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But is this guy weird or what? He creates a sense of danger about him that makes everyone feel uneasy. Part of this comes from his obvious hardened personality born of a “school of hard knocks” upbringing.

But gays can also sense the danger via his mysterious, unsettling sexual (or perhaps asexual) aura. Queers have learned from experience that guys who are ambivalent about their orientation can be trouble. Even more dangerous are the shrewd guys who know how to work their sexual ambivalence for selfish gain.

Apparently, at least several gay magazines mistakenly took Santino's supposed gayness for granted. He has been included in articles on the “seven gay contestants” for this PR season.

Santino sets the record straight (sort of) in a recent interview with Queerty.com. It is worth reading Santino's statement in its entirety in order to get a good, clear measure of the man's conception of his sexual self.

One of the questions posed to him in the Queerty interview was:

Queerty.com: Any message for The Gays you'd like to send?
Santino: “I love you, Gays!!!! You want to know something I find really fucking funny? For all the questions that I've answered, never have I been asked if I was gay, or given an answer, one way or the other about my sexuality. I guess I'm so fucking genius that people just assume I must be gay!

I loved reading for the first time about how there was only one straight guy on Project Runway 2, and it's Daniel Franco!!!! No shit he's straight! So funny, you know, not to say I haven't meet a ton of fags who want to inappropriately art direct some shit using lattice work and Christmas tree lights, but come on! You heard it first here 'Santino likes pussy and dick,' I always have and I always will!”

“It's who I am, so I don't care to explain to The Advocate or Out Magazine or in any other publication, homo or hetero, what it is that makes me bust a nut! And once you start talking about it, you open up a whole bunch of other cans of worms that really don't matter within the context of Project Runway. I can hear the bloggers now, I just gave them all another reason to hate me!!!!! 'Hey, Santino's not a fag!!!!!!! He's only half a fag!!!!!' (hahahahahaha)”

(Enter theme music from Twilight Zone) How Santino's somewhat disturbed declaration above may sound to you after reading it, my own gaydar is left wondering if he is really gay at all. He appears to be trying to work it both ways. He knows he is competing in a gay man's game, and the term “gay for pay” even comes to mind. If he is gay after all, well then, Lordy help us all.

The third of the three finalists--Chloe Dao, a Vietnamese born in Pakse, Laos--is truly living the American dream. No one who's ever attempted to sew anything can ever forget her dress made entirely of leaves! What a stunner! Last year when I covered the season's premiere episode, I predicted Chloe (and Santino, damn it) would be among the finalists. I'm happy to see she's survived.

I'd be remiss not mention PR's two regulars—Tim Gunn, and Heidi Klum. Unhappy with this season's many boring challenge results, Tim, Chair of the Department of Fashion Design at Parsons/The New School for Design, whined aloud and wrung his hands a lot during the season.

Hostess/panel leader supermodel Heidi Klum, very pregnant up until the latest episode, apparently succumbed to some fashion judging (including this writer's--see my earlier afterelton.com PR article) aimed at her self. During the course of the season, she wisely toned down the garishly loud high-end maternity outfits she first exhibited in the opening episodes.

So, with a tear in our eye and a new found loathing for maternity wear, we bid fond farewell as we anxiously wait to see who makes Project Runway's final cut.

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