"Project Runway" is back!! Although the beloved show, which made its long-awaited return last night, is on a new network (Lifetime) and filmed in a new city (Los Angeles), the classic vibe remains, as do our old friends Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, and the fabulous Tim Gunn. (Notice I didn't mention Nina Garcia. Yes, she's still around, but I would never put that horrible shrew in the friend category.)

After such a long wait, the first episode seemed a bit lifeless and anti-climactic. But to be fair, the first episode of any season is rarely a good indication of how things will go. There are just so many designers (16) at the start, which makes it hard to really delve into the different personalities. Still, there have always been the "stars" who stood out from the get-go, like the hilarious Santino Rice (Season 2), über-villian Jeffrey Sebelia (Season 3), and Caption Ferosh of Fierceytown, Christian Siriano (Season 4).

A couple of designers who tried their best to make their marks were Ari Fish, who might as well have been wearing a flashing neon "I'm Weird" sign on her head, and Johnny Sakalis, a recovering meth addict who suddenly buckled under the pressure of the competition, requiring an intervention, er, pep talk from Tim Gunn. But I've seen weirder and I've heard worse sob stories, so these designers better start bringing it.

The show embraced its move to L.A. on the first challenge. Tim assembled everyone at the Nokia Theatre, the site of the 2009 Emmys, where he informed the designers that they would be making red carpet designs that were innovative and representative of their individual perspectives. Everyone received $200 to shop for fabric at Mood and two days to whip up some celeb-worthy styles.

Joining the regular panel this week was guest judge Lindsay Lohan, who is apparently a fashion icon now despite the fact that she wears leggings every day. The designers (especially Ra'Mon) were all very excited to see her, although it wasn't anywhere near the Beatlesque reaction that Sarah Jessica Parker got when she guested during Season 4.

L to R: Top Row: Mitchell Hall, Ari Fish, Nicolas Putvinski, Louise Black, Malvin Vien, Shirin Askari, Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman, Christopher Straub, Gordana Gehlhausen Bottom Row: Irina Shabayeva, Johnny Sakalis, Qristyl Frazier, Logan Neitzel, Althea Harper, Carol Hannah Whitfield, Epperson
© Mike Yarish/Lifetime Networks

Let's meet this season's designers and their creations:

Althea Harper, 24 - The very bubbly blonde from Dayton, OH has interned with both Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. On the runway, she showed her fondness for Old Hollywood style with a slinky silver gown featuring white ruffle details. My Grade: B

Ari Fish, 26 - The Kansas City native was obviously chosen to be this season's token oddball and Ari didn't disappoint. In the workroom (now at L.A.'s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), she announced that she didn't sketch, and filled up that time instead by oddly strutting around and doing headstands. Her eerie resemblance to Samantha Ronson certainly caught LiLo's attention, as did her wack-a-doodle (thank you, Suede) design, which was almost as slutty as it was shiny. My Grade: F

Carol Hannah Whitfield, 24 - She is a sweet girly-girl from Charleston, SC who described her style as "pixie meets cocktail party." I was fully expecting to like Carol Hannah's dress, but it was a bizarre concoction that looked like Belle's gold gown from "Beauty and the Beast," had it been deconstructed and restyled for Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour. My Grade: D

Christopher Straub, 30 - In only the first episode, Christopher cried more than I have in the last two years, so he could be this season's Andrae Gonzalo or Ricky Lizalde. The Minnesota native also has no formal design training. How do I know this? Because he reminded everyone about 90 times. With that much heavy foreshadowing, I wasn't at all surprised to find that his two-tone gathered and ruffled dress turned out to be one of the best of the bunch. My Grade: A

Epperson, 49 - None of the designers could believe that this long, lean, dreadlocked New Yorker was nearly 50. Yet no one thought it was odd that his name was Epperson. JUST Epperson, like Cher or Prince. While I liked the basic design and chocolate color of his dress, the fabric was much too heavy. His model looked like she was being swallowed up by the extensive draping at the neckline. My Grade: C

Gordana Gehlhausen, 45 - Born in the former Yugoslavia and raised in Bosnia, Gordana ran a boutique in Charleston, SC before relocating to San Diego, CA. I like her very feminine style but I wasn't wild about her first Runway piece, a strapless mini that looked like it was constructed from green and white tissue paper. Too bland for the red carpet. My Grade: D

Irina Shabayeva, 27 - For some reason, I've already pegged this Russian-born New Yorker as the requisite bitch. I don't know why. Maybe it's her little, yappy dog. Regardless, I quite liked her design, a cream-colored gown with a fitted, low-cut, lace bodice, flowing skirt, and cute little black sash. My Grade: A

