Project Runway 5 (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Project Runwayseason 5 began filming the first week of June 2008 and premiered July 16, 2008 at 9:00 p.m. It was the final season of Project Runway that aired on Bravo. Subsequent seasons were shown on Lifetime.
Returning as judges were supermodel Heidi Klum, fashion designer Michael Kors, and Elle editor-at-large Nina Garcia. Tim Gunn returned as a mentor to the designers.
The final four designers all produced collections for Bryant Park Fashion Week. The winner of this season of Project Runway, Leanne Marshall, received an editorial feature in an issue of Elle magazine, a cash prize of $100,000 from TRESemmé hair care to start her own line, the opportunity to sell a fashion line on Bluefly.com, and a new 2009 Saturn Vue automobile.
Jerell Scott and Kenley Collins later appeared in Project Runway: All Stars in 2012, with Jerell coming 5th, and Kenley 4th. Stephen "Suede" Baum, in the same year, competed in the second season of the All Stars edition placing 11th out of 13.
Contestants
Designers
The 16 designers in season 5 were (in order of elimination):
Contestant
Age
Hometown
Place Finished
Jerry Tam
32
Butte, MT
16th
Wesley Nault
23
Blackstone, MA
15th
Emily Brandle
27
Sacramento, CA
14th
Jennifer Diederich
27
East Syracuse, NY
13th
Kelli Martin
27
Columbus, OH
12th
Daniel Feld
25
Great Barrington, MA
11th
Keith Bryce
26
Salt Lake City, UT
10th
Stella Zotis
42
Astoria, NY
9th
Blayne Walsh
23
Yakima, WA
8th
Terri Stevens
39
Chicago, IL
7th
Joe Faris
41
Troy, MI
6th
Stephen "Suede" Baum
37
Seven Hills, OH
5th
Jerell Scott
28
Houston, TX
4th
Kenley Collins
25
New York, NY
3rd
Korto Momolu
33
Monrovia, Liberia
Runner-up
Leanne Marshall
27
Portland, OR
Winner
Models
The 16 models in season 5 are (in order of elimination):
Contestant
Age
Hometown
Place Finished
Janine Bell
24
Maryland
16th
Runa Lucienne
19
Ohio
15th (Quit)
Leslie Manzano
19
New Hartford, New York
14th
Alex Arace
24
New Jersey
13th
Shannone Holt
21
Brooklyn, New York
12th (Quit)
Elena Abete
19
Austin, Texas
11th
Alyssa Aparicio
18
Bronx, New York
10th
Kendall Hightower
19
Houston, Texas
9th
Polina Frantsena
N/A
Boston, Massachusetts
8th
Karalyn West
21
Columbus, Ohio
7th
Germaine Volorioz
27
New Jersey
6th
Xaviera Tytler
22
Phoenix, Arizona
5th
Nicole Zaager
20
New York, New York
4th
Topacio Pena
22
Dominican Republic
3rd
Katarina Munez
20
New Jersey
Runner-up
Tia Shipman
21
Maryland
Winner
Season 5 Challenges
Designer elimination chart
Designers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Episodes
Leanne
IN
LOW
HIGH
IN
LOW
IN
WIN
WIN
HIGH
LOW
LOW
HIGH
HIGH
WINNER
14 - Finale
Korto
HIGH
LOW
IN
WIN
IN
HIGH
HIGH
HIGH
HIGH
HIGH
WIN
LOW
LOW
Kenley
IN
HIGH
WIN
IN
HIGH
IN
IN
HIGH
LOW
HIGH
LOW
LOW
HIGH
Jerell
IN
IN
IN
LOW
HIGH
LOW
HIGH
IN
WIN
WIN
HIGH
WIN
OUT
13 - Nature Calls
Suede
IN
WIN
IN
IN
IN
IN
IN
LOW
LOW
LOW
OUT
11 - Rock N' Runway
Joe
IN
IN
IN
HIGH
IN
WIN
IN
LOW
HIGH
OUT
10 - Transformation
Terri
IN
IN
HIGH
HIGH
IN
HIGH
IN
IN
OUT
9 - What's Your Sign?
Blayne
LOW
IN
IN
IN
LOW
IN
LOW
IN
OUT
Stella
LOW
HIGH
IN
IN
HIGH
IN
LOW
OUT
8 - Double 0 Fashion
Keith
IN
IN
LOW
IN
WIN
LOW
OUT
Daniel
HIGH
IN
IN
LOW
LOW
OUT
6 - Good Queen Fun
Kelli
WIN
IN
IN
IN
OUT
5 - Welcome To The Jungle
Jennifer
IN
IN
LOW
OUT
4 - Rings of Glory
Emily
IN
IN
OUT
3 - Bright Lights/Big City
Wesley
IN
OUT
Jerry
OUT
^: Instead of winning immunity for this challenge, Suede's design was manufactured and sold on Bluefly.com.
