IMHO "Project Runway" (6.1): Welcome To Los Angeles

As you can see from Tim Gunn's approving look, any worries we had about Project Runway moving to Lifetime have been alleviated. It's the same show we know and love, and this year promises even more of the combination of artistry and drama!drama!drama! we've come to expect.

Look below to see how Team Gay fared, and if our first impressions will help us predict the winner.

Team Gay: Christopher, Nicolas, Mitchell, Ra'mon-Lawrence, Malvin and Johnny

Six of the eight guys this season are gay (well, Malvin is "in flux"), so it was inevitable that the gay drama gene would display itself at some point during the season, and wouldn't you know it ... the premiere had two crisis situations, both courtesy of the gay designers.

This week's challenge was to create a dress for the red carpet at the Emmy Awards, and almost immediately Johnny has a major meltdown. Ordinarily meltdowns are one of my favorite parts of Project Runway, but this one was sad and serious, as former meth addict Johnny was having trouble coping without his support system. Fortunately Tim was there to help him through it (is there anything Tim Gunn can't do?), and he's able to get back on track.

The other crisis was more typical, as Mitchell had problems with his model's measurements, and had to scrap his original design. At the last minute he created a hilariously sheer flouncy thing that would be perfect on the red carpet ... at the Adult Video Awards.

Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors

When it's time for the judging, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and guest judge Lindsay Lohan (who actually wasn't as annoying as I expected) put Christopher, Ramon and Johnny in the top three ... and poor Mitchell in the bottom three.

Fortunately for Mitchell, "free-spirited" female designer Ari created something even more hideous (as Michael put it "a disco soccer ball"), and she's sent packing ... which means all our gays are safe for another week.

I can't say for sure, but I think it may have been the first time in the show's history that the top three of the week were all gay designers. Christopher gets the win this week, which means he has immunity from next week's challenge.

So to sum it up ... Team Gay ruled this week!

First Impressions

Ramon, Mitchell, Malvin

• Ramon: Smart, talented, and confident (maybe a little cocky). Chance of winning is ... high.

   

• Mitchell: Expect lots of drama. Thankfully, he has the goods to back it up. His jiggle dress showed that at the very least, he's got guts. Chance of winning is ... moderately high.

• Malvin: Needs to get over himself. His two big quotes were "I don't watch the red carpet. I don't differentiate between different colored carpets" and "My dress is ineffable. You can't really describe what it is. No one can really ever describe the type of garments I do, there's not a vocab for them yet". Sure there is. It starts with "sh" and ends with "itty". Chance of winning is ... meh.

Nicolas, Johnny, Christopher

• Nicolas: Barely heard from this episode, so the only thing we can tell is that he's a dead ringer for Cynthia Nixon. Chance of winning is ... unknown.

• Johnny: Drama!Drama!Drama! May become the Ongina of Project Runway. Chance of winning is ... could flame out next week, or win the whole thing.

• Christopher: *sigh* *swoon* Okay, I've composed myself. Christopher proved to be the star of the premiere, with his modesty and emotional victory (although he may have gone to the "I didn't train at some hoity-toity institute" well too often). He seems like a genuinely nice guy, which coupled with his good looks and natural talent could make him the breakthrough star of this season. Chance of winning is ... very high.

Of course first impressions are sometimes way off-base, so we'll have to wait til we see more of these guys to come to any real conclusions.

So what did you think of the premiere? Was it the show you remember, or was there something off about it? And what did you think of Team Gay in their first challenge?

Note: You can find our recap of Project Runway: All Star Challenge here.