Korto-- Fashion Week collection

Look carefully for a dress that should be here but isn't. (click for pics, same as before)

All the beadwork and jewelry, I think Korto made most of it. I really love this color. And it fits.
















I think this is Amanda, Kayne's model. The volume of the sleeves works really well with the rest of the dress. And the pleating isn't overwhelming. The color is kind of eh. The back plunges almost to her waist.















This is really striking. The pants are high-waisted but it works with the top. The ruffle even works with the pants being a little wide-legged.















Holy crap that's short. I can't even think of anything else to say.

















Korto usually doesn't use prints, but this one is kind of subtle. I love the band at her waist and the keyhole opening.
















I'm not sure if she's holding up her skirt so she doesn't trip. That would be a very bad sign. And I like that Korto has a very diverse group of models, but this color on this particular model doesn't really work. I'm not sure that putty/clay color works on very many people.













I am glad this one seems longer than the last green one. I'm not a big fan of the giant bag, but it's not bad. I think the whole bodice is pleated.















I love this dress, even though it's yellow and I don't wear yellow. The sparkly strap goes over her shoulder and across her back to her right hip. That's all the fabric on the back of the dress.

















Everyone thought this was Korto's wedding dress, except that we know it's not. I'm guessing she got rid of that one when the judges slammed it so much. This one is much better.















I want to like this dress. But she just looks lopsided. And the way the neckline is, it makes the model look like she has huge broad shoulders. Which I am assuming is not the idea.
















Korto got rid of that green dress with the weird crotch opening! Woo! But she also got rid of both her wedding dress and she never put her bridesmaid dress in, so I wonder where the replacement dress came from? I guess we'll probably find out this week. I like this collection, mostly because I love all the colors and the jewelry. Out of the designers who are left Korto is the one I would be most likely to buy clothes from.
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Kenley-- Fashion Week collection

Alright. Let's do this. (click for pics, same as before)

I've never been a fan of the overskirt look, and I'm not a big fan of the short front hem, not when it's this much shorter than the back. I hereby dub it "mullet skirt". Surprisingly I don't mind the fin on her left boob, though.














It's so 80's. I can't stand it.

















This is her bridesmaid dress from last week. So...that would mean she got rid of something else. And what I don't see is the long green dress with the high neck and the rope that Tim called a noose.














This is very much like the dress that helped her win the New York inspiration challenge, except that this dress is strapless and that one was much more covered up. I like the neckline of this one better but I still think the clashing prints and the weird slashy skirt are too weird looking.













This skirt is too impractical for anyone to wear in real life but I like the shape it makes. I don't know if I like those shoes.
















The only "Kenley" feeling to this dress is the neckpiece. A plain black sheath? It's just not her usual silhouette.
















I really like this dress. I like the pattern, mostly, even though I think the shape is wrong for me, but I kind of want a dress with embroidery or painted stuff down the front like that.















That's a lot of skin for Kenley. If you look, all her bodices have high necks, or at least are strapless but even those are modest. It kind of doesn't go. But then you see the print in the green.















So this looks like just a plain old Kenley dress with one of her 80's prints but that fabric is hand-painted silk. It's impressive, but I wish it was done in such a way that it was more obvious. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't seen her talk about it in the last episode.














I think this wedding dress is exactly the same. And it's really close to the Alexander McQueen that Kors and Nina mentioned. Not identical but close enough that she should be nervous about it.
















Kenley has pretty dresses, but that's about all she does: no pants, not even a top and skirt two piece outfit. Well, the green low-cut piece with the ruffle might be a skirt and top. She's got her own style, but it's not for everyone. I don't think she's won, because I don't see any pieces that make me stop and stare at them in shock.
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Jerell-- Fashion Week collection

It kind of sucks that Jerell won the last challenge before everyone went home, but still had to compete to have a spot in the finale. He's not really bitter about it though, and he still got to show a collection. Pictures from Blogging Project Runway after the jump. (click for more)

This is pretty cute, shape-wise. It's also really sparkly. But I like the asymmetrical bodice and the hemline.
















The top is like a vest with the center open, except for the strings. There's just a lot of stuff going on, which is Jerell's signature, I guess. But it's a little much for me.















I'm not sure why all of Jerell's tops that he wore on the show look like this. It only works if you have no chest, like Jerell or possibly Laura Benett. Everything is just so shiny.















Why do her sleeves come down over her hands? Why is there lace?
















This reminds me a lot of a dress Jillian showed last year. But I liked hers better.
















What you can't see about this dress is the huge keyhole opening in the back, outlined with embroidery or beading or something. I feel like if the rest of the dress wasn't in sparkly gold fabric, or there wasn't that armband thing, the keyhole would be more dramatic and it would be better. As it is, it's the same thing with too much going on.












There's an underskirt to this dress. I guess that's why the model is holding the skirt like that. I don't like the collar.
















There are a lot of those ribbon belts. They look kind of sloppy. As does the sheer piece on the bottom of the skirt. I like the top part OK.















The bodice does not fit this model AT ALL. It's super big.

















The only thing different from when Jerell showed this look last week is that I think the tulle might be lighter.


















Jerell said at the end of the last episode that these clothes were really him. It looks like he showed the collection he wanted to, so good for him!
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Top Design 10/8/08--"Eco-Offices" summary

Previously on Top Design: finally we got individual challenges. There was a “triathlon” of sorts. Nathan won the chair leg (last time, I promise) and also the table setting leg. Then there was a leg which involved making sets for a photo shoot, and Natalie won that, although her set wasn’t that great. Doesn’t matter though, because Nathan wins the whole thing. Teresa is judged not interesting enough and was eliminated. I just reread my recap from last week, and I’m really sorry for all the typos. I’ll try to proofread better this week. (click for more)

Eddie is bitter about not winning and implies Martha Stewart will fire him if he doesn’t win. Natalie knows she is loud and is trying to edit. Andrea believes in her heart she is not the best one here. She will try to do something different this time.

In the workroom there’s a chalkboard with a floor plan tacked to it, with all the rooms in different colors. Eddie knows what is coming. India and Danny Seo are here. Danny is a “green” designer, so I guess this is some kind of hippie treehugging challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for saving the environment and whatnot, just not as much as most of these people. They will have to redesign offices in an eco-friendly way. They have to use all of the items in the offices that they find, so they can’t throw anything out. They have special paint with low fumes, and they can’t buy fabric, they have to use remnants. Which is how I made my curtains in my apartment, so: ha. And the Top Design Showroom will have a special eco-friendly section. India (in voiceover, so who knows if it’s true) says that sticking to the environmentally conscious rules will be just as important as a good design. Everyone gets their own client, random draw. One day they should do rock-paper-scissors or something.

