S14.E05: Gunn And Heid

[Calamity Jane]

Didn't each team leader only pick one person, and then each other picked the one after them? 

Yes, which is not really "schoolyard pick."  I think Candice chose Amanda to use as the scapegoat, then the rest of them just chose without any thought other than who's my bestie. 

[Bosman]

Candice = Gretchen 2.0. And as she actually lives in San Francisco, she should have known better than to try to sell the ridiculous story that their collection was for an SF woman.

[phantom]

So, teachers learn how recycle and reuse anything they can, even year to year.  So it occurred to me that perhaps this season is "clear out the closet" time for the show - haul out all the bolts of leftover fabrics from previous seasons and force this year's competitors to help use them up.  They've been to Mood how many times?  Once?  Something hinky going on here. 

 

I don't care if it's hinky, subversive or downright producer interference. I love that we get color, color, and more color with these challenges that provide the fabric rather than contestants picking their own. We've seen a zillion seasons of black, gray and brown, but this year have been treated to a freakin' rainbow! Sure, some of the designs still suck, but it at least looks more joyful than the umpteenth "take" on the little black dress. My DVR cut off before the auf was announced, and I didn't even look it up until I came to this forum the day after. That's how little I am invested anymore. I may start fast-forwarding to the runway show from now on and just skip all the workroom shenanigans and awkward product placements from here on out.

[Rhetorica]

Swapnil's eyes do stand out, but I prefer him without the gray contacts.

Well crap, I thought they were real. I also remember Heidi saying they were his real color. I guess that may have been in my dream where she introduced us and then.....

Never mind

[Calamity Jane]

I had a student last year whose family had recently immigrated from Punjab, who had Swapnil's coloring and astonishing eyes. His eye color was natural, however.   Kinda sad that Swapnil's look is from contacts because I was just assuming he shared my student's combination of darker skin and light eyes.  Looks aside, Swapnil is my favorite designer, and I am hoping for a Dmitry-style win.

[Empress1]

I dated an Indian man who had Swapnil's coloring and I'm trying to picture him with gray eyes. He had huge brown eyes.

 

I mean, real talk: Swapnil could get it with or without the contacts. I think he's handsome, funny, smart, and talented. I just think I like his brown eyes better though. Call me, Swapnil! You too, Edmond! Y'all can design the dresses I wear on our dates.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Never Mind The Pollocks / A team challenge gets messy thanks to paintball and mean-girling.

[Rahul]

Someone mentioned in a previous thread that the runway is shot three seperate times; once for the designers, another time for the judges and then one additional time in case there were any flubs. I have been paying close attention to the runway the past few episodes and I must say this does not seem to be the case. The camera does wide pans which include both judges and designers visible on opposite sides of the runway. What confirmed this for me this week was that Swapnil mentioned the judges reactions as their designs came down (I think the was specifically referencing Kelly, though I cannot be sure). Thus these runway shows are not as anonymous as they pretend to be, since we clearly see and hear the designers reactions through the entire process.

 

I am Indian. My mother has green eyes as does her sister. Blue and green eyes run in our family and tend to be more prevalent amongst north west Indian communities (ie. Sindhi, Punjabi).

[Twopper]

I had the winning gown about 40 years ago in a different pattern. Glad to see Amanda finally go.  And I agree that Tim seems to be over it.

[Kore]

Something about the whole Ashley not being chosen thing leads me to wonder if there is far more to the story than we have seen. It wasn't just "mean girls" who didn't pick her... none of the guys picked her either. Why excuse gender bias if that's what it was? Why focus ONLY on the girls being petty for not picking her? Clearly the guys picked their "friends" too, but the girls are the only ones we shame for doing that? Why give the guys a pass and require better behavior from women than men? I'll bet the guys would have thrown Merline under the bus in a heartbeat if they had lost, even though Joseph's outfit was one of the most Fug things up there and that's saying a lot given how bad some of the girl's looks were.

But.... here's where I think we are being manipulated... because even when the guys DID have to pick a woman, they STILL didn't pick Ashley. They picked Merline who has been shown to be an irritant to people in the workroom. Candice may have picked Amanda to give her a boost (as she said); she may have had trouble working with Ashley before (suggesting that she would have have to design AND sew the garment for Ashley makes me wonder if Ashley's lack of contribution was an issue before); or she may have wanted to pick cannon fodder. But the fact that no one else picked her either is revealing... it can't ALL be fat bias.

We have been manipulated every season by editing to first either hate or love someone, and then reverse course. They gave us Blake the twit and now Blake the hero. They gave us Joseph & Jake the tools and then made them cooperative team players (with other men at least) We have been given Ashley the underdog, but there's a lot of season left and I wonder if there's going to be a major reversal on her, where we find out good reasons why contestants don't like her or don't want to work with her.

