S13.E15: Season 13 Reunion

[yeswedo]

 

The season's designers take care of unfinished business and reflect on the harsh things they said about each other.

 

[Broderbits]

Can this please be the last we see of Korina? I just don't believe her tears and "poor me" attitude; she doesn't have enough talent to pull this off.

[terrymct]

Can this please be the last we see of Korina? I just don't believe her tears and "poor me" attitude; she doesn't have enough talent to pull this off.

OMG, yes. Too much of her in the reunion and all I took away is that she's nuts. That rack she has at Lord and Taylor? I don't believe it's more than one display in one store. I did think it was terrible that she's getting hate mail, though. No one on one of these shows deserves that.

It's amazing that I forgot some of those designers so quickly.

Edited October 31, 2014 by terrymct

[AuntieDiane6]

 

I did think it was terrible that she's getting hate mail, though. No one on one of these shows deserves that.

 

True.  At the same time, I question that.  The show's popularity waned a LONG time ago and only diehard fans are still watching. 

[backgroundnoise]

If Tim really respects the designers as much as he keeps saying, he needs to stop shoveling on the BS.

 

Too much of Char.  Enough already.

[TheWereCow]

Char ceded all of the moral high ground she was occupying in this episode. Neither she nor Korina came off well, but I feel for Korina. Fans be nuts.

[dialyn]

 

I did think it was terrible that she's getting hate mail, though. No one on one of these shows deserves that.

There are some people who apparently have all the time in the world to send hateful messages out to other people. The Internet has a lot of mean-spirited people who seem to think that being anonymous means you can say anything you want, no matter how cruel or vicious, and, if it's not true, so much the better.  Lately I've tried to remind myself that when someone tosses mud at another person, that says more about the person throwing the mud than it does their target.  Korina made herself an easy target, it's true, but the hate mail isn't really about her but about the people who wrote it.

[MrHufflepuff]

I was sort of feeling for Korina until they started talking about how her and Char were besties for the first part of the season.  It's classless to throw a tantrum and attack your fellow competitors when you lose a competition, but to do that to your friend?  That just makes her behavior towards Char during that episode all the worse.

 

Korina could have limited herself to expressing frustration with the competition or the producer manipulation without making those remarks about Char.   Yeah, I don't really feel for her at all.

 

ETA:  But nobody should be getting hate mail, so I feel for her on that.

Edited October 31, 2014 by MrHufflepuff

[Broderbits]

True, no one deserves hate from strangers. But many of us in real life have problems just as bad or worse, and don't take it out on anyone in our path, much less a "friend". I don't know what it'll take for Korina to grow up and find better ways to deal with her troubles. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

[RedheadZombie]

I disliked Korina - strongly!  But she seemed sincerely regretful for her actions, and I certainly don't need to see her beaten down anymore.  I understood Char's stubbornness about refusing to accept her apology (which she had every right to do), but I also saw Char's part in a little mean girling herself.  I'm always very uncomfortable on this show when a self-taught designer is criticized endlessly - they're not good enough, they're not on my level, etc.  It always strays a little into elitism, in my opinion.

 

I think Sandhya either has difficulty picking up on social cues, or maybe experienced some culture clash with the group, which caused a lot of misunderstanding from both sides.  I didn't enjoy her and was happy to see her eliminated, but I don't believe all of this was only in her head.

[rustyspigot]

Tim was in full on damage control. And Korina was her usual joyful self (when she got a bit of praise). I gave Amanda a lot of shit, but she would be the only one I would want to hang out with and hear about her pioneer heritage in this group along with Fade.

[Primetimer]

Char and Korina hug it out, Hernan chugs champers, and more from the Project Runway reunion.

Read the story

[stanleyk]

I think Sandhya either has difficulty picking up on social cues, or maybe experienced some culture clash with the group, which caused a lot of misunderstanding from both sides.  I didn't enjoy her and was happy to see her eliminated, but I don't believe all of this was only in her head.

