9/8 Show Discussion **West Coast Spoilers**

[Babbred]

First of all, I did not watch this week's episode. I said last week that I was sick of the drama, and I meant it. Judging from the comments here, I didn't miss much.

My critiques:

Anya: This isn’t the best work we’ve seen from Anya. I think it looks like an apron over a regular black t-shirt. The back is nice because the cutaway gives the model a figure but the closed front clear up to the neck looks boxy.

It looks good, but I agree with others that Viktor's dress should have won. It was beautiful and elegant.

Anthony: His model looks like the queen of the rodeo. This little lady won a blue ribbon in barrel racing and is going to give a kiss and a trophy to the winner of the bullriding contest. Yahoo!

I'm from Texas, so please, please don't insult our fine cowgirls by comparing them to this outfit. Otherwise, I'm going to have to lasso you and leave you out in the ring when the bulls come.

Bryce: His model looks like a student on Spring break wandered into the studio by accident, thinking it was some sort of club. She wanted Sex on the Beach but got a spot in a runway show instead!

I was wondering what that blouse reminded me of.

Olivier: As wonderful as the jacket is, it makes the pants look cheap in comparison. The pants look like pajama bottoms to me, as though this lady executive, at the end of a long hard day at work, came home and changed out of business slacks, slipped on pajamas, but left the jacket on so she could change into a short skirt later and go clubbing.

I had more problems with the jacket. This received a ton of judges' praise? I guess we Texans just ain't hip and happenin', 'cause around here the only place a woman would dress like that would be the red light district.

Viktor: This was my favorite outfit this week. It’s so versatile! It would be appropriate for a casual outing or a formal occasion. The color and shape of the dress make it slimming where it should be and curvy in all the right places. Love it!

So did I. Hands down the best. He wuz robbed.

Becky: Oh, look. Another Spring breaker. She must be with Bryce’s model. They probably got split up when Becky’s model ran back to her car to get her sweater in case it was cold in the club. Looks like it’s an old sweater. She’s worn holes in the elbows.

Or the moths in the attic have chewed it away.

I'm sad to see Becky go before Josh, because of the lousy way he treated her. Sadly, though, I can see why based on this outfit. I thought Kimberly was the worst, but Becky and Laura were very close behind. Becky's model looks like a teenager who put on her mother's blouse and her grandmother's sweater.

Bert: This was my second favorite outfit. I don’t know what the judges were talking about the length being odd and the zipper in the front being a mistake. I really like it! I think I’d wear different shoes with it than these combat boots but other than that, I find nothing wrong with it.

The mismatched cog on the back looked a little jarring. I can also see why the judges criticized the zipper. What was up that? It looks like her dress got caught on something and tore. And I also agree that the boots look too clunky with that dress. Other than that, the dress was fine.

Joshua: I see what Joshua was trying to do, making the jacket like the cogs of a clock meeting up, but it didn’t come together as a cohesive look. Adding the blue shirt underneath the mismatched jacket made it look even more disjointed. Perhaps a bustier top paired with this outfit would have been better.

His outfit looks like somebody rummaged through the scrap bin at Mood and threw something together from what they randomly selected. Terrible.

Kimberly: I absolutely loathe the skirt of this outfit. The texture doesn’t fit with the other outfits presented by the team, the shape is god-awful. If you are what you eat, this model appears to eat at Taco Bell a lot. She has the bell-shaped hips to prove it! Yo quiero, Taco Bell, but the skirt? Not so much…

By the far the worst. Her skirt is as horrible as the trousers Burt made last week, and for the same reason.

Laura: I kept thinking of Blue Suede Shoes when looking at Laura’s outfit. That’s not a good thing. This is what I envision members of a track team sponsored by a lounge in Las Vegas to wear. Instead of spending time giving advice to other designers about their outfits, Laura (and Joshua, for that matter) should have spent more time working on her own.

One word: dowdy. And Josh, honey, in Texas, that ain't a good thing.

