In scrutinizing Project Runway Season 2 at a level that just isn't healthy, we realized
something that surprised us: we don't hate Santino.Not that we ever really did. It's kind of hard to work up the necessary bile over a contestant in a reality show competition, but we basically always followed the accepted line that most viewers did: he was the Season 2 "villain," in large part because he was bombastic and obnoxious but mostly because he wasn't auf'd when Nick was, something many viewers considered the death knell for the show's respectability.
Except it hasn't worked out that way. After Season 3, the show's been riding on a wave of respectability higher than previous seasons. Despite the attempts by the viewership to portray him as an evil mustache-twirling villain, in the long run, all he was
was good television.Now, put down the pitchforks, girls. We're not excusing bad behavior and Santino said things that were simply indefensible. We have not a shred of doubt that he was a major pain in the ass to deal with day in and day out.
On the other hand, this is a reality show. And like all reality shows, it lives or dies based on the "performances" of its "characters." Project Runway in particula
r among the genre has always been lauded for casting interesting, creative people, some of whom are intensely competitive (Wendy, Jeffrey), some of whom are crazy creatives (Jay, Austin), some of whom are ice cold professionals (Kara Saun, Emmett), some of whom are adorable little balls of fluff (Nick, Daniel V., Kayne) and some of whom are just...special (Lupe, Angela, Daniel Franco). All of these people are memorable for bringing their personalities to the table in full force, but no one did so more than and better than Santino.For all the talk of his "villainy," Santino was, to us, hellaciously funny most of the time. Not just the much-lauded Tim Gunn impressions, but also the singing and dancing,
the amazing ease he had in front of the camera, the eye-rolling and laughing on the runway, and best of all, the cagematches with the judges, Nina especially. Oh sure, we can all boo-hoo that he was "disrespectful" to them, but they're not royalty; they're just judges on a reality show. Clearly, the judges enjoyed the backing and forthing just as much as he did, despite Nina's stated fear that he was going to kill her.Everyone always criticizes these shows for manufactured drama and we don't disagree. Not totally. When the drama is too heavy-handed or when it has the producers' fingerprints all over it, then we get annoyed. But simple drama arising out of strangers being forced to live and work together? Darlings, that's what reality TV is for. You might as well
complain that there are too many horses in a western. Sit back and enjoy it, we say. If the show consisted of 44 minutes of designers quietly sewing, none of us would watch it. Well, almost none of us.What we're trying to say in our roundabout not-enough-coffee way is, take away the drama of wondering who's going to be auf'd next and Santino comes off a lot better. Once you don't have a horse in the race, you notice just how funny and entertaining he can be. Again, we realize some of what he said was nasty but he admitted that he never really meant for any of it to be taken seriously. Certainly the
argument could be made that he should take more responsibility for the things he says (and we agree), but it's hard to stay mad when so many of the things he said were some of the funniest and most memorable moments in the show's history.[Screencaps: projectrungay.blogspot.com]
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69 comments:
I'm glad you guys posted that. I was starting to wonder if you hated Santino and were going to ignore all the hilarity hijinx he provided.
I could not agree more. I adored him for the way he went toe-to-toe with Nina G.
I guess you are right. Back when we were worried he might win, we did tend to point out how mean he was as a reason why he should not win. But what kind of reason is that?
Now that we know he did not win, we can view him for what he really is... a TV entertainer. And he did excel at that.
Thank you! I've defending Santino many times to "real" reality show fans who are so into the good vs evil aspect of the show that they can't see that the guy was hilariously funny, extrememly entertaining, always fascinating and, yes, good TV. I have many times sung "Lighten up, it's just fashion" when getting dressed on a morning when nothing looked right. The hating really started very late in the season when Nick turned on him and got worse during the break before the finale when the show was airing and everyone saw all the trash he talked in the interviews.
I agree as far as Santino. He was incredibly funny, and his redeeming feature for me was his obvious affection for Tim Gunn.
Also: Santino can make beautiful clothes. Granted, he was also capable of throwing a flaming ball of turd on the runway (and really, all that Sasha Cohen costume needed was a lighter), but once in a while he evidenced a true & original eye for beauty.