Nathan gets a cute boy, but the office sucks. It has crappy carpeting and metal file cabinets and two cheap desks, because eventually they’ll be putting two people in there. His client has lived in East Africa, so they choose some warm colors. Natalie is picking bright colors. She’s got the same crappy furniture, everyone has that. Eddie is horrified at the carpet and immediately complains to the client that his office is terrible and the worst ever. In confessional he pouts that his client is a dork. He wants something funky, which of course is not Eddie at all. “I hate that word. It sounds like it should smell, like, ooh, that’s funky.” Does…does he understand that “funky” is actually used to refer to things that stink? That’s like a Natalie comment. He promises a “super cool” room, which is almost as vague as “funky”. Wisit lucked out and got the boss, so he has no ugly carpet. But his client wants masculine. That should be fun. Andrea has to design the reception area. I spy in the corner some halogen lights like you’d find in a dorm room. Immediately she moves the desk to help her plan. Preston is so pleased that his client matches his style. But then his client ditches him to deal with the conference room, which is what Ondine has. I feel like it’s not really fair to not give everyone a private office. A conference room has different requirements for design than an office. Plus it doesn’t have carpet.

Fabric shopping involves giant piles of fabric on the floor, cardboard boxes, and rummaging. Naturally Eddie demands antihistamines and would probably love to have some gloves. (Kmanpat: “Calm down, prissy boy, an hour in a warehouse with clearance fabric remnants won’t kill you.“) Wisit has chosen pale beige and gray-green for his masculine challenge. The “green” area of the showroom appears to have recycled stuff and office supplies, which Nathan is getting because he already has furniture. India stops them at the end of shopping to make them line up. They all know this can only be bad. She says that they want to see if they can take some more pressure and makes them hand over the keys to the offices. Everyone rolls their eyes and curses. They have to pass the keys one person to the right. So now they have a new office and they are inheriting the decisions the first designer made. Wisit has Natalie’s old room, so he is worried, while Eddie has Nathan’s old room. He is very pleased.

They have one hour to meet and figure out their new rooms. Ondine doesn’t think Wisit chose masculine colors so she’s scrambling. Wisit is worried about his new room, and wants to burn Natalie’s things. “I suppose it wouldn’t be so green, but at least it would bring more peace to the world.” Heh. Andrea and Natalie don’t match either, so Natalie is worried about doing the reception area. Andrea was at first pleased about having Eddie’s room, but then it appears it’s a very small office and Eddie has bought all bright blue paint and fabrics for the room. Andrea interviews that she is worried as she and Eddie move (and subsequently break) the desk. Eddie and Nathan click, of course. Nathan’s plan is to cut the carpet and put it on the walls. It’s not Eddie’s style but he’s cool with it. Preston knows what he’s doing but Nathan feels it’s not new. He wants to put his own style in it. Preston freaks out because Ondine has the biggest room.

Carpenter/seamstress time! Nathan wants “work horses” to make the desk with. His carpenter has to ask him if he means “sawhorses”. Hee. Andrea’s carpenter jokes with her. Eddie spazzes out about light fixtures.

The next day everyone comes back to look at the carpenters’ work. Preston works in a wife beater. (Kmanpat: “It’s called an A-frame t-shirt. And, yum.”) Natalie is trying to make art with her old bookshelves, covered in fabric. Wisit doesn’t want to cut up his furniture. Ondine has to work with the stupid fabrics Wisit bought. She’s making a chandelier with plastic water bottles. Eddie has a ton of work. Andrea’s walls are a bright teal blue and she’s freaking out.

Todd time! Eddie put both desks together in his room, to make a big table. I hope they like that. Natalie is making double sided pillows. Todd tells Andrea to make 3 white things. There’s a rule of threes? Or something? Todd says Andrea, Wisit, and Natalie have the biggest challenges.

Frantic painting, stapling, working. With two hours left the clients show up. Just in time to not be able to change anything! None of the clients really say anything bad. Except Natalie’s client, she asks for recycling bins. Natalie thinks she has leftover wood to make them. Wisit is really defensive in his interviews which makes me worried. Everyone takes a few minutes to visit their old rooms. Eddie says he’s not helping Andrea because he doesn’t want to put his name on her crappy room. Natalie is insulted that Wisit isn’t using her fabrics, but Andrea is irritated that Natalie put boards on the walls. This episode is confusing. Too many things going on.

India has the most gorgeous gown on with this collar of crystals. I want it. Kelly isn’t here for me to make fun of. Eddie: one wall is the padding from underneath the carpeting, all cut up into squares and used as a bulletin board. The room is kind of dark, with orange/brown walls. The wooden blinds are disassembled and placed over the florescent lights all criss crossed, and also over the door. Eddie is still wearing an undershirt full of holes. Natalie: the paint is a kind of mauve, and there are some new shelves. The fabric boards are behind the desk, and she says they can be used for memo boards, although they are just fabric over wood, with no padding. She’s also got the recycling bins, but they’re unpainted. There’s a long bench under the window for seating. She also admits that she likes the color. Wisit: it’s supposed to be bold and colorful, but it’s pale blue and gray, with some sage accents. There’s fabric draped over the rolly office chairs. It’s soothing, but not bold and colorful. Probably the best thing is that the two desks are now pushed together in an L shape. He’s distressed the desk drawers, though, and I am not a fan of the distressed look. Underneath some fabric (not cut or anything, just draped) are the fuzzy chairs Natalie bought. He claims he edited and didn’t buy things he didn’t want. Ondine: the walls are a pale green, and she tried to make it masculine and professional looking. The bookshelves are painted so they look like built-ins, and over the fluorescent lights she’s glued empty water bottles. From far away though, the lights look much the same. She admits she was confused about Wisit’s choices, and India even goes so far as to say she thought this was a woman’s office. Nathan: very dark, with dark green walls and dark shelves. Two walls are white and one is charcoal. The legs of the desk are shelves now, and the top of the desk set on the sawhorses. His curtain rods are the cardboard tubes from inside his bolts of fabric (holding up dark curtains) and there’s some art with left over fabric. Preston: a nice soothing blue, with molding in big open frames. The conference table is painted in the same motif, blue with a white border. It looks very elegant. Andrea: bright teal walls with white shelves and accents. The desk is dark wood, with two lamps on it. Those lamps are big square lamps. She hid the metal thing on the wall that seems to have no purpose. The original desk is cut up into pieces and painted white, and scattered around on the walls. There’s some seating with black chairs and cushions. Apparently the metal thing was the server and the computer wiring, which she’s covered and possibly cut off access to.