Did I miss in the description of the challenge that their patterns had to be black and white? I would have preferred if somebody had done a pattern using color. It’s hard to make a black and white pattern look any different than pages from a newspaper. Frankly, I didn’t like most of the patterns. The one I liked the most was the one the judges trashed the most—the clocks. Has time not been kind to the judges? Is that why they hated that theme so much? Maybe it was interpreted a bit too literally and the scope could have been broadened to include other timepieces but the concept was fine to me.

I was wondering the same thing. When I think "pattern," I think bold colors. Seeing all this B/W back-to-back just looked blah.

The way they did the judging was confusing to me. They said there wasn't going to be a team leader but when deciding who won and who was out this week, they made it seem like it was based on who best served their team, rather than whose outfit was best. In that regard, I agree that Anya should have won because she came up with the idea for their presentation video and had a lot of input in the other designs on her team. However, I don't think her outfit was the best.

Another contradiction from the judges. "Hasn't every other challenge been judged on the outfits?" "Who cares?" (sigh)

[Babbred]

A few words about Josh's attitude.

I work with the female equivalent to Josh, and believe me, it has nothing to do with grief. That may be contributing to it, but you don't act out that way unless you have an underlying character flaw.

I used the phrase "act out" quite deliberately, because I work in education and so I have seen it many times. It's called "negative attention," because the student will engage in bad behavior in order to get attention, even if it's in the form of scolding. For this person, everything is about him/her, no matter the situation or circumstances. As long as you're giving them attention, whether it be in the flattery of sycophants like Laura or Anya or getting the majority of camera time or even the scorn of others like Burt, this person is happy because he/she is getting a reaction from people.

That's why, as others have commented upon, these people can keep apologizing over and over. You're right that they're never really sorry because they got what they wanted in the first place. Sometimes this behavior can be sad in students, but in adults like my co-worker it's just pathetic.

[Jexter]

I buy Josh's story. He has tons of regret for not visiting his mother prior to her death. In addition, he is *desperate* to succeed....not merely hopeful, but desperate. I've been in both pairs of shoes a time or two myself, and I get how both emotions can take one to very dark places. I tend to think he's watching the show and will regret his behavior. He seems genuine and ultimately kind which means he'll work on fixing his attitude accordingly (I suppose we'll know for sure at the reunion). His designs aren't necessarily to my taste, but I like him.

[Shoepie]

Some of us said that this show was better on Bravo.
Was it really? It seems the same. Maybe we are becoming a bit weary of the format. It happens. Surivior had become a habit more that an interest. I miss personalites of the past, Jay, Austin, Wendy, Laura, Andre, Santino...

Are the clothes worse? Seems so to me but I cannot tell as my memory is more about the excitement of this show in the beginning and the challenges being fresh and unexpected. How cool was it that Heidi created this!? So different, so forward, so innovative. I think it is the same and it is just us.

Anya is a treasure. This woman is genuinely solid and secure in herself. Positive energy personified. Love her.

Sure I would have loved to have seen Bert or Josh leave before Becky, but Becky failed. A clear elimination for me.

Many have criticized the judges and I dont know why. I like them all and think they do an honest job. Heidi stood up for the concept a week ago by stating that they were judging on the current creation and not history or potential. She is the boss and keeping this show honest and on track. Good for her.

Black, white and beige is not good TV. I understood Anya winning. Oliver's jacket was well done, absolutely, but paired with black and white print pants? It was a needle scatching across vinal to me. A total disconnet; the jacket something a fox hunter would wear in Virgina, the pants Myrtle Beach in the summer.

[Jexter]

Some of us said that this show was better on Bravo.
Was it really? It seems the same. Maybe we are becoming a bit weary of the format. It happens. Surivior had become a habit more that an interest. I miss personalites of the past, Jay, Austin, Wendy, Laura, Andre, Santino...

