Does Bravo's "Launch My Line" Achieve Lift-Off?

Are you one of those poor unfortunate souls who earlier this year tuned into Bravo's reality program The Fashion Show hoping to get a Project Runway fix only to feel like you'd been kicked in the stomach by a beloved friend?

Well, tonight at 10 P.M. Bravo launches their latest reality show attempting to replace their lost PR franchise and I'm happy to say it is a huge improvement over the dreadful TFS. Launch My Line is hosted by twins Dan and Dean Caten known collectively as the designers DSQUARED2, and matches ten non-designers together successful in various non-design fields with ten professional designers who will attempt to help the non-designers realize their dream of having their very own fashion line. Not exactly a concept screaming MUST WATCH, but what the heck.

So how does LML match-up with PR? The gimmick of pairing each non-designer with a professional designer is different enough that you're not constantly comparing the two and the clothing produced by the pairings was certainly adequate even if it didn't surpass the Christian Siriano highs of Season Four of PR. 

But as with any good reality show, much depends on how interesting the participants are. Dan and Dean operate both as a Tim Gunn-type advisor and as judges. Both men are knowledgeable, personable and interesting — though I couldn't tell them apart to save my life.

As for the contestants, Patrick McDonald — a self-identified "dandy" and out gay man — is probably the most interesting non-designer contestant. McDonald has been a model, an assistant buyer at Barney’s and the couture director for Fabrice. And anyone who has the confidence to dress with such ... flair has my admiration. The show certainly seems to like him as he figures rather prominently in the first two eps.

Patrick McDonald, Roberto deVillacis

Considerably less appealing is McDonald's out design partner Roberto deVillacis who is rather dramatic and temperamental in a not very fun way that I suspect will quickly grow tiresome. At one point after throwing a hissyfit, Roberto declares he was born on a volcano as if that somehow excuses the behavior that made me want to throw him into a a volcano. On the other hand, much of the drama in the first two episodes comes from the interactions between these two (which isn't to say that the other pairings are drama free). 

The other non-designer contestants include an architect, music mogul, CEO, fashion critic, DJ, event designer, stylist, fashion writer, jewelry designer and a choreographer. How is that for eclectic? The professional designers also include two other gay men — Thai and Emil — neither of whom made a big impression during the first two episodes. 

Emil, Thai