Anya Ayoung-Chee warned us in the season premiere of ‘Project Runway All Stars” that sewing wasn’t her strong suit. She was almost eliminated from the show on that very first challenge. But then she seemed to get along just fine, earning safe scores from the judges every week thereafter … until now. In episode six, “Pedal to the Metal,” the rubber finally met the road and she couldn’t drape her way out of it, even with ample assistance from her fellow designers. Did she really deserve to go? Scroll down to vote in our poll at the bottom of this post.
Ayoung-Chee’s strength was in flowing looks, so she knew she was in trouble as soon as the challenge was announced: to create a red carpet look with metallic fabric. The problem was that a metallic fabric wouldn’t work with her usual aesthetic, so it exposed her biggest weakness as a designer. “Structure is rudimentary for other people,” she admitted. “It’s a stretch for me.”
Her fellow designers could tell she was struggling, so much so that on the day of the runway show when most of them were working on their finishing touches, Sean Kelly and Anthony Ryan Auld actually helped her finish. It was a gracious move for both designers — Django Steenbakker even warned Kelly against giving their opponent a leg up — but I much prefer that kind of generosity to the usual “Runway” backbiting, so kudos to Kelly and Auld!
But it didn’t save her. Her design looked like a “straitjacket” to judge Georgina Chapman. Guest judge Danica Patrick said, “I don’t get it.” And Isaac Mizrahi thought the extra-long sleeves ruined the look. Ayoung-Chee only had one supporter on the panel: Wendy Williams, who loved the funky proportions. Alas, Williams was overruled, so Ayoung-Chee had to roll up her sleeves, pack up her things, and go home. Did she really deserve that fate?
Be sure to make your predictions so that the contestants can see how they’re faring in our racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs every Wednesday on Lifetime. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