The judges were impressed with everyone. The good designers were good even thought they had all those challenges. Andrea actually used color! The artwork was boring but the desk placement was clever. Ondine’s chandelier was great, and her colors were the best she could do with what she had. Nathan knows how to decorate a whole room, and he can back up his edgy statements. Preston can edit himself and he knows how to lay out everything. But his “recycling bins” are tiny. They move from that to Wisit’s sad bookshelf. He doesn’t style well, and Jonathan wanted him to step it up. He didn’t meet the client’s wishes. Natalie doesn’t have the taste level yet. Plus her fabric boards aren’t really useful. Eddie really repurposed the materials, using them in new fab ways.

Everyone comes out to get grilled. Three people nailed it this week. Nathan had a great industrial vibe. Preston repainted the bookcase and styled it wonderfully, and the room was great. Eddie repurposed the carpet padding and Jonathan says he would never have known what it was. Eddie wins! I would like to point out that he stole that carpet idea from my boy Nathan. All three of the boys can leave and go drink. Andrea and Ondine are safe too. Wisit tells the judges that Natalie’s choices weren’t all his taste but he tried his best. Margaret thinks he was confused by this challenge, partly because when they asked him what he did to be creative and “green” he said he wasn’t wasteful in his shopping. His response to that is that if they want him to redo the room, it will be beautiful and timeless so they won’t have to redo it 10 years from now. Huh? Margaret calls him a one trick pony and Jonathan was bored and thinks he should have used Natalie’s colors. Natalie tried to please the client with her room. Guest judge Danny nails her for using MDF for her recycling bins, because it apparently gives off pollutants. Guess my apartment pollutes a lot, then. (MDF is “multi-density fiberboard” which is basically particle board, that they make cheap furniture out of). He wishes that she had used the wood in the fabric panels for the recycling bins instead. Margaret says the fabric panels and the pillows on the window seat say “condo” and that is bad for an office. Jonathan tells her her work is never polished. Ouch.

Margaret was disappointed in Wisit, his heart wasn’t in it and he couldn’t recover from the twist. Natalie was underwhelming. She says she’ll be sad if she goes home. Wisit has always believed in maintaining oneself with dignity.

Back out for judging. Wisit has great taste but fell down on this challenge. Natalie is young but that’s no excuse for a lack of sophistication. Wisit is out. Aww. He was so cute and fabulous. Nathan wipes away a tear. Now who will he sleep with when the world ends? Yes, Kmanpat, we know. Wisit says he hopes someone watches the show and realizes he is a great designer/artist/whatever. He sings us out this week.

Next week: “the toughest challenge yet”. Lots of breaking things and anger. And Ondine trips over some paint and gets it all over Eddie’s set. He is about to shoot laser beams out of his eyeballs.
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Project Runway 10/8/08--"Finale pt. 1" summary

Previously on Project Runway: the designers went to the gardens and designed gowns based on nature. It’s the usual penultimate challenge: everyone freaks out and plays it safe and in the end the gowns all suck. Jerell’s gown won, because it had a great combination of colors, even though the bodice was so low a wardrobe malfunction was imminent and the hemlines were all janky. Then, after making everyone say they didn’t want Kenley to come to the finals, the judges wussed out and didn’t eliminate anyone. So now all four of them will have to compete right before Fashion Week, and that includes Jerell. (click for more)

Heidi reappears to tell everyone that they can create a collection of 10 looks with a budget of $8000 and 2 months. When they return to New York one of them will be eliminated. Then she tells them all their evening gowns sucked ass so now they must all design wedding gowns as one final challenge. Korto is pissed because she thought they were free of restrictions. Tim comes out to tell them he will visit everyone in the next month and go designers! Back behind the scrim Heidi and Tim pretend to kiss. I don’t know either.

Kenley says that in the last runway show she was “sabotaged” by the other designers. Unless they made your dress for you, I don’t think they sabotaged you. She walks right by Jerell on her way out of the building to go home, and he says nothing to her but gets up to say goodbye to Korto and Leanne. Jerell twists the knife by being like, oh, wasn’t there someone else? Korto does the same thing. She doesn’t think Kenley will change. Jerell promises us “pure magic“. Leanne is going to get to work right away and not procrastinate.

First up for home visits is Korto, who lives in Little Rock. She actually doesn’t work out of her house, but is working in some rooms owned by the city. Her clothes are bright greens and yellows. She wants ethnic but not too ethnic. Also she’s done her own beadwork. Tim loves them. There’s some snakeskin too. There’s one gown that’s a green pleated fabric with an opening…let’s say at her crotch. Tim is embarrassed because that‘s probably the closest he‘s come to a woman‘s ladyparts. Korto’s wedding dress, on the other hand, is a champagne color and has gorgeous pleating on the shoulders and has kind of a keyhole neckline. She wore this color when she got married. Tim thinks she needs something like a veil or a train that says “wedding” and not “red carpet”. Off to Korto’s house to meet her husband and daughter and other people. Including her drumming partner. Oh, Tim looks out of place. Korto and her drumming partner perform for everyone. She talks about her parents and how they escaped Liberia when she was young, because her dad worked for the government. She wants to show her daughter she can be whatever she wants. But she also thinks that they’re so happy for her and proud of her that even if she doesn’t win they’ll be thrilled.

Portland Oregon is next for Leanne. That doesn’t surprise me somehow. Now we are down to 3.5 weeks left. Her boyfriend is over, and he’s cute and then he leaves. She got back from New York and sketched for a few days down by the water front. She’s got a skirt made out of panels that give it volume and it’s very Leanne. He’s concerned about the stark white fabric. Leanne’s wedding dress has the same flaps, but it’s so huge and “done” that it doesn’t go. Then Leanne suggests a bike ride. Tim says nervously that he has to check his medical insurance. Cut to the park and Leanne and Tim on a bicycle built for two. Oh man, that is the cutest thing ever. Hee! They end up in the middle of a park, on a blanket, and it’s all very romantic except that Tim would probably rather be there with Anderson Cooper. Leanne says she started getting into fashion when she was 12 and in ballet, and she started to design her own costumes. She was always into art, and always drawing dresses. She’s quite proud of herself for still drawing and making a living from it.

Jerell lives in L.A. which is where they’re having next season of Project Runway, which won’t be on until next summer if ever. Jerell (who has a goatee now) is glad to see Tim for a second opinion. He has an evening collection, and is mixing textures like he always does. His wedding dress is very couture, and has a lot of wrinkled fabric in huge poofs, and netting, and beading, and whatnot. The skirt has asymmetrical swooping. The top has a beaded bustier and some silk poofyness, but Tim says it looks like it was a mistake, like it was supposed to be sewn on and it fell off. He thinks it won’t be very “Jerell“. There’s another outfit, with a gold bra and some kind of chain mail I think, that is a shawl right now but he wants it to be sleeves. Tim is worried about how much look it is. It has to be believable. Jerell finally is able to escape to take Tim to meet his family and boyfriend. His sister is gorgeous. He is such a cute child! Living in south central L.A. during the height of gang violence and riots made his parents do everything they could to take their kids out of there. His dad (holy crap, the ‘fro on his dad) was a truck driver so he wasn’t around much. Jerell is finally realizing what that sacrifice really means to him. Everyone is proud.