^: Instead of winning immunity for this challenge, Keith's design will be worn by Brooke Shields on the second season of Lipstick Jungle.
^: Instead of winning immunity for this challenge, Leanne's design was manufactured and sold to American Express cardholders.
^: From this challenge onward, immunity was no longer given to the winners of each challenge.
^: All 4 of the remaining designers will create collections for New York Fashion Week, but only 3 designers will actually be showing their collections at Fashion Week.
^: Jerell and Leanne did not receive immunity even though they were not in the bottom 2.
{{colorbox}} The designer won Project Runway.
{{colorbox}} The designer won that challenge.
{{colorbox}} The designer came in second but did not win the challenge.
{{colorbox}} The designer had one of the highest scores for that challenge, but did not win.
{{colorbox}} The designer had one of the lowest scores for that challenge, but was not eliminated.
{{colorbox}} The designer was in the bottom two, but was not eliminated.
{{colorbox}} The designer lost and was out of the competition.
Model elimination chart
Contestants
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Tia
SU
SU
SU
SU
SU
SU
SU
SU
SU
SU
LM
LM
LM
WINNER
Katarina
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
KT
OUT
Topacio
JD
JF
JF
JF
JF
JF
JF
JF
JF
JF
KC
KC
KC
OUT
Nicole
JT
JS
JS
JS
JS
JS
JS
JS
JS
JS
JS
JS
JS
OUT
Xaviera
TS
TS
TS
TS
TS
TS
TS
TS
TS
-
SU
OUT
Germaine
KL
KL
KL
KL
KL
-
KC
KC
KC
KC
OUT
Karalyn
LM
LM
LM
LM
LM
LM
LM
LM
LM
LM
OUT
Polina
BW
BW
BW
BW
BW
BW
BW
BW
BW
-
OUT
Kendall
SZ
SZ
SZ
SZ
SZ
SZ
SZ
SZ
OUT
Alyssa
WN
WN
KB
KB
KB
KB
KB
OUT
Elena
DF
DF
DF
DF
DF
DF
OUT
Shannone
KC
KC
KC
KC
KC
KC
WD
Alex
JS
JD
JD
JD
OUT
Leslie
EB
EB
EB
OUT
Runa
KB
KB
WD
Bell
JF
OUT
^: Alyssa was originally eliminated, but was brought back after Runa withdrew from the competition.
^: Germaine was originally eliminated, but was brought back after Shannone withdrew from the competition.
^: Due to the number of designers eliminated in the previous two episodes, the remaining designers were allowed to re-pick their models for this challenge.
^: Karalyn, Shannone, Polina and Alex were used in this challenge to show off the designers' bridesmaid dresses. However, they will not be in contention for the finale win.
{{colorbox}} Light green background means the model won Project Runway.
{{colorbox}} Blue background means the model wore the winning design that challenge.
{{colorbox}} Red background means the model wore the losing design that challenge.
{{colorbox}} Grey background means the model was eliminated.
{{colorbox}} The model was brought back into the competition.
{{colorbox}} The model withdrew from the competition.
Designer legend
Blayne Walsh: BW
Daniel Feld: DF
Emily Brandle: EB
Jennifer Diederich: JD
Jerell Scott: JS
Jerry Tam: JT
Joe Faris: JF
Keith Bryce: KB
Kelli Martin: KL
Kenley Collins: KC
Korto Momolu: KT
Leanne Marshall: LM
Stella Zotis: SZ
Suede: SU
Terri Stevens: TS
Wesley Nault: WN
Episode summary
Episode summaries are available on the official website of the series.
Episode 1: Let's Start from the Beginning
Repeating the first challenge on Season 1 of Project Runway, the designers were asked to create a look using only materials purchased from a Gristedes grocery store. The designers were given 30 minutes and $75 to shop for items, and then one day to complete the outfit. Most designers were criticized by mentor Tim Gunn for utilizing fabric-substitutes such as tablecloths in their looks, which wasn't what the challenge was about. The winner received immunity for the next challenge.
The designers were asked to create a cocktail dress with their models as their clients. They were asked to use environmentally friendly or conscious fabrics from Mood, with their models doing the fabric selections without their consultations. They were given $75 and one day to finish their garments. The winner did not receive immunity, but did get to sell their garment on Bluefly.
The designers were tasked to create a look of their choice inspired by the vibrant nightlife of New York City. Tim Gunn drove the designers around the city via a sightseeing tour bus, then provided them with digital cameras to take photographs of their inspiration. Four groups of designers were dropped off at different stops and had an hour to take their photos. They were given $100 and one day to complete their design. The winner received immunity for the next challenge.
The four groups and their assigned stopovers are as follows:
Suede, Daniel, Leanne, and Jennifer at Columbus Circle.
