Why ‘Project Runway’ Fans Hate the New Season originally appeared on Parade.
Project Runway fans can agree the show just hasn’t been the same since the departure of Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, the show’s original host and mentor. While they helmed a new design competition called Making the Cut, Season 4 winner Christian Siriano filled Gunn’s mentor shoes, and a whole bunch of other personalities tried to fill Klum’s heels. But let’s face it—there’s nothing like hearing Klum say, “You’re out” in her thick German accent.
But for Season 21, Project Runway got a new home on Freeform as well as a new host. Well, a new old host. Klum returned! One day you’re in, and the next day you’re out…but several years later, you’re back in again.
Despite showing a promising start pre-season, fans don’t seem to be jiving with it so far. Here’s why.
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There’s one big general fan consensus around Season 21: it’s too heavy on the drama. While the early seasons were focused on the designers’ construction and creativity, this season has so far been centered around conflicts and critiques. “All the manufactured drama, the expletives and the gratuitous rudeness… I was totally turned off and do not plan to watch any more episodes as long as this BS is going on,” one disappointed fan wrote on Reddit. Another commenter put it succinctly: “It’s turned into Real Housewives of the Runway.”
Another controversial twist came this season: the elimination is now shown at the beginning of the next episode, forcing viewers to wait a week after watching the challenge to see who goes home. “All this drama is built up as we head toward the end of the show — who will be sent home???” a Redditor wrote. “And then the show ends and now it’s a week later and you know what? I don’t really care anymore.”
One fan argued that these tweaks make the show feel like a shell of its former self. “Every episode feels like a trailer,” they wrote. “No thanks.”
Why ‘Project Runway’ Fans Hate the New Season first appeared on Parade on Aug 14, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
