Project Runway is an American reality television show in which contestants compete to be the best fashion designer, as determined by the show's judges. The series first broadcast in 2004, and seventeen regular seasons and seven all-stars seasons have aired as of June 2019. The first five seasons aired on Bravo, while the succeeding seasons aired on Lifetime.[1] Project Runway contestants are chosen by the show's producers through an application process that includes a videotape submission and "virtual portfolio" of sketches and completed designs, semi-final interviews at select cities, and a final interview.[2]
Two hundred contestants have competed, three of whom have competed twice—Daniel Franco competed in both Season 1 and Season 2 and Kate Pankoke in Season 11 and Season 12 in addition to Amanda Valentine in Season 11 and Season 13. Angela Keslar and Vincent Libretti were originally eliminated in Episodes 8 and 9, respectively, of Season 3, but were brought back due to that season's twist. Justin LeBlanc would have originally been eliminated in Episode 6 of Season 12, but was given a second chance due to the newly instituted "Tim Gunn Save". During Season 13, the "Tim Gunn Save" was used to retroactively bring Charketa Glover back into the competition for Episode 7 after she was eliminated in Episode 6. Seven contestants left Project Runway for reasons other than being eliminated by the show's judges. Keith Michael was disqualified in Season 3 for bringing design books to the contest, which is prohibited.[3] On the other hand, Jack Mackenroth of Season 4, Maya Luz of Season 7, Cecilia Motwani of Season 9, Andrea Katz of Season 10, Kooan Kosuke of Season 10, and Sandro Masmanidi of Season 12 all withdrew from the show due to personal reasons.
The 18 winners of the regular series are Jay McCarroll, Chloe Dao, Jeffrey Sebelia, Christian Siriano, Leanne Marshall, Irina Shabayeva, Seth Aaron Henderson, Gretchen Jones, Anya Ayoung-Chee, Dmitry Sholokhov, Michelle Lesniak, Dom Streater, Sean Kelly, Ashley Nell Tipton, Erin Robertson, Kentaro Kameyama, Sebastian Grey, and Geoffrey Mac. The 7 winners of the All-Star series are Mondo Guerra, Anthony Ryan Auld, Seth Aaron Henderson, Dmitry Sholokhov, Dom Streater, Anthony Williams and Michelle Lesniak.
Regular Series Contestants
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* | Contestant appeared for a second season |
^[I] Contestant's age at the start of the season
^[II] Angela Keslar and Vincent Lebretti were eliminated by judges during Episodes 8 and 9, respectively, of Season 3, but were brought back due to that season's twist.
^[III] Chris March was eliminated by judges during Episode 4 of Season 4, but was brought back to the competition following the voluntary departure of Jack Mackenroth.
^[IV] Anthony Williams was eliminated by judges during Episode 10 of Season 7, but was brought back to the competition following the voluntary departure of Maya Luz.[4]
^[V] Joshua Christensen was eliminated by judges during Episode 2 of Season 9, but was brought back to the competition following the voluntary departure of Cecelia Motwani.
^[VI] Raul Orosio was eliminated by judges during Episode 3 of Season 10, but was brought back to the competition following the voluntary departures of Andrea Katz and Kooan Kosuke.
^[VII] Justin LeBlanc was eliminated by judges during Episode 6 of Season 12, but was given a second chance due to the newly instituted "Tim Gunn Save".
^[VIII] Charketa "Char" Glover was eliminated by judges during Episode 6 of Season 13, but was given a second chance due to the newly instituted "Tim Gunn Save".
^[IX] Four designers have won the competition twice; Seth Aaron Henderson also won the third season of Project Runway: All Stars and Dmitry Sholokhov also won the fourth season of Project Runway: All Stars. Dom Streater also won the fifth season of Project Runway: All Stars and Michelle Lesniak also won the seventh season of Project Runway: All Stars.
