PROJECT RUNWAY Struts Down the Catwalk Again This Week

Break out those sewing machines and dial up the attitude, because PROJECT RUNWAY is back.

The highly-anticipated fifth season of PROJECT RUNWAY kicks off on Wednesday, July 16th at 9pm on Bravo. This season’s designers will do their best not to get auf’d by host Heidi Klum. Helping them ‘make it work’ is the heart of the show, Tim Gunn. And as always Nina Garcia, and American designer Michael Kors will return as judges. This season, Michael, Nina and Heidi will have a little help from guest judges including Diane Von Furstenberg, Sandra Bernhard, Apolo Ohno, Brooke Shields, LL Cool J, RuPaul, Rachel Zoe, Cynthia Rowley and Francisco Costa. Shocked that designers Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag didn’t make the judging panel. There’s always next year.

So what’s in store for the 5th season, which until know has remained very hush hush? “I feel as though we set the bar higher every season,” said Klum. “We’ve got some truly talented, innovative and deeply creative designers this year, and I think it’s fair to say, the most diverse everyone from a rocker chick who mostly works with leather to a more bohemian, surfer boy and everything in between.”

“Season after season the designers have amazed us,” said Tim Gunn, mentor to the designers. “They have different DNA, different chemistry within each other and different views their creative aptitude is right on par but how to characterize them? That’s up to the audience!”

If you’re interested the list following are the 16 new “Project Runway” designers:

• Blayne, 23 – Hometown: Yakima, Wash.; Resides in Seattle, Wash.
• Daniel, 25 – Hometown: Great Barrington, Mass.; Resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Emily, 27 – Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Jennifer, 27 – Hometown: East Syracuse, N.Y.; Resides in Pistoia, Italy
• Jerell, 28 – Hometown: Houston, Texas; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
• Jerry, 32 Hometown: Butte, Mont.; Resides in New York City
• Joe, 41 – Hometown/Resides in: Troy, Mich.
• Keith, 26 – Hometown/Resides in: Salt Lake City, Utah
• Kelli, 27 – Hometown/Resides in: Columbus, Ohio
• Kenley, 25 – Hometown: Pompano Beach, Fla.; Resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Korto, 33 – Hometown: Liberia; Resides in Mabelvale, Ark.
• Leanne, 27 – Hometown: Yuta, Calif.; Resides in Portland, Ore.
• Stella, 42 Hometown: Astoria, N.Y.; Resides in New York City
• Suede, 37 – Hometown: Seven Hills, Ohio; Resides in Barryville, N.Y.
• Terri, 39 – Hometown: Chicago, Ill.; Resides in Columbus, Ohio
• Wesley, 23 Hometown: Blackstone, Mass.; Resides in New York City

Are you going to be watching along with me? I can’t wait!!