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Gia with her boyfriend Ryan Anderson and dog Bentley.
I don’t know what to say.
I didn’t know Gia Allemand personally, but I talked to her for interviews and she seemed like someone I’d like in real life. She and I are both Ginas (although she went by Gia) and big advocates for helping homeless animals. She was the compassionate heart of “Bachelor Pad.” She even made Wes’s country song seem tolerable (although I disagree that he’s like Shakespeare but “better and cuter.”) She just seemed cool and sweet, although a bit sensitive and insecure. I never imagined she’d ever be in a place where she’d take her own life at age 29, as reports have suggested.
Whenever I think of Gia, I think of that conference call she was on during BP2, when we were trying to figure out what happened between Ames and Jackie. They were both on the call and it was kind of awkward, since Ames had apparently dumped Jackie and no one really understood what happened. Gia jumped in to ask her own questions, since she was a fan of Team Jackie Brown too.
Here’s that interview, if you want to read it. And here’s a lot more on Gia, including an archive of old Wetpaint stories about her from The Bachelor 14 (with Jake) and BP1 and BP2.
Gia, you are already missed — and you’ll never be forgotten.
Wah!
He’s a diva. He needs anger management. I don’t exactly love his designs. But I agree with Sandro on one point: All of the “Project Runway” designers deserve feedback. That’s why they’re there.
This is something I’ve always complained about – the PR “safe” zone leaves designers confused about what the judges are looking for. It doesn’t mean, as Tim Gunn noted, that the designers should cater their garments to what they think the judges want. But I didn’t find it out of line for Sandro to want constructive criticism. It’s not like they should’ve stopped just to give only him feedback, but why wouldn’t the designers want to know where they stand? I actually had this exact thought last week when there were only two teams in the top. I felt like Jeremy and Ken should’ve been the third team in the top (I thought they should’ve been contenders to win) and wondered why all the teams couldn’t get feedback.
Tonight on “Project Runway” Season 12, Episode 4, “Tie the Knot,” the designers could do whatever they wanted, as inspired by Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s bow ties from his Tie the Knot Organization.
Sandro was safe. So was Helen, but only because she had immunity from her Kate team last week. Sandro may not have said anything at all if Heidi Klum hadn’t piped in that Helen was lucky to have immunity because her garment was so bad. The judges wondered if maybe she only won last week because she was paired with Kate. Ouch. Nina Garcia said she wants to see something better from Helen next week.
The top and bottom. Sandro saved one of them (probably Miranda) by storming out.
Backstage, Helen got very upset about basically being told she didn’t deserve to win last week and credit should’ve gone to Kate. Sandro said it shows how bitchy the judges can be. (He seems especially upset with Zac Posen, who called Sandro’s Week 1 design a “slutty cat toy” and compared this week’s look to a walk of shame.)
The other designers, especially Ken, told Sandro there’s a time and place for speaking out to the judges and Sandro went too far. He was safe. He should’ve been quiet. I don’t know if the judges should be bowed to like that, since the designers do need feedback. They may not be students but they are “amateurs” of a sort, looking for a big showcase on this show. How can they really get that showcase without discussion on the runway?
That said, Sandro did go too far – behind-the-scenes. He didn’t make Helen cry – Helen seems like she’s just a little emotional – but he did flip Ken the bird, ripped off his mic, threatened to smash a camera (he seemed to push it), and stormed off. He went missing. Tim had to tell Heidi and the judges that they went out looking for him. Don’t bother. He’s too sensitive for this. I think the designers should get feedback, but if he can’t even take criticism from his own peers without getting THAT angry, he doesn’t belong there. And that’s not even addressing his treatment of poor Sue last week. She was a saint to lower herself to be his “assistant” because that’s the only way she could get through that intact.
Anyway, my Jeremy was robbed again. I’m sorry that his (or his husband’s?) gran died. I thought he might win with that garment, but instead he found himself in the BOTTOM three. That’s his first time in front of the judges and it’s in the bottom? Talk about ridiculous. If anyone has a right to ask the judges WTF do you want?! it’s Jeremy.
Bradon won again. And he proposed to his partner Josh right there on the runway. And then Josh proposed right back via Skype/video thing. Congrats to him. I liked his design, but the designers need to pick new models. Bradon has a HUGE advantage with his model. Tyra Banks only wishes she had her on ANTM. Models can make or break your design and that needs to be shown. If Bradon wins without her, good for him. But I feel like she could give another designer a boost.
I’m all about the underdog, So as much as I like and respect Bradon, I can’t root for him to keep winning. He’s already adored enough. This is starting to feel like Bradon’s show. The judges love him. If they ever stop, Tim will probably save him. What are they not seeing in Jeremy? It’s irritating.
My favorites so far: Jeremy, Dom, Alexandria, Bradon (he is good), Kate.
Sandro didn’t return after his walk-off. (Reminds me of Daniel Vosovic on PR Season 2: “It’s a motherf*ckin’ walk-off!”) He wasn’t allowed to, even if he wanted to. That probably saved Miranda, who only survived last week because Timothy was already around for too long.
***THE DESIGNERS***
• Alexander Pope, 38 – Hometown: Los Angeles, CA; Resides in New York, NY
• Alexandria von Bromssen, 38 – Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden; Resides in San Mateo, CA
• Angela Bacskocky, 33 – Hometown: Richmond, VA; Resides in Richmond, VA (Eliminated Week 1)
• Bradon McDonald, 38 – Hometown: Lowville, NY; Resides in Los Angeles, CA
• Dom Streater, 24 – Hometown: Philadelphia, PA; Resides in Philadelphia, PA
• Helen Castillo, 25 – Hometown: Weehawken, NJ; Resides in Union City, NJ
• Jeremy Brandrick, 41 – Hometown: Birmingham, England; Resides in New York, NY
• Justin LeBlanc, 27 – Hometown: Tampa, FL; Resides in Raleigh, NC
• Kahindo Mateene, 34 – Hometown: Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Resides in Chicago, IL (Eliminated Week 2)
• Karen Batts, 29 – Hometown: Boca Raton, FL; Resides in Queens, NY
• Ken Laurence, 24 – Hometown: Birmingham, AL; Resides in Birmingham, AL
• Miranda Kay Levy, 29 – Hometown: Wilton, WI; Resides in Milwaukee, WI
• Sandro Masmanidi, 28 – Hometown: Krasnodar, Russia; Resides in New York, NY
• Sue Waller, 45 – Hometown: Boston, MA; Resides in Brooklyn, NY
• Timothy Westbrook, 24 – Hometown: Wanakena, NY; Resides in Milwaukee, WI
• Kate Pankoke, the Runway Redemption winner from Season 11
***
Catch up on my old (vintage) “Project Runway” stories in this archive.
Gina Carbone + stories 
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