 

 

I was totally baffled by what was going on in that segment. Sandhya barely got any words out before Emily was yelling at her for some shit at Fashion Week and then everyone was yelling and I didn't know what the hell was happening. At a baseline, I'm not sure why everyone got so exercised about Sandhya thinking they didn't like her that they felt they need to shout her down. And I thought it was totally shitty of Tim to then pile on and tell Sandhya that there was no justification for her feelings. Based on what we were shown during the season, she WAS pretty ostracized from the group, and that didn't seem to be just because the other designers didn't respect her work.

 

I was never fully on board the Char train - I felt like everyone kept saying what an awesome person she was, but I never really saw it on the screen - but after her performance on the reunion, I'm definitely not feeling her.

 

And I really am sick of how up his own ass Tim has gotten.

 

And I thought Emily yelling at Sandhya was not reflective of the kinder personality we saw on the show, so that colored my view of her.

 

And I felt a tiny bit bad for Korina, but then she kept going on about how it was so "unfair" that people wouldn't accept her apologies when she was trying to be better. Yeah, sweetie, those are called the consequences of your behavior. Sometimes people won't accept your apologies, and you have to learn to live with that. No one is obligated to help you be a better person.

 

So I don't know why I'm still watching this crap. I didn't like any of the designers, the clothes are crap, the judges are annoying, and it's hard to remember that time when everyone thought Tim was The Best.

[bourbon]

 

And I thought it was totally shitty of Tim to then pile on and tell Sandhya that there was no justification for her feelings. Based on what we were shown during the season, she WAS pretty ostracized from the group, and that didn't seem to be just because the other designers didn't respect her work.

So much of this. If a person thinks they're being ostracized, it's because...they probably are. It just felt incredibly disingenuous for everyone to pipe up with the "But we loooove yoooou, Sandhya!" Horseshit.  And then Tim's reaction just made it worse. Pointing out that Sandhya might have had more support than she realized would've been fine, but telling someone that their feelings are unjustified (especially when they kind of weren't) is pretty shitty. It all felt, as Sandhya pointed out, very high school with Tim playing the indifferent guidance counselor who can't wait to get the problem child out of his office by saying, "But the cool kids really DO like you!"

[Straycat80]

I'm Still scratching my head about Tim saying this was the best season. Really? To me it was boring and so many designers were untalented. It paled compared to earlier seasons.

At first I thought Korina was trying to be the victim by crying and whining that Char would not accept her apology. But then I realized she really was sorry and I'm glad Char finally accepted. And it sounded like they had been good friends in the beginning.

Nobody deserves to get death threats just for being bitchy on a TV show.

[RedheadZombie]

Forgive my language, but when Tim introduced the last three designers, I said aloud, "who the fuck are they?"

[izabella]

I was disappointed that we didn't get to talk to Fade much.  If he hadn't been Amanda's confidante about phony-gate, we might not have seen him at all since he wasn't involved in any drama.

[Vicky]

Very disappointed during the Sandhya discussion. Amanda had to call time-out to get everyone's attention to remind Sandhya that Emily really did stick up for Sandhya in every single conversation...which proves the point that Sandhya was trying to make, right? As others mentioned, it was sad to see Tim Gunn joining in.

Wasn't it just moments earlier that Amanda said that if you're going to insult someone you don't then get to criticize how they deal with it? That's exactly what that whole segment was about. Ugliness.

[SSAHotchner]

I wasn't going to watch this, but then my sister was over and I just left the channel on. Anyway, I thought the whole thing was BS. Most of them were mean to each other at various times. I didn't care for Sandhya's designs, but everyone pretty much had something bad to say about her work and nobody was kind to her. Korina did behave like a raving lunatic toward the end, and she was pretty bitchy from the get-go, but Char was no innocent. And Char's work was pretty bad. She didn't deserve the save and she most definitely did not deserve to go to fashion week. I watch this show to see the clothes, but the producers seem more intent on giving us drama between the contestants and not allowing them to have the time to construct great designs. This whole season was kind of a pile of crap. Not sure I'll watch if there is another season. I think Tim is losing it. Time for him to retire.

