"Project Runway" fan favorite Mondo Guerra was crowned the winner of the "All Stars" season Thursday, but he may not be done with reality TV.
Sure, this was his second shot on the Lifetime fashion-design competition, but who says he can't do it again? "Producers have kind of talked to me," Mondo told TODAY.com on Friday. "I might be back on 'Project Runway.' Not as a contestant, but as a ... you'll see!" What a tease!
The "Runway" champ revealed that there could be more TV life beyond "Runway" for him too. Fellow "All Stars" contestant Austin Scarlett had a Lifetime show called "On the Road With Austin and Santino," and it sounds like it's possible Mondo may get a program as well. "My producer was definitely having a couple of conversations," Mondo told us. "It's in the works."
Though things may be brewing for TV, the designer also admitted that it's not always fun having a camera in your face, following your every move. When he saw part one of the finale (which aired March 15) and watched himself get moody and upset while trying to create his final runway show, "I was really quite embarrassed," Mondo admitted.
On season eight, he had become a fan favorite not only for his creative designs, but also for his fun and quirky personality. When the darker side came out on "All Stars," the designer said he received some negative feedback. "A lot of people were like, 'Oh, you were so nice last year, and now you're condescending and whining and ungrateful. Now I want Austin to win.' That hurt my feelings," he said.
Mondo admitted that pressure contributed to the frustration viewers saw on the show this time. At the end of season eight, Lifetime posted a poll asking fans to vote on who should've won. "Ninety-five percent of the audience chose me, and 5 percent went to (winner) Gretchen (Jones)," he said. "It was really a lot of weight. ... I think because of having all the support from all the fans ... I really wanted to do my best in 'All Stars' for them. So that was a lot of pressure, and it did get to me at certain points and you saw it get to me."
That self-destructive side of him? "It's because I have such passion and attachment to what I produce," Mondo explained. "Sometimes, it doesn't come across on television, and it translates as bitchy, whiny, emotionally discharged Mondo."
So what's next for him, besides a possible show and spending his $100,000 cash prize? The other part of being the champ: the one-year gig as a guest editor at Marie Claire magazine. As fans of the show may know, the job also comes with a certain new co-worker (of sorts) who goes by the name of Nina Garcia, the publication's fashion director. Yes, one of the "Project Runway" season eight judges who threw her support behind the former season's winner, Gretchen, instead of eventual runner-up, Mondo.
Possible awkward work moments ahead for Nina and the designer? Maybe not.
Mondo told TODAY.com that the first time he saw the judge after season eight's final critique, "We ran into her and automatically, my stomach turned." But he went up to Nina, thanked her for her honesty and received an admission from the judge.
"She said, 'You know what? Because of my decision and because of you, I can't walk down the street without people yelling at me,' " Mondo recalled. "I think it's been harder on (judge) Michael Kors and Nina more than myself. ... It's one thing to hold on to the past and even better to look to the future. So I really am honored to work with Nina on a professional level, and hopefully, a friendship will come out of it."
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