Bravo Photo: Barbara Nitke
Spoilers for last night’s Project Runway coming up after the jump.
Kenley is the Mitt Romney of Project Runway season 5: a competitor so disliked by her adversaries that they set aside their differences in a united desire to see her fail. Last night, she forgot the tulle that she needed to finish the design she was working on, and her rivals refused to lend her any, though they had it to spare. And something tells me the same principle would apply if you replaced “tulle” and “dress” with “water” and “stranded in Death Valley, circled by vultures.”
I can see where they’re coming from, watching Kenley—in a voice that grows more grating by the week—whine and reject criticism episode after episode. And yet face it: Kenley’s abrasiveness is probably exactly what saved her last night. “It was our closest decision ever”—oh, spare me. You mean to tell me that the last episode before the finale just happened to be so tight that the judges could not bring themselves to reach a decision? Get real: it was Kenley who was logically going home last night, but who could be counted on to bring a measure of drama to the finale if they found a way to keep her around (even if only for the first half of it). So they did.
Nonelimination rounds will always feel like a ripoff regardless, but if you’re going to do it, just do what The Amazing Race does and call it a freebie; don’t give us some hoo-hah about it being an irresolvable tie. If I were Jerell—who’s now facing a chance of elimination despite winning the last challenge—I’d be seriously ticked. Looks like Kenley the Dragonslayer is getting one more chance to slay him.