Wondering about how a certain reality show pulled something off? Have a question about a certain contestant?
Whether it's "Survivor," "American Idol," "The Apprentice," "Real World" or another show, . Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, MSNBC.com's Television Editor, and Andy Dehnart, creator of the ,will try to answer them.
Before you send in your question, — you may be able to get your answer right away.
Q: What music did Jeffrey, Uli and Laura use for their fashion shows at Bryant Park? —Laurie, Virginia, and a host of other readers
A: Hands-down, this was the most popular question this week. Some readers just wanted to know about Jeffrey's music, some Jeffrey's and Uli's, and Laurie, above, wanted to know about Laura's as well. (At press time, no one seemed to care about Michael's music, except maybe Michael.)
A spokeswoman for Bravo sent me this information about the music used on the finale:
"Jeffrey composed his own music, a song called “Swing.” Mike Coulter is the vocalist.
Sam Shaffer composed the music for Laura’s show.
Michael Knight’s song is called “Runaway.” [At press time, Bravo did not know the artist].
And Uli is the only contestant who used musical assistance from “Project Runway.” She picked a title called “Doggy Fun” by Barefoot Music."
Bravo also tells us that a soundtrack featuring original music from the show will be released on Halloween, sending with a little more information. Note that none of the songs used for the final collections are included on that soundtrack. But according to , Uli's song soon may appear on iTunes.
Update: We've just learned that Jeffrey's music can be .
At press time, no additional information was available about how to obtain Michael and Laura's music. —G.F.C.
We're often asked how long shows take to tape. This week, Andy Dehnart tackles two of those questions.
Q: How long are the designers actually in New York for the filming of “Project Runway”? How much time do they have between challenges? —Joan
A:
Just over a month: 32 days. That's according to Tim Gunn, who said during a Washington Post chat that they "tape for 32 consecutive days — no breaks! We're all done in by the end, including me!"
With 11 episode to shoot in that time, that leaves about three days for each challenge. Other than the challenges and the runway shows, the production also must shoot interviews with the cast, which typically take place once for each episode. (There are also spontaneous interviews, called OTFs for "on the fly," that reality show producers like to conduct in the moment.)
The final four designers — all of whom made it to Fashion Week this year, unlike past years when one presented at Fashion Week even though they'd already been eliminated — then head home.
Since this season taped early in the summer, in June, they only had three months to design and create their collections, which they presented in New York at Fashion Week on Sept. 15.
Prior to the final runway show, "Project Runway" typically tapes the reunion of cast members, who by then have watched most of the season on TV. On the day of the runway show, the show taped its finale, so the designers know who won a month before the winner is revealed to the world on-air. —A.D.
Q: How long does "The Amazing Race" actually take? 3 weeks? A month? —Nicole
A: It depends upon the season. Because the route varies every year, so does the length of time that the teams take to circumnavigate the globe.
The first season of “The Amazing Race” was filmed over 39 days, just like “Survivor.” Season three took 29 days. The family edition, season eight, reportedly was filmed over just three weeks and three days.
Ultimately, though, the actual production takes about a month.
However, team members have talked about being away from their lives for about two months. In part, that’s because they’re sequestered before the race, possibly for a week or more before they’re even cast. And they don’t just go home when they’re eliminated, instead traveling to an undisclosed location to vacation until they show up to line the path to the finish line. —A.D.
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is MSNBC.com's Television Editor. is a writer and teacher who publishes , a daily summary of reality TV news.