I have been eagerly awaiting the return of Project Runway for a while. Everyone knows about the contract issues, and the big move from Bravo to Lifetime, so I won’t go into detail about that. But I have always loved this show–Tim, Heidi, Michael Kors, and even Nina Garcia. The premiere did not disappoint. There was drama, a former crystal meth addict, crazy spelled names, a mental breakdown, and of course, Tim Gunn telling someone to “Make it work.” Some of the contestants were fantastic, but in the words of a former Runway contestant, some were a hot mess.

Who’s hot: I enjoyed Nick (self titled feather prince). I enjoyed Caroline (from South Carolina) and her portfolio, and Mitchell and his clothes. At first, I really liked Johnny (the former drug addict), but in the end, while he pulled through, it seemed like he wasn’t able to handle the pressure of this show.

Who’s not: I was not so sure about Ari (or pronounced Airy), and her lack of sketches. I really don’t know what to think of Malvin, mostly because his name is Malvin, but also because he seemed to have weird ideas about what makes a good design.

The first challenge was to design a red carpet dress that shows off the designers’ unique style. The guest judge for this challenge was Lindsay Lohan. I’m not sure why, but I was really glad to see her. I had to wonder if her girlfriend’s connections got her the job. Anyway, I have to say, I liked a lot of the dresses, while some were large disasters. Mitchell had a problem with his model’s measurements and basically had to sew a new dress (if you can call it that) onto the model. Ari’s wasn’t even a dress–I think there were shorts in her outfit. Qristyl (yes, that’s how she spells her name) had a crazy two-toned disaster. I wasn’t sure if I liked the “winners” but I did agree with the judges decision to send Ari home. Mitchell showed a lot of potential, and good taste…even if he wasn’t able to make a dress.

I look forward to a season of crazy fashion, fighting over sewing machines, and of course, designers gathering around. I like that Lifetime didn’t attempt to change the format, and kept it basically identical to the original. I’m not sure how I feel about the new Los Angeles location, but they still had Mood fabrics (which I hear might have been created for the show). I don’t have any favorites yet, as I think it will take a little while for me to learn everyone’s names. But I am very excited that Runway is back!