Kenley lives in Brooklyn. Her apartment is “hip” but not retro. She interviews that she really does value Tim’s opinion, even if it seems like she doesn’t. I wonder when this was? And how many episodes had aired? She tells us her grandmother was a calendar girl and she just died, so Kenley wishes she could see her. Her collection is very Kenley. She’s actually hand painted some of the fabrics. I thought it was one of her prints, but it’s silk she painted. Then she’s got a green gown with a high neck that has a black rope around the throat, and when Tim asks about it, she says “I’m into ropes!” (Kmanpat: “…ew.”) Tim is reminded of nooses and asks her if she ever thought of that. Of course not. She claims it’s from her dad the tugboat captain. Her wedding gown is covered with cream ostrich plumes. If you imagine a ballerina’s tutu, then put tulle underneath, that would be Kenley‘s wedding dress. Tim loves it and Kenley cries. She claims she’s not trying to win but instead trying to fulfill a dream. She does not get a side trip. Interesting.

6 days until fashion week! Everyone returns to hotels. Korto isn’t excited to see Kenley and is afraid that’s her roommate, but Leanne shows up instead. They’re so cutely thrilled. Leanne wants to avoid the drama. Jerell shows up next and there are greetings all around. Wow, Kenley is the one no one likes and she’s the last to show up! Imagine! Jerell finds he’s rooming with Kenley and says you may find him on the couch. Just like Karasaun. Kenley finally shows up (wearing a sequined hat she stole from Kelly Wearstler, I am sure) and everyone is like, “Oh. Hi.” On the way to her room she apologizes for being a bitch. Then she interviews it’s not worth it to be angry with people she’ll never see again. I don’t know that anyone believes her. Room service arrives with champagne and what looks like a tub of beer, and some food, and a note from Tim saying he’ll see them tomorrow. Jerell thinks the tension went down after Kenley’s apology but they’re still all nervous.

Everyone unpacks in their new workroom. Jerell jokes about checking out everyone’s outfits. Tim reminds them that only 3 of them will show at Fashion Week, and then says they will have another challenge. Oh, you thought the wedding dress was the challenge? Of course not. Everyone dies a little. Tim tells them that since they all made wedding dresses, now they have to make coordinating bridesmaid dresses. They are PISSED. Tomorrow they will present both dresses and then someone will be eliminated. $150 for fabric, which is about how much a good dress will cost finished.

Shopping time! Korto isn’t worried because she’s made them before and they’re just evening gowns. Leanne knows exactly what she needs. Jerell has charcoal colored fabric. He says he buys material and lets it tell him what it will become.

Tim gives them until midnight tonight and go go go! Make it work! Leanne is using her dress to show color. Korto is calm and hasn’t snapped on anyone. Kenley kind of half-jokingly says she can snap on her since she already did it before. Korto just kind of is like, I’m not going to snap on anyone. She knows the old bitchy Kenley is still there but she’s going to give Kenley the benefit of the doubt until she screws up again. Jerell says that bridesmaid dresses are ugly. Sigh. Korto is like, um, she can be cute. “There’s nothing wrong with your bridesmaids being cute, ladies!” Really, Jerell doesn’t seem to mind if his dress is kind of ugly.

Tim time! Kenley has a pleated wrap bubble dress in dark blue, with a boat neck top. She doesn’t want to be eliminated for her bridesmaid dress. Tim says it’s fun and upbeat and he wants to go to this wedding. Jerell has a great blue/green, and he’s trying to match the beading. There’s a champagne sash and a flower. Tim warns him that it’s puckered and that could kill him at this point. Leanne’s dress is much simpler than her new wedding dress, which has been changed and is now “making music”. Her bridesmaid dress is very long but it has some blue in it that matches the other blue in her collection. She and Tim agree that she needs to think about the length. Korto has dark gold pleating on a halter neckline. It’s almost the same color as her wedding dress, though. They’re both beautiful but they’re competing right now. Tim leaves them, but not without warning them that they’ll have to stand by their work tomorrow. He starts to tear up and tells them he believes in all of them and cares about all of them. Aww, so cute! Korto starts to freak out. Leanne too.

In the morning everyone looks pretty nervous. And exhausted. Korto is still behind. Tim gives everyone time with their models. No one responds, because they are working so hard. Kenley thought she was the only one doing a short bridesmaid dress, but both Korto and Leanne have also shortened theirs. Kenley of course thinks everyone copied her. Yes, because you’re the only one to do short dresses ever. Jerell is feeling pretty good. Leanne is kind of confused about Korto’s, because it’s pretty heavily worked. Jerell has flowers for his model’s head. Leanne is thrilled to see her wedding dress on her model. Korto loves everyone, even Kenley, so she doesn’t want anyone to go home.

Guest judge for today is…no one. Jerell: his wedding dress is this giant confection of champagne wrinkled silk, with a huge tulle underskirt, and some loose fabric at the bodice that reveals a beaded bustier. On top of the model’s head are some magnolias, I think, branches and all. There’s a beaded belt too? I think. The back has one of those trains that starts at the top of the bodice for volume. His bridesmaid dress is in turquoise with a belt that matches the dress, and a spray of the same flowers in the belt. It’s long and sleek, or would be sleek if it wasn’t that same wrinkled silk. It’s kind of shiny. Kenley: OK. I have to admit I like this dress. It’s all feathers, the whole bodice and about half the skirt, with tulle giving it a lot of volume for the bottom half. She’s got this weird veil/feather thing on her head but the dress is well made and pretty. Her bridesmaid dress has a strapless top, with a sheer piece that comes up to her throat. It’s in a dark pewter blue, the skirt is a wrap bubble skirt so there’s still that volume, but it’s pretty short. Korto: champagne long bridal gown, fitted through the hips and then flowing away. The top has a lot of ruffles but no sleeves. It’s very busy, especially since there’s a big necklace in there somewhere. But it’s well made and detailed. Her bridesmaid dress is in the same color, with a halter neckline and pleating all through the bodice. It’s also pretty short, but longer than Kenley’s. There’s a belt with maybe some beadwork? And a full skirt. Leanne: her dress is crazy awesome. The top is really simple, but the bottom has two levels of flaps, so it’s like a very full skirt, gathered at the knee and then gathered again at the ankle. The flaps are rounded so it’s not sharp or anything. The bridesmaid dress has the flaps on top and a bubble hem, in cream and light blue. When I put up a post with Leanne’s final collection, you’ll see about the flaps. If you imagine a poster rack in a record store, the kind that you can flip through…now imagine that in fabric, and rounded instead of square.