Sorry to take such a long quote, but I do agree with it 100% (finally created an account because of it). The editors are are showing us what they want us to see. They left that Mean Girls comment in there for a reason. My theory is that there is a legit reason why Ashley was picked last that the editors may or may not show us later, but they're playing with our emotions to keep us watching. The majority of the US population is overweight, so there are a lot of people out there who can sympathize with being bullied or feeling insecure about their weight (I'm one of them). I think that maybe the "Mean Girls" vs "Poor Fat Girl" may be a plot that the editors are constructing to draw in the average non-gorgeous model viewer. But maybe not. We'll see, I guess!

[panthergirl13]

I know!  You can see Grace Kelly gliding about in Edmond's dress.  They showed one shot of it before the runway, and I said Wowza!

That was exactly what I said, and I was shocked that none of the judges mentioned Grace Kelly.

[sinkwriter]

 

I think that maybe the "Mean Girls" vs "Poor Fat Girl" may be a plot that the editors are constructing to draw in the average non-gorgeous model viewer.

 

If that's their aim, it's really stupid, because we didn't need the drama to root for her. A bunch of us already wanted to see her make great designs and succeed because the industry really could use a push in that arena, designing (and even simply considering) more than a very small selection of sizes. They don't need to orchestrate more drama to get me to root for her.

Edited September 4, 2015 by sinkwriter

[Muffyn]

Okay, I am thinking too much about the order in which people were selected for the teams (I should be cleaning the house, so any distraction is welcome).  With Blake starting out as the winner, here is the order of the selections.

 

Previous winner Blake – 1 Swapnil – 3 Joseph – 5 Jake – 7 Edmond – 9 Merline
Button bag Candace – 2 Amanda – 4 Kelly – 6 Lindsey – 8 Laurie – 10 Ashley

 

For the men plus Merline team, I can certainly see Blake picking Swapnil as he has consistently been in the top, sews well and seems to get along well with others.  I can see Swapnil picking Joseph for his sewing skills.  While Joseph’s clothes have read older, they have typically been well sewn and he is able to complete things within the time allotted.  Those are good skills to have on a team.  Joseph picking Jake does seem more like a friendship pick than something strategic.  Among the people remaining at that point, there was Ashley who had won twice previously, including one team win and Edmond who has almost always been in the top; the negative for Edmond is he did fail spectacularly on his last team challenge (add some straps around a yellow shower curtain and an ill-fitting bathing suit, yuck!).  Jake picked Edmond after Tim made the comment of the “boys” versus the “girls”.  So he grabbed the last man standing. 

 

Edmond then picks Merline.  There are many possible reasons for that pick.  Ashley was throwing serious side eye by that time.  He may have felt some kinship to a woman of color.  Or he may have seen the way she works and thought she would fit in well with the team.  They already had many a potential alpha dog; He might have thought that Merline would better fit into the group.

 

For the all women team, Candace could have picked Amanda because she felt sorry for her and thought she could help her or she may have been adding cannon fodder.  Of course, typically in this type of team challenge you are going to end up with some cannon fodder no matter what, although the way this selection process rolled out they almost all ended up on this team.  Amanda picking Kelly and Kelly picking Lindsey all seem like friendship/who do I think would be fun to work with kinds of choices.  They are selecting people who have been in the bottom or at best safe when stronger designers were still available. 

 

Lindsey then had a choice of two top performers in Ashley and Edmond, a high middle performer in Laurie and a somewhat up and down (though more down) performer in Merline.  She stuck with the girl power idea and took Laurie.  She may have thought if Candace did not select Ashley from the start, there must be some good reason for it.  Merline has felt like a bit of an outsider all along, although that storyline is not being pushed as strongly now. 

 

To my mind, most of the men thought strategically in team selection.  Unfortunately most of the women did not, thereby leaving two unbalanced teams.  If Candace had truly stepped up like a leader, they could have had a chance, but no one took the reins.  Once they destroyed their white fabric, they were pretty much doomed.  Maybe they’ll learn for next time to practice a new technique on scraps rather than on their primary material.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Muffyn

[Kore]

If that's their aim, it's really stupid, because we didn't need the drama to root for her. A bunch of us already wanted to see her make great designs and succeed because the industry really could use a push in that arena, designing (and even simply considering) more than a very small selection of sizes. They don't need to orchestrate more drama to get me to root for her.

It's a reality television competition, the more crazy drama the better in the eyes of the producers.

Yes, there is a lack of plus size fashion, especially considering the aforementioned fact that the majority of the American population is now plus-sized, so I'd be interested in seeing what she does after Project Runway. She can't do anything on Project Runway in that regard unless there is a Plus-Size challenge with different models (would be cool).

