That Season in Project Runway (Season 8)

I've completely lost all sense of urgency in all the other TV series I've been finishing ever since Netflix added Project Runway to their roster. I am not much fan of reality show UNLESS it involves: houses, baking (cooking IDK why I don't get too hooked) and sewing clothes* because I felt it doesn't have too much drama unless it was truly necessary. I did watch Amazing Race and Survivor but I now digress.

I've been watching PR the longest I could remember but not consistently, like I'm not sure which seasons I've fully watched since I only rely on my couch surfing skills which is pointing the down button on the remote looking for which show I like as my noise in the background. So anyway, fresh from the high from Season 7 where all of them are legit good, both Emilio and Seth Aaron are ridiculously strong and years later huge successes on different paths. It was a beautiful season where their skills are truly a highlight THAT when I got to the first episode of Season 8, I was like: are you serious?! After all the strong contenders last time we got this?!

So anyways fast forward to episode after episode and it started to become dramatic. Why is there a bully such as Ivy Higa and Gretchen to a friendless guy that is Michael Costello? It got so heated that as of writing I think, was this scripted? What was I missing on why everyone hated Michael? And why is there so much hate against him?

One of the highlights of this whole Ivy-Michael drama was when there was a team challenge wherein he was ganged on by Michael's 5 team mates who thinks he doesn't know what he's doing / doesn't know how to sew. Prior to that episode he won (to the dismay of the other contestants) and got immunity that the moment everyone from his team was "throwing him under the bus", Heidi exasperatedly said that whatever they (other designers) were doing would not be of any affect to Michael because in fact even if their team lost, he's the only guy who is safe due to his immunity. Michael cried when he was sent back to the room, retelling what happened at the panel. It was disturbing  too because no one bothered to even console him. Before the episode ended, Tim Gunn had to call out the bullies and had to specifically mention Gretchen as a manipulator. This in turn shook Gretchen's ego. This had clearly affected her work because she never won a single episode after that, other than her win at the finale, which was even a controversial win against Mondo. If by statistics alone, Gretchen, Mondo AND Michael are tie by 3 wins. Ivy, the most hated contestant on the other hand was out on the 9th episode out of 14. 

Now, just as when I am totally with Michael's, there are times after that episode that he became a bit mean on the interviews. I don't know if it's his true colors showing or he's just trying to toughen up since he could not get friends. Andy and Mondo seemed to have warmed up to him though after a few episodes. In fact Mondo apologized to Michael at some point because he believed he was being a dick in his snide remarks against Michael who just needed guidance on what he had to do. So anyway, I am not sure if it's just how they made it look like in the show but maybe in the workroom and in their apartment, THERE REALLY IS something there hence the other designers' hostility towards him. 

Another memorable episode was on the sportswear challenge where the eliminated 6 was brought back to help. Not too long Ivy Higa had to engage Michael in an argument on how he was a cheater and couldn't sew. She was nonstop in her complaints and accusations that Tim Gunn had to step in again and clear whatever rumor that was. Instead of being ashamed, Ivy Higa didn't care and a funny snippet happened. It was a genius edit wherein she was complaining in an interview on how Michael was undeserving of being there, and how karma will get back to him someday. The next clip was hilarious when at the sewing room she was in front of a machine and something suddenly poked here in the eye out of her doing and the camera zooms in on Michael's gleeful face. 

Karma actually made me search for all 4 of them: Gretchen Jones, Mondo Guerra, Ivy Higa and Michael Costello-- 8 years since the show wrapped up. Suddenly I'm someone from the "future" who can see what happened to all 4. While Gretchen Jones won, both she and Ivy Higa are still designers BUT NOT at the same level to the achievements that Mondo, especially Michael through the years. Michael Costello dresses high profile celebrities like Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj to name a few. He's actually a favorite go to designer of celebrities when they grace awarding bodies such as the Grammy's and Emmy's. Not bad for "someone who cannot sew". In contrast, Ivy doesn't even have her own wiki page. 

Ivy have said a lot of things in the show that are obnoxious but if anything she was right that someday, karma will hit Michael. She just probably didn't know that there are two types and the one that got Michael was the kind she never expected. I wonder if at nights she remember it still.

*FINE. I did dabble on ANTM on it's early seasons.
** Original Image from http://ruinasdeinvernalia.blogspot.com / Edited via Canva