Bring on the Tim Gunn! Image from Flickr.

“Project Runway” fans are a lucky bunch this year. Unlike last year, when we had to wait a grueling two years (Was it less than that? Well, it felt like two years.) for the silly TV people to figure out what they were doing, this year there’s only a two-month break between seasons. That means that the “Project Runway” Season 7 premiere is only (gasp!) two weeks away. It’s Thursday, January 14, at 10 p.m. Got that? Good.

You’d better start planning your “Project Runway” Season 7 premiere party right now to attain a proper level of fabulousness. Of course, I never went all out for “Project Runway” viewing parties. I’m not a rich woman, and I don’t think getting payday cash advance loans to fund a reality show viewing party is very responsible. But my group gets by just fine with a few snack contributions and a couple of bottles of wine.

What about that other show?

When I first heard of “Models of the Runway,” I thought for sure my hardcore “Project Runway” cohorts would eat it up just like I did. I thought it added a fun, new dimension to “Project Runway,” and it usually had some funny moments. However, “Models of the Runway” wasn’t very well-received by my friends or the general public.

Nevertheless, “Models of the Runway” will return for a second season, right back to its time slot right after the main event. You can get to know the season 2 models at the Lifetime “Models of the Runway” site, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Do your “Project Runway” homework

So, if you want to impress your friends with previous knowledge of the “Project Runway” season 7 contestants, you can read up on them at MyLifetime.com. Just remember, the more attached you get to the designers, the harder it is to see them go, and one will get axed on the very first show.

Of course, sometimes the more we know about the “Project Runway” designers, the easier it is to see them go, so I guess it’s up to you.

Hubert Keller won the most recent challenge on "Top Chef Masters." Will he be deemed the master?

A “Top Chef” premiere and finale in the same night?! It sounds too good to be true to fans of Bravo’s biggest moneymaker, “Top Chef,” but I triple checked the facts, and it’s true! Tonight at 9 p.m. the new season of “Top Chef” begins.
Then, the other moment we’ve all been waiting for: the “Top Chef Masters” finale! I almost can’t stand the excitement.

“Top Chef” Season 6

I don’t think there is a faxless payday loan big enough to pay for a party that would do this event justice. This sixth season of “Top Chef” will be set in Las Vegas. Just to make this whole situation even better, the first episode of “Top Chef: Las Vegas” is extra long, clocking in at an hour and 15 minutes.

The show tonight features 17 chefs, and you can read bios on all of them at BravoTV.com. There are chefs from all over the U.S. plus one chef from France, one from Haiti and one from Puerto Rico.

“Top Chef Masters”

After the super-sized episode of “Top Chef: Las Vegas,” the season finale of “Top Chef Masters” begins at 10:15. The masters are down to just three: Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless and Michael Chiarello. The winner among these seasoned chefs will get $100,000 donated to his chosen charity in his name.

“Top Chef Masters” played with the format of “Top Chef” while still placing the focus of the show on food and cooking. The first six episodes of “Top Chef Masters” each featured four chefs. On each episode, one winner was chosen to compete with the other winners. The “Top Chef Masters” were generous all along the way. Each contestants chose charities in the beginning that would receive money if they won, but every charity ended up getting a donation, and during each episode the winner’s charity got $10,000.

Brilliant business

“Top Chef” is Bravo’s most popular, lucrative show, and I think the format tonight is a great move on Bravo’s part that will have millions upon millions of viewers tuning in. If the “Top Chef” season six premiere wasn’t enough to get viewers to plan their evening around it or the “Top Chef Masters” finale wasn’t incentive enough to convince people to tune in, both paired together will sure make people think twice about what they will be doing tonight.
Furthermore, if “Top Chef Masters” fans somehow forgot about the “Top Chef” premiere or don’t know about the extra 15 minutes, they’ll tune in at the usual time, 10 p.m., and voila, they’ll likely get hooked on “Top Chef: Las Vegas.” After all, the final 15 minutes are the most exciting. How can people resist? I don’t think there’s any other programming on cable tonight that will even begin to compete with this premiere/finale “Top Chef” event tonight.