'Project Runway' recap: Ladies' Night

Image credit: Mike Yarish/Lifetime Networks

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Gordana could not hide her disappointment at not making it to Bryant Park but put on a brave face for her exit

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All season long, I, along with many of you faithful commenters, have wondered how this season's cast would fare against mighty Runway alumni like Christian Siriano, Jillian Lewis, or Chris March. We suspected it would not be pretty. Now, thanks to a challenge that echoed the visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in season 4, we got an approximation of what such a face-off would look like. Put it this way: Britney trying to out-sing Babs would be a less humiliating affair.

You could argue that the season 4 kids had a distinct advantage, since the Getty Center, breathtaking though it may be, is no Met. But that argument would only hold weight if the season sixers had performed on a level equal to, say, Korto — or hell, even cuckoo Kenley — all season. The fact is, this group went to a museum for inspiration for the final challenge of the season and the best they could come up with were garments that neither Tim nor any of the four judges could embrace without qualifications as enormous as guest judge Cindy Crawford's hair.

At the top of the hour, Heidi greeted the designers as she always does, doling out oblique clues to the challenge. Curiously, she failed to mention that it would be a double elimination this week. She'd only spill that rather crucial detail later, just before the runway show. In any case, the gang made its way to the Getty, where Tim, the models, and — random! — Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa were waiting. Then they shuffled off to Mood with $300. ''Qu'est-ce que c'est? What is this?'' a mildly repulsed Tim asked Christopher, two wary fingers picking up what looked like green vinyl/pleather/leather. A moment later, Tim gave Irina (i.e. PETA Public Enemy No. 1) a lesson in sizing up species. Of the giant pelts she'd guessed were the skins of a bunny, he said, ''It's too big to be a rabbit. It's a giant, giant Scandinavian rabbit.'' Or maybe it was this one!

Back in the workroom, the final five made like a rabid hares and scurried about, all while repeating far too many times some variation of: Holy crap! This is the last challenge before Bryant Park! I really want to go to Bryant Park! I'm stressed and excited! And overwhelmed! Because Ohmygod! Bryant Park! I want to go to there! Meanwhile, the temperature at FIDM had plunged into the sub-frosties. How chilly, you ask? First Irina complained that Althea was ''kind of like King Kong. She wants to grab everything.'' And, evidently, hog all the tables. ''Her Highness needs to iron,'' Irina grumbled. Next, Althea muttered to Carol Hannah that Mean-a Irina was ''just out for blood.'' (Points to Carol Hannah for trying to stay neutral at this point.) Then Gordana weighed in. ''The dogs that bark don't bite,'' mused Our Lady of Spoons, ostensibly in defense of blunter-than-a-ganja-stogie Irina. She agreed. As the camera shamelessly cut to Carol Hannah, Irina added: ''It's the quiet ones you have to be worried about. It's always the cute dogs that just bite your fingers off.'' The petty swatting at egos continued in the gals' apartment the following morning. Irina and Gordana fake-bickered. Carol Hannah said she didn't want to hear it. And Gordana snapped. ''Well too bad, Carol Hannah. I'm not here to serve you.'' Kinda makes you reconsider Gordana's ''I'll kick your ass'' joke from last week, doesn't it?

NEXT: Even Tim's got nothing good to say