Blayne, Keith, Stella, and Kenley at Times Square.
Korto, Joe, and Kelli at the New York Public Library.
The designers were brought to the Armory Track and Field Training Center by their mentor, Tim Gunn, and were introduced to U.S. Olympian and speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno. Their next challenge was to design a womenswear look for the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies. They were given 30 minutes to sketch and draw inspiration from the National Track and Field Museum, after which they were given $150 and one day to complete their designs. The winner received immunity for the next challenge.
Working in teams of two, designers were asked to make an outfit that could transition from day to night for Brooke Shields's character Wendy Healy on the television show Lipstick Jungle. The winning design was to be worn by Brooke Shields on Season 2 of Lipstick Jungle. Each team was given a budget of $150 and one day to complete their designs. After sketching individually for 30 minutes and pitching their ideas to Shields, six designers were picked by Brooke as team leaders (team leaders shown in bold below). The team leaders were picked in a random order and selected a teammate.
Blayne and Leanne
Keith and Kenley
Terri and Suede
Korto and Joe
Kelli and Daniel
Jerell and Stella
The winner did not receive immunity for the next challenge.
The designers were asked to make an outfit for a drag queen. Chris March of Season 4 made a guest appearance to deliver the challenge. The designers were picked at random to select which drag queen to work with. They were given $200 to shop for supplies and two days to complete their designs. The winner received immunity for the next challenge. The designers' models were not used in this challenge.
The designers were required to make an outfit made entirely out of the spare parts and raw materials from a Saturn hybrid car. They were told to walk to 142 West 31st Street in Manhattan. After taking an elevator to the roof of the building, they were instructed to collect as much of the recycled car parts from within the parked Saturn vehicles. They had four minutes to collect the materials and one day to complete their outfits. The winner received immunity for the next challenge.
The designers were taken to the Meatpacking District and brought to the offices and design showroom of living fashion legend and current CFDA president, designer Diane von Furstenberg. Their challenge was to create a look for her Fall 2008 collection inspired by the movie A Foreign Affair, starring screen legend Marlene Dietrich. They were given free rein and 15 minutes inside Diane von Furstenberg's fabric sample room to select fabrics for their designs. The winning garment was produced in limited quantities and exclusively sold to American Express cardholders, with proceeds going to the CFDA Foundation. The winner did not receive immunity for the next challenge.
Guest judge: Fern Mallis (sitting in for Nina Garcia), Diane von Furstenberg
WINNER: Leanne
OUT: Stella
First Aired: September 3, 2008
Leanne is the fifth person to win two challenges in a row behind Jeffrey & Michael from Season 3, Daniel V. from Season 2, and Kara from Season 1.
Episode 9: What's Your Sign?
The designers teamed up in pairs with eliminated designers to create an avant-garde garment around one of the two astrological signs of their group. They had one day and 8 hours to complete the look. The night before the runway, they were brought to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. There the designers were greeted with surprise guest appearances of former Project Runway designers and winners Kara Janx, Alison Kelly, Jay McCarroll, Robert Plotkin, Christian Siriano, Daniel Vosovic, & Carmen Webber, who all voted on a winning look. This episode featured a surprise double elimination & the winner no longer had the advantage of immunity going forward.
OUT: Blayne (teamed with Stella Zotis) and Terri (teamed with Keith Bryce)
First Aired: September 10, 2008
Episode 10: Transformation
The designers were assigned recent college graduates and were given the task of giving them a fashion makeover to help them enter the workforce. Each designer was to gear their look to their client's specific profession, whilst keeping their style and pleasing both the clients and their mothers. The clients wore the outfits down the runway; the models were not used in this challenge.
Jerell is the sixth person to win two challenges in a row behind Leanne also in season 5, Jeffrey and Michael from season 3, Daniel V. from season 2, and Kara from season 1.
Episode 11: Rock N' Runway
The designers were given the task of designing for each other. The looks were to be inspired by different genres of music. The designers wore their outfits down the runway; the models were not used for this challenge.
Teams (Designers names are in bold; genre applies to teammate):
OUT: None: (However, all four are on the elimination block when the final three are determined in the next episode).
First Aired: October 1, 2008
Episode 13: Finale, Part I
The designers were given the task, prior to leaving to create their collections, of creating a wedding dress for their collections. In addition to the wedding dress, they were judged on an 11th look, a bridesmaid dress to go with it. This is the first time that all of the finalists were of the same gender (female).
Prior to the runway show, the finalists, who each had twelve outfits ready for the runway, were informed that they would only be able to show ten, forcing last minute editing of their collections. The guest judge was originally scheduled to be Jennifer Lopez, but she was unable to participate due to a foot injury and was replaced by Tim Gunn. Following the presentation of all three collections, the judges stated that Leanne Marshall had created the best collection and named her the winner of Season 5 of Project Runway.