Johnny Sakalis, 30 - Seems that the producers are setting up this Hollywood resident to be this season's bad boy. I guess that whole meth addiction helps. Between his early breakdown and the fact that he's previously tried out for the show twice and didn't make the cut, I wonder if he actually has what it takes to do well in this competition. If his first design, a sexy red number, is any indication, he probably does. My Grade: B

Logan Neitzel, 26 - Although he kind of looks like he belongs in a Britpop band, this Seattle dude is all about rock 'n' roll, and it shows in his designs. I LOVED his dress, an edgy grey and black gown that would be right at home at the Grammys. My Grade: A

Louise Black, 32 - Not to be confused with Lewis Black, the acerbic stand-up comic, this Texan is the much less annoying answer to last year's lover of all things vintage, Kenley Collins. I was really hoping to like her dress, but it was kind of a big, champagne mess. I can only describe it as something that a genie would wear to the prom. In the '80s. My Grade: D

Malvin Vien, 24 - Isn't Malvin Vien a great name? It sounds like a punk band! At first glance, this androgynous New Yorker might seem like this season's answer to Christian Siriano, but he's much too soft-spoken. Someone needs to replace his coffee with fierceness crystals. He needs to sprinkle it on his fabric too, because the white dress he made was rather bland. It was much more appropriate for lunch at the country club than a Hollywood premiere. My Grade: C

Mitchell Hall, 26 - All I could think of when I looked at this guy is that he could be Perez Hilton's better-looking cousin. Therefore, I immediately didn't like him very much. I didn't like his design either, even before he screwed up the measurements and had to rip it apart and sew his model into it. It just looked like a sheer bathrobe with an ugly, smocked collar. My Grade: F

Nicolas Putvinski, 27 - Apparently, he is known as the "feather guy" in NYC. I've never heard of him, but then I'm not much of a feather girl. I was expecting him to make some sort of Big Bird costume based on his self-description, but he actually designed a really cool black mini with some grey silk woven through the bodice. My Grade: B

Qristyl Frazier, 42 - I liked Qristyl right off the bat. She has a very fun personality, and I love that she's one of the few designers out there (and I think the only one on "Project Runway") who caters to plus size women. Of course, in the world of fashion, anything above a size 4 is plus size or, as Qristyl calls it, plus sexy. Unfortunately, her design was anything but sexy. It looked like a circus clown threw up on her model. My Grade: F

Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman, 31 - This Chicago native is a med school dropout. I guess if anyone's fingers get caught in the sewing machine, he'll be a handy guy to have around. His navy gown wasn't exactly innovative, but it was certainly pretty and very appropriate for the red carpet. My Grade: B

Shirin Askari, 24 - This pretty brunette Texan has been designing and making her own clothes since she was a child. She draws inspiration from classic movies, but I doubt Ginger Rogers ever would've worn Shirin's red carpet design. It was a fairly boring cream-colored, knee-length dress with a horribly drab capelet. My Grade: D


Although my grades and the judges' grades weren't an exact match, it was pretty close. Christopher, Johnny, and Ra'Mon had the highest scores, while Ari, Mitchell, and Qristyl had the lowest scores.

Since the judges thought that the bold red color of Johnny's dress was a bit much and that Ra'Mon's design was too "safe," Christopher was named as the winner (that lack of formal training really paid off). Michael Kors thought his dress was "cute and edgy," and Heidi and Nina praised its "youthful" look.

Qristyl was let off the hook first, leaving Ari and Mitchell to sweat it out on the chopping block. Even though all the judges agreed that Mitchell's sheer dress was completely unwearable, Nina still thought his design had an "attitude," that made her curious about what he might do next. No one was sure if Ari was actually serious about her design, which Michael aptly described as a "disco soccer ball." LiLo (who looked like she was suffering from indigestion all through judging) told Ari that she needed "an awareness of what's appropriate." Oh snap! If Lindsay Lohan thinks you're inappropriate, YOU ARE INAPPROPRIATE. Maybe the most inappropriate person on the planet.

All that inappropriateness proved too much for the judges, who cast Ari out. I thought for sure they would have kept her around, since the weird ones usually spark more water cooler talk, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe she looked so much like SamRo that the judges agreed to let LiLo take her home and keep her.

Auf wiedersehen - see you next week!

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"The Pop Eye @ Starpulse" is a column written by native Pittsburgher and current New Yorker, Becky Broderick. You may contact Becky directly at beckeyeam@gmail.com, or check out her other ramblings on The Pop Eye.