Project Runway 7/31/25--"Feel the Burn" summary

 

Previously on “Project Runway”: we went right back to what people hated about the Lifetime seasons with twins and a team challenge. Oh and sponsors, because supposedly many designers get into fashion because of Disney princesses, so we had a Princesses group and a Villains group. Jesus decided to be in charge of his group, which meant calling people bitches and getting bossy, and then insisting it was just that other people were not team players. This continued after his team won and he got some negative critiques. Angelo (Jesus's twin) and Caycee (who was on season 19 and went out first) are the bottom two, but they ended the episode before we found out who lost. (click for more)

We pick up back in the Scrap Bin now where everyone is crying still. Finally everyone comes back out. There was a chyron that said “Elimination 1 of 9” so that's something. Joseph McRae is safe. Caycee had beautiful fabric but many design problems. Antonio had a decent dress but a poor attitude. He and Law smirk at each other. Antonio is in. I mean, either way, but would they have sent one half of twins home without making them battle each other? I doubt it. Antonio promises to work on his attitude. Caycee is out. She says she is “beyond shocked”. Christian does not Save her, assuming he still has one, which I'm sure he does. Caycee of course wishes she could have shown more, but she's probably not coming back. OK that was cute. They shoot her packing up and leaving the workroom with a pile of fabric on the ground behind her and I like to think the implication was that she threw her losing dress on the ground.

Christian makes everyone gather 'round to tell them he has something “extra” for them. Because Ethan won, he will get to swap designers between the groups. Sorry, “houses”. They'll decide at the next challenge so he can think about it. Interesting. I can think of a couple of people who they might get rid of who would be happy to go. But I am sad the groups are sticking around.

In the morning (“Challenge 2 Reveal Day”) everyone comes in to...somewhere with yoga mats and jump ropes. Everyone has a gift bag, and Christian left a note that says “put these on and meet me in the workroom”. Jesus says that the last challenge was a lot for him and Antonio. Why, because you were on the winning team but Law didn't like your outfit? Or because you're obsessed with being in charge? Supposedly both twins are about to prove Law wrong and I am OK with Law becoming a judge and immediately having a baseless vendetta against these two. Ethan wants to make a decision that's good for him. Get rid of “boisterous” Jesus? Or Veejay who is hard to work with? You know what, good for him for recognizing Jesus is part of the issue.

So they do have yoga mats, and Christian is there, but then he's like I don't know what the fuck I'm doing who knows yoga? Belania jumps up and leads everyone in some poses, while Veejay voiceovers and says her workout is walking to the coffee shop and then people watching. Nice. Ethan says he is going to swap, and Jesus interviews that if Ethan is smart, he'll keep Jesus around because he's a strong designer and Ethan knows what he's capable of. Sure. But he also thinks that Ethan should trade for Antonio. No, who is trading for someone who almost went home? Also we spent a lot of time lecturing Yuchen about being a team player but no one has mentioned his name yet today. Ethan swaps Jesus with Madeline. Ooo. So the twins are together but the other team has to deal with it. You know honestly you could have also approached this as “how can I make a trade so everyone on my team has the same aesthetic” so that your collections are cohesive. Jesus is pissed but now you're with your twin? I guess he thinks he's with the “losers”. Madeline says she hopes he doesn't regret it, and he says (in front of everyone) he has full confidence she's gonna kill it. Also he wants to see “this dynamic” (and he waggles his finger at the twins) because apparently they've been claiming they're a powerhouse so he'd like to see it. Nice.

As you could have guessed from the fake yoga, the challenge today is to make “a cohesive activewear capsule collection” that goes “from workout to the weekend”. There is a brand involved, Calia, who I've never heard of but sure. It's not Heidi. The chyron says this is another one day challenge. Someone from Calia is here, and she is clearly not wearing active wear. She is also emphasizing how functional the pieces are. You can buy their clothes at Dick's Sporting Goods but I'm currently looking at basic leggings and they're $78. But the sizes go from XXS to 3X so I guess that's something. This woman thinks you should be able to wear the pieces to go have cocktails, which I think is pushing it. If you want it to be really functional, I think “appropriate to run errands and grab coffee” is as much weekend as you're going to get out of it. Calia has provided fabrics and look books, and also will sell the winning look. I did see that advertised but I didn't click on it because spoilers. Then Christian is like, I love your slogan “beauty in the burn” so what if we have fire on the runway? Sigh. He also tells them they will have all of today and some of tomorrow, which is how a normal one day challenge works so I don't know why we need to explain it. Jesus tries to be threatening in confessional, as if Ethan made a mistake putting him and Antonio together, except for the part where 1. that's exactly what you wanted Ethan to do, put you and Antonio together and 2. as long as you do it over there. Ethan predictably doesn't give a shit.