Over the three seasons, the only person cast who I continue to question was Vincent. His runway looks were consistently mediocre ... and he himself was not good TV: Just armpits and undershirts and craziness.
— CAAF
He WAS funny as hell, but some of the shit he said post PR2 really made my blood boil.....something about how no one can be successful after 40 or something.....THAT made me hate him.
Agreed. I also think that Santino really sort of redeemed himself on the reunion. I mean, he came of as a living breathing person, and I respect that.
I agree wholeheartedly! Santino was undoubtedly a jerk. On the other hand, if I were in those circumstances I would probably have trouble filtering myself. I don't really mind that he was a jerk, because he was seriously entertaining, did interesting work, and managed to keep his strong personality in a situation where the easiest course is probably to meld into the rest of the group.
I don't think Santino was my favorite contestant, but Season 2 is still my favorite and he's a large part of the reason.
Of course, I liked Jeffrey too, so maybe I just have a thing for men who need a little, uh, refining. :)
Much to the producers' delight, I think most of us love to hate him and hate to love him. He provided a lot of the entertainment value for Season 2. Partly because of his singing, Tim Gunn impressions, etc. But partly because it's kind of perversely fun to get outraged at all those wacky judging decisions that kept Santino in the game. Without the villains, where would reality TV be?
Funny, yes. Skilled designer, no. He should have been aufed after at least four of the challenges, yet was kept simply because he's good at television. That's against the principles of the show, revealing that the show HAS no principles.
I love PR dearly but I think they should be investigated by the Game Show Police. Santino is Exhibit A.
"Daniel Franco where did you gooooo, Daniel Franco where did you goooo? I barely even knew ya!"
Season 2 was fabulous, and Santino was partly the reason for it. The other part? The musical numbers!
I was as angry about Nick's aufing as anyone else, but I loved Santino from the start! He wasn't the most talented designer, but damn, I wanted to hang out with him. I'm thinking he's actually a fun, crazy time.
Good and necessary post!
Santino admits that his "personality" on the show was an act in order to get air time and stand out. Kudos to him for being over the top and getting everyone at Bravo to play into his hands. I still think he is an ass and don't think his clothes are that fantastic but I applaud him for his tv savvy
While I agree that Santino was hilariously funny (especially the songs), his mean-spirited comments were completely unprofessional. Mocking Diana's voice was rude and uncalled for. Maybe he did it to gain a psychological edge on his competitors, but how tacky.
I also think he should have been aufed long before he was and remember many conversations with my PR watching buddy over whether he was just kept on as "good television." In comparison, Laura Bennett also had a wickedly sharp tongue but turned out consistent, high quality garments.
Me2
I mostly agree with your point, but I don't get caught up in the personalities as much as the competition. And that's where the entire Santino thing bugged me.
There was more than one time where he should have been auf'd. Clearly fair play doesn't apply to reality shows and personality does win all too often over talent.
However, so be it and on to Season 4.
- Barnaby
Yeah, I agree. I certainly don't hate Santino, or any of the contestants. He was cast to play a role and play it he did. He did some interesting dresses, but some were crap and he should have been auf'ed.
His final collection was probably the best of the final three,however who knows how great one of the more deserving designers that were auf'ed before him might have done? Kara's was better than all of them.
Any way the show is entertaining in the same way pro wrestling is. I do wish they spent more time showing the actual fashion though.
I dunno. I don't hate Santino, never did, but I certainly don't like him. Especially as a person. I think the S2 designers deserve kudos simply for surviving him. And I also think he should have been auf'd earlier due to some of his work. Granted, he had a great plan going into PR, do stuff audaciously and never apologize, and I think that's what kept him going with the judges (unlike Miss Diana, who had audacious ideas but couldn't defend them in front of the judges).
In the end, though, I just don't like Santino, as a designer or a person. The fact that he has not been able to make anything out of his appearance on the show after the fact seems to support this assessment.
While I appreciate your opinion on the matter, I didn't hate Santino - I hated the manipulation that this hack created week after week of absurd clothes that any less "outrageous" designer would have been sent home for, and yet he made the final three.
Black Forest lingerie?
The pheonix skate constume?
The pantsuit???
