Kittens! We figured it out! You may have noticed we've been a little sour and bored with the last couple of episodes and re-watching the first part of the finale last night, we realized why. It's because the producers were desperately looking for a Wendy/Kara-type cagematch and the designers were having none of it.Compare the "hotel reunion" this year with the one from
the previous season. There was so much anger among Kara Saun, Wendy and even Jay that it eventually exploded into a delicious dramafest. This year, Chloe and Daniel clearly had some issues with Santino's behavior but to their credit, there was little more than some minor discomfort when he walked in the door.To his
ENORMOUS credit, Santino realized this and showed a side of himself that we'd never seen in the previous episodes: introspective, humble, even *gasp* apologetic. Chloe and Daniel got to tell him exactly what they thought of his behavior in no uncertain terms and he respectfully listened to them, agreed and apologized. That's CRAZY TALK! You could just feel the cameras lingering on them for too long, the producers hoping against hope that one of them would snap and scream "FUCK YOU!" but alas, it never happened.
Darlings, we LOVE reality show drama, but only when it naturally arises out of a situation. There's only so far the producers can go in manipulating people to act a certain way. More than likely, this trio saw how the previous finalists acted on camera and were determined not to do the same thing. Kudos to them all.
What
makes or breaks a reality show is the casting process. You cast a Wendy or even a Laura and you are bound to get some serious bitchery. This is why Top Design failed to catch on. The producers cast low-key professionals and that just didn't equal delicious.You can tell that the S2 producers thought they had a real villain on their hands but it didn't quite play out that way. Santino was loud and abrasive and obnoxious but too entertaining and too vulnerable (if you know
what to look for) for people to hate him. And Daniel and Chloe were just too smart and too focused to let themselves get caught up in anything that was going to ruin this for them.This is why we think the producers unleashed the "13th garment"
challenge on them. Because if there had been a major blowout, they wouldn't have needed the extra drama, but we'll get into that little bit o'producer manipulation tomorrow.[Screencaps: projectrungay.blogspot.com]
Post a Comment
21 comments:
I think you nailed it. Season 2 was actually a fun season for me to watch. Santino was outrageous enough to be controversial, but you really couldn't hate him, because he was so entertaining with his "Timpressions" and the occasional lapse into vulnerability. I really think the producers should just let the drama unfold organically. The Jay, Wendy, Kara Saun thing was more painful to watch than anything. And forget Season 3. That was one nasty-ass bunch- or at least that's they way they were portrayed. It's one thing to be outspoken and opinionated like Laura, but she was also kind, had a sense of humor and took as much as she dished out. We didn't see enough of that. We also should have seen more of the fun moments. Robert and Kayne alone could have saved the season with their banter.
kath
T & L,
In retrospect, where casting is concern, season 2 is my favorite. We have Andre, Timpressions, Daniel coming out, class act Chloe and wonderful guest judges.
On a side note, we get Tim Gunn for 2 days to sign his book on the West Coast. Yes, life is fabulous.
chowbella
I completely agree. The 13th look was really, really a bad idea and obviously dreamed up to make the final less boring for viewers. For those of us more interested in the clothes than the drama (we do exist), this kind of thing is unfair to the contestants and just boring.
I think they did the same thing in S3 with Laura accusing Jeffrey. That whole thing never sat well with me. Laura dropped it as soon as she could and it all came to nothing anyway. Why bother?
I preferred the softer side of Santino and was happy he left his assholiness in LA for the final. I just wish all three S2 contestants had come up with better collections.
I don't care much for the reunion shows or the back stories of the designers either. But I can't wait to discuss the merits (or lack of) of the collections.
I can't believe that any of them had so much work to do after they got back to NY! Didn't they have about 6 months to do the collection of 12 garments? Why did they wait to the last minute? They must have gone to Pratt ;).
I agree with Kath regarding Season 2. It was by far the best season to date because of the cast, interaction, comedic moments and personalities, and so much more. It was also a lot less contrived than let's say, Season 3, and nowhere NEAR as negative and nasty. (Note to producers: BACK OFF! Manufactured drama will KILL the integrity of this show. Let it grow organicly) Season 3 was just very dark and not that fun to watch, thanks to a certain angry little peanut. I agree that Laura Bennett was a highlight, and I would have LOVED to see more Robert and Kayne (season 3's version of Nick and Andrae). I sincerely hope that Season 4 is not a rehash of Season 3, and if it is, well...we have Season 2 to enjoy over and over again on DVD.
Yes, even I appreciated Santino's candor here. I would have accepted his apology also.
T&L are right on with this 13th look horse#$%t. When the producers saw Santino on good behavior, it was like "Oh crap, what are we going to do now?" Poor Chloe's reaction to the 13th look said it all. The producers went too far this time and I thought it was just cruel.
As somebody who loves PBS like a dork loves his calculator watch, I disagree with the comparison of S2 and Top Design.
Top Design failed for a number of reasons, the least of which was the contestants. TD provided neither interpersonal drama nor a good look at the design process which could have been fun in and of itself.