[backgroundnoise]

That's exactly what that whole segment was about. Ugliness.

The whole show was about ugliness.  The endless Char/Korina drama was like picking a scab.  And then picking it again.

 

I guess given the 1 day challenges, the designers just don't have time to do anything that would give the show funny or at least interesting outtakes.  Thus, the endless rehashing of Every. Single. Conflict. 

[bloodstar]

I am so frustrated with some of you folks that I've actually signed up on the website so I can do some serious yelling. :)

 

Korina was one of the top three designers on that season. You can call her a mean girl, call her whatever names you want, but her outrage at Char's repeated Tim Gunn saves really rankled her, so she lost her cool. First Tim brings Char back, ok, fine, Then Char is given extra time to fix a poorly sewn in zipper, anyone else, and Tim would have yelled at them and told them that time is up! Sure The other designers agreed to give her more time, but Tim basically put them on the spot and railroaded the group. And then, to add insult to injury, Char serves up a cup of hot mess, and instead of just chopping her for a subpar design, they pit her against Korina, who had the better design, had placed better the previous challenges, and had over all out performed Char on every level, in a one hour fashion off.

Yep, Korina lost her composure, and she lost because she let her emotions get the better of her. Honestly, I think Korina could have sent down the perfect dress and she would have still lost to Char. I don't like saying the fix is in, But im this case, I think the producers had a hand in keeping Char in the competition.

 

And if you don't think Korina felt utterly awful about how she acted, then you really have no empathy, because it was obvious that she absolutely devastated but how things unfolded. And it was just as obvious that she realized after the fact that, even if she was the better designer, she was wrong to react like she did.

Then throw that Korina actually liked Char, and felt that she had let her friend down and really hurt someone she cared about because of how she acted, and yeah, I'm more than willing to cut Korina some slack.

 

I've got plenty more to add, but I will save that for another time.

[stanleyk]

Very disappointed during the Sandhya discussion. Amanda had to call time-out to get everyone's attention to remind Sandhya that Emily really did stick up for Sandhya in every single conversation...which proves the point that Sandhya was trying to make, right? 

 

Great point - I hadn't put that together. Against what was Emily constantly having to defend Sandhya if the others loved her soooo much? Her perception that she was disliked by the majority can't have been too far off if there were multiple conversations which required her to have a champion.

 

But I'm not even sure what to make of the segment since no one would let Sandhya get a word in. It seemed like she what she was starting to say was that during Fashion Week, she kept getting asked in interviews why everyone hated her, and the constant barrage of that message got her down and not wanting to associate with the other designers, even her former champion Emily. Literally all I heard was Sandhya say to Emily, "You were the last one to stand up for me..." and then all of a sudden everyone was screaming and Amanda was "correcting" Sandhya that Emily always stood up for her...which isn't that what Sandhya said?

 

So confusing. It doesn't really matter (of course it doesn't: we're discussing an over-the-hill reality competition show about clothes), but the tone directed at Sandhya seemed vitriolic to me, both during the season and at the reunion. So it was pretty rich of both Tim and the other designers to profess to "love" her. And as you say, Amanda was right when she said you don't get to shit on someone and then be mad that they're hurt - too bad she didn't apply it to the Sandhya situation as well. 

 

Though in that vein, I think my favorite part of Korina's defense of Korina was to Char about the shit-talking she did: "But it wasn't about you! It was just about the clothes that you made and how those were terrible and how you have no talent at this thing that you love to do and have chosen as your life's work! See! Nothing personal! Now give me a hug so I can heal!" 

[sinkwriter]

 

I was sort of feeling for Korina until they started talking about how her and Char were besties for the first part of the season.

 

I don't think anyone should get death threats so I was feeling for her too. But having the rest of them talk about how "thick as thieves" Korina and Char were in the beginning just made Korina's behavior all the worse. You would treat your "best friend" like that, telling her she was not a designer you respected, asking everyone if they "called it" that Korina would go home before Char, saying you can't believe you're going home instead of Char, talking about her so viciously and disrespectfully like her feelings don't matter and then saying "I'm only talking about you as a designer, not as a person" as if that makes up for it somehow? She is clueless. I'm not sure she deserved her apology to be accepted, no matter how many times she may have asked for it to be. If she can't see why her behavior was messed up and awful and even worse that she treated a good friend that way... wow.