All Stars Edition Contestants
Accessory Contestants
| Designer | Age | State of Residence | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotrice Simpson | 38 | Georgia | 12th |
| Kelly Horton | 32 | Pennsylvania | 11th |
| David Grieco | 40 | California | 10th |
| Nicolina Royale | 30 | California | 9th |
| James Sommerfeldt | 29 | Illinois | 8th |
| Shea Curry | 38 | California | 7th |
| Adrian Dana | 41 | Georgia | 6th |
| Christina Caruso | 33 | New York | 5th |
| Diego Rocha | 36 | Illinois | 4th |
| Rich Sandomeno | 40 | California | 3rd |
| Nina Cortes | 26 | Florida | Runner-up |
| Brian Burkhardt | 40 | Florida | Winner |
Under the Gunn Contestants
| Season | Designer | Age[I] | Hometown | Mentor | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melissa Grimes | 29 | Birmingham, AL | None | 15th |
| 1 | Rey Ortiz | 32 | Añasco, PR | None | 14th |
| 1 | Amy Sim | 53 | Portland, OR | None | 13th |
| 1 | Camila Castillo | 47 | Caracas, Venezuela | Mondo Guerra | 12th |
| 1 | Brady Lange | 29 | Portland, OR | Anya Ayoung-Chee | 11th |
| 1 | Isabelle Donola | 33 | New York, NY | Nick Verreos | 10th |
| 1 | Nicholas Komor | 26 | Atlanta, GA | Anya Ayoung-Chee | 9th |
| 1 | Stephanie Ohnmacht | 37 | Denver, CO | Nick Verreos | 8th |
| 1 | Michelle Uberreste | 29 | Burbank, CA | Mondo Guerra | 7th |
| 1 | Natalia Fedner | 30 | West Hollywood, CA | Nick Verreos | 6th |
| 1 | Blake Smith | 25 | Hoboken, NJ | Anya Ayoung-Chee | 5th |
| 1 | Shan Keith | 33 | St. Louis, MO | Anya Ayoung-Chee | 4th |
| 1 | Asha Daniels | 25 | Cincinnati, OH | Mondo Guerra | 3rd |
| 1 | Sam Donovan | 23 | Newton, MA | Mondo Guerra | Runner-up |
| 1 | Oscar Lopez | 40 | Coral Gables, FL | Nick Verreos | Winner |
Threads Contestants
| Season | Episode | Designer[I] | Age | Hometown | Assistant[I] | Finish[II] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Kenzie | 12 | Portland, OR | mother Molly | --- |
| 1 | 1 | Cambria | 12 | West Hills, CA | father David | --- |
| 1 | 1 | Bradford | 13 | Birmingham, AL | mother Dana | Winner |
| 1 | 2 | Aliyah Royale | 14 | Valley Glen, CA | mother Tanya | --- |
| 1 | 2 | Grayson | 14 | New Orleans, LA | grandmother Seria | --- |
| 1 | 2 | Grace | 15 | La Cañada, CA | mother Peggy | Winner |
| 1 | 3 | Colette | 15 | Chicago, IL | mother Jill | --- |
| 1 | 3 | Emily | 15 | Quincy, MA | father David | --- |
| 1 | 3 | Zachary | 15 | Berkeley, CA | mother Camille | Winner |
| 1 | 4 | Matt | 16 | Manhattan Beach, CA | grandmother Dorothy | --- |
| 1 | 4 | Claire | 13 | Braintree, MA | mother Kristen | --- |
| 1 | 4 | Brianna | 13 | Ventura, CA | mother Lori | Winner |
| 1 | 5 | Bella | 12 | Manhattan Beach, CA | grandmother Nancy | --- |
| 1 | 5 | Kimanni | 13 | Atlanta, GA | mother Rochelle | --- |
| 1 | 5 | Tieler | 13 | New Orleans, LA | mother Tahmi | Winner |
^[I] Designers and Assistants were identified by first name only
^[II] Each episode, one winner was determined amongst that episode's three designers
Junior Contestants
| Season | Designer | Age[I] | Hometown | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sami | 16 | Westlake Village, California | 12th |
| 1 | Ysabel | 17 | Cerritos, California | 11th |
| 1 | Jesse | 16 | Swampscott, Massachusetts | Tied 9th |
| 1 | Victoria | 17 | Westlake, Ohio | Tied 9th |
| 1 | Matt | 17 | Manhattan Beach, California | 8th |
| 1 | Bridget | 16 | Brockton, Massachusetts | 7th |
| 1 | Zach | 16 | Louisville, Kentucky | 5th |
| 1 | Jaxson | 15 | Minneapolis, Kansas | 6th |
| 1 | Zachary[II] | 16 | Berkeley, California | 4th |
| 1 | Peytie | 15 | Carlsbad, California | 3rd |
| 1 | Samantha | 16 | Queens, New York | Runner-up |
| 1 | Maya | 13 | Toledo, Ohio | Winner |
| 2 | Ruby | 14 | Barrington, RI | 12th |
| 2 | Lucas | 14 | Windermere, FL | 11th |
| 2 | Rene | 17 | Dallas, TX | 10th |
| 2 | A'kai | 13 | Hauppauge, NY | 9th |
| 2 | Allie | 14 | Dayton, OH | 8th |
| 2 | Cartier | 16 | Pocatello, ID | 7th |
| 2 | Zach | 17 | Fort Collins, CO | 6th |
| 2 | Tieler | 15 | Abita Springs, LA | 5th |
| 2 | Izzy | 16 | Mount Pleasant, MI | 4th |
| 2 | Hawwaa | 17 | Mankato, Minnesota | 3rd |
| 2 | Chris | 17 | Calverton, NY | Runner-up |
| 2 | Chelsea | 15 | Chatsworth, CA | Winner |
^[I] Contestant's age at the start of the season
^[II] In 2014, Zachary won episode 3 of Project Runway: Threads
References
- General
- "Innovation". Project Runway. Season 1. Episode 1. 2004-12-01. Bravo.
- "Road to Runway". Project Runway. Season 2. Episode 1. 2005-12-07. Bravo.
- "Wall to Wall Fashion". Project Runway. Season 3. Episode 1. 2006-07-12. Bravo.
- "Sew Us What You Got". Project Runway. Season 4. Episode 1. 2007-11-14. Bravo.
- "Let's Start from the Beginning". Project Runway. Season 5. Episode 1. 2008-07-16. Bravo.
- "Welcome to Los Angeles!". Project Runway. Season 6. Episode 1. 2009-08-20. Lifetime.
- "Back to New York". Project Runway. Season 7. Episode 1. 2010-01-14. Lifetime.
- "Project Runway Designers". Lifetime. Archived from the original on 2010-07-26. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- Specific