Attempting to reinvent the wheel

For the past year I have been missing my favorite reality show (yes, even more than American Idol!), Project Runway. Bravo TV's contract with the producers was up and the show was sold to Lifetime instead. Per usual with Hollywood, lawsuits ensued and it will have been over a year since the last season (a lifetime, no pun intended, in the world of reality TV) by the time it airs on Lifetime this summer.

Not to be outdone, Bravo used it's time wisely as the lawsuits continued and developed a new show, The Fashion Show. I saw the debut and am not sure I will be adding it to my regular TV mix. To be frank, it is Project Runway-lite and not necessarily in a good way. Isaac Mizrahi is the big name draw as co-host and judge. His designs are best know through Target stores. He is delightfully gay and honest. So put that in the plus column for the show. On the negative side is Kelly Rowland. The former Destiny Child singer adds nothing to the commentary. Even the producers seem to recognize this as we only see her speaking scripted lines or giving small inane comments.

Another plus is that the contestants give a fashion show to industry insiders so it's not just the judges who review and provide feedback. It's great exposure for the designers. On the flip side, the producers decided to go with over the top personalities rather than just talent. On Project Runway there was always one or two quirky people (remember Austin? or Kenley?) but they don't completely dominate. On this new show the crazies seem to outweigh the normals.

And Isaac's parting catchphrase? Horrid. "We just don't buy it." Gah. Worse than the Top Design, "See you later, decorator." Has anyone else checked out the show? How do you think it compares to Project Runway? Are you missing Tim Gunn as much as me?