Kors starts off by praising Leanne’s bridal gown, that it’s chic and totally her. Nina loves the fabric and the bridesmaid dress too. She talks about architectural movement and the color matches her collection. Jerell is up next. Kors likes it from the waist down, but there’s too much going on around her boobs. She does have some jewels or something just under the bust. “And a flowerpot growing out of her head”. It’s garish. Jerell thinks it’s regal and opulent. Heidi doesn’t know what to think, except that it looks messy. The tulle on the bottom is gray so it looks dirty. He says he put thought in his collection, but Nina is kind of skeptical. Kors calls Kenley’s dress Alexander McQueen, and she’s all, really? And he’s all, “Bothers me a touch, quite honestly.” Haha. Nina confirms that it just walked down the runway. Check it out for yourself. It's far too close. Kors wishes he didn’t know about it because Kenley’s is very well done. It still looks like Kenley, and the bridesmaid dress is “the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” Kenley suddenly loves everyone, because they’re being nice to her. Heidi wouldn’t want to wear Korto’s bridal gown because there are so many things going on. It’s overworked, but the bridesmaid dress is under worked. Nina says there’s no relevance. Korto has a different outlook and she believes they’ll see a winner. They let her stop talking before she cries.

Leanne likes architectural work, and she was able to make it romantic and modern. Kenley did an excellent job (and Kenley said when she gets married that’s what she’s wearing). It’s fantasy. Korto’s dress had so many things going on because she was trying to show them what she could do, but her bridesmaid dress was so plain. Jerell just embellishes things because he can. He went hog wild.

Leanne and Kenley are both in. Backstage they hug like they like each other. Korto had one overworked dress and one underwhelming dress. Jerell’s looks were garish and too much. Korto is in. She tears up and gives Jerell a hug before she leaves. Kenley is the first one to hug her. Jerell seems OK right now. He says it was all him, all that embellishment. “If you want a basic white tee, get one from Michael Kors, it’s just not what I do.” Hee. Tim chokes up. He says he’ll be one of the top designers in the world, coming back when he’s 80 for a retrospective and everything.

Next week: IS THAT MORGANZA?!?!?! I LOVE IT!! Leanne insults Kenley who is sick of something. Everyone freaks out, someone wins. No reunion show this season, as far as I know. Weird, right? Oh well.
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TAR13, Recap Leg 2, 10/5/08

Welcome to Leg 2! Last time, on Let’s All Push the Blong Candy Through Brazil!, (Toyouke: “Hee.”) teams raced from Los Angeles to Salvador. The Evans twins (Nick/Starr) ally with their mom and dad (Ken/Tina) and practically sing a rousing rendition of “We’re All In This Together” before Ryan and Sharpay run ahead and leave Ken and Tina in the dust. Team Superbad can’t count, and Terence wants Sarah to focus on HIM, HIM and ONLY HIM! (GregL13: “He’s so conceited! How can Sarah put up with him?” Toyouke and Kmanpat: *glare*) Anyway, the Oregonian Beekeepers, Anita and Arthur, are eliminated. Who will be eliminated. . . next? (click for more)

Arrival at the pit stop last episode:
1st – Nick/Starr, Team HSM! *jazz hands*, arrived at 4:07 PM
2nd – Ken/Tina, Team Mom and Dad Evans, arrived at 4:13 PM
3rd – Terence/Sarah, Team Asshat, arrived at 4:18 PM
4th – Mark/Bill, Team Ubernerd, arrived at 4:24 PM
5th – Kelly/Christy, Team Divorcée, arrived at 4:44 PM
6th – Toni/Dallas, Team Himbo, arrived at 4:57 PM
7th – Andrew/Dan, Team Superbad, arrived at 5:03 PM
8th – Aja/Ty, Team Aw Hell, arrived at 5:05 PM
9th – Anthony/Stephanie, Team Commitment, arrived at 5:11 PM
10th – Marisa/Brooke, Team Southern Belle, arrived at 5:13 PM

Forte São Marcelo, Salvador, Brazil

4:07 AM Nick/Starr (1st)
Clue: Fly 640 miles to Fortaleza, Brazil. Once there, take a taxi to the small town of Cumbuco and find the Plaza del Cambuco to get your next clue. You have $125 for this leg of the race.

Starr: “I want to control everything.” Oh, honey, Terence you are not.

4:13 AM Ken/Tina (2nd) – Ken: “I want to be able to figure out if we can make this marriage work!” (Kmanpat and Toyouke: “Um, NO!”)

4:18 AM Terence/Sarah (3rd) – At the pit stop before they leave, Sarah makes it clear that she doesn’t want to have to focus on Terence solely on the race. Terence doesn’t seem to care. Sarah: “We haven’t resolved this yet.” (GregL13: “What an ass.” Toyouke and Kmanpat: *glare*) Anyway, Terence hits his head on the trunk, and goes ballistic and Sarah has to nurse his wound. Terence: “And it’s bleeding! A LOT! Blow on it!” (Kmanpat: *holds tongue*)

4:24 AM Mark/Bill (4th)
4:44 AM Kelly/Christy (5th)
4:57 AM Toni/Dallas (6th) – Toni: “I love my son.” Dallas: “I love my mom.” Toyouke: “Oh gag me.”

5:03 AM Andrew/Dan (7th)
5:05 AM Aja/Ty (8th)
5:11 AM Anthony/Stephanie (9th)
5:13 AM Marisa/Brooke (10th) – Marisa: “We’re going to Fortezala!” Kmanpat: “I have a bottle of that wine downstairs.”

Teams arrive at Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport in the following order:

1-Nick/Starr
2-Ken/Tina
3-Terence/Sarah
4-Mark/Bill
5- Kelly/Christy
6- Toni/Dallas
7- Andrew/Dan
8- Aja/Ty
9- Anthony/Stephanie
10- Marisa/Brooke

Teams choose flights to Fortaleza. Nick and Starr find an 11:30 AM flight on TAM before Ken and Tina arrive and find the 6:45 AM flight on GOL. As a result, Tina swears she talks the flight people into getting a bigger plane for all of the teams. Apparently, it’s a little more complicated than that to go from 1 seat available to 40. Anyway, all of the teams get on the 6:45 flight, and Ken and Tina feel entitled to get on first as the team that was in charge. This annoys Terence (shocking, I know) who then has to apologize for yelling at Tina or be thrown out of line, Collin and Christie style. Instead, Ken forgives him and gives him a giant kiss on the cheek, which makes Terence blush. (Kmanpat: “My turn!”)