Ethan's team decides to call themselves “Team Burn” since it should have something to do with fire. I guess. Ethan wanted to equalize the energy of the group by putting all the “boisterous” people together. That makes sense. The other team does seem loud. Veejay is fine because she doesn't need more drama. They want to put pops of red and like, red seams in everything. The other team has decided on “House of Lotus” and they are currently attempting to pick out fabrics. Joseph McRae says that they know the cohesion was the problem last time, and they need to nail it this time. Antonio has a multicolored fabric print again, and Belania interviews that Antonio insisted on a fabric the last time and it didn't turn out that well. It's doubly bad now because Jesus immediately agrees this is great fabric. Joan is not happy about anything, and Antonio has decided this is because she is too old. I'm serious, he interviews that she is stuck “back in the days” and then in the workroom talks about how young and fresh the fabric is. I think it looks like an 80's paper cup but I think the 80's came back around so maybe it is fresh.

Just under six hours until Christian arrives. Ethan interviews how he and Alex bonded right away. She is making a corset bustier top. Her grandmother was a tailor so she makes a lot of Japanese-inspired looks. Veejay asks how Angelo is doing, and then says she likes what he's working on, and he thanks her and says he appreciates it. So was it just that she doesn't like Jesus or possibly Ethan? Or is this “I need to be a team player so no one throws me under the bus later”? Angelo says he wants to win for his daughter. I do like the return of random chatting to the workroom, even if it feels producer-initiated. Ethan and Madeline talk about inspirations and stuff.

Christian shows up three hours before model fitting. Belania needs to figure out her skirt and she immediately is like “this might send me home”. I doubt it but I guess it's possible. This isn't what she usually does but she is fine pushing herself. Jesus has made a long jumpsuit and Christian thinks it's too demure. Ethan gloats that he made the right decision. Antonio starts talking about how he's got this print, and he makes it sound like he's using it because Joan isn't using it, as if the group picked out the print and Joan refused to cooperate so Antonio is forced to make a whole outfit out of print. Christian is smarter than this and immediately is like “You did it again?” Just like the last challenge, Antonio picked out a print and told his team they should use it. Joseph McRae has made a circle skirt, which Christian calls “groundbreaking” in the most sarcastic tone possible. This would only take him ten minutes, as opposed to the 30 minute dress last challenge. Somehow Joseph McRae is doing something similar to his last look, which you'll recall was upholstery fabric and looked like a couch cushion. Or at least a jacket and a skirt. Then in confessional he perfectly describes Christian's skeptical face, “with them glasses and that hair perfectly swafted to the side” going are you sure? I mean his hair is too short currently for swafting but otherwise that's accurate. It's important his top is fabulous.

House of Burn. Ethan has a sash, and says something about Tron. But while no one's outfits look particularly functional, a sash that hangs down is a much harder sell in that sense. Veejay has vertical navy and red stripes, that are somehow going to twist. Alex is still making a corset bustier and Christian has to explain to her that this is not athleisure. But she might still be making it. Angelo has an oversized hoodie and sweatpants. Christian points out that Alex is right there and she's making the exact same pants in the same color, because no one is talking to each other and there's no boss. So Angelo is scrambling to come up with something else.

One hour until the models get here and there's a bunch of frantic working. Ethan thinks the other team is not cohesive, while Jesus thinks his original team is too quiet. OK so once the models arrive for fitting, they have 4 hours 45 minutes left. Joseph McRae's top is cute but his model has some boobs and she's not going to be able to workout in that. Also there is a thin strip of fabric wrapped around her arm like the ribbons on a ballet slipper. Why? Who knows. Yuchen puts the skirt on his model, and it's short. Like, he's tacked a square in the front or they'd have to blur it short. He interviews that “Because, mama, I'm a slut.” What. Veejay has picked out some weird shoes and they giggle about it. Alex has some pants that have no side seam, but seem to be pleated in the back? Have seams in the back? Christian thinks her ass looks weird but Alex interviews that they're based on hakama pants, which are wide-legged Japanese trousers. She says all the volume is in pleats across the back, but I feel like she can put the pleats in the front. Anyway, they are that way on purpose because culture. Ethan is a little worried about his team, because some people are behind. He hopes he made the right decision.

