by Todd Betzold

Tonight's episode of Project Runway is worth watching for the pure fact that the words "hoochie mama" come out of Heidi Klum's mouth! Tonight, the designers create new looks for women in need of major makeovers, but can they help them or will they make them look worse?

 

The designers wake up in their apartment and Dmitry is hoping to win this challenge and prove to the judges he can do it. They head over to the runway and meet up with Heidi Klum to meet their new clients. On the runway are friends of people that need makeovers. They then head over to the workroom to meet Tim Gunn and meet their potential clients. They have 30 minutes to consult with their new client and sketch then shopping at Mood and one day to create their new design.

 

Sonjia's client, Amanda, feels she is pear-shaped and hates the way she looks. She would like to see herself in a dress. For Elena, he client, Jenna, wants something with less color. For Ven, he is struggling with his client and he thinks her proportions are not like designing for a model. Um, you are designing for a real woman, not a model that doesn't eat! This is real life Ven, sorry. Nathan's client is a singer, so she wants to be sexy on stage. Fabio's client doesn't want to be sexualized. Gunnar is excited for this challenge because he designs for the everyday woman. His client starts crying because she is so excited for this...cue the tears for me! I am going to be a mess this whole episode.

 

Time for shopping at Mood and I feel I am going to want to slap Ven by the end of this. He keeps bitching about having to design for a plus-size model and it is so hard. Last time I looked, Ven has some extra weight on him and a big ol' gut on him, so back off her. Ugh, I am getting irritated. Can we kick him off right now???

 

The designers then meet with the L'Oreal people and their clients to work on the new hair for them. They discuss the look and decide what to do with their hair. Ven continues to bitch about his client. He wants to know why some people have clients that could be models and some have plus-size models. Well Ven, not every woman is the same size!

 

Tim Gunn comes in and takes a look at how the designers are doing. He said Nathan could have a very vulgar moment on him. He told Christopher he likes the multi-tasking of the items. He told Elena if she can pull it off, it will be amazing. Tim told Gunnar the cleaner it is, the better it will be for your client. He said to Fabio he loved the dress and it has some design to it. Tim meets with Ven and he tells Tim that he has a plus-size model of a size 14. Tim said that is on the cusp. He then tells Tim she has no sense of style. He said the before picture is definitely a nightmare and the after picture will be something drastically different. I hate him. Every designer in the room is in shock and Fabio said his client came down here hoping to get special treatment and she is stuck with a designer that is not going to give her what she wants. Tim tells Ven that she is coming into her own right now and he could give her an epiphany of what she could be. For Alicia, Tim was shocked at the fabric she was using for the look. Tim wondered if Dmitry was making his client even more conservative than she is.

 

The clients and their friends come back for their fitting. Fabio's client loves her dress, even though she didn't want to be put in a dress. Dmitry said this is the first time he has seen Elena be nice to anyone. Alicia said the last thing she thought she would ever make on Project Runway is a pink dress, but here we are. Ven's client comes in and he loves her new hair and said he made a black dress, which is sliming. He then proceeds to try a belt on and other accessories and tells her everything needs to be bigger and he is dogging her in front of everyone. You can tell she feels awkward and Ven has no clue he is being a complete asshole.

 

It is the day of the runway show and Ven is still complaining about his "plus-size" model. Tim comes in and tells them they have three hours to prep their models today, so a little extra time. Ven's client tries on her dress and said it is not a look she would normally wear. She then asks about the belt and he said he asked for a bigger one because none of them fit her. She said he is calling her fat and doesn't need to be and he said she is feeling that way because nothing fit her he gave her. Her friend confronts Ven about the way he is treating her friend and she is crying and she was supposed to feel special. He then tries to kiss some butt and calls his client beautiful, but they hate the black dress.

 

The clients head in to get their hair and makeup done for their makeovers. The designers are trying to finish up their looks before the runway show. Dmitry said that Sonjia made her dress too short and it looks bad. He feels his dress embraces the challenge and it is time for him to win a challenge. Tim comes in and it is time to head to the runway!

 

Here comes Heidi, so it is time for the runway show! The judges tonight are Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and guest judge for today is fashion designer Alice Temperley. Melissa has immunity for winning last week, so she cannot be sent home. The looks I like: Elena (good colors and design for her), Gunnar (I like the dress and his client had a blast on that runway) and Christopher (loved the dress, but never got to see the jacket he spent so much time on because she took it off right away). The looks I hate: Nathan (she looks like a whore with that material), Melissa (the scarf covers the dress), Alicia (it looks like a nightie), Dmitry (it is just plain and dull) and Sonjia (the dress is barely covering her hoo-ha).

 

Heidi asked the following designers to step forward: Melissa, Christopher, Alicia and Elena. These designers had scores that qualified them to move on and are safe. The remaining designers (Ven, Dmitry, Nathan, Fabio, Gunnar and Sonjia) have the highest and lowest scores tonight. Dmitry, Gunnar and Fabio have the highest scores and Ven, Nathan and Sonjia have the lowest scores. For Dmitry, Heidi said it is sexy, but it is not slutty. Nina said she looks edgy and she looks cool and the color on her is very good and it all works. Michael said he was very smart with his fabric choice. Alice said she would have likes to see the neck a little lower. For Fabio, Nina said she is so pleased and it really looks phenomenal. Heidi said it is genius he got her to way address and the grays are good. Alice said it is feminine and super comfortable, but she doesn't like the belt. Michael said it is a transformation, but it is still her. For Gunnar, Michael said the dress had movement and it is flirty, but not childish and you brought her personality out. Alice said it is an excellent makeover and he did a great job. Nina said a little lower neckline might have been sexier, but other than that she looks great.

 

Now time for the lowest scores: For Sonjia, Heidi said it is so super short and it looks slutty. Alice said the proportions are wrong. Michael said the dial went too far. Nina said she didn't look at her client and work with the best that she had and should have opened up the boobs more. For Ven, Heidi said it doesn't look like a hipper version of her, it just looks like someone put this on you. Michael said it chops her right in half and doesn't work for her. Alice said it doesn't look comfortable. Heidi said it is almost two outfits in one. Michael said it sounds like you didn't want to get to know about her and her life. For Nathan, Heidi said this dress gives a certain message and it looks very cheap and she looks like a hoochie mama. Nina said the possibilities are endless, but not this mess of a dress and it is a disaster. Alice said you have to find what the woman wants and feel comfortable in. Michael said she didn't come for a costume, she came for a look. He said he had such an opportunity and he threw it all away.

 

The judges discuss the designers and it looks like they love Fabio and what he did with the dress and with his client, even though I loved Gunnar's client and her walk on the runway. Who knows on the person going home, it looks like it could be Nathan, but I am hoping it is Ven! The designers come back to the runway to find out the judges' decisions. Fabio is the winner of this challenge, so Gunnar and Dmitry (close again Dmitry, but no win) are safe tonight. Now Heidi tells Nathan, Sonjia and Ven that one, or maybe more of them, may be out. Nathan is out, which I figured would happen, but will another designer go home? Sonjia is safe, so now it is down to Ven. Heidi tells him he did nothing for his client and they wonder if he has any flexibility, but he is safe. He then comes back to the rest of the designers and said he shouldn't have been the last one up there and there were some weaker looks. I hate him!

Project Runway airs Thursdays at 9/8c on Lifetime.

 

(Image courtesy of Lifetime)

 

Follow Todd on Twitter @tbetzold