Edited September 4, 2015 by Kore

[HunterHunted]

I hope Ashley isn't wearing Mary Kay makeup. Those orangey white streaks on her face after crying certainly would not be a ringing endorsement for the quality of their makeup.

Two minutes devoted to flippin' nail art? The inanity of this show and its editing never ceases to amaze.

Amanda has a horrid design aesthetic because she has none. The only way I see her career taking off is if she started designing custom shents for Ina Garten. I'm glad she will be gone because her constant pouting was off putting. She did not show a single spark of true inspiration and all she can do is blame circumstance for her creative deficits.

Swapnil lead his team to victory with the 50s voluminous vision. He provided a positive and supportive attitude which seemed to carry the team. There seems to be a conspiracy amongst the producers to keep him from ever winning a challenge.

It was nice to see Jake finally step up for a change and produce something of value by creating the lovely fabric. Too bad Blake had to take a dump all over it with his fugly flowers, which he opted not to have on his own design. I see you, Blakie.

I don't believe for a second that Kelly, Amanda and Lindsay all thought Ashley's was the worst look--they were just ganging up on the heavyset girl they considered a threat. I think Candace would have also likely joined in and piled on had guest judge Kelly Osbourne not called the girls out for their bitchy behavior. Of course the overweight and black women are the ones marginalized. <sigh>

Laurie and her apophasis cracked me up.

I abso-fucking-lutely believe that Candace would have joined the pile on had she not been called out. I think her comments about Laurie's outfit gave her away. Uh, I don't like culottes. Girl, really? Laurie made perfectly on trend clothes, but that outfit was not fashion. You could walk into the juniors section of nearly every department store and find that outfit. If Candace had said that, I would have believed her. Unfortunately, Candace was hell bent on protecting herself and her besties when it was her bossy leadership and her friends' shiteous fabric that got them in that situation.

[Kore]

Previous winner Blake – 1 Swapnil – 3 Joseph – 5 Jake – 7 Edmond – 9 Merline

Button bag Candace – 2 Amanda – 4 Kelly – 6 Lindsey – 8 Laurie – 10 Ashley

Thank you for laying out the order here, it helps my scatter-brained self!

I just can't believe people are calling fat-hate and cattiness that the girls didn't select Ashley, but somehow "strategy" led the boys to not select the 2-time winner.

[Muffyn]

Someone mentioned in a previous thread that the runway is shot three seperate times; once for the designers, another time for the judges and then one additional time in case there were any flubs. I have been paying close attention to the runway the past few episodes and I must say this does not seem to be the case. The camera does wide pans which include both judges and designers visible on opposite sides of the runway. What confirmed this for me this week was that Swapnil mentioned the judges reactions as their designs came down (I think the was specifically referencing Kelly, though I cannot be sure). Thus these runway shows are not as anonymous as they pretend to be, since we clearly see and hear the designers reactions through the entire process.

They film once with only the designers attending.  That is when they capture the designers making their comments about their and other people's looks.  They film again with only the judges, capturing judges looks and now and then comments.  The assumption is that this is when the actual judging takes place.  They cannot see the designers reactions so they don't have that to clue into who made what.  Then they film with everyone in attendance so they can get the wide shots you mentioned.  People can make comments at that point and the designers will see the judges reactions.  The judges may act out their initial reactions again to help with the filming.  

 

When this is edited, they use portions of each runway presentation to make it seem like the designers and judges made all of their comments during the same runway presentation.  From a continuity perspective, they need to make sure everyone sits in the same spots and no one changes their makeup, buttons or unbuttons something, fixes their hair, etc.  Every now and then during a runway presentation on the show, you'll see a continuity error.  

[RedheadZombie]

I just came here to ask if Ashley has some sort of liver disease? She is literally orangey-yellow. She's either eating truckloads of carrots and/or sweet potatoes or she needs to get to a doctor ASAP, because her liver is failing, seriously.

 

The hair color and makeup don't work with her olive complexion.  I think that's at least part of it.

 

Laurie is a gossipy little back-stabbing bitch.  Straight up.  And Ashley & her last pick status, and "I'm so done" drama was just pathetic.  She was just waiting for a chance to scream "Bullies!", and as soon as she didn't get her way and didn't have her ass kissed, the persecution complex came out and she got combative.  Yes, she won 1 challenge on her own, but SHARED the 2nd win with Candice.  You didn't get both solo, sweetie.  Step off and get a grip.  

 

When someone comes running to me to tattle in the workplace, my hard and fast rule is this:  Do not tell me unless my job is being sabotaged.   Ashley was being sabotaged, and I appreciated her getting a warning.  Now if the gossip being repeated was:  they say your hair color is atrocious, and you need to re-think your makeup - well that's shit stirring.

