Andy DehnartMore likely than not, Bravo will air its last new Project Runway episode ever tonight. It’s the finale of Project Runway 5, and even if NBC Universal wins its lawsuit to keep the show from moving to Lifetime, the series is unlikely to return to Bravo, perhaps even moving to NBC.
Thus, it’s a significant hour of television–not as much for the competition, but because the show literally defined Bravo as a network far more than its breakout series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy ever did. It will also be the last season of the show to be produced by Magical Elves, the production company that created a new aesthetic for reality television with its format for the series.
As the final sewing needle in the show’s repeatedly punched eye, that last new episode will air opposite the final presidential debate, and Barack Obama and John McCain’s last face-off was watched by more than 63 million people (across all networks), so it’s more likely than ever before that this finale won’t break Bravo records.
It’s the sadly perfect end to a season that has been the weakest of the five, and that Bravo treated like shit: moving it to an earlier timeslot, revealing most of the challenges and guest judges early, and not promoting it until just a couple days before the debut.
Bravo also didn’t air a pre-finale reunion, and no post-finale reunion is scheduled, but the guys at Project Rungay constructed their own reunion, which is far more hilarious than a real one would have been, and has the added bonus of lacking Kenley’s voice.