Tearful tantrums. Stolen mannequins. Verbally abused models. Oh yes, "Project Runway" is back, and it's bringing out the best in its contestants.
Season 3 of the Emmy-nominated series kicks off Wednesday night on Bravo with a two-hour event featuring a casting special and the first regular episode. The special will also include a look at what some of last season's contestants are up to these days. Word is Daniel Franco is back to designing from his parents' dining room - but that's not really a surprise, now is it?
Chloe Dao, last season's winner, is still living in Houston, though she travels quite a bit. She went to Miami for the casting of Season 3 and to New York for the premiere party. She still helps run her Houston boutique, Lot 8, which recently launched a Web site, www.lot8online.com, to make shopping available worldwide for customers. Celebs Kate Hudson and Molly Sims, who became interested in Chloe's designs after seeing the show, have frequented the site.
Producers are hesitant to reveal details that might ruin some of the twists they hope will keep this season fresh. They do say that Michael Kors and Nina Garcia of "Elle" are back as judges, along with unnamed celebrity guest judges. Heidi Klum, who managed to look more fabulous all last season with a gigantic pregnant belly than most girls do on prom night, will again proclaim who is in and who is out. Tim Gunn remains the fairy godmother of the group.
According to Gunn's blog on the Bravo Web site, this year's contestants are collectively older than before, and they bring more industry experience to the table. The casting process favored already-working designers poised to break new ground with their own lines, as opposed to current design students and recent graduates like last year's Daniel Vosovic.
"We believe 'Runway' fans will be as riveted by this season's talented designers and amazed by their creativity as they have in previous seasons," said Frances Berwick, a programming executive at Bravo, in a written statement.
While their inventiveness is impressive, watching someone fashion a vest out of, say, spinach leaves with lima bean buttons, is only half of what makes "Runway" so fascinating. Thanks to the producers who sort through the semi-finalists to find personalities worthy of weekly viewing, the chosen contestants inevitably come with enough drama to fill an entire Louis Vuitton luggage collection.
Take last year: How uncomfortable yet delicious was it when Andrae sobbed uncontrollably on the runway? And then there was Santino, who got into a shouting match with Nina Garcia over lingerie. Zulema upped the bitch factor by declaring a walk-off between two models. Plus there was singing, sarcasm and unforgettable Tim Gunn impressions. Since this season's contestants were deprived of sleep, TV and contact with the outside world during filming, they should be on edge just enough to provide the juicy entertainment reality viewers have come to expect. Amidst it all, Tim Gunn will be standing over their shoulders ensuring they "make it work."
The "Project Runway" casting special airs at 8 p.m., and the regular season episodes will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
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