 

I'm reaffirming my love for Laurie and Ashley, but taking back my love for Candice and Kelly.  The Romulan one is especially dead to me.  It was hilarious that they put her on the bottom of the bottom.

 

If by "Romulan" you mean Candice, I actually think she looks like a couple of different people.  First there's Natasha:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=rocky+and+bullwinkle+natasha&view=detailv2&&id=41FFE2C6514888491EF4F93E5A1CA7317FF8DF26&selectedIndex=1&ccid=nEWGDPGJ&simid=608045620380961177&thid=JN.UGRvWVZ7N1E7D29aoro%2fdw&ajaxhist=0

 

Then there's Carolyn Jones (Morticia Adams):

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=carolyn+jones+pageboy&view=detailv2&id=908C4BAC40C040FFF80F995A687861E61CB75686&selectedindex=111&ccid=%2FVRRrqU1&simid=607995029959281340&thid=JN.IoRMNTT7fLOO52tCb1F3vQ&mode=overlay&first=1

 

I wear the palest of the pale foundations, and I'm still darker than Candice. I think she's using theatrical makeup.

[millennium]

I can't see Candice without thinking of Vampira and Plan 9 From Outer Space.   Or Kelly(?) without thinking of Boy George. 

 

It occurred to me in this episode, after all these seasons, that I don't like Heidi Klum.   I don't think she's wise or clever or cute or funny.   Her runway observations seem to come from a sensibility no deeper than "How would that look on me?"   She's an inveterate shit-stirrer.  And her own personal fashion sense (as exhibited in the outfits she wears on the show) really sucks.

[mansonlamps]

True.  But it's ALSO very SEXIST for us to not call out any of the MEN for not picking Ashley … SWAPNIL picked JOSEPH -- aka "Golden Girls" designer.  Even JOSEPH was surprised to be picked THIRD!!  

 

At the same time, I think CANDACE was smart to pick Amanda.  Be picking a designer who's clearly not a judge favorite (and a lousy designer to boot), you increase your OWN chances of being saved.  And by not picking a tough competitor, you eliminate a competitor who has a good chance of winning OVER YOU.

I fail to see the distinction in strategy here. Somehow Candace was smart to pick the substandard designer, but Swapnil doing the exact same thing is sexist?

[seasick]

Thank you for laying out the order here, it helps my scatter-brained self!

I just can't believe people are calling fat-hate and cattiness that the girls didn't select Ashley, but somehow "strategy" led the boys to not select the 2-time winner.

You have a point!  And calamity jane  suggested upthread that Candice chose Amanda as a scapegoat.. which makes sense too And looking at at the ep again (I half-watch the workroom stuff)  Ash was pretty sour on their lack of concept; and did have an FU attitude (But I understand her hurt feelings from her perspective)

 

I just realized they are not working in Manhattan on 7th Ave! I'm pretty sure they are in Brooklyn now.. and I'm disappointed!   I think that's why they are not getting marched off to Mood and being supplied with this cheesy fabric.  It changes the vibe!  just like that horrible season when they were in L.A.  I think it makes a difference.  

[PepperMonkey]

I rewatched the episode and upon reflection, I have altered my opinion of Ashley, but only slightly. I DO think she has a complex due to her weight and I'm sure she was always picked last for everything, but she victimized herself in the beginning when she was incredulous that she was picked last. I think her feelings were MORE hurt, though, by them marginalizing her when she tried to help steer the team, and then even MORE when she *felt* ostracized by the gang which culminated in her finding out from Laurie that she had overheard them planning to steamroller her on the runway, if they lost. I wish she wouldn't cry because it harkens back to that victim thing again and I hate to see someone make themselves the victim, like Amanda did every single week since she started on the show. 

 

Amazingly, I'm still not sad Amanda is gone. And I was laughing so fracking hard at Candice talking about how she wanted to "uplift" Amanda. Amanda, who said last week that Candice thinks she is so posh and elegant but her designs are only mediocre. And Amanda, who said, Candice wants to take the lead and be a leader, when really, NO ONE (including Amanda, obviously) wants her to lead them. What a backstabby little pisher is Amanda. And Candice is a fool for thinking she is, or was, her friend. 

 

Re: Candice and Ashley and their partnership the week they won for Frankenoutfit. I didn't get the impression that Candice thought Ashley was that valuable, even then. When they were working, even I thought Ashley was doing just the pants, while Candice did the shirt and (shudder) capelet. I think I remember Candice having to help Ashley - or maybe just choosing to - with the crotch fit of the pants.  Also, I had liked Candice's personality, but her designs not so much. I think everything is a little overwrought and even the outfit she designed last week was nothing special; the dress was nothing new and the vest-jacket was poofy and not in a very appealing way. I guess it was better than a lot of stuff, but I'm still not crazy about her designs.