Flight. Woo. And then there’s this whole thing about the teams STAYING in Brazil, so when they get off the flight, they forget that they flew domestic!

So, teams arrive in Fortaleza in the following order:

1-Terence/Sarah
2-Kelly/Christy
3-Andrew/Dan
4-Toni/Dallas – Toni: “There’s not enough cardio that anyone could ever do to get ready for this!”
5- Aja/Ty
6- Marisa/Brooke –Brooke: “We’re the smart ones!”
7- Mark/Bill
8- Nick/Starr
9- Ken/Tina
10- Anthony/Stephanie – who had a strong start, and then their taxi driver had a bad clutch.

Teams then take their taxis to Cambuco. So teams arrive at Plaza del Cambuco in the following order:

1- Terence/Sarah
2- Kelly/Christy
3- Andrew/Dan
4- Toni/Dallas
5- Aja/Ty
6- Marisa/Brooke
7- Mark/Bill
8- Nick/Starr
9- Ken/Tina
10- Anthony/Stephanie – who give the obligatory “we live so much better than they do and we should appreciate it more” speech.

Teams read their clue and find that they must now travel down the beach by bugré, or Brazilian dune buggy to the Barraca D Manoel to get their next clue. The teams are driven by a driver and arrive in the following order:

1- Terence/Sarah
2- Kelly/Christy
3- Toni/Dallas
4- Mark/Bill
5- Nick/Starr
6- Marisa/Brooke – who get mooned.
7- Ken/Tina
8- Andrew/Dan – who found the buggies before the clue, as did. . .
9- Aja/Ty
10- Anthony/Stephanie

And we get the Detour Clue.

DETOUR:
Beach It OR Dock It
*Beach It: Teams must travel by bugré to Pecem Beach and choose a jungata, a Brazilian boat, as well as a two-man crew to help them use a traditional method of rolling logs to move a 440 pound bouat a total of 100 yards to the inlet, where their team will give them their next clue. The task is muscle and mental, but good teams could finish quickly.
*Dock It: Teams must take their bugré to the Port of Pecem and find a container in the shipping yard. Teams don hard hats and use a computer to look up a specific serial number in a database to match it with a four letter code. Then teams must find the matching container, inside which is their next clue. A team must have an eye for detail, but may be able to finish quickly.
1-Kelly/Christy choose Beach It
2-Terence/Sarah choose Beach It
3-Toni/Dallas choose Beach It
4-Mark/Bill choose Dock It (SUDU 4962932)
5-Nick/Starr choose Beach It
6-Marisa/Brooke choose Beach It – even though they chose Dock It and got turned around.
7-Ken/Tina choose Beach It
8-Andrew/Dan choose Beach It
9-Aja/Ty choose Beach It
10-Anthony/Stephanie choose Beach It

Teams complete the detour in the following order:

1- Terence/Sarah – who leave the detour using a "shortcut" and can’t find the marked taxi lot. Terence: “I’m pissed!”
2- Nick/Starr
3- Mark/Bill
4- Kelly/Christy – who misread the clue and think they need to find an unmarked container. So they dig in the sand. I don’t know.
5- Toni/Dallas
6- Ken/Tina
7- Andrew/Dan
8- Aja/Ty – Aja, on seeing the task: “Aw Hell.”
9- Marisa/Brooke
10- Anthony/Stephanie

Teams are now instructed to find the taxi park (which has a big sign that says “TAXI PARKING”, TERENCE) and must take their taxis to the Parque de Vaquejada to get their next clue. The clue also reminds them to make their taxi wait at the next destination. They arrive in the following order:

1- Mark/Bill
2- Ken/Tina
3- Toni/Dallas
4- Andrew/Dan
5- Nick/Starr
6- Aja/Ty
7- Kelly/Christy – who say they are going to read the clues better from now on.
8- Marisa/Brooke
9- Terence/Sarah
10- Anthony/Stephanie

And teams come to the first roadblock.

ROADBLOCK:
(Question not included in episode)
In this roadblock, one team member must search for the clue along a 600 foot wall. The clue is in plain sight, so the task is simple. Teams must tell the painter the answer (Cidade Da Criança) to get their next clue.

The following team members complete the Roadblock.

1- Bill
2- Tina
3- Toni
4- Andrew
5- Nick
6- Aja
7- Christy
8- Sarah
9- Marisa
10- Anthony

After much searching the wall and brute force recitation, teams complete the Roadblock in the following order:

1- Mark/Bill
2- Ken/Tina
3- Kelly/Christy – who misread the clue and forgot to save their taxi.
4- Aja/Ty
5- Terence/Sarah
6- Toni/Dallas
7- Nick/Starr – and Nick doesn’t go back to help Andrew like he said he would. “I don’t mind playing dirty if I benefit.” (Toyouke: “And, you’re done.” Kmanpat: “But I didn’t say anything!”)
8- Andrew/Dan
9- Marisa/Brooke
10- Anthony/Stephanie

Teams must now take their saved taxi to Cidade Da Criança, the PIT STOP of the second leg of this racearoundtheworld. The last team to arrive MAY be eliminated!

1- Ken/Tina – who win the foot race to win off road vehicles.
2- Mark/Bill – Mark: “If off road vehicles help save your marriage, I’ll gladly let you have them.”
3- Terence/Sarah
4- Aja/Ty
5- Toni/Dallas
6- Nick/Starr
7- Kelly/Christy – Kelly: “We’re sixth.” Phil: “You’re team number 7.” Kelly: “Not sixth?”
8- Andrew/Dan
9- Marisa/Brooke
10- Anthony/Stephanie


And Anthony and Stephanie are eliminated. And Anthony didn’t propose. Apparently they didn’t finish.

ORDER NOW:
1st – Ken/Tina
2nd – Mark/Bill
3rd – Terence/Sarah
4th – Aja/Ty
5th – Toni/Dallas
6th – Nick/Starr
7th – Kelly/Christy
8th – Andrew/Dan
9th – Marisa/Brooke

Next week: Teams get altitude sickness in Bolivia, and it sidelines Toni, Bill and Aja. And it looks like the Roadblock involves team members in spandex with South American wrestlers! I LIKE this season. Until next time!
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Top Design 10/1/08--"Triathlon of Designing" summary

Previously on Top Design: everyone had to be on teams and design apartments for bachelors. Woo. Wisit, Andrea, and Teresa won. Also we saw the return of the Pop Design challenge, this time making everyone design flower arrangements. Nathan, thank goodness, won immunity for himself so he would be safe. The other two designers on his team, Preston and Shazia, argued the whole time and the design suffered as a result. Shaz was sent home for not really contributing and whining a lot. Also Eddie’s team broke a vase in the showroom, and his response was to loudly claim that the vase was not worth the price, and that the store clerk was lying to him. How great would it have been if that guy had called the cops? Also, in an interesting turn, remember when Shaz called Preston an a**hole and stupid “Flipping Out” guy thought it was like, the worst thing ever? They showed that clip except now she calls him a dick. (click for more)

Eddie is tired of all the team challenges. I agree; I’m glad not to have to recap 12 designs all the time, but it’s gotten old. Teresa isn’t being “utilized”. You don’t know who she is, do you? Exactly. Natalie has to prove herself because she’s so young. Andrea is the only one with 4 kids and she misses them.