 

Korina, if you really want to see how a friend talks about how he wanted to win while at the same time not denigrating the friend who did win instead of you, see: Kini's answer when Tim asked him if he thought he should have won. He was respectful, he never slammed Sean, he talked more about how everyone wants to win, and they come to the competition hoping they do win. He never got vicious or denigrated the work Sean did in order to say "yeah, I wish I'd won. I worked hard and really wanted to win."

 

I'm glad Char owned up to her own poor behavior, though, and how she and Amanda both talked about how they learned a little something when they were in each other's shoes. That was interesting to hear about.

 

In other news, I adore Fade.

 

Literally all I heard was Sandhya say to Emily, "You were the last one to stand up for me..." and then all of a sudden everyone was screaming and Amanda was "correcting" Sandhya that Emily always stood up for her...which isn't that what Sandhya said?

 

No, I was really confused by that whole segment. Because Sandhya saying "You were the last one to stand up for me" means you didn't stand up for me at all until the end. You were the last one, and it took you that long to stand up for me. Which didn't seem like the case at all, which is why Amanda and Emily were disagreeing so hard, because everything I saw in the entire season was Emily always standing up for or comforting Sandhya. So I don't know why she said that about Emily. If I were Emily I would have been upset too. 

The other designers saying "We looooove you" was total bullshit though. And to have Korina say it was especially annoying, given how mean she'd been.

[pigs-in-space]

That was an awful lot about Char.  I think we heard more from her than Sean!  Although to be fair, I watched last week and still couldn't remember who won until they reminded us on the show.  That's how forgettable the fashion week shows were.

 

The format was a little weird, keeping some people backstage, then bringing them out in groups.  I understand it kept the show more streamlined, but could they have at least put the other people on couches as they came out, so they weren't awkwardly perched behind everyone else?

[stanleyk]

Because Sandhya saying "You were the last one to stand up for me" means you didn't stand up for me at all until the end.

 

 

See, I took that to mean that Emily was the last one LEFT, like other people had been on Sandhya's side before, but only Emily stuck to it till the end and was her last remaining friend. So when Emily blew up it made no sense to me, but I suppose if she understood what Sandhya was saying as you did, perhaps that's it. Maybe it was a language issue, and maybe that points to some reason behind Sandhya's difficulties with the other designers throughout.

[sinkwriter]

Yeah, I agree, stanleyk. I think Sandhya may not have realized that she was saying it backwards and that's why Emily got upset (because Emily heard it the way I did). Sometimes even what we think is the simplest expression may be misunderstood or said incorrectly by someone who comes from another country. I had to train a few guys from India who were taking over my job, and at one point I had to explain to one of them what I meant when I said "see ya, take it easy" some nights as they were leaving. It hadn't even occurred to me that they might not know what I meant until the guy asked me. It took me a moment to explain because I was so surprised (mainly because they were young and tech savvy so I assumed incorrectly that they might be very familiar with U.S. slang expressions just from being online a lot). I was all, "uh, yeah, 'take it easy,' you know, it means 'have a good night, go home and relax and don't worry about trying to memorize everything I taught you today. Just take it easy this evening." After that, every night he would tell me to take it easy. LOL.

[LotusFlower]

And if you don't think Korina felt utterly awful about how she acted, then you really have no empathy, because it was obvious that she absolutely devastated but how things unfolded. And it was just as obvious that she realized after the fact that, even if she was the better designer, she was wrong to react like she did.

Well, to paraphrase Amanda, I don't think it's ok to tell others how to feel about Korina. I didn't buy her act at all, so my "empathy" was reserved for Char. If you feel Korina showed regret and felt "devastated" by how things unfolded, that's certainly your prerogative, but it wasn't what I saw, and it certainly wasn't obvious.