Well duh they did it for drama. Tim said as much in his podcast for the final episodes. He even goes into detail about how much he was against the whole concept of the 13th outfit only-for-drama route.
I'm sure we'll all have much more to say when you address the 13th look challenge. Watching this episode a second time, fully aware that the 13th look was coming, it was just painful watching the designers getting ready for the runway show, blissfully unaware of the meanness about to be unleashed upon them. And it was infuriating that they waited so long to spring it on them.
The best aspects of this part of the finale were seeing Santino's sort-of humility, seeing Daniel's reaction to Tim's reaction to his collection, and seeing Tim being tactful in explaining his reaction.
I thought the "13th Look" thing was great. Cloe's near-meltdown alone was classic reality TV. Could it really have been a last-minute curveball in the face of a boring game? If so, brilliant!
I think Tim Gunn (coulda been someone else) flat out said that they did come up with the 13th design precisely because there was not enough drama for the finale. So the lesson is, either be dramatic, or work your ass off!
No, I'm fairly certain I still hate Santino. Not in the way I hate Jeffrey, but I still hate him. I agree that he was an entertaining character, but even a year later, he still rubs me the wrong way.
Though I typically trash the fake-drama of S3, I did rather enjoy the 13th look. I totally agree with embeedubya and how Chloe's meltdown was awfully tasty.
Compared to this season, Santino probably does come off as a swell guy in retrospect. But I still remember the finale quite well and the only thing I could think the entire time was, 'Please not Santino, please, dear god, not Santino ...'
You hit the nail on the head on why (in my estimation) PR2 just doesn't cut the mustard. N'uff said, as I've said it before, and I don't want to sound like a broken record.
Totoally agree. One of the reasons I am loving Shear Genius is because of the personalities...
"What makes or breaks a reality show is the casting process. You cast a Wendy or even a Laura and you are bound to get some serious bitchery. This is why Top Design failed to catch on. The producers cast low-key professionals and that just didn't equal delicious."
I agree. Look at Shear genius and Tabatha, for example.
Naw. I still don't like Santino. But you Simply Marvelous GayBoys (and posters!) have brought up some thought-provoking points. He was obnoxious and nasty and for those reasons I dislike(d) him. And -- I could be wrong here, because it's been quite a while since I've watched the final episodes of Season 2 -- I remember his apologies being of the "political" type....you know: "I'm sorry IF ANYONE TOOK OFFENSE". An apology not for the offending behavior but for the recipients' FEELING. I remember not buying it at the time.
HOWEVER: the Timpressions and Sewing Room Musicales have so far been among the most fun and entertaining points of all three seasons. And I have to admit I really enjoyed watching him squirm on the runway when the judges were ripping into his latest Ode to Embellishments.
AND: when compared to the Lil' Peanut, I'd take a season of Santino any day.
So, though I really watch PR because I'm a junkie for creativity, I agree with you all that the personality mix is also crucial. (Wouldn't you LOVE to sit in on the casting meetings???)
(I'm spending WAY too much time thinking about these things...)
Yeah, the 13th look challenge was pretty mean but it couldn't have been too last minute because the producers had to get all the other designers together, which would have taken some planning.
And the thing is, even though the designers had meltdowns about it, I'm not sure it really created much more work for them. They ended up having assistants to help them finish all the details on their collections.
Plus, the 13th looks were good!
The designers were already gathered in NY for the reunion episode.
Gee. I had no problem hating Santino. I don't find anything remotely redeeming about this talentless turd. He was a waste of space.
By the end of it, I felt exactly like Chloe and Daniel V. Exasperated. I was sick of him and just over it. They knew they were stuck with him no matter what because Santino is producer's pet.
Santino should have been auf'ed after that horrible linger fiasco, or that ridiculous turkey suit or Kara's ghastly glued-up jumpsuit...ARGH.
But the producers insisted on keeping him around solely for the "drama" factor. Santino is not a designer, he is a reality TV cartoon character.
Sebelia was crude and obnoxious, but at least he is a real working designer. He is serious about the fashion business and he is still plugging away in the real world, trying build his business. I can respect that. He's still an ass, but fashion really is his life.
Santino is a joke. He was never serious about fashion. He is not a working designer. He is a reality TV famewhore who was mugging for the camera the entire time. I don't respect him at all. It's no surprise that nobody has heard from him since this show. Fashion is not his life. Reality television is.
I can understand the need for "characters" to make the show interesting. But they should not be given a full pass all the way to Bryant Park on "personality" alone.
I feel like Santino's presence in the final 3 robbed the real designers like Emmett or Kara who are truly devoted to their craft and serious about fashion. How sad.
eric3000, all the other designers were there anyway for the reunion show. No big deal.
It's weird to watch Kara....you know they told them they couldn't pick her because she was doing her own decoy collection, but it looked bad to casual viewers that no one chose her as assistant. That had to suck for her.
Anonymous said...
The designers were already gathered in NY for the reunion episode.
Oh, yeah. Never mind. It's hard to keep the chronology straight. Obviously all the designers attend the runway show but I didn't think about the fact that they would all have to be in town for several days.
Post a Comment