 

I think Ashley is a lot of work. I don't mean that I don't like her; I do, actually, but I think she can be a bit much and I think she can make you feel like you want to walk on eggshells with her so as to not hurt her feelings, which makes the workroom an uncomfortable place in which to be.

 

Also, about the boys not choosing Ashley and then taking up for her in the lounge: I do not think they were referring to her being chosen last when they were talking about mean girl hijinks. I think they saw and heard what was taking place in the workroom and then saw that shite on the runway. I believe that is what they were reacting to when they were taking up for Ashley. I didn't really think there was any sexism there, NOR do I really think the "girls" chose Ashley last because she's fat. It was all the stuff that happened AFTER that, that was so infuriating.

Edited September 4, 2015 by PepperMonkey

[Archery]

What evidence is there that the Mean Girling was based on Ashley' s size? I was dozing for part of the episode, so I may have missed it.

[NorthstarATL]

I amused myself imaging that Amanda was thinking "I could still be safe" when it came down to Candice and her at the end. I felt badly for Ashley at first (I had a growth spurt in elementary school that my coordination didn't catch up with until Junior High, so team choice was the most depressing time ever!), but she could have risen above and just taken over the leadership role that Candice was clearly failing at, and she chose instead to wallow.

 The guys' (and Merline) team came up with a nice mini collection. I'm not particularly into drama, so I would have enjoyed just watching them put that together.

 And count me in on being surprised to find myself liking Blake this ep! He's still pretentiously playing for the camera, but he showed some class and smarts when defending Ashley that belied the cartoonish image he's created for himself. More of that, please.

[dgpolo]

Count me as a voice in the wilderness but I didn't think the fabric the women painted and discarded was that bad, I think they should have tried to use it.

[TiredMe]

I felt for Ashley. But I do wish she would have been more pulled together about being last. But it is frustrating to see women act this way and so blatantly target someone. Surprised Kelly Osborne didn't jump in and pile on since she turned on her friend so easily. Can't stand her.

Regarding the guys, I loved Swapnils when I so it, but I literally said, Ohhhh, when Edmunds came out.

I volunteer to console Swapnil.

[RemoteControlFreak]

I find it interesting (and kind of hilarious) that Tim the Mentor didn't tell Amanda she had talent and that he'd see her go far even though she lost and was going home, like he does with most of the other competitors when they're ousted. Instead, he just told her she was a "doll." LOL.

He doesn't do this all the time.  I wouldn't read anything into it.  Also somewhere between hugging the mean girls and saying goodbye to Tim a tote bag mysteriously appeared in her hand, so there was obvious also some editing and multiple takes involved.

[AuntieDiane6]

 

I fail to see the distinction in strategy here. Somehow Candace was smart to pick the substandard designer, but Swapnil doing the exact same thing is sexist?

 

In Candace's case, it could be assumed she would pick her WINNING PARTNER.  The two of them worked well together and THEY WON.  So for her to NOT pick Ashley was a cause of concern.  

 

In Swapnil's case, he is 1) Older and so SHOULD be less influenced by high school mean girl tactics  2) was a judge favorite already  3) was successful enough AND SECURE in his own right to have picked Ashley.  She sews as well as Joseph … 

[RedheadZombie]

Things that made me laugh out loud this episode.

 

During the paintball portion, flash to one of the designers actually crawling on hands and knees, and Tim yelling into a megaphone:  "Blue team, you're moving like a bunch of fashion designers!"

 

Edmond almost to the fabric, but driven back screaming "Ashley is hell with that gun".

 

Tim explaining how the six looks can be split up however, then:  "And in Blake's case, maybe he won't make anything.  As Merline would say - oh snap!"

[pakalolo]

I'm surprised there was no mention of how matchy-matchy the entire blue team's look was. They painted all the shoes blues, they painted all of their nails blue, they painted nearly all the fabric blue and the accent flower was painted blue. The girls team suffered from the use of too many different colors with red and gold nails in top of that. Yikes.

Speaking of color, I place some of the blame on a make-up company that would produce and sell the garish shade of greenish/yellow/orange foundation that Ashley wears, no one in real life is ever that color, are they? She must purchse it from a theatrical or special effects company, maybe one that specializes in live action Simpsons characters. I notice her make-up all the time, not just for its off-putting shade, but because it gives me anxiety because its seems so thick and greasy and would just make a mess all over her clothes and the clothes shes designing and she can never just rub an itch in her face without ruining it and must need to be applied multiple times a day to keep up that kind of appearance.

[Kore]

I fail to see the distinction in strategy here. Somehow Candace was smart to pick the substandard designer, but Swapnil doing the exact same thing is sexist?

