“Top Design”: Inferior Knockoff No More

Perhaps the reason “Project Runway” was off its game this year is because The Magical Elves were too busy working their magic coming up with fantastic challenges on their other show, “Top Design.”

Two weeks ago, “Design” came up with a brilliant challenge that “Runway” should have done years ago (So, if the new producers end up doing it you’ll know where they stole it.).

After the designers met with their clients and picked out their paint colors and all their materials, they had to switch clients with another designer—forcing them to work with someone else’s decisions. As I said, it was brilliant.

Last week, the challenge was to design the room of the future. And just as the designers started to get into the groove creatively, they were interrupted by a “pop design,” a short design challenge that awards immunity. But unlike “Top Chef” where the challenge takes place at the beginning of the show, a “pop design” can pop up at any time to frustrate the designers.

And this week, it looks like one of the designers will be so frustrated they’ll quit the competition—if those pesky Bravo promos are to be believed…

If they are, my guess is it will be my fave, Andrea. She’s been complaining for the last couple of weeks about how much she misses her family. And she honestly should have gone home last week.

But it could also be Eddie. The Martha Stewart employee has been getting cockier and cockier each week and he said that if he didn’t win he would still know he’s one of the best because “Martha only hires the best”…

However it turns out is bound to be fun because the guest judge is Simon Doonan, Barney’s creative director (and regular judge Jonathan Adler’s new husband), who you’ll recognize from VH1’s “I Love…” shows. It’s the kind of fun we never saw on “Runway” this season.

When Harvey Weinstein told NBC Universal that he wanted “Runway” taken off Bravo, one of his reasons was because of all of the “inferior knockoffs” like “Top Design.”

I’m guessing Bravo is getting a big laugh out of that one now. I know I certainly I am…

“Top Design” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

Photo Credits: Peter Tengen/Bravo & Isabella Vosmikova/Bravo