Episode Nine: The (Almost) First Time There Were Two Winners

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It's week nine of Project Runway and Tim Gunn and L'Oreal Paris make-up artist Collier Strong inform the remaining designers that they must each create a look inspired by one of four New York City neighborhoods: Chinatown, the Upper East Side, Harlem and the East Village.

The designers are excited, until Tim drops the bombs that they have to work in teams of two, and each team must create coordinating day and evening looks. The names of the team leaders are pulled from a bag, then they get to choose who they'll partner with and which neighborhood they want. Team leader Anthony picks Maya and Chinatown. Amy chooses Jonathan and the Upper East Side. Emilio takes Seth Aaron and Harlem, which leaves Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlesti—er, Jay with Mila taking on the East Village.

Although Emilio and Seth Aaron work well together, the other pairings don't have as easy a time. Amy and Jonathan get along, but both take on too much work and don't have time to help each other. Maya worries about Anthony's choices, while Anthony finds Maya too controlling. Jay is mortified that he has to work with Mila, because the two get along almost as well as Fox News and President Obama. In cutaway interviews, Emilio brags that he masterminded things so Jay would be stuck with Mila. Considering that when it was Emilio's turn to pick a partner, he had the choice of Seth Aaron, whom he likes, or Mila whom he doesn't, his leaving Mila for Jay doesn't strike us as the most brilliant Machiavellian scheme.

Nina Garcia is judging this week, but unfortunately, Michael Kors is AWOL. Sitting in for him is Francisco Costa, the Women's Creative Director for Calvin Klein. Francisco makes a lot of comments in his lovely Brazilian accent, but none are particularly memorable. Our guest judge for the week, is the American born fashion model and actress Molly Sims, who makes even less of an impression, and can't attribute it to English being her second language.

Our top two teams for the week are team Harlem, consisting of Seth Aaron and his denim outfit and Emilio with his zippered Billie Holiday inspired gown; and team Chinatown, made up of Anthony with his origami dragon gown and Maya with her pagoda jacket ensemble. And our winner for the week is Emilio...and Seth Aaron! Yes, in what we we're told is a Project Runway first (but isn't), there are two winning designers this week. Our two remaining teams' scores are the lowest: team East Village, with Jay and his jodhpur-like slacks and ill fitting tank top and Maya with another Mod-influenced ensemble: and team Upper East Side, consisting of Amy and her flouncy peach shirt dress and Jonathan's and his metalwork inspired cocktail dress. This week Heidi bids "auf weidersehen" to Amy, who tends to get caught up in the details and fails to see the big picture.

And in our As Tears Go By count, Amy and Jonathan both tear up after Amy is aufed, bringing the number of crying jags this season to sixteen.

And now for this week's Top Ten Moments of Project Runway Greatness...

10. Mila announces, "I'm ready to redeem myself." If by "redeem" she means, "design yet another black and white color blocking ensemble" then she can consider herself "redeemed."

9. Seth Aaron designs a tartan hat for his outfit, obviously in tribute to Harlem's large Scottish community.

8. Amy wears a pin cushion on her wrist. With her unique design perspective, it might be for aesthetic reasons.

7. In describing his gown's origami-like trim, Anthony says, "I've never seen any detail like that on a dress." Aside from on two of Anthony's other Project Runway designs, neither have we.

6. Jonathan says, "I'm using every technique I know how to do on this one garment." Unfortunately, one of those techniques isn't editing.

5. Anthony says, "The problem that Anthony is running into, is that the details on the evening dress are all completely hand stitched." The other problem that Anthony is running into is that Anthony keeps talking about himself in the third person.

4. Heidi comes on the runway looking like a very pregnant zebra.

3. When leaving Atlas, Anthony announces the men's latest version of, "We shall leave as three and return as three." Amazingly, for the first time, he's right.

2. Collier Strong has the designers, "shop at The Studio Secrets Wall for cosmetics. Translation: "If Bluefly gets their own wall, L'Oreal wants one too!

1. We're repeatedly told that this is the first time Project Runway has had two winners, but in Season Two, Andre and Daniel V. both won the Banana Republic challenge. Obviously there was no life before Lifetime.

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