...is what they could have called this new show. it's no surprise that tim gunn comes off as impossibly chilly in this very boring first episode. who cares what that woman puts in her closet? come on, now! the show is a disaster, and that's what happens when you have too much ego behind the scenes. project runway is a great show and smartly, mr. gunn is neither onscreen too much, nor too little; like a pinch of salt, he's used to good effect there. but too much of tim gunn is, well, way too much. just reading his project runway blog gives you a taste of the supercilious bore behind the kindly mentor persona. with one blow, he casually stabs two of the most original designers, jay mccarroll and santino rice, in the back by saying of santino something like, "Well, he just couldn't win, oh goodness no, not after jay, or the whole show would be a joke, just some circus act with those two eccentric characters." i have news for him as well as for the producers of that show: project runway was damn lucky to have had those two talented "eccentrics." jay mccarroll, unloved child of the franchise, remains superbly gifted, my favorite designer of any season, and santino rice is happily living his dream in LA, designing for big shots, no thanks to snobs like tim gunn, who seemed to have barely understood mr. rice's warmth, humility and kindness on gunn's filmed trip to rice's home at the end of the second season. sadly, talented people from the wrong side of the tracks do not seem to inspire folks like tim gunn, so i don't trust the guy and wouldn't want to spend an hour watching him redo some lady's closet.

Well said - and I agree with you 100%. The other awful character on that design show was Heidi Klum. Wow. So nasty - and for absolutely no reason.

Re: "...he casually stabs two of the most original designers," I think you misunderstood Tim Gunn's actual meaning in that blog post. When I read that in his blog, I thought he was making a sarcastic reference to how producer influence and network perception of the show's marketability affect the outcome of competitive reality shows; he was lampooning the fact that the show's producers (and fans) likely wouldn't want two similar people to win in adjoining seasons... similar to how American Idol fans comment, "oh, this year it's a girl's turn to win."

It's good to pay attention to tone and subtext when you're reading -- some people do take great care to give cues when they're being sarcastic (e.g., "oh goodness, no").

i happened to be back here and just reread my angry comment as well as the responses to it...everyone has gone, of course, and it matters only to me now, lol, but i'm gonna comment again anyway, just in case someone saunters back!

first of all, i'm kind of laughing at how upset i was. my bad! but i have to insist on my point. i do understand context very well. and i didn't quote tim's blog exactly. it was just from memory. and it was an audio blog, to boot, so even easier to garner context.

look, i'd like to give tim gunn the benefit of the doubt, and maybe he was being sarcastic and referring to the powers that be. but listening to the audio, it didn't come off that way; he seemed to mean it; i think he called those two popular finalists in question basket cases and a circus act or something and he seemed concerned about the image of the show. his comments were the talk of the blogosphere for days. they came off as surprisingly belittling and mean, and well, backstabbing. they were actually worse than what i wrote in my earlier post, which was just paraphrasing from memory. so one, i apologize for being so upset. two, i don't think i was missing the context, but if anyone can find that long audio blog from season 2, i'd be willing to give it a re-listen. i don't want to be unfair. even though i think his new show is boring, i don't like not liking anyone, and would love to think he really is a nice guy! i used to think he was!

ps i would love to see a PR line, or at least an online store to start, with a sampling from a large variety of featured designers from all seasons; then folks could continue to support the work of designers they feel passionate about. not all of the designers from past seasons have distribution deals or online stores, so it could be a nice thing for some people. all in all, i still think PR is a great show that has done a lot for some great talent out there. and i do think this new tim gunn show is pretty awful! lol