Could have cared less about the attitude - it was the kindergarten craft exhibit clothes that pissed me off.
Still love you two, though :-)
- AES
You forgot Malan in the fluff-ball category. lol
Oh and I don't exactly HATE Santino either. He's a jackass, but he makes me laugh. ....Oh god...he's my ex-boyfriend!!!
Anon said, "In comparison, Laura Bennett also had a wickedly sharp tongue but turned out consistent, high quality garments."
Yep! People called Jeffrey season 3's Santino, but from the start, I thought that was Laura. There was a big difference in the clothes, yes, but Laura of the acid tongue and take no prisoners determination was more Santino-like than Jeffrey.
Should Santino have been auf'ed earlier? Sure, maybe. But if the aufing was going to be objective (which is impossible), then Nick and Daniel V also should've been let go earlier than they were (whereas maybe Daniel F shouldn't have been).
I think Santino was very funny. He made me laugh several times with his jokes and comments. Yes, some were very inappropriate, but he wasn't the only one. Even Daniel V said things that made my skin crawl.
His clothes? Never a fan, but that's another story.
Well stated. I see no reason to disagree. It is, in the end, just another tv show.
I actually don't care about Santino one or the other, but here's the thing: he wasn't just disrespectful to the judges, he lied to them. Not only that, he lied to blame another designer for his own tattered piece. Sure, Kara should've called him out on that, but once you know someone lies, it's hard to care about anything else they say.
I confess, Santino was a big part of why I bought Season 2 on DVD. That doesn't mean I'd care to have a gin and tonic with him, much less share a living space (poor, poor Daniel V). I would, on the other hand, gladly do so with Chloe or Diana...but a season full of Chloes and Dianas? Couldn't handle it. You're right; he made the season fun. I dig it, but could have done without the gratuitous cruelty-- he would have been just as fun and exciting without that aspect.
I must say that at first I couldn't STAND Santino. I mean, he was rude, incredibly arrogant, and just annoying. But then, he stated to grow on me because he was funny and the musical numbers were a hoot! Who could forget "Lighten up it's just fashion?" His clothes throughout the show were not well made, but he kept things interesting, at the very least. And to my surprise, his Olympus collection was actually quite nice (leaps and bounds better that what he produced throughout the run of the show). There is no doubt that Santino can make nice peices GIVEN THE TIME, and he DEFINITELY entertained viewers throught the season with his comments, and singing, despite his incredible ego. As far as "love him or hate him", at this point I say "love him." He was many many things, but at least he wasn't a Jeffrey Sebelia.
JohnP :)
I agree with fnarf. While Santino did make me laugh, it bothered me that his antics were enough to keep him in the game. There were lots of interesting personalities in S2, including Daniel Franco, who was auf'd early. Santino's constant mugging and camera hogging probably deprived us of at least as much fun as it gave. And we had to put up with his awful clothes getting a pass week after week.
Contrast with Tabatha from Shear Genius. She's a total be-otch, but I'm rooting for her because she can actually style hair. She brings needed humour, perspective and naughtiness, AND consistently deserves to be there.
I enjoy the personalities, but at the cost of the game, no.
PS. The Tim Gunn impressions, Red Lobster with Andrae, and "I want your soul!" were PRICELESS!!!!
JohnP :)
The clip of Santino and Nick singing "Daniel Franco Where Did You Go?" for me is the highlight of all three seasons.
For my money, if you have to have a villain, I would much rather it was one who was entertaining and whose clothes always had an interesting and strong point of view (even if they were over the top and he could never find the boobs)--rather than a small-minded, mean mediocrity like Wendy.
"I LOVE SANTINO!!!"
- Lupe
While I agree that Santino was hilariously funny (especially the songs), his mean-spirited comments were completely unprofessional.
WORD!!!!
Mocking Diana's voice was rude and uncalled for. Maybe he did it to gain a psychological edge on his competitors, but how tacky.
I also think he should have been aufed long before he was and remember many conversations with my PR watching buddy over whether he was just kept on as "good television."
Again, WORD!!!
In comparison, Laura Bennett also had a wickedly sharp tongue but turned out consistent, high quality garments.