Runway Day. Three hours to finish. Veejay tells Christian they don't have a leader because no one wanted one. Or because they didn't want to “blame” someone. The problem with no leader is sometimes everyone does whatever and nothing goes together. Alex is worried about her look but she is out of time.

We really put the judges on the opposite side of the runway. Hmm. They also changed the sides so the scrim looks weird. Like it's just free-standing screens and not a wall. Guest judge today is Sarah Foster, who owns a fashion line. Not the one they're designing for. Also they did actually get flames, which is dumb, and when the designers comment on how it's hot and there's open flames, Heidi says she told them it would be hot, and she wasn't talking about “Hanz and Franz”. Did...did Heidi name her boobs after an SNL sketch?

House of Burn. Angelo: white sleeveless hoodie and cream crop pants. The hoodie is not that exciting. I think the pants are cream? They are not white, but they might be a light green, and are pretty wide and I think they have cargo pockets. On the front of the hoodie are random spots with pintucking? Like he picked a random place and pinched it, then sewed the fabric together to make little gathers. Yuchen: a jacket and skirt in white with red accents. The jacket has a high collar and hits right at her waist, and the red makes a cross on the front, two side panels, and then a strip down each arm. It kind of looks like a moto jacket. The skirt is still very short but is now in pleats with red lining. Also it feels like the skirt doesn't hang evenly but is like, a slanted waistband and is hanging off a hip. The tall black leather boots go with it but aren't athletic?

Alex: the pants from the front look like your standard wide-legged pants that end at the floor, in cream, but they look mostly OK from this angle. Maybe around her hips something weird is happening, some creasing. The red bustier fits very well, with a halter strap, but at the hem there is like a weird flap. Like it was going to be a body suit but no one snapped it so there's just a tab. There's also some kind of jacket that I think might be a big rectangle on her arms and across her shoulders, with a strap around her neck and hanging down. Think of how a kimono has a separate border at the opening. Like that but without the rest of the fabric. It might be a full jacket? There aren't any good shots. From the back there still are no good shots, but for sure you can see all the extra volume. It doesn't look that bad but I'm not sure it looks like how Alex intended. Madeline: a short skirt, not pleated or anything, in black with a thin orange border around the hems and down the side. Instead of just a plain tube, there's a rounded notch cut out over one leg. The top is a sports bra and then a sheer black fabric in a crop top. It's like, a sheer piece with solid beige pieces at the elbows and the cropped hem and the collar, and then the sheer isn't sewn down all the way around, and it has some volume. I don't know, we haven't really heard from Madeline a lot today.

Veejay: body con dress, at the knee, with cap sleeves. It's vertical stripes of red-orange and black, and then down the center of each stripe she's put cording or shoelaces. She cut holes and threaded them through so they look like stitching or something, and then left the extra to hang at either end. There is a high neck too. It looks cool and striking. Ethan: black jumpsuit, sleeveless with a high collar and narrow legs. Like, legging narrow. Down her right side is a a strip of red, which is not sewn into the jumpsuit but attached to a fin of fabric so it moves around.

House of Lotus. Antonio: wide-legged pants and a crop top in a multicolored print. It's just one of those generic 80s brushstroke prints. The top is more like a one-shouldered sports bra with a circular collar. Also one arm has an elbow length glove. As we get a better shot, it's not that the pants are wide but that at the knee he's attached pleats and huge volume. Belania: there's a sheer black turtleneck with long sleeves, and then over this is a bra made out of the print. It's a bandeau top, but twisted between the breasts, and then yellow ribbon at the sides to make the straps. The skirt is a long cargo skirt in a cream colored heavy fabric with a vertical drawstring down the front. I think the cargo pockets are outlined in the same dark mustard as the drawstring. The fabric is like a heavy almost quilted fabric, and the skirt is puckering in weird places. There's a drawstring in the back too. Joan: a black tube top, with a yellow zipper. The zipper runs from the bottom of the tube top up to a thick black collar around her neck. OK actually it's the print with the black sheer over it. She's also tied like a sheer cape or something over this whole outfit, but it's removed almost immediately so I'm not sure what's going on. The bottom looks like pants in the print, and then a black sheer skirt over this, with a yellow waistband. The skirt is divided into panels so there's a slit over each leg, with the hems lined in the same yellow.