Here's how she expressed her remorse: "I acted like a lunatic, and I'm sorry about how I reacted, and I told you that, and you didn't want to accept my apology." Mind you, she said this completely on the defensive, and then she continued to defend herself, and then proceeded to turn the whole thing around, tears included, and make herself the victim! In other words, she didn't go to the reunion seeing how she came across on the show, feeling bad about it, and intending to apologize to Char. Instead it was the usual drama queen self-pity she displayed when she was eliminated. Not only did I not see any remorse, she made it so practically everyone instead felt sorry for her!

[bobbyjoe]

Yeah, the only time I'm gonna buy that drama like the Korina/Char thing isn't cooked up by the producers is when there's a situation like this that doesn't follow the same "pick at each other/cry/apologize/hug" scenario.  Gosh, never seen that before, uh huh.  Admittedly, Korina's version of the tried-and-true villain weepy redemption narrative was more over-the-top than usual, but I'm guessing even that's producer strategy,  since less people watch the show these days and they have to provide at least some reason to get anyone to watch these dreadful reunion shows.  I don't think the whole show is rigged-- though I think that day may well be coming, as the depths PR is sinking to gets more shameful each season-- but I do think the producers influence and push these phony-baloney feuds, and Korina's stomping about seems about as genuine to me as the show pretending like there's some need to bring Kate Pankoke back for a third try.

[GaT]

Oh Korina, reality show regret is a bitch, isn't it? I think the only reason she acted so apologetic is that when the show aired & she started reading the comments people posted about her, she realized how badly she came off & decided to use the "poor me, I'm so sorry" routine to mend her image.

[LotusFlower]

Though in that vein, I think my favorite part of Korina's defense of Korina was to Char about the shit-talking she did: "But it wasn't about you! It was just about the clothes that you made and how those were terrible and how you have no talent at this thing that you love to do and have chosen as your life's work! See! Nothing personal! Now give me a hug so I can heal!"

I love this paragraph! You nailed it.

[HyeChaps]

That was a total set up when Tim got Korina to talk about her little successful endeavor.

[millennium]

Was Korina wearing one of her own designs?  There was a moment in a flashback when it looked as though the garment Korina was running through the sewing machine was the very top she had on at the reunion show.

 

I have a feeling Korina was worn down/scared by the anonymous internet hatred.  That, rather than true remorse, may be why she tried to rehabilitate her image tonight.

 

As demonstrated by the flashbacks, many of the people at the reunion ought to be ashamed of things they said over the course of the season.   Ain't nobody on that set casting the first stone.

[slothgirl]

Amanda had to call time-out to get everyone's attention to remind Sandhya that Emily really did stick up for Sandhya in every single conversation...which proves the point that Sandhya was trying to make, right?

Wasn't it just moments earlier that Amanda said that if you're going to insult someone you don't then get to criticize how they deal with it? That's exactly what that whole segment was about. Ugliness.

 

Ironic, no?

 

As some other posters have suggested, I actually think maybe everyone misunderstood what Sandya had just said. When she said (I'm paraphrasing) "you were the last person to support me" (or whatever) I heard that as "Even after everyone else turned on me, you were the last person still standing up for me".

 

But Emily and everyone heard "You were the last person I could expect any support from" (meaning: "I could expect it from everyone BUT you"). Everyone jumped down her throat so fast, I didn't even get a chance to fully interpret her words myself, and I was just a "casual bystander" to the scene without any emotional kneejerk reactions going on (since it's just a tv show). After that it disintegrated so fast, who knows what Sandaya had actually wanted to say to Emily or to everyone else. But wow, she got invalidated as fast as possible (Of course, the whole show felt like damage control)

 

So when Korina says that Char isn't a good designer, Char is justified in feeling that it is personal comment and not "just about the clothes", then reject all attempts at apology while we milk the reunion drama for all the topic is worth. But when almost EVERYONE says that about Sandya's designs, she shouldn't take it personally and (despite what Amanda said about her OWN reactions) everyone DOES get to criticize how she should react.

