by Gina Scarpa

It's never easy to be the first one sent home from a reality competition, especially when you're passionate about what you do.  Such was the cast of Jonny Day, who was eliminated by the judges because of a poorly designed skirt.  The contestants were split into groups, where they had to come up with a must have item and then design five different looks.  The panel felt that Jonny's skirt did not fit his model well at all and sent him packing.  Today, he spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview, defending his design and sharing his thoughts on everything from his fellow designers to what he really thinks of the judges.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What is your design background, prior to joining the show?
A. Jonny:  I’ve been learning as I go.  I didn’t go to fashion school.  I’ve been designing a line for the last three years, primarily a men’s line.  I’m strong with concept and production so this show really challenged me.  I was a little intimidated but excited to be a part of it.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to do reality television, specifically, The Fashion Show?
A. Jonny: It was 100% for the exposure of the line.  It’s so hard in this market to stand out.  Even being kicked off so fast, I’m still glad I did it.  I’m not into reality television, I don’t watch tv.  I did it purely for the exposure.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What were your thoughts on the fashion show complete with live audience each week?
A. Jonny: It was weird.  It went by so fast and we didn’t really get to see the show.  We were watching on monitors.  I’d like to know who these people were in the audience.  I didn’t know who they were.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The judges were definitely harsh on last night’s episode.  What was your take on what they had to say about your design?
A. Jonny:  They were very harsh.  I don’t know.  It’s hard but how can I argue?  They were forgetting that the environment and the situation we were in was ideal to create.  They acted as if we were working on this for a few weeks.  That’s what upset me.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When you’re in a competition involving creative people, you’re going to run into some characters.  What’s the deal with Merlin?  Is he for real?
A. Jonny:  Merlin is an actor.  He’s a talented designer but I don’t know how wearable his clothing is.  I didn’t understand him.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you agree with the skirt as the must have item for your challenge?
A. Jonny: I did, especially after seeing what everyone else thought was a must have item.  I tried to combine the tube and the pencil skirt.  I did agree that it was a must have item.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the biggest problem with your design, when you look back on it?
A. Jonny:  The skirt was too tight and I had the wrong kind of model.  I needed a much more petite model.  She was the biggest model, the bustiest.  I mean, that’s not her fault but it didn’t work.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What is in the future for you?
A. Jonny: I just opened a store in downtown L.A.  It’s a showroom and a store.  My clothing is very sexy, very high end.  This was a great opportunity to let people know about me.

The Fashion Show airs Thursday nights at 10pm ET on Bravo.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)