Project Runway: Red Carpet Showdown

WARNING: ATTENTION SPOILERS AHEAD!

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This was probably one of the most rediculous episodes of project runway I have ever seen. The contestants were divided into pairs and assigned to a "special client", which ended up being winners from previous Project Runway seasons. Teams included: Melissa and Dmitry, Kooan and Gunnar, Fabio and Ven, Christopher and Andrea, Sonjia and Nathan, Raul and Alicia, Elena and Buffi. Of course Elena and Gunnar had something to say, both bashing their partners aesthetics and skills. This mad me upset because their partners, Kooan and Buffi, were both excited to work with them.

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In the work room, some teams worked better together than others. Elena had a melt down because she did not think they would have time to complete their formal gowns, maybe if she had trusted Buffi with more than pleating she would not have been as worried. In the end the team pulled through, not as a top contender, but at least they were safe.

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Christopher held it together as best he could as problem after problem hindered them as a result of Andrea's time consuming work habits. Despite Alicia and Raul's unsuccessful creation, they worked well together as a team, as did team Sonjia/Nathan and team Melissa/Dmitry.

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Heidi dressed to kill this week, rocking a sparkling black dress, a necessary upgrade from last weeks "snake-suit". 

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Once again, I did not agree with the judges decisions when the designers' concepts hit the runway.  The top spots were awarded to team Gunnar/Kooan and team Ven/Fabio.  I honestly believe that both Melissa/Dmitry and Sonjia/Nathan's gowns displayed more of the qualities I would look for in a red carpet gown, over Gunnar and Kooan. 

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It's not that I did not like Gunnar and Kooan's dress, I simply think they used the wrong fabric, and the judges seem to agree. 

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Ven and Fabio's dress was perfect! The design was fresh and fun, while maintaining "Emmy" chic.  They should be very proud of the design they created. How much better can it get than seeing your own gown grace the red carpet personally at the Emmys!?

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The judges definitely got the bottom two pairs correct.  Andrea and Chris made a pathetic team, and Alicia and Raul made a pathetic dress. 

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Alicia and Raul took the judges critics with their heads held high, understanding the critical mistake they had made by straying from their design aesthetic and not tailoring the perfect suit.  By the time the judges got to Andrea and Chris you could see the pain in the designers faces.  Chris can barely hold back his tears as he recalls the disasters of the work Andrea and himself have presented.

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So who went home this week? Raul. Raul specialized in men's wear and was weak when designing for women. The Project Runway winner needs to be versatile, and able to adapt to all types of situations, so I understand the judges process when making this elimination. What makes me sad is that if Andrea really did leave the night after elimination, she denied Raul the opportunity to redeem his mistakes and win this.  Let's hope next week is not as bad as they made it out to be in the preview! It almost never is.