‘Project Runway All-Stars’ season 3 premiere review: Alyssa Milano handles the revolving door
This show for whatever reason just cannot seem to figure out the whole issue known as “having a consistent host,” and we now have Alyssa Milano. In theory, she seems right for the gig in that she’s personable and a well-known name, even if we did have to listen to at least a couple of obvious-pandering moments along the way to her own fashion line. We get it: You do stuff, too.
Really, though, we don’t think that the revolving door of hosts or personalities matters much here. This is a show that especially relies more on the contestants, since you have to be both talented and memorable to even make the cut. With that being said, what’s the deal with having one of these all-star shows so often? Sooner or later, they’re going to run out of all-stars and may as well just bring in the same designers over and over again to work.
There are three winners in season 3 in Seth Aaron Henderson, Jeffrey Sebelia, and the impossible-to-pronounce Irina Shabayeva, and there is also another interesting note on casting in Ari South, who is now living as a woman in the time that passed since “Project Runway” season 8. We cannot really say that the challenge for the week was altogether innovative, mostly because it involved designing punk. We’ve all seen this go in and out over the years, and while it had slid almost out of mind throughout the late 2000s (at least in our consciousness), it’s apparently back.
For Elena Slivnyak, this has to be good news. Despite stirring up a collection’s worth of drama back on season 10, and being the lowest-finishing contestant on this entire season, she ended up winning the first challenge. Meanwhile, we’ve already lost our inspirational story in Ari a week in. It’s a surprising start to the season, and definitely not one many diehards of the show wanted.
In the end, though, this competition is a marathon more so than a sprint. We still feel pretty confident that there is going to be a winner who wins again given their level of talent, but so long as there is entertainment, we don’t mind. This premiere was solid, but hardly anything spectacular. It was more like a competitor in the middle of the pack. Grade: B-.
Photo: Lifetime