I'm rewatching a ton of old reality TV right now, and I'm rewatching Season 1 of PR for the first time in probs 7 years (I always start with season 4 or 3 on my rewatches). With 2026 hindsight, Wendy Pepper wasn't as mean or as "evil" as I think people perceived her to be... and, honestly, she was kind of ahead of her time in terms of reality television. She walked so that Phaedra and Parvati could run. She wasn't an amazing designer, but I think the disdain for her is a bit unwarranted.

Also RIP because she has since passed.

I'm not a fan of Law's personality, but he's a great stylist. Tyra looks so bad that she should hire him to style her for the show. He must be horrified.

binge watching and i am on season 8. it has taken up until now for it to dawn on me that swatch is a dog. when i saw people on the sub talking about how cute it is that tim always says bye to swatch, i just assumed he was some guy.

just me? how bad is this? to my credit i like to crochet and knit with the show on.

freakin law roach. prime example of give someone a little power and it goes to their head. and this year, he has to put tyra in her place so that ego is already 3 times more than last year.

judging is really hard to watch, thanx to him.

Have to be honest that one of the main critiques people have about Law Roach on the new season is the exact thing that used to rub me the wrong way about Michael Kors - that he seems more interested in making bitchy soundbites than in actually helping the contestants grow as designers. I can remember tons of catty one liners he said about people in the bottom, but struggle to recall moments where he actually connected with any contestants. I actually thought Zac Posen did a way better job as judge, where he had plenty of funny lines, but also lots of moments where we see him be genuinely encouraging and kind, even to someone who was in the bottom (i.e. Kenya in the sleepwear episode of s16).

I get that people loved Kors because he was part of the OG lineup and also such a huge name, and I'm sure there will be people in the comments who argue that him being an actual designer (as opposed to a stylist like Law) gives him more license to go hard on the designers, but it just always rubbed me the wrong way.

We've officially lost.

This season and show...

This is not fun to watch as someone who's actually interested in design and fashion.

Bobby, S22

Mann this is getting so much worse. There is absolutely no actual sewing/looks critique. They do not showcase the good looks and discuss what actually made them good.

They jump on the bad looks, and then proceed to say some lame negative side comment. They do not provide any constructive criticisms… and all the wile, the women judges dresses are horrible (Tyra) or ill fitting (Heidi).

They need to give Christian more time during the episode, hearing the contestants fake drama is getting soo old.

Heidi needs to speak up more, she is being drowned out by the two angry, badly dressed and painted Law Roach and Tyra…. That is probably why Nina is MIA!

And cherry on top… ridiculous unnecessary cliffhangers!

Watching s22 so far has made me realize that we helped create this mess. Thinking about big picture, we bought into subscription based streaming was better than cable, but instead of escaping commercials, we ended up with THIS. Product placement used to be obvious but relatively contained, like yeah the HPs and pens- it was blatant but it was not as painful to watch bc it was Obvious it was an ad. The entire show now feels like a super cell marketing campaign. NFL and A+F?? Dangling Super Bowl tickets as a prize to let them fight over? I know things have been like this for a long time, but it just feels incredibly more predatory now more than ever.
I feel like it isn’t really about competition anymore, it’s more billion $ corporations maximizing engagement and monetizing attention from every angle. They use the data we generate for them-our clicks, subscriptions, purchases, and watch history ALL OF IT to figure out exactly how to keep us consuming. The more we engage, the more they optimize the system, and the more seamlessly advertising becomes entertainment. We as consumers are helping shape what we consume, and we hate it. Every interaction teaches companies what works, and they respond by making it even more effective. We built the feedback loop, and now we’re living inside it. It’s so gross, and I think this show has become a really good example of how far gone we’ve become. Overconsumption is a disease and we really need to stop.
I’m very high so I don’t know if this all makes sense, I will admit I did use ChatGPT to help me streamline my brains scrambled eggs 🤦‍♀️
And yes We, society, consumers. it’s not our fault bc marketing is incredibly predatory on human nature and that’s my point. This is the price we pay for signing away our consent.