Everyone comes into the workroom and dear God what is that woman wearing? Kelly has on a sassy black and white checked hat, and a black blouse with giant sleeves. Like, the sleeves have huge layers and look like cabbages and she could fit that hat inside one of them. India stands next to her all “I did not dress this woman.” India tells them two things: today’s challenge will be individual (like you couldn’t tell from everyone complaining about team challenges), and it will be a “triathlon”. She can’t even keep a straight face when saying “The Top Design Triathlon”. Nathan declares himself a “smokerlete” but he’s glad to do his own thing. People in the bottom of each leg may face elimination.

The first leg is the chair leg. Polite laughter. There are 10 unfinished chairs, which they will have to transform. There are stains, paint, fabrics, and more wood. They need to be different, says the woman in the giant blouse. The winners of each leg will get immunity, no matter what happens in the other legs, and there will also be an overall triathlon winner. 2 hours and…go!

Wisit is painting the plain fabric backing. Nathan knows he can get his fabric because everyone else is boring. Andrea claims that her style is clean and classic so she can’t be not-boring. But Teresa is stapling and you can see all of the staples. And the stripes don’t line up. Ondine is making a Betsy Johnson designed chair. Then she calls Natalie’s design over the top. Nathan has gold lame fabric which he is getting paint on. Eddie doesn’t want “wow” but he does want “glam” and “beauty”. He of course thinks his chair is perfect.

Preston’s chair is painted black and has a dark purple cushion. It’s nice but not exciting. Wisit’s painted fabric looks old and antique and I like it. Eddie has bright yellow wood and silver fabric with black stripes made out of ribbon. Immediately I am reminded of Kerry and Wisit’s display window. That is bad. India just says it looks finished. Natalie’s chair looks kind of cheap but I don’t mind it. Andrea’s chair is boring, with striped fabric and a light wash. She ran out of time. Oops. Teresa has some striped fabric that doesn’t line up and it looks unfinished and amateur. Ondine’s chair…it’s bright pink with floral print fabric and whickety wack trim. But it is very Betsy Johnson. Nathan painted the wood blue, and then over his gold fabric he painted some white, but after he taped off pieces, so there are random gold stripes on white. Interesting.

Natalie’s chair was too much and she should have restrained herself. Kelly compares it to Vegas leftovers. Teresa just reupholstered her chair so it was boring. Nathan’s, however, was loud in a good way, and Eddie’s was bold. What? What? Why did no one see the yellow and silver! Ondine took a risk but it was iconic and it worked. The winner is Nathan. Yay! He doesn’t want to give up though.

Jonathan appears for leg 2. This leg is about dining tables. Nathan does an eyebrow pop. (Me: “Ooohhhh, eyebrow pop! I know he’s gay but you’d share, right?“ Kmanpat: “Yeah, I’d share.“ Me: “Woo!“) Everyone gets one table and one set of chairs. Then they’ll get $500 and 30 minutes in the showroom to buy stuff, and 2 hours to work their magic. Natalie picks the table completely opposite of what she’d normally pick. During shopping everyone gets flowers. Eddie scoffs and says this is his job, in a manner that suggests he fails spectacularly. Teresa has a theme going.

Nathan isn’t going to set his table formally, he wants to have a hang-out cottage feel. Natalie is trying not to clutter her table too much. Preston wants his theme to involve his mom. Andrea is making a family dinner. Teresa got hideous dishes that she is painting, but she freaks out because she’s kind of rustic. Eddie credits his grandmother with his design inspiration.

Teresa: black table top with red and yellow dishes and black utensils. There are brown napkins and a yellow vase and some dark glassware. It looks pretty cool, kind of Zen and not fussy. She says her design style is modern an a little Asian. Natalie: white and blue china, with these white lanterns with votives in them, and a very tall flower arrangement. Lots of yellows and oranges in her flowers/orange branches. Those lanterns are too big. She’s got blue blows and white bowls. Jonathan doesn’t like her flowers but he says he likes the rest. Eddie: long table with brown and white oval chargers and dishes. Down the middle of the table are two long boxes with green flowers and in the center are some candles and votives set tin seashells. It’s very clean for all that. Andrea: white table cloth, light blue and white dishes and roses, and silver candlesticks. It’s very light and clean. She claims it’s for her daughter’s birthday, but it’s kind of old for that. Her actual house is more rustic but this was a good chance to branch out. Nathan: sanded the table top and then didn’t set it. Instead, the dishes and glasses are stacked near one end, like for a buffet. There are lots of flowers and fruit and it’s very rustic. They like it. Preston: white table cloth with a dark green cloth over it. He also did not set his table, but because he’s got a smaller table and the tablecloths it looks more crowded. He’s also got a little display thing, like you would put petit fours on. Too many flowers. Wisit: each chair has a cover with something painted on it. The dishes are white and the covers and napkins are blue. In the center are some wicker square baskets with lids and white flowers. It’s very seaside cottage. He says he’d love to entertain friends with food and opera singing, and Jonathan says, “Shut up! Can we hear some?” so Wisit obliges. Hee. Ondine: green runner with palm trees, white chargers with green bowls. The table is white, and there are yellow roses everywhere. She calls it “garden tea party” which I can see. Jonathan tells her that he doesn’t see her in the table setting at all. She agrees and says this isn’t reflective of her taste. So…why did you do it then?

Ondine didn’t have an emotional connection with her table setting, and Preston’s wasn’t practical and had too many flowers. He wasn’t in that table setting either. Eddie’s table was very chic and could have been in a magazine. Thank goodness, that would be like Kayne failing the Miss America challenge. Once again Nathan’s design impressed the judges, being interesting and unexpected and great. Nathan wins again! He seems surprised. He feels terrible for winning twice and keeping others from immunity. “I feel like all of the other contestants want to pour Visine in my coffee. *pause* I’m sure I’m going to be poisoned.” (Kmanpat: “I’ll protect you!”) India sends them home to sleep before the next leg.