 

OWW! My eyes just rolled so far back in my head, I may not be able to get them back!

Edited October 31, 2014 by slothgirl

[SnarkKitty]

Yep, Korina lost her composure, and she lost because she let her emotions get the better of her. Honestly, I think Korina could have sent down the perfect dress and she would have still lost to Char. I don't like saying the fix is in, But im this case, I think the producers had a hand in keeping Char in the competition.

 

 

And if you don't think Korina felt utterly awful about how she acted, then you really have no empathy, because it was obvious that she absolutely devastated but how things unfolded.

 

 

Then I guess I have no empathy.

 

What I saw was someone crying because she didn't like the way SHE was treated because of the behavior SHE exhibited. And it would be neat to wrap it up in her frustration to losing to Char, but no, Korina was a perpetual bitch from go - even in her introductory video. For whichever designer said "if only people really knew her they'd love her," then maybe she should have brought that Korina. Cause the one who showed up? Wasn't very lovable. She was jealous and petty and petulant and any comment besides "You're the bestest ever!" sent her into a jealous seethe.

 

I'll go further and say the only reason I think she even cared to apologize was because she had gotten something good (the L&T display and the Mary Kay gig) and was thus fine with apologizing. If not for that, no, I don't think so. Even she said "Oh it wasn't worth it at first, but then I got (that) and (that) and then it was."

 

Beyond that - I also liked how both Char and Amanda got the others' perspective, and I knew with all the wailing Char would eventually break and accept the apology.

 

BTW, were there other designers on the show? *sarcasm alert*

[kleebee]

'I think of "bitch" as a term of endearment.' Ugh, Tim. I think that was the straw that broke my back.

[RealityGal]

Can this please be the last we see of Korina? I just don't believe her tears and "poor me" attitude; she doesn't have enough talent to pull this off.

Thank you for saying this, I'm watching right now and I'm feeling like a monster for feeling the exact same way you do.  My eyes almost rolled out of my head.  Although I will say that telling someone to kill themselves is way extreme, I certainly hope that was an exaggeration or misrepresentation.  

Edited October 31, 2014 by RealityGal

[RealityGal]

I disliked Korina - strongly!  But she seemed sincerely regretful for her actions, and I certainly don't need to see her beaten down anymore.  I understood Char's stubbornness about refusing to accept her apology (which she had every right to do), but I also saw Char's part in a little mean girling herself.  I'm always very uncomfortable on this show when a self-taught designer is criticized endlessly - they're not good enough, they're not on my level, etc.  It always strays a little into elitism, in my opinion.

Thats the thing, an apology is just that, an apology, it doesn't come with a promise that the person has to accept it.  You should apologize because you feel bad and the apology reflects what you feel.  If someone doesn't accept your apology, that sucks, but they don't owe you to accept it if they don't want to.  The apology starts to feel insincere if you were just doing it so someone would accept it and forgive you.

 

I agree with you about the easy path towards elitism on a show like PR and Top Chef.  Although there are successful designers that haven't gone to design school.  Versace studied architecture, so there is at least one.

And now I'm hoping we discuss Carrie's unfortunate eyebrow choices at some point in this reunion.

[RealityCowgirl]

All this reunion did for was remind me how much I want this pack of delusional, no-talent, mean girl hacks to get and remain off my screen forever. Oh, and how far Tim Gunn's own words and actions have destroyed any esteem I had for him.

What a disgrace, all around.

[RealityGal]

My goodness, I totally forget Samantha even existed!  How fitting that she appeared only by letter.

bhahahaha, Korina and Mary Kay present New York City makeovers!  You too can look like you've had your makeup spackled on, and unfortunate harsh colors on your eyes and lips!  Next up, Wet n' Wild and Carrie present eyebrow tutorials for the everyday girl.

[Malbec]

The messages Korina described getting are inexcusable.  But they're also a completely separate issue from the stuff Char wanted to address.  Char wasn't the one sending those messages, so invoking them as a reason why she needed to accept Korina's apology RIGHT NOW just came off as manipulative.  I thought Korina's crying jag boxed Char into the position of either a) continuing to press her actual problems with Korina and looking heartless or b) dropping it so Korina would stop crying.  IMHO Char showed more graciousness than she needed to.

