Interview with Michael Costello from The Desert Sun

Whopper Of The Week?

This week's whopper gets a question mark because, well - might it actually be true?

At the designer showacse event, Ivy Higa approached Valerie Mayen after realizing that her button bowl wasn't getting much action and said: "Michael C. has been telling the guests that I'm the bitch of the show."

Now we were not shown any evidence that Michael said anything like this at all and it doesn't really make sense for Bunim-Murray to edit this kind of drama out. But is it possible he actually said it? Or did Ivy make it up?

When questioned about it by Andy the next morning, Michael C. flatly denied the accusation and we tend to believe him. If he really did say it then it would have been caught on camera and he would have been easily exposed. And we haven't seen anyone in attendance at the event claim they heard it either. We think there may be a better explanantion for this one.

Note Valerie's response to Ivy's comment: "I know, that's what people told me." People? What people? Later in the confessional, Ivy says: "The rumor is that Michael C. is trying to sabotage me."

Ah, so it's a rumor, not something that she actually heard him say herself. To whose adavantage would planting a rumor like this in Ivy's ear benefit the most?

This smells like producer influence to us. Knowing they had dramatic gold in this storyline, we suspect a production assistant may have whispered this to Ivy or another designer just to throw a little fuel on the fire. And it worked.

We'll find out the truth eventually and this story arc may completely flip itself before all is said and done but for now Michael C. is looking like the good guy in all of this.

Judicial Revenge

For all of the talk coming in to Episode 6, we were prepared to witness Michael Costello behaving badly. Bruised and battered by his fellow designers ever since his win in the hat challenge, the previews promised sabotage. And when Ivy intimated at the designer showcase that Michael was trash talking her to the public, we thought it was on. But from everything we were shown, that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, unbeknowst to the designers, there would be a much more powerful force at play.

It was was very disappointing to see the Kool Kidz Designer Club continue their denigration of Michael C. He can't sew, he can't make a pattern, he can't drape and on and on and on. Give it up already designers, someone is putting these looks out on the runway every week. And while we can argue about whether or not his wins have been deserved, can we please stop with the whipsering and ganging up on him? This is a classic case of bullying with the Parsons workroom filling in for the playground. Kudos to Casanova for not getting sucked into this.

But lets be honest here, Michael C. wins? Really? It sounded as if Mondo received the popular vote, but this wasn't "about what we are looking at today" as CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Kors hilariously spun last week. This decision was about making sure everyone knew their place in the fashion game.

The judges deliberation was very telling. Heidi , Nina and CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Kors immediately gravitated to Michael C. getting thrown under the bus in the last challenge. They were not going to have it. If anyone gets to bully and throw people under the bus, it will be them! How dare Gretchen think she can be the alpha designer out here in Project Runway land. This win was payback by the judges for their behavior in the team challenge, plain and simple.

The judges message was clear: to hell with the public and screw you designers. We are the arbiters of what is fashion around here. Now that everyone knows their place, let's just happily get along with the competition, shall we?

News from Tim Gunn, Seth Aaron Henderson and the Season 8 Designers

Fred Joe Photo

Seth Aaron Henderson will be showing his new "SolarWorld-Inspired Collection" at Portland Fashion Week on October 9th. Click here for more information.

Click here for more from Tim Gunn's Project Runway conference call from Small Screen Scoop.

Hometown papers are getting behind their season 8 designers!

Click here for a profile of Ivy Higa from the Guava Bee.

Click here for a closer look at Valerie Mayen.

Click here for a look at Michael Costello.

St. Louis claims Michael Drummond and AJ Thouvenot.

San Francisco supports Christopher Collins.

Meet Michael Costello

Age: 27
Hometown: Palm Springs, CA
Profession: Fashion designer
Favorite Designer: Elie Saab, Tom Ford, Valentino, Donatella Versace, Basil Soda



Click here for more about Michael Costello.