Who will end up at Bryant Park this year? Image from Flickr.

On “Project Runway” season 6, episode 9, the designers were instructed to design an outfit inspired by a place, such as New York, Greece, St. Tropez, etc. They got $300 in quick cash to get fabric and supplies. But that wasn’t the interesting part.

Since last night’s airing of “Project Runway” season 6, episode 9, there seems to be a rift developing among my friends. The two sides? Those who agree with the judges decision last night, and those who don’t. I even have one friend who says he is convinced that Tim Gunn disagrees with the judges. So what happened to create this controversy?

Personality versus talent

As much as “Project Runway” fans may want to judge the contestants based only on their clothing –  not their personalities — it just might be impossible. Michal, Heidi and Nina don’t see the sides of the designers that we see, and some viewers just care more about character than fashion. (Could that be me?)

So “Project Runway” fans seem to be splitting into two camps:

1. Those who disagree with the judges’ decision on “Project Runway” season 6, episode 9 because they eliminated a designer who was clearly more talented than the other possible loser.
2. Those who are happy with the judges decision because they like the person who they kept and hate the person who went home, even though he might be a better designer.

But first, the winner

Before I reveal who got the boot and who got saved, do you want to know who won? If not, skip this paragraph. Resident B-word Irina easily won with her Aspen-inspired outerwear, consisting of deep brown tones. Her fitted pants, fluffy sweater with an oversized cowl neck and faux fur vest wowed the judges with “fantasy” and guess judge Milla Jovovich said she wanted to be the girl in that outfit.

Gordana was runner-up with her simple gray Park Avenue dress paired with a crystal necklace/collar. Carol Hanna’s flowy Palm Beach creation came in third. Althea apparently came in fourth with her St. Tropez short-shorts, as her “scores have qualified her to move on to the next round.”

Now the reveal!

After all the sighs of relief and hugs, Nicolas, Christopher and Logan were left on the stage. Logan was told he was safe, even though his white pants, blue tank top, vest and suspenders (suspenders!?) did not invoke Hollywood at all. Michael Kors remarked, “They are clothes, not fashion.” Heidi said she didn’t mind it, and Milla said “If this was Project I Didn’t Mind It,” he would win.

At this point I’m sure you see where this is going. Fan-favorite because of his humble personality, Christopher, stood next to his supposedly Santa Fe inspired little dress with a super short skirt, somewhat bland colors, but a really cool wide belt. Then we have Nicolas, with the huge ego and the bad attitude, standing next to a bland pair of gray pants and a white, criss-cross top that didn’t quite turn out right.

Christopher versus Nicolas

As you can guess, Nicolas was sent home, and Christopher was saved, yet again. Christopher, though he is has been voted fan favorite on the Project Runway site, has been in the bottom three now three times in a row. A lot of people think he should have been sent home for last week’s booty shorts/corset atrocity.

On the other hand, everyone pretty much agrees that Nicolas is not very nice, kind of annoying and way too cocky. But this was not his third time in a row on the bottom, so eve though he did make a boring outfit, a lot of fans think he should not have gone home because his overall performance has been better than Christopher’s.

But every “Project Runway” fan knows, challenges are judged on an individual basis. So what do you think? Did the judges make the right call on “Project Runway” season 6, episode 9?

Who had to pack their knives and go this week? Image from

One of my “Top Chef” watching buddies had a great idea last night while we were watching “Top Chef” season 6, episode 9. “They should make restaurant wars into its own show,” he said.

I couldn’t agree more. Padma knew what she was talking about at the beginning of ‘Top Chef’ season 6 episode 9 when she said it was the most anticipated episode of the season. If people got as excited about payday loans as they do about restaurant wars, I’d be rich!

What’s so great about restaurant wars?

It’s true that “Top Chef” fans, yours truly included, get really amped up for restaurant wars. I think part of the draw is the fact that it’s a tough challenge that has some people making multiple dishes, some acting as host or hostess in a cooking competition and the one-night-only restaurant inventions really take on a distinct identity.

However, restaurant wars also symbolizes a turning point for a lot of people I think. Not only is it far enough into the competition that very strong chefs start getting eliminated, it’s far enough along that people have gotten to know the personalities of the chefs and formed opinions about every one of them.

So, what happened?

True to “Top Chef: Las Vegas” form, the quickfire was a high stakes challenge worth $10,000. And it was a tough one. Kevin at one point called it “insane,” I believe, and he was right. The chefs had to team up, they were forbidden from talking to each other, and the three chefs were blindfolded while the other cooked, and then they took turns finishing the dish, relay-race style.

The blue team, composed of Kevin, Jennifer, Laurine and Mike I. won, and Padma gave them the choice to take the $10,000 or “let it ride,” in which case they would get $10,000 each instead of $10,000 for the team. After the team agreed to let it ride, though, “Top Chef” season 6 episode 9 got predictable very quickly.

Winners and whiners

The red team — the Voltaggio brothers, Robin and Eli appeared to be right on the mark from the beginning. They put together a great menu, cooked great food and Eli ran the front of the house like a pro. Tom Colicchio said it was the best ever performance on restaurant wars. The red team won the war, and Michael won the challenge and the $10,000. He chose to split it with his team.

Despite the sibling rivalry and the weird mother/child vibes between Eli and Robin, they were able — for the most part — to keep the squabbling out of the kitchen. There was, of course, one flare-up on the red side, when Robin got super protective of her $%#@ dessert when Brian tried to “help” her. One of my Twitter friends calls Robin “The Crazy That Will Not Go,” but I think she is just misunderstood. Also, after Michael won the challenge, Brian (bitterly?) told Michael to keep his money. Weird? Yes, I think so.

Say goodbye to…

While the red team held it together all along, the blue team appeared to be unraveling pretty quickly. Laurine volunteered to be front of the house, and that was the team’s first mistake. Toby Young said she acted like “a deer in the headlights.” The judges had to ask her to explain the food. She was responsible for one dish, and it turned out to be very undercooked lamb.

I’m sure you can see where this is going. Jennifer got reprimanded for her underdone shellfish, Kevin got reamed for undercooking the lamb and Mike I’s dish was criticized for being bland. The judges agreed that leaving dessert off the menu was a bad idea. But in the end, Laurine’s performance was the worst, and she got sent home. I couldn’t agree with the judges’ decision more. I called it from the moment Laurine saw the customers in the lobby.

Overall, though predictable, “Top Chef” season 6 episode 9 defintely delivered on the restaurant wars hype. Tune in next week for more “Top Chef” talk!