Fancast: Inside TV

We learned two critical pieces of information on last night’s Project Runway: Kevin is the lone straight guy and Jack finally revealed he is HIV positive. Neither of these revelations will necessarily change the outcome of the show, but they are interesting tidbits that help round out a couple of characters. I am still waiting to see how Jack handles telling the rest of the house, it should be emotional and enlightening.

The rush of last week’s Sarah Jessica Parker fix was replaced with tepid half-joy as Tiki Barber (famed NY Giant and Today Show correspondent) introduced himself and asked for an outfit. Neat! At first I thought this was a wash, a big waste of time, but after designers posed a few simple questions for this week’s guest (yes, Tiki likes details and color) it became quite clear the challenge would be complicated. Most of these people have never designed menswear, and although suits and ties look boring and basic their simplicity leaves little room for error as you can’t hide flaws beneath bows, belts and forgiving fabric.

Jack upset some curmudgeons by whipping off his shorts, using them as a pattern and passing them around like a joint for others to partake in, and it poses a legitimate question about rules on the show. Should designers be allowed to make patterns and use someone else’s handiwork to better their designs? If Jack had used a pair of shorts he made as a template I don’t think I’d have an issue, but shedding his short pants to make a perfectly fitting pair of trousers does seem a little shady.

Elisa’s still crazy. She wouldn’t touch her model and turned away when he changed because she only touches her boyfriend. What’s wrong, Taos, can’t trust yourself in the presence of another man, or is your boyfriend so jealous he’ll go postal if he finds out you’ve been fondling another guy’s goodies? Whatever. Elisa ended up having a cute and passable olive sweater/brown vest combination that made those of us watching say, “Hmm…not bad!”

There were plenty of janky ass get ups making their way down the runway, including Sweet P’s oversized Pee Wee Herman collar, Carmen’s goofy swatch of blue fabric she tried to pass as a scarf/shirt, and Ricky’s bad collar that Tiki called “messy”. Chris March did not land in the top three but his all dark ensemble looked smooth and Tiki-like, and Kit and Kevin both impressed the well dressed running back with their notable numbers. Jack ended up winning the challenge with his pin stripes and perfectly fitting pants (Michael Kors even commented on the good fit), but edging out other designers with his shorts seemed less than fair given the difficult task they tackled without help. Carmen’s sharf sent her to auf weiderseinville, I guess her experience as a model only applied to women’s clothes when it came time to make it work.