Me2
Santino was funny, and an outsize personality, and I never truly hated Santino- but some of his work was really, truly awful-the lingerie challenge was beyond awful, and his jumpsuit for Kara was more than "auf"-worthy.
toddny said:
Even Daniel V said things that made my skin crawl.
What did he say? I'm not *AT ALL* looking to argue with you over it, just replaying the season in my head and not coming up with anything -- ??
-Nancy
Santino definitely made the season more entertaining. His impressions and songs were so much fun, his clothes not so much so (except for the "Oh my God, what is he thinking" aspect). I just got frustrated when he was left in for bad offerings to the detriment of other designers who weren't that bad. I didn't and don't "get" his fashion esthetic, but he wasn't NEARLY as mean and hateful as Jeffrey. It IS reality TV, darlings.
I thought Santino was hysterically funny & great TV. Did he piss me off? Yup. But I love when TV elicits strong emotions from me (except when it's Bill O'Reilly & Fox News).
If he ever takes a pass on fashion design, I think he'd be a great character actor for TV and the movies.
And I will never get over the "Where's Andrae? Tim Gunn/Red Lobster" stuff. I giggle just thinking about it now. I was praying that it would somehow lead to an ad campaign for the Red Lobstre chain.
I absolutely agree with you, PRGayboys. I never hated Santino (or Jeffrey) at all, although I've been known to rant at reality-show contestants (Wendy Pepper comes to mind) in PR and other shows. Sometimes, I hate some of them with a passion. But we can't ever forget that the shows are heavily edited, so our emotions are being manipulated to some extent by what is shown on screen and even more so by what is NOT shown.
In fact, most of my reality-show likes and dislikes are based on the contestants' gestures, facial expressions and acts. Yes, they're edited, but not fabricated. The Pepper, for instance, did have that crazy envious look on her face whenever someone else won a challenge. She did say (smirking) that she was in heaven when every one of her rivals was chastised towards the end of the run. Every single facial expression let us see her mean soul. It's there.
Santino was rude, obnoxious and cocky, but he was not mean... I take that back. He WAS mean in his comments about Marla and Diana. I think Lupe was also part of the group. The only meanness I saw in him came, I think, from his mysoginistic outlook. And before I'm skewered, let me point out that yes, there are gays who really dislike women's sexuality and make mean and vicious comments about their attractiveness (even though they themselves would'nt touch even a woman like Heidi Klum with a 10-foot pole). That was Santino's true meanness, and it was nowhere near as bad as Wendy's once you understood what it was and where it was coming from.
Of course, there are also gays who really like women and easily accept that, hey! they like men too.
Thanks a bunch, guys!
Your critique is not just about Santino even if you did hit the nail on the head about him.
I've cut and pasted your thoughts to my personal documents and whenever/if ever I find myself damning the shenanigans vs. "True Fashion Art" (with my little finger crooked, I might add) in Project Runway I'll gulp down my indignation and visit it there.
To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, "A reality show is a reality show, is a reality show..."
hmmmm.I still hate Santino.
period.
Bravo's running a Season 2 marathon all day today (at least here in Portland, OR).
Me2
I thought Santino was a hoot mostly. The two things I found unforgiveable about him were that he's a bully, and he had no sense of what is ugly.
He deliberately used his height to lean into people to intimidate them into submission. In the case of someone like Zulema, that's perfectly good strategy. For the rest of humanity, though, it's cheating to try to get your way through an implied physical threat and such behavior should NEVER be rewarded with submission.
My second problem with him was his habit of continuing to throw gew-gaws at a design until it looked like a mummy that had freshly clawed its way out of the grave, with dirt clods and strands of unraveled bandages and tendrils of moss clinging to it, and frequently falling off. I have to question the sanity of someone like Santino (or Jeffrey) who looks at the results of such a bomb blast and pronounces it "good".
My criteria for judging Good and Bad people is whether or not I'd like to have a beer with them in a dark bar and talk. I'm not sure that Santino would have anything to say of interest and I'm positively certain I don't want to be around him when he's banging his beer mug on the table and insisting that he's right.
jinxy wrote:Back when we were worried he might win, we did tend to point out how mean he was as a reason why he should not win. But what kind of reason is that?
