Just months ago, the future of “Project Runway” was in doubt — but now, show mentor Tim Gunn says the fashion competition is back and better than ever.
“After five seasons, the show needed a booster shot,” Tim told the June 5 issue of Entertainment Weekly.
The show has moved from Bravo to Lifetime, after NBC Universal, which owns Bravo, the Weinstein Company and Lifetime settled a legal dispute over the rights to the show in April. The sixth season will debut on Aug. 20.
The channel change wasn’t the only move — it’s also changed locations from New York to Los Angeles, a change that Gunn said fits the show well. Future seasons will rotate between the two cities.
“Los Angeles is indisputably the home of the red carpet,” he said. “It’s the home of film and television costume, and it has a celebrity dimension that New York doesn’t have. Watching the first elimination this season, I thought, ‘Wow, we should be here.’ ”
And Hollywood glamour will play a role on the show, with judge and designer Michael Kors adding that Los Angeles style will affect “Runway’s” contestants’ designs.
“L.A. can be the most laid-back and the most glamorous,” Kors said, adding that challenges would include fashion for the red carpet and the beach. “It’s the land of bikinis and gowns.”
The Southern California location also lent itself to the presence of Hollywood celebs, including Christina Aguilera, Eva Longoria Parker and Lindsay Lohan, who will serve as guest judges throughout the season.
And Gunn added that fans should expect the unexpected with the new season — and in the show’s future.
“We have a challenge, the outcome of which will have the blogs going crazy!” Gunn said. “I’m surprised I didn’t need CPR when it all came down the runway, because I’m still in such a state of shock about it.”
He added that future seasons would be more comfortable “pushing the envelope.”
Still, one thing hasn’t changed — the familiar set.
“I was shocked,” host Heidi Klum told the mag. “It was deja vu. I was looking forward to different scenery, and everything was the same!”