The Columnist Manifesto

Is Project Runway getting... boring?

It's hard to know whether it's the show or me, but in the two weeks following the wrong-headed elimination of Alison, it seems like the show's engines just suddenly conked out and it's just drifting.

Let's gather the facts. For the last four weeks, it has been a consistent Michael love fest: he either wins, or nearly wins, and he's so obviously talented and destined for the final three that they might as well just give him advanced placement. He's like the Mets wrapping up the division by August.

Uli and Laura are talented too, but the judges keep letting them get away with making the same things over and over. Their designs are getting boring.

Vincent, who started out as an obnoxious jerk who made consistently ugly stuff, has mellowed himself out into a soporiphic nebbish whose last two designs have been way too safe. This week he got by "designing" a charcoal v-neck pullover and baggy slacks, which he could easily have picked up at Target. That he survived the judging -- the challenge was to make a "jet set" outfit for the designer himself/herself -- shows a high tolerance for boring, despite last week's elimination of the aggressively dull Robert.

Kayne, too, is falling into a design rut: his stuff is becoming consistently tacky, as this week he made himself an Elvis costume for the "jet setting" challenge.

Jeffrey seemed more interesting after last week -- the momathon, in which the designers had to make outfits for their competitors' mostly fat moms or sisters -- when we learned that his mother loves him and that he is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. But he's not that interesting, and his nasty little personality conflict with Angela -- this season's only conflict story line -- has dried out into an ordinary "co-worker from hell" humdrum.

And in any event, that's over, because they just kicked off Angela. You can't vehemently argue with the decision, since she's probably the least talented designer left other than Vincent. Angela has been making the same crap week after week -- always with the "rouching" and the florettes -- and the only question is whether the design challenge is one that lends itself to her style (in which case she does well) or not.

But that's the bigger problem. Last season, the challenges forced the contestants out of their comfort zones more regularly and systematically. This season, most of them have been doing their same thing week after week, and -- with the notable exception of Robert and the occasional reference to somebody's consistent style -- getting away with it in the judging.

Tim's signature line from last season "Make it work!" seems to have been adopted as a sort of official brand of the show. It's used in the promotional materials, and even Heidi has said it in commercial spots. Maybe that's way Tim has rolled out a new one for himself this season, "carry on!"

As he left the workroom after his weekly critique of the designs in progress, Tim deployed both catch phrases together: "Make it work! Carry on!" But he plainly lacked conviction: even this bit of fun seems to be growing threadbare.