Project Runway Recap: Too Legit, Must Quit

The Workroom

This generic red-carpet challenge enthralls the designers. Jay, Mila, Seth Aaron, and Emilio convulse with ideas. Jonathan's thrilled. Maya puts down her pen and leaves the room. No one notices until Tim reenters the room with her, practically pinching her precious ear and preparing to throw her in the Chokey.

"Designers, I need to have an important conversation with you," he says. "Rather, your colleague Maya will do the talking. Go on, Maya. Tell them what you told me. Tell them all! I will look away and mutter."

Maya quietly admits that she chose to leave the competition. Balderdash! Gasps fill the room, and a few designers pretend to stop her. Mila's Cheerio-mouth expands to a regular mood ring. "I'm not ready to go all the way yet," Maya explains. "I know my limits." That's verbatim -- not lyrics from Taylor Dayne's "Don't Rush Me." It's as simple a resignation as that, and Maya hugs the five others goodbye.

Infuriating! And yet -- a little provocative. The 22-year-old may have been ill-prepared for the responsibilities of a post-Runway career, but Maya's lack of "readiness" is so sudden and bizarre that we'll need to hear her side of the story in order to make judgments. You know where this is going, right? My interview with Maya will be posted later today! Cute how I set that up, right? Aw. Louis. You make loving fun.

But that's not all the romcom-dramz for today. Emilio immediately tells the camera that "quitters never win," which is enlightening of him. Then Tim reappears in the workroom and is peering way-the-hell-over his spectacles. Something's rotten in the state of den-father.

"You know the rules," Tim says. "We can't have only five designers today. We need six. And that means..."

The Twist

Sugarbaker fist-pumps flying, because Anthony is back! He skips through the swinging door with a Mentadent smile, like Tim's tossing free Wonka Bars to the public. That sly minx! He feigned a real elimination when we spoke with him last week. Well-disguised, my good man. In his first confessional back, he proves he's got a wheelbarrow of sass to spare.

"You should be happy I'm back. I like me, and you should like me too."

OK. We missed him more than we understood. This is wonderful. Tim says that Anthony will be allowed extra time to catch up with the other sartorial smacktalkers.

Once he's caught up a few hours later, Heidi enters the workroom with Tim and evaluates the progress of the designers. She is not nice to Mila, which makes for cathartic viewing.

"It's not too simple for me," Heidi says, seeming to appreciate her work at first. "But -- are the other dresses better?"

Ha! Never change, Heidi. Have a kickass summer. First-period biology forever! K.I.T. Signed, Yer Locker Budday -- MoViELiNe. P.S. We put out.

Ready to see what the designers turned out? Let's crack a whip at the final designs and protect Heidi's red-carpet affair from dowdy sorcerers of the underworld.

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