I apologize for the absence of my Project Runway summaries, I just recently returned from my trip to the wonderful Riviera Maya (look for my blog about it later this week!). Now I’m back in full force, and here’s the scoop on Episodes 3, 4, and 5:

                                                (Tiki Barber)

Episode 3 featured semi-recently retired New York Giants football player Tiki Barber as the guest judge. Now a correspondent for NBC, he is asking the Project Runway contestants to design menswear that is appropriate for his position as a television reporter.

A difficult task for the designers, since they are far more accustomed to dressing women, many struggle to produce a runway-worthy style. In fact, Carmen couldn’t even finish her design — sending her model in front of the judges without a shirt. This, inevitably led to her dismissal from the show. On the other hand, Jack did very well, designing a pinstriped outfit that Tiki selected as his favorite.

The following week (Episode 4) the designers were given a “blast from the past,” and instructed to revamp a style from a previous decade. After each of the cast mates selected an outfit that they felt they could modernize, they were then told to split off into groups of three. These partnerships were to make a cohesive collection using the three of their styles.

Well, the group containing Ricky and Victoryia was anything but cohesive, ultimately leading to Ricky’s spot in the bottom two, alongside Chris. Neither of their designs were too impressive, but the judges felt that Chris’s was the worst of the two and sent him packing. Ricky is safe for another week (this wasn’t his first time on the chopping block). The winner was Jillian, who updated overalls in a sassy way.

                     (Chris gets sent home…but is it for good?)

Finally, on to Episode 5, originally airing on Wednesday, December 12. The models last week were women who have lost significant amounts of weight, and their old clothing were the basis of the designs. Using their favorite outfits from the past, the designers were challenged to transform the over-sized items into better-fitting, stylish pieces.

Just when the episode is about to get good, things change…for the worse. Jack, the fun-loving, drama-free designer who won top design on Episode 3 is forced to remove himself from the competition. An infection of the face proves to be dangerous (he is HIV positive). In order to get well, he must leave the show to receive medical attention.

This was definitely an emotional time for all; Jack, the other designers, and the viewers. Since there was a model without someone to create clothing for them, Chris is asked to join the show again and given a second chance.

The biggest design difficulty this episode was felt by Steve. He was to transform a wedding dress into something that his model could wear day to day. Despite receiving help from Kevin and Victorya, it wasn’t enough to keep him around. While we said goodbye to Steve, it was a big congratulations to Christian (the fan favorite of the season).

So, now that we’re all caught up, how does everyone feel about the season?

I know that my co-workers have definitely been enjoying the episodes thus far. Here is a little bit of what they had to say during a Project Runway e-mail conversation in the office…

Chuck: “I was so crying when Jack had to leave. Ohh but I heard a juicy rumor about Jack !!!!!! I read an outzonetv.com interview with Jack and it seems that he is kind of dating Dale from another Bravo show – Top Chef. Juicy huh?

Jacquie: “Jack was one of the best!!! I was so sad he left.”

Chuck: “I love Christian, he is so talented, and I loved his last outfit. I would so buy that for one of my sisters right now.”

Join in on the conversation — I appreciate the opinions of all of my readers!

~ Leeann

Photo Credits: http://www.bravotv.com