Finale Part 1

To kick off this pseudo-episode, Heidi met with the designers on the runway to tell them about their final challenge: creating a 12 piece collection for Bryant Park with $9000 and several months.
This was followed up by a hilariously awkward dance between Heidi and Tim in silhouette behind the runway. Heidi dances like a freak and Tim was obviously generally uncomfortable dancing - so it made a delicious combination.

Tim journeyed out five weeks before Fashion Week to check on the progress of the three designers.
First stop = Huntington, NY to see Carol Hannah. She has been working out of a friend's house.
I was unsurprised to learn that CH was an awkward child, but was surprised to see her classic and beautiful mother. She should give her daughter some grooming tips!
Seeing Tim Gunn say "I love a kitchen" and making biscuits in a apron was worth the price of admission.

Next up was a trip to Upper East Side Manhattan to see Irina. I was actually surprised at the size of her apartment considering her entitled princess attitude...but maybe that's her prop sympathy workroom apartment rented just for PR?
She does have a lapdog named Princess. *barfs in mouth*
Tim tells her to make sure her collection doesn't looked forced. Impossible!
Everything about her is contrived and forced. The only thing I actually believed coming out of her mouth this episode was about her mother. I think she actually loves someone besides herself, which I would have thought impossible prior to this episode. I was forced to throw up in my mouth again when Tim went after-school special on us and said "Regardless of the outcome, Irina is already a winner."
Then her mom riffed on them being winners for having a daughter like her and I went into a diabetic coma. Lifetime, what have you done to Project Runway?!

Next Tim heads to Dayton, Ohio to drop in on Carol Hannah. From the dangerous looking warehouse elevator to the street scenes of life in Ohio, I have now been convinced that I never want to go there.
What a love letter to OH from the producers of PR. I think it reads:

Ohio. It blows.

Althea was mind-meltingly stupid during this visit. She vaguely stated that she was inspired by sci-fi movies without any elaboration. She told Tim she wanted to be a designer because she always loved art and drawing...the end. She seems to have no depth at all. Maybe she's just camera shy and terse, but I get the impression she's an Amazon-sized rube.

The producers decide not to inform Irina that her stupid trademarked design Coney Island t's are out until 10 days before fashion week to up the drama. She frets and decides to replace them with an equally as stupid/stupider t of her own design.

I loved the amazingly incredible awkwardness in the hotel suite after Irina and Althea exchanged a faux-warm greeting. The tension was palpable.

Then Tim arrives to tell the girls about CH's terrible contagious stomach virus. The girls react with barely contained glee. Irina says she feels truly bad - complete shit. At least Althea acknowledges that they can't really be upset about the competition taking knocks.

Against all odds, Carol Hannah shows up in the workroom the next day, telling the other girls she was up barfing all night. My husband says she looks better when she's sick. I think she had her hair done for fashion week - huge improvement.

Nina and Michael come in to give advice. Seemingly without seeing any of the girl's work - Nina makes an "innocent" comment about how an all black collection is difficult to pull off and Irina gets her back up about Nina being wrong. B---h, whether she's wrong or right, you do realize that she's judging you right?

As usual, the designers have a last minute challenge sprung on them. They are to create a thirteenth look to fit in with their collection. Logan, Christopher, and Gordana show up to lend a hand.

In a horrible stunt to try to convince people to watch the abomination known as Models of the Runway, the producers decide to let the "Muse models" cast the models for the thirteenth look. You know they are going to pick models fatter, uglier, and/or older than themselves so that they can look better. *sigh*

Althea gets first pick and snatches up Logan. Irina gets Gordana, and CH is stuck with Chris. He may be doomed to be rejected by PR and also be given a small-pox blanket (in the form of a hug and partnership with stomach virus of doom CH).

Why Althea didn't pick Gordana - who is obviously the best seamstress, is beyond me.

They are given the requisite sketch time and $250 for the NY Mood.

As promised, the episode ends in CH toilet jockeying. If only there had been more actual vomit and less schlocky vomit-inducing moments...
Althea tries to help by putting an ice pack on the back of her neck. Who does that? Is that a thing?

I am concerned. Although much was saved for the finale, what I did see of the designers collections was very underwhelming. I'm not holding out much hope of loving these collections.