Lifetime Has Not Tampered With Project Runway

In August, Project Runway finally returns after a 9 month hiatus on Lifetime instead of Bravo, after a web of legal battles. Lifetime executives have seen the disappointment and rage of die-hard Project Runway fans over the lengthy legal battle, which kept us in an almost year long limbo from our beloved fashion fix for months on end. As a result, Lifetime made a wise decision to change as little as possible about the show, but this didn’t make Heidi Klum happy who envisioned a major overhaul for Project Runway’s sixth season including new seating for the judges, a spruced-up catwalk and other changes. The biggest difference in season six is that it was shot in L.A. instead of New York, which is huge considering NYC was like a character on the show. Good news is that they are moving back to NYC for season 7. Phew!

Two major players who will be missing from Season 6 are sponsors Bluefly and TRESmme. The Bluefly accessories wall and TRESmme hair salon which preps models for the runway show have been replaced by Macy’s and Garnier. Also, instead of a Saturn car, the winner receives an all-expenses paid trip to Paris. If that includes shopping and spending money this makes for a much better prize since I could easily spend that much money shopping in the City of Light.

Lifetime pumped the volume on celebrity judges and branched out from fashion types including Christina Aguilera, Eva Longoria Parker, and Lindsay Lohan.

Beginning in April 2008, Project Runway became the subject in a trio of lawsuits between The Weinstein Company (which owns a majority stake in the show), NBC Universal (parent company to the series’ original network, Bravo), and Lifetime (which bought the rights for seasons 6 through 10). ”By the end of production [of season 6],” says new exec producer Jon Murray, ”we started to joke around, like, ‘Are we going to have to show this to our friends and families in our living rooms?”’ A resolution was reached in April allowing Project Runway to come back to us soon.