Vivian Leba

Everyone needs to get over what this show once was, Season 1 started in 2004. While there was nothing wrong with the original cast or guidelines you’d have to be living under a rock to expect it to resemble a carbon copy. The first couple of episodes are questionable admittedly but I urge you to dive in around the 3rd episode. It’s easy to compare it to the original but the quality of this show is incredibly well-produced if you look at the details on how some of the decisions (like casting) were made. Karlie Kloss is missing a bit of Heidi Klum’s sass and charm, but she is intelligent, thoughtful, and articulate in her own right. I personally think Christian Siriano is the perfect replacement for Tim Gunn because he’s an actual former contestant who has made it big in the fashion industry, and can actually appreciate what the new contestants are enduring. The judges are engaging and knowledgeable and it’s good to see OG Nina back. As a creative, this show breathes so much depth into the Bravo series and focuses on the craft of design rather than the drama. They do sometimes focus on the sappy “my struggle” storylines a bit excessively so I can’t help but roll my eyes. But going back to the production value, the guest judges/designers are wonderfully curated (big named guests forreal) and the challenges are thoughtfully redesigned without being too gimmicky. I appreciate the diverse panel of contestants with the inclusion of models of all sizes. It’s familiar but evolved for 2019 and I’m stoked that this reality series is in a class of its own on this network. While I tend to glaze over Real Housewives drama I am instead, intently focused on following every seam these designers pour into their work. Happy to have PR back on my Bravo binges!