Project Runway episode 4 provides frustratingly little Dallas-related action

by Teresa Gubbins

Provincials seeking Dallas-related drama on Episode 4 of Project Runway, the now-on-Lifetime reality show about budding fashion designers, went home empty-handed on Thursday, as our two local contestants, Louise Black and Shirin Askari, both produced designs that got them to neither the top nor the bottom of the class.

One supposes this is a good thing, since it means the two Dallas representatives weren't in a position of getting eliminated and remain on the show another week. Both make clothes good enough that it seems more than likely they'll make it to the end.

But in the interim, the show's trudging along without divas or poorly behaved contestants to keep the action lively. (They never should've gotten rid of Ari Fish!)

The challenge this week involved the models, whose show Models of the Runway oh-so conveniently runs right after Project Runway. The models were the "clients" and had a high-profile event where they needed to make a splash.

The only thing nearing drama was some minor carping by dreadlocked contestant Rodney Epperson whose model gave him too many directions to comprehend. He also missed his family and shed tears on TV. Whenever they show a contestant moping about their family, that often means they're going to win or go home, but Epperson did neither, although he did come in second for a jersey dress that had bands sewn around it.

The shocker was the winner, Althea Harper, who has done nice clothes in the past but whose ragged suit looked a mess. And yet the panel of spares filling in as judges loved the thing. Where is Michael Kors? Has he even been on this season? His taste is sorely missed.

Loser was Qristyl Frazier, whose black dress wasn't as bad as the so-called judges said, but whose designs have been strictly average all along and would have gone one of these days.