Are the clothes worse? Seems so to me but I cannot tell as my memory is more about the excitement of this show in the beginning and the challenges being fresh and unexpected. How cool was it that Heidi created this!? So different, so forward, so innovative. I think it is the same and it is just us.

Anya is a treasure. This woman is genuinely solid and secure in herself. Positive energy personified. Love her.

Sure I would have loved to have seen Bert or Josh leave before Becky, but Becky failed. A clear elimination for me.

Many have criticized the judges and I dont know why. I like them all and think they do an honest job. Heidi stood up for the concept a week ago by stating that they were judging on the current creation and not history or potential. She is the boss and keeping this show honest and on track. Good for her.

Black, white and beige is not good TV. I understood Anya winning. Oliver's jacket was well done, absolutely, but paired with black and white print pants? It was a needle scatching across vinal to me. A total disconnet; the jacket something a fox hunter would wear in Virgina, the pants Myrtle Beach in the summer.

I pretty much agree on all counts. I don't see the show being any worse by jumping networks. Although the Bravo buzz and crazy website built things up better and provided a lot more interactivity. I manage to find and watch the show on its new network but honestly, I couldn't even tell you what network it is much less what the show's website looks like. I've been there once but it was a snooze fest and I haven't found a reason to go back. The show is a much better fit on Bravo, but c'est la vie.

I also like all the judges. However, the judges panel was getting a little repetative and I enjoy the mix of guest judges.

I'm not a complete Heidi fan. I think the way some of the eliminations have gone in the past few years have been heartless and pointless to the premise of the show. I'm referring mostly to the idea of sending people home before they can even compete. These kinds of tactics bring it to a game-show level rather than a skill-based competition. That Heidi seems to get "joy" from this is a little disturbing.

I don't think the designs are any worse than they have been in the past. It may seem this way only because the show has been around for so long. A bit of change may be in order, but I honestly have no clue what that might be. I do, however, still enjoy it in its current format.

[Dragonlady]

Becky: Becky’s model ran back to her car to get her sweater in case it was cold in the club. Looks like it’s an old sweater. She’s worn holes in the elbows.

Becky should have spent more time making that blouse look better tailored. Very poor workmanship on it...it ruined the whole look. And who needs air conditioning for their elbows??

A few words about Josh's attitude.
That's why, as others have commented upon, these people can keep apologizing over and over. You're right that they're never really sorry because they got what they wanted in the first place.

Seems to be a trend now to act out and then apologize, as if that makes it ok. Also that business of saying, "I take full responsibility for blahblahblah." We already know who's responsibile, dopey.

Some of us said that this show was better on Bravo.
Was it really? It seems the same. Maybe we are becoming a bit weary of the format. It happens. Surivior had become a habit more that an interest. I miss personalites of the past, Jay, Austin, Wendy, Laura, Andre, Santino...

I think you may very well be right about that. YEs, we like stand-out personalities but the producers seem to think we like mean or negative ones the best. Those mentioned above were not mean.

I also agree that Anya's dress itself wasn't the best but her idea about the kalidescope look/mirror image really made the video appear far superior.

[pikachu]

Some of us said that this show was better on Bravo.

I don't think the network makes the difference in show quality, although I did like that Brave repeated the show more during the week than Lifetime does. I often used to miss the first showing of the episode and on Bravo I could wait an hour or two and it would show again.

It seems like now the show has lots of crazy challenges, weird material, short timelines, or group challenges, and I wish they had more just designing regular clothes without some weirdo twist. Maybe they think their viewers get bored with regular challenges but I don't.

Are the clothes worse?

I think it's a draw. There were good and bad fashions in the past and now.

Many have criticized the judges and I dont know why.

I've always disagreed with the judges on some points. It's a difference of opinion, that's all. I respect the judges and their credentials but don't always agree with their point of view.

Black, white and beige is not good TV.

