Reality Check: How Sweet It Is
By Olivia Leigh in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 4, 2008 6:42PM
While we were chompin' at the bit for the return of Project Runway following a holiday hiatus, the casting for Bravo's next attempt at reality success had us wishing some more episodes of The Office were ready to go.
Thus far, this season's PR had left us wishing for a little something more. The contestants (with the exception of the reincarnated Christ Marsh) seemed a bit ho-hum, all of the challenges felt a bit stale, and enough tears were shed to make us wonder if we were watching Lifetime. But what brightens any overly emotional day? Oh, yes, that dark, sweet deliciousness known as chocolate, which the enormous NYC Hershey's store offered up, along with a fun challenge.
Charged with using kooky Hershey's gifts (pillows, stuffed Kisses), packaging, or actual food to create a garment of their choosing, we were finally able to see the designers having fun with the challenge. Although some of them encountered difficulties a la Jillian, whose dress made of Twizzlers required her to enlist her model's sewing skills to finish up the garment at the last minute, overall, the episode felt a lot brighter, filled with the joie de vivre that we loved about past Project Runway seasons.
Rami, our choice to take it all the way, won the challenge with his impeccably constructed dress. Victorya made a ho-hum silver and white York peppermint patty ensemble that the judges poo-pooed a bit, saying it wasn't wearable, to which Miss V brought out her usual defensive spiel.
Following the fun on the runway, we were greeted with the new Bravo offering, Make Me a Supermodel, hosted by still-so-sexy Tyson Beckford and classic Cover Girl, Nikki Taylor. With America's Next Top Model, A Model Life, America's Most Smartest Model and The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, you'd think America would have had our model fix by now, but Bravo is intent to shove one more down our throats. Although a casting was held in the Windy City and several areas contestants made it to the semifinals, Chicago's lone hope at model glory rests in 24-year-old Ronnie, a Poli. Sci. major at the University of Illinois who admitted to having dated a pr0n star. Although we're feeling a little modeled-out and might take a pass on this show, if you're dying to ensure Ronnie scores that contract with New York Models, viewers will be able to vote on the contestants, so get your fingers ready, Chicago.