Because Joseph and Amanda weren't equal levels of bad. There really was only one "canon fodder" person there to pick: Amanda. She was the one pretty consistantly bad and never even occasionally good. Joseph might not be on top, but I feel like Amanda would have had to make a winning outfit to even stay in at that point.

[Shelby]

I really like Ashley, but really, someone had to be picked last. What do people see in Swapnil? I don't think he's attractive at all, and his accent bugs me.

Accents never bug me. They impress me because I know the person is speaking in their non-native language, and that they are bi-lingual, at the very least.

I doubt Swapnil would be thrilled with your Hindi, Tamil, etc accent, if you were able to carry on a conversation in his language.

[Muffyn]

Count me as a voice in the wilderness but I didn't think the fabric the women painted and discarded was that bad, I think they should have tried to use it.

Ashley seemed to agree with you.  She tried to say they needed to shake off the broken capsules.  I think it looked a little like a bright floral pattern.  It could have been kind of cute if used correctly.  They could have created a vibrant springtime collection.  However, when we saw all of their painted material hanging on the rack, it was a disconnected mess of different techniques.  

[Jobiska]

If Candace were really as good a leader as she thinks she is, she could have easily taken Ashley aside early on and said "I was feeling so worried about Amanda being down that I picked her to give her a boost; if I had gotten to choose again you were next on my list, and I don't know why Amanda, or one of the early pickers on the other team, didn't pick you.  I was sure they would!"  Even if it were a little white lie and even if Ashley sensed that, I think she'd have appreciated that Candace noticed she was bummed.  

But she's not a good leader.

Sure, maybe Ashley should have been more stoic, but leaders work with fallible humans, and want to get the best out of them, not the worst!  

Swapnil, on the other hand--if they had had a "who did the most for the team?" or "who was your leader?" type question for the blue team, I'm sure they would have given him credit, and it might have pushed him over the edge into the win.

I wish there had been an element at the end of paintball where Tim said "the team that took the most hits (or got in the most hits) gets XYZ advantage" (more time, whatever).  They all had time to get fabric which turned out to be auxiliary fabric anyway, so it was as if the paintball part was almost moot.

I have never played paintball, but I do get that the pellets hurt (and I saw Jake's bruises).  But I don't get why people would get hit and then run all the way back.  It happened a lot on both teams.  I can see cringing, covering your head, turning around, even taking a few steps back, but running back just give the opponents time to aim and shoot again the next time you come up, and then you've lost time in getting your fabric.

Candace's weird monstrosity was made not with the purple "Barney" auxiliary fabric; it was a deeper, royal purple and I saw her painting it (with extra paintballs?).  If they had enough to cover that amount of material, they could have done something more to all the "ruined," "wasted" fabric.

My sister had a purple dress.  She was once walking along and some kids (preteen-ish age) started singing the Barney song "I love you, you love me."  She thought it was kind of sweet that they were still innocent enough to enjoy the song from their childhood....and then she looked down at her dress and thought "oh."  

I think she got rid of that dress.
 

Edited September 5, 2015 by Jobiska

[tpplay]

 

Ashley seemed to be the only person on that team who understood that there needs to be a collective launching point for the collection, which is sad because that is not only Project Runway 101, but Designing a Collection 101. I am disappointed, because the first 4 episodes showed such a beautiful harmony and lack of drama among the women that was wonderful to see. But this week it all came crashing down. Was Ashley overreacting? Of course, but there was some definite Mean Girl clique behavior going on, and it was uncomfortable to watch.

 

ITA that Ashley tried a couple times to talk about let's find a concept before we start fucking around with the material.  She did STOP trying, but it seemed as clear to me as seemed to to her that no one was going to listen to her.

 

And I'm just pissed that it didn't come out that those women RUINED their jumpsuit fabric and that's why they had to resort to all that purple.

 

It was obvious to me - because Ashley as much as said it - that - as people up-thread have said - she believed that she had been accepted as part of the group, and was terribly upset (and felt stupid) to have been proved wrong.  Of course she would have been better off if she'd been able to let it go and concentrate on her work - but it's also understandable that sometimes a person simply can't do what's best for her.

 

Been there lots of times.

Edited September 5, 2015 by tpplay

[Kitty Redstone]

Swapnil's eyes do stand out, but I prefer him without the gray contacts.

 

I also prefer his natural brown eyes, and actually find something about the gray contacts a little disconcerting.  Maybe it's just that I love big brown eyes. 

 

Swapnil sure is an attractive and talented man.  Add me to the chorus hoping he's this year's Dmitry.

