in such a way to make the audience hate you.  You're entitled to your snark, people are entitled to not like you for it.  You can't have one side of the coin without the other.

[Julia]

I don't hate her. I think she's the girl who's not interested in playing nice with other people when there's a game to win, but for all of her rhetoric about wanting to be friends that also describes Sandhya. It probably doesn't help that they're both in their twenties.

 

Is it incredibly silly that someone who knew they had a camera pointed at them while they were talking trash about people behind their backs is all indignant about viewers thinking they're an asshole? Sure. OTOH, they seem to be able to find asshole moments for just about everyone. Even Amanda, who's apparently learned her lesson about being bitchy in talking heads from her last season, is super judgy at least once an episode, for all that she couches it as being really concerned about what a crappy job one of her competitors is doing or how socially inept they are.

 

This is just a season of bad designers and unattractive personalities, and apparently someone's decided that Korina's smug dismissiveness is going to cause buzz. They seem to be right.

[RealityGal]

I don't hate her. I think she's the girl who's not interested in playing nice with other people when there's a game to win, but for all of her rhetoric about wanting to be friends that also describes Sandhya. It probably doesn't help that they're both in their twenties.

 

Is it incredibly silly that someone who knew they had a camera pointed at them while they were talking trash about people behind their backs is all indignant about viewers thinking they're an asshole? Sure. OTOH, they seem to be able to find asshole moments for just about everyone. Even Amanda, who's apparently learned her lesson about being bitchy in talking heads from her last season, is super judgy at least once an episode, for all that she couches it as being really concerned about what a crappy job one of her competitors is doing or how socially inept they are.

 

This is just a season of bad designers and unattractive personalities, and apparently someone's decided that Korina's smug dismissiveness is going to cause buzz. They seem to be right.

 

They do, but how many contestants go out of their way to get upset with the viewing audience for what they feel is an unfair edit?  

 

If everyone had asshole moments and they chose to air yours, so that people have a strong reaction, thats on the producers, so go cop an attitude with them.  Or better yet, don't behave like an asshole on a show, where there is a villain every.....single......year.  Because behaving like a jerk, on a show where there is a villain every year, only means that you have a greater chance of being highlighted as the villain.

 

Will agree though, that this season has been a letdown.  I can't blame time constraints anymore, because even with two day challenges, the work being put out isn't on par with previous seasons where two day challenges were the norm.

Edited September 28, 2014 by RealityGal

[Beden]

 

So we may possibly end up with a champion who is talented, but not likable.

With respect, I have to disagree here. I find her to be a one trick pony. She makes a good motorcycle jacket but when asked to design a gown she had a double fail and a big one. After the initial walk through her garment sucked so badly that she was told to get more fabric and start over. She basically bought the same fabric (or damn close to it) and came up with a hot mess, complaining that she'd never made a gown or some such. Tough. She had to have known what she was getting herself into with PR--varied challenges from gowns to day wear to men's to makeovers to seriously weird shit made out of used gum and beer bottles. Her garments under the jackets are meh...

 

She not all that, no matter what her edit is and is benefiting from a weak field, IMO.

[TudorQueen]

Quite respectful, Beden, and you make some excellent points. I'd nearly forgotten her travesty of a red carpet  gown for Heidi.  And I'd never call her one of the greatest PR designers, you're right that she benefits from a weak field (which leads me to wonder what happened to the various audition racks and portfolios I once thought so very promising?). 

 

I did love her jacket this week (yes, it was a motorcycle jacket, but it had flair and style and good construction), and the long Russian-ish coat for which she won another challenge. Her strength is outerwear. But I also loved her American Girl outfit, even though the last minute finish left some construction issues. But those were far less dominant than I thought they would be, and the outfit (including hat, which I loved as much as the young model) was charmingly successful.

 

I'd rather see Kini win, or a more consistent Emily, or someone who lost in another season but was wonderful, but I do think most of Korina's best work has been done later in the season, which means she's blooming at the right time.

[Beden]

Either that or she's just more comfortable with the later challenges. I'd be interested in seeing another gown challenge and see what she does with it.

[ShellSeeker]

What did she say in her Facebook post?I looked but couldn't find anything.

[RealityGal]

What did she say in her Facebook post?I looked but couldn't find anything.

I think its in the Shandaya topic.

[ShellSeeker]

After her whole facebook post, I think that this is just who she is.  And frankly, I'm not that impressed with her, or her outfit, I've seen a motorcycle jacket before, I will see one again, hers was cool, but nothing I want to make babies with, or in.  And even if I was impressed with her, I wouldn't be half as impressed with her as she is with herself.  

 

 

Found that Facebook post in the Sandhya topic -- thank you! She seems to have a stunning capacity for self-delusion. What got me in the last episode was how she was so unkindly saying that the reason Char always does peplums is because they're easy and she doesn't know how to do anything else. Nice way to talk about a so-called good friend. Then, she turns around and makes yet another motorcycle jacket and said she'd chosen to do that because she's made so many of them that they're easy for her to do and she didn't have to really think about it. So....weren't you pretty much saying that you always make motorcycle jackets because they're easy and you don't know how to do anything else?

[Frost]

Good riddance!  What an unpleasant person.  Her sulking and pouting and disbelief at being in danger of being sent home when she's so utterly brilliant had my eyes rolling so hard I looked like Karina!

[CathinAZ]

I don't think I ever before applauded and yelled "yes" out loud at the tv when a designer was sent home - but I sure did tonight when korina was let go. She has been unlikeable all season long to me, not for her design or sewing ability, but for the sour, self-important and condescending attitude she has to the other designers.

Maybe the producers were editing the footage they shot to make look like a nasty bitch, but they didn't make her say all those mean, passive-aggressive statements degrading other people. She has no class! And the way she deals with stress, as we saw in the workroom during that "sudden death" finale situation was very telling. She was very vocal, very negative, and directing all comment to insult others. What a peach!

[PepperMonkey]

You know, the interesting thing is, I did really like her fashion week collection, so I keep wondering, why in the hell did she not do any of that type of thing on the show?

 

It was derivative... lots of leather and colour blocking... we've all seen that before, but out of this pool of talent, it was one of the best collections.

[LexiconDevilOne]

This time tomorrow..."Korina who?"...

[jackjill89]

What a horrible, horrible, entitled woman. Wow. Way to show the world what a petty person and sore loser you are.