Joseph McRae: a full short skirt and a jacket, both in brown. Also he's put a big knit hat on her head. But it's a big coat, with wide lapels that sit on her shoulders, that tucks into the waist. He does open the coat this time, and it's a halter bra in the print, which is cute but looks like there is zero support. Maybe the strap should be shorter, I don't know. Jesus: wide legged pants and a puffy jacket in the same brown as the last look. The jacket has volume but it doesn't look right. I think because the sleeves are pushed up to her elbows, so you have these very wide shoulders and skinny arms. Under the jacket is some kind of wrap top in the print. The pants are wide enough to be a skirt but I don't see any pleats or anything, just wide. I think maybe the top is just a boatneck, but when I first paused this, it did look like he ran out of time and just threw some fabric on her and said not to open the jacket.

Heidi doesn't use the house names to announce anything, probably because she doesn't know them, but House of Lotus is the winning house. I am sure that's just to encourage drama between the twins and Ethan. Or to keep the teams even. Heidi makes sure to tell the winning team they liked the cohesion, which just encourages the twins to continue bossing everyone around for future drama. The top three are Joseph McRae, Belania, and Jesus. Joan and Antonio are safe and can leave, but not before Heidi tells Antonio his look was the worst. They all knew which look was Joseph McRae's look. It's revealed there are shorts under the circle skirt, in the print, and honestly that's a nice touch. It does look like she could change her shoes and look presentable. Everyone kisses his ass. Belania has a great top and Nina loves that the pockets have details. Like the ones at the hip are lined in the print. Also that if she wanted to be less covered up she could just wear the bra and not the turtleneck. The guest judge says something about flattering waistbands, I guess. I don't like the drawstrings but it's not terrible. Law says Jesus has done something not many people can do, which is to shut him up. Heh. Last challenge Law was very tough on Jesus and this look is versatile. Jesus reveals that there's a zipper on the pants to make them straight-legged pants, and not so full, and I audibly gasped. I mean maybe the extra fabric bunches or something but in terms of making the pants functional for working out that is fantastic. That zipper was not obvious at all. The winner is Jesus. Of course because Ethan got rid of him. And you can buy the look (or a much simpler, less voluminous version), only the jacket and pants are already sold out. But it does look like the pants were convertible with the zipper. The jacket is now a normal cropped jacket, close fitting, and the top is just a triangular shaped top that comes up around the neck.

The losing team comes out and Law tells Ethan his team fucked him. Ethan does say his team did a good job. Anyway his team fucked him because everyone loved his jumpsuit, but the rest of the team wasn't great. He also won't say he fucked up by trading Jesus, he loves his team. Law doesn't believe him but I think Ethan does like his team personality-wise more than he did. Oh, we're gonna act like Ethan should have taken control and kept everyone else from sucking. There's no way. After Jesus was a jerk about it, I don't think someone else trying to boss everyone around would have gone over well. The bottom three are Alex, Angelo, and Veejay. I liked Veejay's. Yuchen, Madeline, and Ethan are safe.

Veejay had a good silhouette and the length is a good length. Nina likes the ties, but the guest judge has decided they remind her of tampons. What. Heidi doesn't think it's activewear, which is fair. Had it been a top with some black leggings, it would be much better. Angelo wanted to stay true to himself, which is mens streetwear. Too safe and boring. It's basic and well-made but that's not going to cut it here. Alex talks about kimonos and then says “So I go to the sauna a lot and I love a corset.” ...what. I have no idea, Alex tries to say maybe a corset after the sauna, but you can't work out in a corset. Honestly. Now we need to look at the pants more closely, and first of all, the hem looks very last minute and there's a small section that has fallen down. But there is one big seam down the middle of her butt, and I guess it's puckered but it doesn't look pleated. Like, Alex successfully got all the extra fabric to lie flat. Other than that, though, there is too much going on. There's some weird flaps on the sleeves too.

Angelo is a minimalist but it's going to be very hard for him if he can't give them a show. There is disagreement about Veejay's dress, which is well made but does not fit the challenge. Then we see she put like, black low-top sneakers with it so they complain about her styling. Alex had poor execution and styling. They argue if any of it works, but certainly none of it is athleisure. In the Scrap Bin people cry and Ethan wonders if this would have happened if he'd traded Veejay instead. No, then Veejay would have won. You were on Drag Race, you know how this works. He thinks maybe it's because he wasn't enough of a leader, but I don't think his team would have tolerated a bossy person right then. Oh and I guess the cliffhanger thing continues. Fuck you, show.

Next time: Ethan and Jesus will pick their houses, which is fine because who cares, it's just a way for the producers to make it clear the houses have to have leaders. I tried to look and see if they spoiled the outcome in the trailer, but I couldn't tell so good for you I guess. There seems to be denim involved in all the looks. Also Ethan is wearing full kabuki makeup on the runway.