 

So much of this. If a person thinks they're being ostracized, it's because...they probably are. It just felt incredibly disingenuous for everyone to pipe up with the "But we loooove yoooou, Sandhya!" Horseshit.  And then Tim's reaction just made it worse. Pointing out that Sandhya might have had more support than she realized would've been fine, but telling someone that their feelings are unjustified (especially when they kind of weren't) is pretty shitty. It all felt, as Sandhya pointed out, very high school with Tim playing the indifferent guidance counselor who can't wait to get the problem child out of his office by saying, "But the cool kids really DO like you!"

 

That segment was incredibly messed up.  I have no idea what was edited out (especially going from zero to Emily!rage in only a few seconds), but what was presented just looked like Sandhya was subjected to one of the most obvious instances of gaslighting I've seen on TV in a long time. The way Tim led the group in telling Sandhya her perceptions were completely wrong and everybody actually LIKED her all along was just creepy.  It was like watching a dysfunctional family close ranks against a family member who tries to point out the dysfunction.

 

I've gone back and forth on Sandhya throughout the season, but if that segment was intended to convince me that she was The Problem all along... it kinda backfired.

 

What I did like: hearing about Kini's plus-size collection, hearing from Angela who seems to be in a better place now, Samantha's letter.

[terrymct]

So, I did some thinking about Amanda.   Early in the season I couldn't stand her, neither her attitude nor her designs.  Overtime, I grew to just hate her designs and "strong viewpoint".  I looked at a couple of early episodes and I think I know the reason.   In the reunion, she said she came into the new season determined to show confidence.   I think that was the issue in the first few episodes, her putting on a confident face made her seem haughty or something.  Part way through the season, she let her guard down.  She still designed profoundly ugly and unflattering clothes, but she was more interesting and genuine.

 

 

So much of this. If a person thinks they're being ostracized, it's because...they probably are. It just felt incredibly disingenuous for everyone to pipe up with the "But we loooove yoooou, Sandhya!" Horseshit.  And then Tim's reaction just made it worse. Pointing out that Sandhya might have had more support than she realized would've been fine, but telling someone that their feelings are unjustified (especially when they kind of weren't) is pretty shitty. It all felt, as Sandhya pointed out, very high school with Tim playing the indifferent guidance counselor who can't wait to get the problem child out of his office by saying, "But the cool kids really DO like you!"

 

 

Especially when they showed a clip of three of the designers talking about her and laughing when she was sitting within earshot at another sewing machine.   They weren't discussing the finer points of her design.   It was mean girl s$%t.

Edited October 31, 2014 by terrymct

[joelene]

My goodness, I totally forget Samantha even existed! How fitting that she appeared only by letter.

You beat me to the punch! I laughed when that happened.

I also think that Emily and the gang totally misunderstood what Sandhya meant and I'm sad that she never got the opportunity to express what she actually meant. Hopefully she got the chance to express that after the show or in an unaired segment.

I've grown to love Amanda. I wanna have drinks with her.

[Mr Zizzy]

I think there were only two genuine moments on the show:

#1 Kini's response to Tim Gunn's question if he should have won

#2 Amanda's "Oh I get it now" reaction to how she was treated, when she had similar feelings about Char after the Tim Gunn Save.

How we know the whole thing is a sham: The obvious canned applause. That was way too much clapping for the handful of people we saw clapping whenever they went to commercial break.

[Madding crowd]

When I saw the clips of Sandyha, I saw a bunch of designers joking and talking and Sandyha being completely silent. It is hard to fit in a group if you don't contribute. I'm guessing it was because she either didn't catch the cultural context or slang or perhaps they talked too fast for her to follow.

Throughout the season I saw zero examples of her trying to fit in. It's not really anyone's fault. And her clothes were very odd, so I wasn't surprised to hear people didn't like them.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Madding crowd

[terrymct]

#1 Kini's response to Tim Gunn's question if he should have won

 

Kini's answer was honest and thoughtful.   Very refreshing.   He showed respect for Sean, but clearly discussed his desire and competitive spirit.   Very well done.

