âÂÂProject Runwayâ began its ninth season on July 28. The Lifetime show, which airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m., originally premiered six years ago.
âÂÂProject Runwayâ follows chosen designers from across the country as they compete in various weekly challenges.
On this journey they are accompanied by their mentor Tim Gunn and judged by supermodel Heidi Klum. She is not only a judge on the show, but also the host and the executive producer. Klum is also joined by Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and a weekly celebrity guest judge to critique the designersâ works.
The show, which is a spinoff of the Emmy-nominated series âÂÂProject Greenlight,â gives designers an opportunity to show their collection at New York Fashion Week.
Each week they are given a new assignment. The time when they are in the workroom gives a sense of how difficult the competition really is. It also gives insight to how each specific designer works.
Once the designers complete their looks for that weekâÂÂs challenge, they have a runway show where each design is shown and then judged. This part is great because this is the first time you see their whole outfits put together, so most of the time the finished product is a surprise to viewers.
After the runway show, itâÂÂs time for judging. The judges are always very honest with their opinions, and tell it how it is with their expertise. They really do a good job on showing how they truly feel on a contestantâÂÂs piece, no matter how harsh the critique is.
Anya Ayoung-Chee is one of the most interesting contestants on the show because she only learned how to sew four months before she entered the competition. Even with her lack of experience, she has been at the top for the past two episodes and shows a lot of promise.
The show has always been entertaining. Starting with the first season, the way the show is filmed created a competitive yet fun atmosphere.
Sometimes the challenges may get boring. Most of the challenges are repeated, with slight alterations. The challenges that get a lot of play are the ones where they design an outfit for a specific sport or celebrity, and the muse challenge where they go around Manhattan looking for inspiration.
On the other hand, when the challenges are interesting and unusual, the show is fun to watch. That, in a sense, is the best part because it shows the real creativity in design.
âÂÂProject Runwayâ is definitely a fun show to watch, especially if you are interested in designing. However, after nine seasons it is time to put this show to rest. Even though it fits well with Lifetime programming, in reality offers nothing that other shows do not already. The show is becoming too cyclic and rarely gives viewers something new and exciting to watch.