In the morning Andrea says everyone is tired. Eddie is sure he can win this leg. Nathan is also feeling confident. No shirtless shots today.

Margaret appears to judge leg 3. India says they have to make a “breathtaking space”. They will take inspiration from nature, and tell a story, and India says “breathtaking” again so I’m trying to think of how that will work. They’re designing sets for a photo shoot. “Breathtaking”? OK. They’ll also have the chance to have their sets photographed for Elle Décor. India tells them they’ll only be shopping at one location: a garden center. Heh. Dress out of flowers time! But they get $1000 which should be enough for lots of flowers.

Shopping time! Nathan is buying cacti. Eddie buys a birdbath and an urn. He just wants to do pretty. Teresa is going Zen. Natalie wants Martha’s Vineyard. Andrea is buying vegetables. That might be cool.

They’ve got 4 hours to work. The spaces they get to work in? The fake “rooms” from last season. Actually, I think they might only be getting two walls. Wisit is making a formal paneled room. Somehow. Ondine has bright neon green walls. Teresa wants a Zen bliss feeling but red walls don’t so much make me calm. Nathan’s walls look horrid, because they are baby poop brown and in addition to that color they’re all splotchy. Then Teresa appears and says they’re doing the same finish and isn’t that so great? Nathan’s response: “I diarrheaed in my mouth.” He does not want to be like Teresa. At all. So he’s painting over everything, and Natalie thinks it looks better. Preston mentions his grandma, and he is taking on the challenge of painting stripes. He said they didn’t specify it has to be a garden. Cut to Andrea’s space, which has a fountain and stepping stones and is definitely supposed to be outside. Eddie has a big circle of sod. Teresa praises him and he says that he just loves all her tobacco colors! Then he fakes smoking a joint and coughs. Ok, that was bitchy and funny. Natalie has a ton of roses, and she starts talking about her mother that passed away 3 years ago.

Everyone goes home, so I guess they’ll be judging tomorrow. Eddie and Nathan laugh at Teresa. Andrea acts superior about Eddie’s pretending to like things and how he’s not genuine.

In the morning everyone gets an hour to work. Natalie would take an Elle Décor spread over immunity. All 4 judges show up to judge. Kelly has on a sequined shift dress in pale blue with a beehive hairdo. Only they crimped her hair before they put it up. Preston: white, olive green, and maroon stripes, with a big metal chair with vines wrapped around it. There are 2 topiary trees and a smaller rose bush. He thinks his space is like a real room and it would work in a cropped shot. Teresa: mottled red walls, that I guess are finished but they look like when we painted Kmanpat’s house and we didn’t put down a primer in the one red bedroom and none of use knew how to paint so it looked horrible. There are a lot of low tropical plants and brown containers. It’s sort of jungle, but there aren’t nearly enough plants for that. There’s nothing in the center, everything is around the walls. She also didn’t do anything to the floor, because she thought she’d screw it up. Wisit: “Springtime in Paris”. He’s painted a door, and furniture on the walls, and then hung fabric for curtains. There’s a strip of sod, like a doormat, and some light flowers in white containers. The painting looks bad, though. The floor has a zigzag herringbone floor. There’s bamboo along the floor because he ran out of time to make it his curtain rod. They like it, I guess. Nathan: brown walls, with cacti along the walls. There are pots hung on one wall, and a low table and bench. It’s supposed to be a transitional space, not a formal room. Natalie: dark gray/blue walls, and a white bamboo framework. There are two Adirondack chairs painted white, and along one wall there’s a hutch with more plants on it. It’s a cute room, but not really a good photo shoot. All the plants are in gray pots. The hutch is like a work station. But the judges really like it. Ondine: neon green walls, the same white lattice as Natalie, and the same chair. There’s a stove painted white, and some shutters. A rug of sod, a low table, and a work table…it looks like a photo shoot. It also looks like a regular room with some twists. She wanted to do an interior room. Andrea: yellow walls, and lots of vegetables. She put giant mounds of dirt to raise some trees in the back, because she couldn’t afford taller trees. There are stepping stones and a fountain. Jonathan wishes she’d done something unexpected. Eddie: light green walls with stripes in a dark color, a circular mat of sod, and some nice flower arrangement in the center. There are some ferns in the back. All the pots are black. Someone (I think Kelly) says it’s still a little granny. Eddie clutches his pearls in horror.

The judges get a chance to chat a little bit before the contestants come in. They just talk about the third leg, though. Natalie nailed it, it looks polished and thoughtful. Her chair sucked but she picked it up. Eddie is dusty and granny. His room was not glam, and Margaret is bored. Preston is too complacent, but the chair in his photo shoot room was great. Wisit took his room in a good direction, with some fantasy, and more ideas than everyone else. Nathan played it too safe with his photo shoot, although is table was great. Ondine was creative but disheveled and doesn’t impress anyone. Andrea’s fountain was nice but the rest of the room was too boring. Teresa chose nice plants but she kept the plastic pots and it was unexciting. Margaret says it’s where you wait for valet parking.

Everyone comes in to get slammed. They start with the winner of leg 3: Natalie! Wow. She’s so thrilled. Jonathan announces that the overall winner of the triathlon is Nathan. Of course. He and Natalie get to leave. Preston, Eddie, Wisit, and Ondine are all safe so they get to leave too. That means it’s down to Teresa and Andrea. Jonathan asks Teresa what her best leg was, and she thinks leg 3. They tell her those were great plants but it wasn’t together. Jonathan says that if she’d done something tiny but awesome they would have loved her. Her chair wasn’t that dramatic either. Andrea lacks contrast. Her colors don’t have wow, and they don’t excite anyone. Kelly tells her to dig deeper into the color palette. Jonathan was especially disappointed with leg 3. She says she’s in the same environment all the time and it’s hard to get inspired. Jonathan tells her not to be insipid.

Teresa has not wowed anyone in any way, and he voice hasn’t been heard. Her whole style is Zen but she hasn’t done a really good job with it. Andrea’s voice has been heard, but it’s boring. Kelly says she has to open up her fandex, which I guess is that thing with all the paint colors, but India is like, “Spandex?” and they all giggle. Jonathan would love a jolt of color somewhere. Her execution is poor as well, like the plants on piles of dirt. Backstage Andrea thinks she just had a bad week.

Andrea is one note and predicable, and Teresa took her chance to show them who she was and ended up in the bottom for 2 out of 3 challenges. So Teresa is going home. She’s sad to leave and thinks she‘s the weakest competitor but not the weakest designer. She’s thankful for the opportunity.

Next week: India is shaking things up, Nathan is freaking out, I smell another team challenge. Wisit is lost.
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