[tobeannounced]

Poor Sean, I really felt bad that his big moment was pretty much glossed over so the show could get to the drama.  It also would have been really nice to see the lighthearted things that happened during filming like they've done in the past.  

 

Re Korina, I think she's sorry because she got called out on her shitty behavior for the first time in her life in a very public way.  Time will tell if she's really sorry and changes her behavior going forward.  Like I always tell my kids, words are cheap.  If you're really sorry, you change your behavior.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Korina's entire attitude can be summed up by what she said when she was eliminated and talking shit about Char who then got upset. "This isn't about YOU, Char!" Everything is always about Korina. She came into the room, talked shit about Char, then had the nerve to tell Char not to get upset that she was talking shit about her. Her apology was in the same vein. How dare you not accept my apology?!

 

As for poor Sandhya, if she thought she was being picked on and ostracized while she was participating in the show, how much more do you think she has been convinced of that after watching the show and seeing all the other mean things the designers said about her? And to have Tim Gunn tell her that her feelings were wrong? Not to get all hippie dippy, but you are always entitled to feel however you feel. No one should tell you that you can't or shouldn't feel whatever it is you are feeling. To quote J.D. on Scrubs, "LET ME FEEL MY FEELINGS!" But it's just ridiculous that any of them, let alone all of them, could all coo, "But we looooooove you, Sandhya!" after seeing all the footage of the things they said about her. You guys do remember that there were cameras filming what you said and that stuff got aired on television, right?

 

The parallels between the way Korina treated Char and the way just about everyone else treated Sandhya is remarkable. "Char/Sandhya is a horrible no-talent hack who sucks more than any suck has ever sucked! Geez, why is Char/Sandhya so upset that I said she's the worst designer ever and doesn't deserve to be here and I have absolutely no respect for the piles of turd she calls fashion?" Interesting how differently they were treated though. Everyone seemed to sympathize with Char being attacked by Korina but Sandhya was made to seem like she was crazy paranoid child with a persecution complex who just happened to misinterpret everything that was said and done.

[Day2Day]

Maybe for the next season, they should replace Tim with a psychologist/relationship expert.  I've had it with all the personal conflict and want to see more about truly talented designers who aren't teetering on the emotional edge in a staged reality program. For an industry that can be sooooo demanding and critical, the contestants often demonstrate such fragile egos. Its embarrassing to see such weepy whiney women who can turn on the tears when the camera comes in for a close-up. Graduates of the Nancy Kerrigan School of Design...

  Its a competition, you're gonna take a few jabs!!!

 

In closing..... YUP!!!! Stick his tongue out and go off and take a nap. Glad its over!

[backgroundnoise]

I was further disappointed by Tim's selective statements about how "many fans" agreed with his using the Save on Char.  What a skewed interpretation.  Even just going by the posting on the Lifetime website, to me it seemed the majority (if not the vast majority) were not in favor.  Also the "spontaneous" clips of Tim talking to NY fans (a PR first!). 

 

It was also telling to me how Char kept saying that her talent wasn't shown yet, or however she phrased it.  She had more than 10 challenges and a FW collection to show her stuff.  If it wasn't shown, it doesn't exist (at least in this setting) and the PR audience shouldn't be palmed off with questionable future potential as justification.   All above just MHO.

[eurekagirl mOo]

I'm still trying to figure out Korinas remark that Chars clothes are ugly but apparently they made themselves because it"s not "personal". Huh?

I'm not impressed with this season but I swear it would be 100% better is they had 2 or 3 days to design and show. Quality takes time people!

I'm not a bit surprised a gay man who has lived in NYC and been in fashion his entire adult life is a tad bitchy. Why are we surprised? I still think he's a lovely man but he's not perfect-he can be nasty at times. So can I. So can everyone

. Runway needs to watch the just finished season of Face Off and see how a reality show can have class and grace and talent.