By Lindsay Strouse

With only a few weeks left in the season, Project Runway isn't holding anything back. For this challenge, Heidi tells the contestants to "spread their wings." Hm, I wonder what that could mean.

The answer is beyond your wildest imagination. The designers walk into a room filled with birds. Birds that will serve as an inspiration for a high-fashion look.

There are cockatoos, owls, Amazon parrots and ravens...oh my! The winner of the challenge will receive a $20,000 cash prize from L'Oreal Paris. Out of all the prizes, this seems to be one that is producing the most amounts of drool and starry eyes.

And then comes the bad news. Guess what type of challenge this will be? You got it: pairs. Anya and Laura will design for the raven, Josh and Bert will design for the Amazon parrot and Viktor and Kimberly will work with the cockatoo.

But there's a twist to this pairing. Turns out the teams won't be working in harmony - instead, they will be competing against each other in a head-to-head challenge.

Not even an hour into the work process, Tim enters the workroom with yet another...you guessed it...surprise! The designers must design a second high-fashion look inspired by their bird. They are given 30 minutes to sketch and another $300 to spend at Mood.

Because it is a head-to-head challenge, there is a lot of opportunity for eyes to wander and ideas to be thrown around. Despite the general good personal vibes between the contestants, no one is afraid to bring out their claws for this challenge.

On the second and final workday, Collier Strong comes in to assist with make-up consultations. They will be working with a new L'Oreal make-up line called "Colors Take Flight," which is also inspired by the vibrant colors of the birds.

After some helpful words from Collier, reality starts to set in. Kimberly realizes how far behind she is in time, and after sewing into her finger, she runs into the bathroom and breaks down.

Meanwhile, Josh is going through his own struggles. He makes the risky decision to scrap a basically completed dress that he spent the entire first day on. He then asks Anya for a few scraps of fabric, who is hesitant to go down that path again. At this point in the competition, it really is every man for himself.

When Tim enters the work area for his routine check-ins, he's welcomed with a room full of potential. At first, Bert gets mixed reviews from Tim, but reminds him that high-fashion doesn't always have to be beautiful couture gowns. Next up is Anya: Tim loves the silhouette she created for the first look.

When he reaches an emotional Kimberly, we get to see the sentimental, father-like figure we love so much. He tells her to "stop thinking and just feel." He follows up the heart-warming sentiment with a much-needed hug.

Despite Tim's pep-talk, the struggles continue. In Kimberly's frustration with her model's full breasts and revealing dress, she throws her glue gun down on the table, which proceeds to burn a hole in one of the dresses. With only three hours left in the day, she must design and create an entirely new gown.

Luckily, she is able to pull out a long gown that she claims she "won't be embarrassed out." However, it does look suspiciously similar to Viktor's one-shouldered white gown.

Before sending the models down the Garnier and Maybelline studios, Tim enters to ruffle the designers' feathers one more time. Oy vey. In the last twist of the night, he tells the designers that only one of their looks will go down the runway. Some of the designers are ecstatic, while others are torn.

Tonight's guest judge is Francisco Costa, women's Creative Director for the Calvin Klein collection.

Let the show begin! Representing the cockatoo, Viktor's gown has a certain airiness to it that makes it very wearable. Kimberly's look has pretty much the same silhouette and the same color, but a more elegant feel.

Inspired by the Amazon parrot, Bert's slightly off-colored dress looks like something from the future, but not exactly in a good way. Josh's short, flowy dress is modern and chic.

Taking from the raven's edgy reputation, Anya's look is structured and has a fantastic silhouette for a woman living on the edge. Laura sends down an extremely well fitted blazer and pant.

Both Laura and Anya impressed the judges, but Laura's extensive feathered collar and satin pant was a bit too literal for them.

Michael Kors calls Bert's look pageant-y and Nina finds his silhouette generic and expected. The judges love Josh's expert draping ability and appreciate the chain detailing along the back.

Considering the circumstances, the judges were blown away by Kimberly's flowing gown. The only critique she received was from Nina who thought it also looked a little pageant-y. Though Viktor's construction was impeccable, his interpretation was too literal.

Anya, Josh and Kimberly find themselves in the top after the judging, leaving Laura, Bert and Viktor to fight for their place in the competition.

At the end of the day, Anya walked away as the challenge the winner with an advertorial in Marie Claire magazine and a $20,000 congratulatory prize! Josh, Kimberly, Viktor and Laura follow her to the safe zone.

And so tonight we say good-bye to (my) fan favorite, Bert. It's not surprising after this challenge, but I'll miss him!

Project Runway airs every Thursday at 9/8c on Lifetime.

(Image courtesy of Lifetime)

Follow Lindsay on Twitter @LindsayStrouse