"Project Runway"'s Blayne Walsh tans his own way

It seems like the guys are dropping like flies on Project Runway, but at least we didn't lose two from Team Gay in this week's double elimination. We did lose one, however: the tanorexic elf Blayne Walsh. His eccentric style kept the judges (and some of us at home) baffled, but he managed to hang in there week after week, winning many of us over with his sweet demeanor and kooky antics. Not everyone was a fan, though, and he became a favorite punching bag on many blogs.

In Wednesday's challenge, the remaining designers were paired with one of the eliminated designers, and each team had to create an avant-garde outfit inspired by their astrological signs. Blayne was paired with Stella, and their take on Libra's scales failed to impress the judges. In fact, Michael Kors went so far as to say it looked like the model was "pooping fabric." After he was auf'd, we talked to Blayne about teaching Tim Gunn street culture, the bad attitudes of some of the other designers, and what he really thought about Michael Kors.

AfterElton.com: Hi, Blayne. Thanks for talking to us!
Blayne Walsh: No problem.

AE: Have you been tanning yet?
BW: I have been tanning! I'm so dark. I was actually looking at myself in the reflection a few minutes ago and thinking, "F**k yeah!" [Laughs]

AE: I loved the dynamic you had with Tim [Gunn]. I think one of my favorite moments of this season was when you were teaching him to say "Holla atcha boy." Were you close to Tim off camera?
BW: Yeah, I was. He's a very, very genuine guy and very easy to connect with. Having the dynamic of, it sounds cliché, but youth and then someone who is so experienced in life, it was fun to mix our cultures. It was cool.

AE: He often seemed a little perplexed by your designs. Do you think he just didn't get your sensibility?
BW: You know, with editing, they sometimes don't even show Tim critiquing some designers, or even all of what they do show. It's more than just a thirty second critique. There's a lot of good things that they don't show and a lot of bad things that they don't show. Overall, Tim was very respectful of all us and tried to understand where we were coming from. At the end of every critique he usually left with a pretty good understanding of where we were coming from and what we were trying to do. He was our mentor, so he was always there to support, encourage and help us. I think Tim was always perplexed when it came to me, and all of America was too. [Laughs] That's just kind of how I am. I always want to push the envelope. I don't want to be safe.

Tim Gunn

AE: Speaking of that, you've been quite a divisive character on the blogs. Have you followed that at all?
BW: Yeah, we're encouraged not to, but I would.

AE: I'd think it would be hard to resist seeing what people are saying about you.
BW: Well, the only reason I'd want to follow it is so I know what's being said so I can explain myself. It's easy to kind of jab at someone who has as big a personality as I have, and who I am. It's just easier to do that. You don't see people writing hate blogs about Jennifer. She's meek and doesn't really start on things. But with me, it's like people wigged out about it, and I'm just like, "Okay." [Laughs] I'd read them and just laugh because people are making all these assumptions based off of the character, and they don't really know me. They're getting this hyper-version of what I am and they don't see the down side when I'm relaxed and chill or whatever.

AE: Have you found any of the comments to be homophobic? Reading over some posts online on various blogs, a lot people seemed to harp on the fact that you're gay, even using the word faggot at times.
BW: I think a lot of people who do stuff like that are insecure. People say what they say, but you can't really let it get to you.

AE: What would you like to say to your detractors?
BW: I think all press is good press. I'd rather be talked about than not talked about. Even though people are not always nice, it's just like okay, whatever. I'm an adult and I can adapt. I'm not going to freak out about stuff like that so I guess I'd say, "Thanks for taking the time to talk about me." They could be talking about anybody. I'm actually fortunate to be both hated and loved. That's the buzz and the exposure. And besides, all the ones who are hating are actually the ones who love you the most. [Laughs] They just won't admit it.