Once again, this is personal preference. I"m not wild about neutral colors. I can live with a designer doing a few neutral pieces but when every one of their outfits is done in a neutral shade each challenge, I get very bored with them. Colors don't have to be loud and bold. A little bit of color or the right shade of color can make a neutral outfit very nice. If I had a black and white tv, I wouldn't care if the outfits were neutral but I live in a colorized world and like to see fashions with some color!

[mandmmom2]

I finally watched this episode last night. Even though I read the thread before I watched, I was still shocked by Josh's outbursts and attitude. When I say "shocked" I don't mean b/c he had an outburst but "shocked" in the sense that everyone puts up with it. That Bert really didn't do anything to deserve Josh's outburst. I don't care who you are and what you are going through, you don't act like that on the "job". What happened to professionalism, tact, and the such? I know it's a competition but if Josh is like this as a team player then how is he going to work with his team when he becomes a professional, well known designer?! I personally don't like his stuff but that is just me.

And I agree with everyone that Vickor deserved the win...hands down! That dress was beautiful and elegant!!

[ClosetRTWatcher]

I miss personalites of the past, Jay, Austin, Wendy, Laura, Andre, Santino...

::SIGH:: I do miss Jay, Austin, and Santino. They were my all time favorites. I know Santino annoyed some viewers, but I found him immensely entertaining!!

I finally watched this episode last night. Even though I read the thread before I watched, I was still shocked by Josh's outbursts and attitude. When I say "shocked" I don't mean b/c he had an outburst but "shocked" in the sense that everyone puts up with it. That Bert really didn't do anything to deserve Josh's outburst. I don't care who you are and what you are going through, you don't act like that on the "job". What happened to professionalism, tact, and the such? I know it's a competition but if Josh is like this as a team player then how is he going to work with his team when he becomes a professional, well known designer?!

I would imagine that any company that saw Josh on this show would hesitate to hire him. There are very few jobs out there where one works in complete isolation. Although clothing design may seem like an individual task on the surface, I expect that in the "real world" these jobs are highly collaborative. The fact that he is showing how incapable he is of working with other people does not bode well for his future career in fashion. If this negative attitude isn't too deeply ingrained in him, maybe he can turn it around by the end of the show...

[busilis32]

The show was definitely better on Bravo. Setting aside the fact that there will probably never be a designer as original as Jay McCarroll, by this time in every season until they went to Lifetime there had been some really outstanding moments:

Season one: right off the bat, the corn husk dress from Austin, later the Chrysler Building dress, Kara Saun's post-apocalyptic ensemble on the group challenge.

Season two: Santino's first design (the one they did beforehand), Daniel and Chloe in the flower challenge, the dirty water dress from Andrae.

Season three: Michael Knight's coffee filter dress, the Pamela Greer inspired outfit, most of Uli's designs, Jeffrey's couture gown (as much as I despised him), most of Laura's designs.

Season four: Christian Siriano's first design, Chris March's first design (that purple dress moved like water), the two Christian's in the couture challenge, Victorya and Jillian's coat, Jillian and Rami's designs in the candy challenge, both Christians in the wrestling challenge.

Season five: After a shaky start, Leanne's work was beautiful (she seemed to have turned it around with the city challenge. Joe and Korto's design in the drag queen challenge, Tami's city outfit that Sandra Bernhard loved and her drag queen challenge outfit as well.

Since they moved to Lifetime, there hasn't been a winning collection to compare with Leanne's or Siriano, let alone Jay's. And the personalities were better on Bravo. Santino was a jerk, but he was memorable (remember his imitations?). Austin was an amazing, genuine character, Laura Bennett had that cutting humor (too much so for some people). I could go on. True, there were some amazing clunkers when the show was on Bravo (Suede anyone?), but what was good was undeniable. This season in particular seems really uninspired. Not even the skills can compare to the best of season 1-5. It could be the pool of talent is getting shallower. But I also think producers interference is a problem. And they should fix the schedule so we don't have so many collections showing at Fashion Week.