Interesting that the fans are guilty of what they accuse the judge of doing, eh? Their personality should be irrelevant to the judging process. Who cares who is nice and who talks trash in interviews? It's not "America's most pleasant person to sew next to". More than wonderting why Santino didn't get kicked off, I wondered why Daniel V kept winning...It could be argued that after it was determined that Daniel V did not quite reach the bar that Chloe won more because "it couldn't be" Santino who won because he was "Santino".
Santino's final collection was fantastic and more than justified his position within the final three.
But who is to say that any one of many other designers would not have done as well or even better than Santino at fashion week?
Anyone else for a PR All-Star special with a showdown between the Fabulously Glamourous Miss Bennett and the Fabulously Garish Miss Santino?
I have always loved Santino - assumed everything he said was tongue in cheek and just enjoyed the hell out of watching him. PR2 would not have been nearly as good without his presence.
I never thought Santino was a villain. I did think he should have been auf'd on several challenges, although I really did like some of his final collection. He actually brought a sense of humor to the show, and all of his criticisms and "villainy" were nowhere near as offensive as Jeffrey Sebelia was. I thought Season 2 was a pretty fun season. I liked most of the designers and enjoyed watching them. Season 3 was another story. It was so incredibly negative and the contestants were by and large, not very nice people, with just a few exceptions.
Santino annoyed the SHIT out of me during the bulk of the run of S2. Drove me effing CRAZY. Even then, though, I knew that he had vision, that he was good reality TV.
My change of heart began when Tim went to see him in LA in advance of Fashion Week. And, watching S2 marathons since then, I have to admit - I have a soft spot in my heart for that freakshow.
And it's not just the Tim Gunn impressions, though they do help. ;^)
My issue wasn't with Santino, but with the editors, who insisted on turning the last half of the season into "The Santino Show." What was initally amusing grew to be obnoxious, silly, and annoying to even watch. His constant mugging and cute antics made me tune out for the last several episodes. There were so many other funny, engaging personalities (most notably Kara) that season and we saw very little of them because the camera was always on Santino.
BWAH! The exploding turkey is on my teevee as I type! Was that a big ole FU to the judges or WHAT?
Oh no..."too much tootie." :-( (That post was in my top ten all time PRG, btw.)
I never despised Santino as I did Jeffrey; I just saw a lot more of a sense of humor in Santino that appears to be missing in Jeffrey's makeup.
Please, please, please post the musical number, "Daniel Franco, Where did you go?"
It's a top 5 highlight of all the PR seasons.
And so is "Tim and Andrae go to Red Lobster."
Abso-frickin-lutely hilarious.
AMEN!!!!
I think Santino, while not the most professional of all of the designers, was certainly one of the most creative. And I thought he really redeemed himself in the last shows, when Tim came to visit him at home. I'm not talking about the background story of his youth, I'm talking about the breathtaking beauty of the pieces he had finished.
Would I buy all his stuff? No. Would I buy some of his pieces? Yes. Would I pay money to see him perform in a comedy club? Absolutely!
I completely agree with you. I thought Santino was hysterical. He cracked me up so many times with his impressions and songs. He really did make for great television. He should have been aufed after the Sasha Cohen challenge for that travesty of a costume, but he provided an element of humor that was sorely lacking in season three. Yes, he did say some mean, rude, nasty things that were inexcusable if they were jokes or not. But, I didn't think they were as mean-spirited or cruel as the comments Jeffrey made in Season three. After he wished Laura would have a stroke, he was dead to me. Sorry, I got off topic. Santino was a strange, hilarious, creative "character" on PR. I hope there are more like him in future seasons.
Absolutely, and the only thing that annoyed me more than the rightous Kara Saun endlessly repeating that Wendy would need her soul one day and she already sold it to Satan or whatever, (I think it was the episode that KS asked the Baby Doll Shoe factory to charge her $10.00 - $15.00 for shoes), was Chloe being deeply hurt that Santino called her an "incredibly talented pattern maker." Santino was very entertaining and talented...except for the jumpsuit.
I think the producers needed to play up the drama (i.e. Santino) to salvage the season, because the quality of garments on S2 was lackluster.