[Julia]

I think another difference between the teams is that the most disastrous designer on the Blue team not only made the first pick, he had immunity. The blue designers had every reason to believe based on Blake's past behavior that one of them was going home. Candace, on the other hand, appears to have taken away entirely the wrong message from her team win, and assumed she could carry team distaff to victory on her own back. Which inadvertantly started the race for the bottom, as each new progressively weaker team member picked whoever was left who would go home before they would.

I think the men had to be forced to take Merlene precisely because she posed a very real threat to at the very least Joseph and Jake, and none of them wanted to compete with Ashley. And that Candice is apparently too domme to be a good chess player, and in a twisted way, the three blind mice were sort of acknowledging that they were good and goddamn scared of Ashley, as they should have been.

And Nina does _not_like it when people try to join the mean girl club without her permission.

[Dodginblue]

What evidence is there that the Mean Girling was based on Ashley' s size? I was dozing for part of the episode, so I may have missed it.

 

There isn't any evidence that the motivation for how she was treated is because of her weight.  But she IS overweight and she's talked about it, about her insecurities and the challenge of trying to make it in fashion because of how she looks.     The other women might very well say that it had nothing to do with her looks, that they don't especially like her for other reasons or that they don't especially dislike her, they just like each other more, but it's not a stretch to assume that in Ashley's own mind how she gets treated is all about how her weight.  And how she reacts to how she gets treated has a lot to do with that.  

 

You might have to be (a) female and (b) struggled at some point in your life with a weight problem to see the dynamic in those terms (assuming the whole thing wasn't just scripted manipulation by the show producers).

[Lnmop]

So, teachers learn how recycle and reuse anything they can, even year to year.  So it occurred to me that perhaps this season is "clear out the closet" time for the show - haul out all the bolts of leftover fabrics from previous seasons and force this year's competitors to help use them up.  They've been to Mood how many times?  Once?  Something hinky going on here.

Perhaps Mood hasn't received the payoff they expected, as has been the case with so many other sponsors. There may not be a comparable fabric store in the area, so they've cut back rather than dropping out.

I have never played paintball, but I do get that the pellets hurt (and I saw Jake's bruises). But I don't get why people would get hit and then run all the way back. It happened a lot on both teams. I can see cringing, covering your head, turning around, even taking a few steps back, but running back just give the opponents time to aim and shoot again the next time you come up, and then you've lost time in getting your fabric.

I'm Guessing that the rule was that if you got hit, you had to go back to the starting point.

[sleepyjean]

I also prefer his natural brown eyes, and actually find something about the gray contacts a little disconcerting.  Maybe it's just that I love big brown eyes.

 

Brown eyes would look natural. Blue or green would be striking. But grey is just kind of muddy looking on him.

[seasick]

Count me as a voice in the wilderness but I didn't think the fabric the women painted and discarded was that bad, I think they should have tried to use it.

ITA.  .It was no worse than the purple, and they could have mixed it up.  I think the judges would have respected it more than just deferring to the plain purple.    They might have cut it into strips, or woven it..something to create a new fabric look.  They are all so afraid of color and print.     Also why are they standing around waiting for Tim.   

 

My computer is getting stuck all of a sudden.  

Edited September 5, 2015 by seasick

[Archery]

There isn't any evidence that the motivation for how she was treated is because of her weight.  But she IS overweight and she's talked about it, about her insecurities and the challenge of trying to make it in fashion because of how she looks.     The other women might very well say that it had nothing to do with her looks, that they don't especially like her for other reasons or that they don't especially dislike her, they just like each other more, but it's not a stretch to assume that in Ashley's own mind how she gets treated is all about how her weight.  And how she reacts to how she gets treated has a lot to do with that.  

 

You might have to be (a) female and (b) struggled at some point in your life with a weight problem to see the dynamic in those terms (assuming the whole thing wasn't just scripted manipulation by the show producers).

I am and I have, and if the implication that she was picked last because of her weight doesn't have any empirical basis, then her shut down and poor product doesn't get a pass from me.

[tobeannounced]

Y'all keep talking about Ashley's makeup bugging, but Kelly's makeup makes me crazy.  She wears entirely too much, and the colors are not flattering.  I am very curious what she looks like without half the makeup counter on her face.

 

ETA: Designer Kelly, not Osbourne.

Edited September 5, 2015 by tobeannounced

[Shelby]

Brown eyes would look natural. Blue or green would be striking. But grey is just kind of muddy looking on him.

Agreed, Iprefer him with brown eyes as well. But contact lens are fun and throwaway, unlike breast implants and the like which aren't temporary and cause scarring.

Swapnil is a little behind. I wore colored contacts back in the 90s. But if he's having some harmless fun without altering himself permanently, I say let him.

[Honey]

When I saw Edmund's dress come out, I was picturing Betty Draper walking down the runway in it.  Swapnil's looked odd to me because it was droopy in the front.  It looked like it was stuffed with something that was weighing it down.  If the hem had been even, I would have loved his look.

