Project Runway: 10 Fakest Things About The Show, According To Cast And Crew

Project Runway has become one of the most beloved fashion shows on TV, helping to define the reality genre where it is today. With a new season of the series always in development, it’s important to look at some of how the show might have stepped a little too far into the reality category.

Fans enjoy the show for its gorgeous designs and the occasional drama. However, these Redditors are calling out certain elements of each season, due to those aspects feeling fake and far from reality. Whether they are fake is another story, but for the audience, it takes them out of the illusion slightly.

TikTok Influence

One way that Project Runway has survived for so many years is its ability to adapt and evolve. It has to change to keep up with modern trends. Social media is always going to have a big impact and TikTok is the current cultural phenomenon to pull from.

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tropicalsoul felt that the show had changed for the worse by “trying to appeal to a whole different audience with its TikTok style (loud, obnoxious, over the top, shallow, and ridiculously gushy and fake).” This thematic change might have felt incredibly fake when compared to other seasons, although in its defense the series has been known for its overt personalities.

Unfair Editing

It’s all in the edit. At least, that’s what they say in the business. But the edit can be very harsh to certain contestants, showing them in an unsavory light or perhaps cutting their air time completely. The game has changed since season 1 and the edit is more important than ever.

Farley49 spoke to this by saying, “The editorial manipulation is almost enough to make me stop watching but there isn’t much on that is any better. Same with other reality shows.” That manipulation could be pretty damaging for audiences who aren’t aware that what they are seeing has been chopped up and perhaps even placed out of order to tell a different story.

Anya’s Win

Anya Ayoung-Chee won the 9th season of Project Runway and fan response was incredibly mixed. There have been debates on how much of the choice of the winners is based upon fan perception and likability, in comparison to their collection when contrasted to other contestants.

Zealousideal-Day7385 spoke of the fakeness they felt when Anya won saying “I absolutely believe Anya’s win was in direct response to the fan backlash against Gretchen; it was more about the franchise wanting a likable current winner than it was about Anya’s work.” As an entertainment show, it is plausible that the judges went for the fan-favorite choice, which could impact future perceptions.

Season 6 Rebrand

Occasionally Project Runway will undergo a rebrand to appeal to a new demographic. The TikTok criticism is one such way they have done that recently. But Season 6 felt like a fake attempt to engage in an alternative way, making changes that didn’t genuinely benefit the competition.

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macabragoria spoke on this further saying, “S6 was a failed attempt at rebranding PR as a more ‘trendy’, youth-oriented show, hence the move to LA… This is the only season of PR where they attempted a romantic plotline of sorts.” It’s these forced moves that made the show feel even more inauthentic for some Reddit users, with the initial appeal of the series fading.

Project Runway All Stars Winner

The consensus among fans is that Mondo Guerra should have won his respective season of Project Runway. The fact that he didn’t perhaps speak to the fakery of the show. But for many, the creation of Project Runway All Stars was an even more unrealistic attempt to control the narrative.

Riverhealth commented on the season of All Stars saying, “Mondo was going to win no matter what, what we know that.” The idea that the show was entirely conceived to give Mondo the win he deserved is perhaps a sign of just how controlled Project Runway has been seen to be.

The Judging

While the judging has been touched on in a large scale capacity, it’s hard to look at the macro if the micro is ignored. The judging each week was full of inconsistencies with controversial and unfair eliminations often taking place, likely to fit the show’s narrative.

That’s what Farley49 touched on when they said, “I know that that the judging has always been questionable and has been a weak point in many of the seasons.” It’s a shame that the element of the show that should be adding a layer of realism is instead taking people out of the experience.

Showing Collections

Showing off a collection at fashion week has become a rite of passage for the finalists of Project Runway. It’s a big ask to make it that far in the competition and contestants are always gutted if they miss out on the opportunity. Except, many of them don’t.

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One user pointed out, “It’s no secret that typically something like the top 8 get to show a collection at fashion week. So why do the contestants always make such a big deal out of coming in 5th or 4th?” It’s quite a fake response made purely for the show, rather than a genuine reaction.

The Surprise Twist

As the show reaches its conclusion there is one final twist; a twist that has become entirely predictable where the judges reveal that no one is getting eliminated. It’s become a tradition at this point, but it’s the reactions of the contestants that come across as false.

hamster_combat covered this further and said, “something along the lines of, ‘None of you are eliminated today. You’ll all get to make collections, but not all of you will get to show.’ And the designers are all caught off guard with cuts to them in shock and disbelief.” At this point, it can only be assumed that they hadn’t watched the previous seasons enough!

The Cash Prize

Claire Buitendorp was one of the few contestants to be removed from the show for cheating; not even the best of the celebrity judges could have saved her. But while there might have been more to that story, it seemed like the cash prize that was up for grabs for the challenge was no longer real.

jamtomorrow dived into this further saying “I feel like the $25000 prize wasn’t real, they already knew Claire was cheating, so they picked her, rescinded the win, and then gave it to no one.” If that was the case, then it certainly brings into question some other rewards throughout the show.

Limiting Engagement

Fans have always enjoyed engaging with the people they see on reality shows. It brings a sense of realism where the designers are allowed to be themselves a little more, outside of the controlled environment of Project Runway. But even that has become somewhat limited.

It’s become faker how contestants used their social media. scarybiscuits said, “I wonder if it’s a mistake to shut everything down so tight. When the show started there were lots of people blogging about it, even former contestants.” It’s killed the buzz but what’s more, it’s ruined the illusion of reality a tad more.

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