YAWN...I just don't care.
" Anonymous said...
I never thought Santino was a villain. I did think he should have been auf'd on several challenges, although I really did like some of his final collection. He actually brought a sense of humor to the show, and all of his criticisms and "villainy" were nowhere near as offensive as Jeffrey Sebelia was. I thought Season 2 was a pretty fun season. I liked most of the designers and enjoyed watching them. Season 3 was another story. It was so incredibly negative and the contestants were by and large, not very nice people, with just a few exceptions. '
I agree. Santino had his moments, but in general he was very funny. Jeffrey was just an Angry Little Peanut.
If only his stuff hadn't mostly been so "auf". And, what wasn't "auf" was so often naff. There's a fine line between clever and stupid.
-- desertwind
PS -- You'll have time at end of Season 2 recap to do some treatment to Season 3.
If you can stomach it, I'd love to read your take on how the hell Vincent hung (ew -- "hung") on for so long (ew -- "long").
-- desertwind
Thank you for posting this! Santino has been one of my favorite tv CHARACTERS since season 2 aired. As he said...it doesn't matter whether we "love to hate him or hate to love him". (Though I fall in the hate to love him category!)
He's a great designer, and he's funny. Let's leave it at that dahlings.
seriously - santino was the best thing to ever happen to this show! i'd wager he is by far the most entertaining reality show contestant ever.
I still maintain that S2 would have been a terrible bore without Santino (S1 had far more outspoken people, so there wasn't any one person dominating. And S3 WAS a bore.) For a while he was the only one bringing any funny to the table!
Where would Dudley Doright be without Snidely ?
Point--Counterpoint.
What I do regret is that he produced CRAP for the runway and got away with it.
I fully expected somwone to pick him up for a sit-com. That is the true waste of his talent, not in the design world.
But who is to say that any one of many other designers would not have done as well or even better than Santino at fashion week?
THAT, Darling, can always be said. Kara kicked Daniel V's ass. I think that a number of S3 contestants could have done better than Michael Knight did.
And that, Sweetheart, is exactly my point.
Santino was awful to those around him in the production and his saying that he just didn't mean it, well, that doesn't cut it. If he was so scarred from people saying nasty things to him growing up, then the thing to do would not be to rant and abuse his peers when he got the chance to be on the "playground" again. Shame on him for not learning the lesson that his own experience had taught him.
Santino is a cruel twat, a misogynist, and a talentless hack, however I don't hate him... because in the end, karma bit him in the ass. Proof is in the pudding, bitches.
Where is Santino now? Nowhere. Is he working and designing clothes? Of course not. Does he have a career in fashion? Girl, please.
Santino is nothing more than a reality TV cartoon. That is the extent of his talent and abilities.
Yay! I loved Santino. He brought something to Season 2 that cannot be duplicated. Really? What's not to like about a guy who's THAT tall but still manages to wear heals from time to time? Santino was great!
I agree with Snaillady2.
Look, I didn't like Season 2. That's why I haven't been commenting lately. Loved PR1. Loved PR3. I waxed ecstatic about both shows.
Santino makes for great t.v. So does Zulema. So what? My Uncle Harry is weirder and funnier than these characters. Why watch t.v. to just see weird?
When I watch PR I want to see originality of expression and talent. Jeffrey S. of Season 3 was a jerk, but he had talent. I would take his brand of t.v. personality over Santino, the meh talent, any day.
Do I "hate" Santino? Of course not. Why should I? I don't know him. But his over the top comments didn't make up for the lack of pizzaz in PR2's design competition. Plus, when Emmet was auf'd, the show was over for me.
Th funniest Santino song was one that couldn't be on TV. It was featured in one of the extra videos on Bravo. It was Santino imitating Tim singing Nine Inch Nail's "Closer"
"I want to fuck you like an animal"
Oh my, it made me laugh.
I didn't hate Santino. I just thought he had very little real talent, knew it, and tried to cover it up with a big personality and some faux swagger.
Now, Jeffrey is a pr*ck from the word go who can teach Santino a thing or two about being an asshole. I've got no love at all for him.
I'll admit it: I hate him.
But then again, he does look like an evil Raffi, so maybe that's part of it...
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