Project Runway: Handicapping the Finale

First, yes, I am a heterosexual male and yes, I am also a fan of Bravo's Project Runway. It's possible. What can I say other than that it's just television done well (more on this to come)?

What isn't good television is Bravo's mismanagement of the show in terms of scheduling and revealing plot details. First, there was an inexplicable gap between the airing of episodes ten and eleven. During the two-week hole, the network fall television lineup premiered and stole a lot of thunder that could be going towards Project Runway in the media. Second, the timing of the Bryant Park fashion show and the release of pictures from it gave away a key twist from the episode, namely that Uli would somehow steal Michael's prized model Nazri. Furthermore, their promos for the show advertised that "we are not committed to a final three," and sure enough, they went with a final four. Why Bravo decided to wait two weeks only to have intervening events cut all the drama from the episode I have no idea.

Worse, their timing not only missed the boat on incorporating the drama of Fashion Week fully, but their planning essentially means that from episode ten until episode fourteen, there are no major changes in personnel. The final four will have been known and set for weeks, and by the time the finale airs on October 18th, the pictures from the Bryant Park show will have been available online for over a month. Why the producers insist on wasting opportunities for drama while pushing their show into the cacophony known as early fall television is well beyond me. Frankly, I'm worried that casual viewers will forget about the show or become bored with the over-saturation of reruns.

However, there will always be the question of who wins the darned thing, and right now, it's a tough call. Briefly, I will handicap the final four's chances of winning the grand prize: