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Project Runway<\/a><\/p>\n Catwalk on the Wild Side<\/p>\n \n Season 22<\/p>\n Episode 4\n <\/p>\n \n Editor\u2019s Rating<\/p>\n 2 stars<\/p>\n **\n <\/p>\n \n An incredibly frustrating Project Runway episode showcases all of this season\u2019s limitations. For the most part, I am softer on this season of Project Runway than the (welcome) commenters on these recaps seem to be. I agree that this show is not what it once was, but the Bravo days are long gone, as are the days when reality shows had the type of budget Project Runway once enjoyed. I also think if you go back and watch the early seasons, as commenter rosieg pointed out, you\u2019ll be surprised by how braggadocious and self-involved many of the competitors were. Influencer culture didn\u2019t exist yet, but some designers were cruel and catty, even without the current omnipresent evil of social media. All this to say, I\u2019m taking each week of Project Runway for what it is: a diminished show with a cliffhanger format meant to keep us watching week to week that is still breezily paced, still introduces me to people making interesting clothes, and still gives me some Christian Siriano time. I don\u2019t watch any other lifestyle reality shows anymore, but my patience for Project Runway is endless.<\/p>\n Or maybe almost endless because \u201cCatwalk on the Wild Side\u201d really made me laugh but in the scoffing, depressed way you laugh when something ludicrous happens that you wish you were never exposed to, like Donald Trump saying he\u2019s running for a fourth term or the fact that halloumi cheese at my grocery store now costs $15. In retrospect, my complaints about the NFL-inspired episode last week<\/a> feel quaint because I have much greater beef with \u201cCatwalk on the Wild Side.\u201d Bringing in reality stars as this week\u2019s models and then not giving the designers who were negatively affected by the \u2014 I\u2019ll say it \u2014 self-involvedness or general inconvenience of the reality stars any extra design time was really crappy. I watch The Great British Baking Show; I\u2019ve seen contestants get extra time when something malfunctions in the tent. Sarah Jane Nader<\/a> smears her full-body bronzer all over Bi and Jude\u2019s outfits and ruins them and they don\u2019t get any restitution? Stassi Schroeder<\/a> doesn\u2019t show up, meaning Aaron and Anna have to completely remake their outfits for her replacement model with only a few hours to go, and them\u2019s the breaks? I am sure the judges, if pressed on this, would say on a real runway, designers have to edit on the fly if models don\u2019t show up, too. But Project Runway is not real life! It\u2019s a show that is supposed to provide a level playing field for its contestants. \u201cCatwalk on the Wild Side\u201d failed to do that.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s close the loop on last week: The judges send home Chloe and Andriy for their work on the NFL challenge. For Andriy, they said he failed as a leader, which I don\u2019t think is wrong; even if you disagree on who was right in the Bobby versus Andriy showdown, in general, I don\u2019t think Andriy came up with a cohesive collection vision compared with the other team leaders. Does being safe humble Bobby? Sort of. She makes a big to-do all episode about keeping her emotions in check, but she clearly hates her client, Ekin-Su. I guess it\u2019s good Bobby didn\u2019t lose her temper or cry? Better than nothing? I\u2019ve got low standards here.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the challenge: Heidi and Christian announce that Project Runway has partnered with the global nonprofit Humane World for Animals<\/a> (formerly the Humane Society). For this challenge, the designers will support \u201cethical fashion\u201d \u2014 all of their fabrics are \u201ccruelty-free and animal-free\u201d \u2014 and will be inspired by an animal in the wild. The fabrics are provided to the designers, and they have five animal options to serve as their muse: arctic wolf, scarlet macaw, mustang, lion, and shark. Two designers will share each animal and a model, and their looks will compete against each other. (The winner gets immunity and an expedition to Canada\u2019s Great Bear Rainforest.) Oh, and their models are all ABC\/Hulu\/Disney \u201ccelebrities\u201d \u2014 i.e., reality stars.<\/p>\n
\n Photo: Spencer Pazer\/Disney\n <\/p>\n