Project Runway Needed a Reset; It Got Tyra Banks – Clearly, It’s Learned Nothing

Well, this is awkward.

Project Runway is returning for Season 22 this summer, and after the previous season’s rocky run, there was hope the show might address some of its core issues.

However, right out of the gate, it’s clear that it’ll be a season marred in controversy before it even makes its debut with the addition of Tyra Banks as a new judge.

They likely wrapped filming well before or around the same time as Netflix’s Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model documentary dropped.

So, the resurgence of controversy surrounding Tyra Banks may not have been on their agenda when they opted to secure a mega supermodel as one of the coveted judges for what they’re teasing as a supersized season.

In theory, Project Runway deserves some credit for taking a big swing with Tyra Banks. In practice, though, it still feels like the show can’t read the room.

However, it ultimately feels like the series still can’t seem to read the room at all, especially after last season.

It’s too early to tell whether they’ll make any fundamentally essential changes to the series’ formatting and editing.

That’s something we’ll have to sadly wait to see when the season premieres.

But hopefully, it’ll mean they’ll address all the things viewers complained about ad nauseam in the previous season.

Offhand, the season suffered from gimmicky cliffhangers, a lack of real exploration of the creative and design process in favor of drama, a lack of real mentorship, and a total misuse of its time.

The season also lacked proper mentorship, with underuse and misuse of Christian Siriano more often than not, and a frustrating judging process.

Oh, and there was also the pesky problem of Project Runway feeling like it completely lost sight of its own plot, with manufactured drama and hammed-up, memeable reality-show moments rather than just letting those happen naturally as it focuses on the designing.

Out of the gate, the trailer teases that we’ll at least have more contestants competing, which addresses one of the pitfalls of the previous season.

Although I can admit that 22 contestants could easily backfire.

The new season will also have some great guest judges who actually make it to the judging table to discuss the looks rather than just commenting on them from the workroom before disappearing (Yes, I’m still annoyed about the underuse of Chris Perfetti and Lisa Ann Walters).

And the return of Joseph McRae is exciting, given that his departure from the series’s last season felt wholly unfair and undeserved.

Project Runway is also continuing its tendency to draw contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race, and that’s one reason some wariness starts to creep in.

Before anyone drags me by my hair follicles over this, I don’t have an issue with RuPaul’s Drag Race at all.

But it is generally frustrating when it feels like reality stars jump from one program to the next, because one can’t help but wonder about the motivations behind their moves.

A series like this, where we’d still like to believe it serves as a stepping stone for aspiring designers with no real recognition, can garner the exposure and connections they need.

Now, there’s always a question of whether they’re on to actually win the grand prize and for the acclaim as an up-and-coming designer, or are they mostly there to capitalize on the attention of being on television?

And that’s not something that’s exclusive to just the Drag Race contestants. It’s just as applicable to the other contestants they bring into the fold.

Somewhere along the way, Project Runway started acting like manufactured drama was a bigger draw than the fashion itself — or the chance to watch an unknown designer use this platform to build something real.

I can’t be the only one who is naive enough to feel that wholesome angle to the series was the biggest pull, right?

Alas, the trailer hints at a bit of that dreaded manufactured drama and gimmicky antics.

Given that the previous season left many of us fatigued from the constant bickering and cattiness, it’s already enough to put a girl on edge.

But credit where it’s due, they went light on that, so maybe that’s a sign that they’ve truly shifted direction.

I doubt it, but I can dream, right?

Plus, the truth of the matter is that all eyes may be on who is behind the judging table after this. Given Tyra Banks’ history these days, it leaves her with a tightrope to walk.

She could end up leaning more toward serving as the judge who offers genuinely constructive criticism as she tries to shift the focus of her image toward something a bit more balanced and less polarizing.

But she also could lean into the bit more, which would definitely generate some buzz.

There’s also the matter of having Tyra and Law Roach on the same panel.

The latter has already exhausted viewers with his mean-spirited edge, which doesn’t always feel constructive, and his biased reactions to the contestants show his hand.

Law Roach does have a bit of Main Character Energy, and with someone like Tyra Banks coming into the fold for the full season, it seems like they’d be on a collision course all season.

But they could also emerge as a power duo, and whether that power is for good or for bad would be undetermined.

Ultimately, Project Runway was in dire need of a reset after the previous season, and in some ways, the new season seems to aim to do that, but it also risks doubling down on the very things that made it so problematic in the first place.

And the mere idea that the new season teases more of the same, with Tyra Banks sprinkled on top for good measure, already affirms that we’ll be talking about Project Runway this summer, but maybe not for the right reasons.

Over to you, Project Runway Fanatics. How are you feeling about this upcoming season?

Project Runway returns July 9 on Freeform. You can stream the following day on Hulu.