[7-Zark-7]

 

...Laurie's "I'm not a gossipy person" shit-stirring was classic.

 

I agree with others that Laurie may have warned Ashley about the "mean girl" block so that she would prepare a defense for the judges instead of being so blindsided that she’d be unable to stand up for herself. We've seen that happen to Merline when Joseph savaged her for dutifully following all his bad ideas.

 

Mean Girls or no, the Judges don’t exactly have a leg to stand on either:

 

     “Someone must go. Pick one.”

     “Well, since you asked… Ashley.”

     “Ashley.”

     “Ash.."

     “How dare you choose one person since you all had a hand in this!? This a bitchfest!"

 

Ashley’s collar really was one of the worst things on that runway and was a reasonable pick for auf wiedersehening, so even if she was being ganged up on, she sabotaged herself, too.  But at least it required more thought than the “let’s cut some holes for the head and arms and call it day" dress that Amanda had the nerve to trot out.

 

There is no defense for that crazy San Francisco bullshit, though. I may never forgive Candice for that.

 

Why weren’t the men accused of picking their friends, too? They only chose a woman when they ran out guys. Do they really think none of the women are more talented than Joseph?

 

For the most part, I disliked Blake’s Blg Botanicals (and so must he since he didn’t put any on his own design). I was surprised the judges were okay with one on each of Edmond’s model’s breasts. That alone made me vote for Swapnil's or Blake’s dress to win.

[JosieThePussycat]

This show is getting harder and harder to sit through, and easier and easier to skip. This one - as soon as all the draaahhhhhma got underway, I skipped to the runway. Who needs all that melodrama and filler?

 

I wonder if DVRs gather data on what shows (and commercials) get fast-forwarded through, and whether advertisers have access to that info. If I were spending bucks on a TV ad, I'd sure pull my spots from a 90-minute show that viewers were getting through in half an hour.

 

PR looks even worse now that Face Off is showing the reality competition world how it's done: smart, good-willed people who are pitted against each other's TALENTS, with no who-hates-who bickering. I love that show. An hour of how the craft is done, and how creative people manifest their ideas.

 

I wish there were an alterna-world version of PR that followed that template. I'd be hanging on it every week.

Edited September 5, 2015 by JosieThePussycat

[Madding crowd]

I like Heidi and think she is a smart woman. Yes, she likes short and sparkly dresses, so what? She looks good in short and sparkly. I was wondering why she was bringing up the fact Ashley was picked last because of course someone has to be picked. Then I saw that Heidi picked up on the whole clique and the reason they didn't pick Ashley had less to do with her talent and  more with her just not being part of the right crowd.

I loved Edmond's dress and liked Swapnil's as well. I wanted to see how the men plus Merline started their collaboration and would have loved to see how they decided who did what. We saw them working together and helping each other so effortlessly and that is so rarely seen in any groups.

 

The women were completely clueness on how to make a collection that is cohesive. i don't blame the challenge either, they had plenty of fabric to choose from and only needed some imagination. I have been on the fence about Candice, but her behavior her reminded me of Gretchen, especially when she was acting like she was Tim Gunn and the other contestants had to get her approval to do anything. San Francisco woman? Not even close.

 

I didn't like any of the women's fashions but Amanda's was clearly the worst for me followed by Kelly's. I haven't liked much the women in general have made so far and find the men more talented. 

[tripsy]

I can't see Candice without thinking of Vampira and Plan 9 From Outer Space.   Or Kelly(?) without thinking of Boy George.

 

Everytime I see Candice, I think she must be a cosplayer for Lailari, the female alien from Galaxy Quest, because that hair and eyebrows are too dead on not to be a deliberate imitation.

[Bebecat]

I too thought Betty Draper with the gown, right away.

I also hate Kelly Osbourne with a possibly unreasonable passion. Just cannot abide her, or see why she has any role in fashion. Ugh.

Ashley acted like a child. How on earth is she going to be able to operate in the cut-throat "real world"? Fashion is the worst. And I don't give Blake any credit, because he is despicable to me. I think he just wants to get his silly face on film.

This was a ridiculous episode, all the way around. They need to return to shopping for fabric every time, except maybe for the idiotic non-tradional materials ones, or whatever they call it when they make clothes out of hammers and sand paper.

I can't stand any of these designers except maybe Swampnil and Edmund (spelling?) The women are mostly one big blur to me, no one stands out.

PR has been one of my favorite shows since it began. But I am really turned off when they run races, throw paint or dribble basketballs. I am not a reality show person as a rule and just don't care about drama, relationships or blow-ups. Just wanna see fashion. And stay off my lawn.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Bebecat