Project Runway All Stars

I like Alyssa okay as an actress, but as a host & judge here... yeah, no. Feels very awkward & forced. Shouldn't a fashion/runway expert be doing this? The judges' voting seems way off, too. Like, they're picking the people more than the designs. It honestly doesn't feel like all-stars. More like rejects. No hate to the designers, but some of the work seems so subpar. At least I know it's not just me feeling this way. I want the old Project Runway back. Sigh.

I have never liked Alyssa Milano as the host of this show. I just don't understand how she is in any way an expert who should be judging such talented contestants. I still watched the show despite this, but when AM started bumping her gums with her bullying of "Trump supporters", I drew the line. I could give a rat's backside who a person supports politically and I'm sick to death of these irrelevant, uneducated Hollywood has-beens displaying the very behavior they claim to abhor. I feel like Lifetime is smart to cancel this show - I can no longer be a viewer of a show that employs a bully like her. I am part of the silent majority who is done with the toxic social and political climate celebrities are fostering and have decided to fight back in the only truly effective way...hit them in the wallet by not watching any movies or TV any of them are on, and refusing to purchase products they plug. And my oh my is the list getting smaller by the day of things to watch and things to buy, but if everyone who's sick of it does the same, maybe they'll start to think twice before spewing hate speech about which topics they know nothing.

(My review addresses the different seasons separately.) Let's start with the element that for me is the worst part of the first season: the hostess, Angela Lindvall. How on earth did she get herself cast in this role? She has no flair, no vivacity, no life. She is a big fake-sounding dud. (It is January 2024, and I am just getting round to watching this 1st season. I am very happy to report that she was only the hostess for the first season.) The next element that I found quite cringe-inducing was the mentorship of Joanna Coles, the editor-in-chief of Marie Claire magazine. I had seen her in some guest appearances on the original Project Runway, and I always liked her. She seemed quite savvy, rather no-nonsense, and spoke both candidly and kindly to the contestants. But here on All Stars, she seems to be following some awful directive from the producers to drum up drama and anxiety among the contestants. "So, who are you sizing up among the other designers? Who do you see as your competition?" What the hell kind of question is that?! (She asked that question of Rami in Episode 2 of the 1st season.) And she did essentially the same thing to Austin Scarlett. Tim Gunn is incomparable in this role: he spoke to the designers as intelligent people and he always kept his focus on their designs. Christian Siriano has also made a good mentor, though I think that he tends to hover around the workroom too much and harangues the designers about what they are or are not doing. Anyway - I have found myself fast-forwarding through the workroom scenes in All Stars and just skipping right to the runway show. I love the creativity of the designers and their amazing end products. (Well, many of them.) (Update) I have just finished watching Season 6, and I am happy to see that changes were made to the show. First, I actually thought that Alyssa Milano was a fine choice as the host of the show. As an actress, she has a nice stage presence. Also, she seems genuinely nice. You need that in someone who is going to be axing contestants at the end of each episode. The next GREAT thing about the later seasons is the addition of Anne Fulenwider as the mentor. SHE IS WONDERFUL !!! She is a no-nonsense mentor. She has a singularly keen eye for good fashion, and she is also very kind in her candor. I love her as the mentor. She gives excellent feedback. So, all in all, I am happy with the show.

The original Project Runway is a classic. After 12 seasons, I can honestly say it hasn't lost its touch and never lost the quality. Heidi, Tim and Nina are absolutely fantastic, and they have been, always.

All Stars, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Stiff judges I can never agree with, boring challenges and the worst of the worst - so many product placements it's like the show is a walking commercial. If you had any doubts, the very last episode cleared them out. It's not even the very core of the challenge that was the problem - contestants were to design a dress for Marge Simpson, which, on some level, was a fresh and brave idea - but how both companies carried that out. The working rooms were all completely swimming with The Simpsons' decorations, silhouettes and stands, Marge's portraits were everywhere (on walls, on the desks) and if you had any doubts just WHO is sponsoring the show - "gifts" were given to the designers, God-awful Simpsons sneakers. "Thank you, Marge", you could hear designers saying, barely able to cover their disgust. Alright. We got it. The Simpsons team is sponsoring. Enough.

I'm not completely against product placement, but the companies must understand it's a very delicate matter. It can't be done by throwing everything you have in storage onto the walls.

Just as I was making my peace with The Simpsons' over-sponsoring, I heard, right in the middle of sewing, someone said... "Who wants some Resource water?"

And I gave up. Me and the show must part ways. I'm sure there are hundreds of people who don't really care - they will eat everything up, everything they see on the screen, they will take in and gladly have their brains washed. Not me.

Project Runway All Stars may not be as good as the original Project Runway but it definitely is able to hold it's own. I would say that the all stars version is more fashion forward. As the designers have had some time to develop their abilities and styles they are better equipped to handle the challenges. The competition feels more fierce and cutting edge.

I love that you get an update on your favourite and most hated designers. It's also a second chance for the designers who got robbed (by Heidi's obvious bias and lack of taste) to prove what they can do and shine.

I do totally agree though that the show is strongly overused for product placement and endorsements which can be distracting but I guess that's everything in life. Still great reality TV.