Inspired by hair, now that's a bit of a stretch, but you had to love this challenge

Last night's challenge on Project Runway was fierce! And it did illustrate a real-life task for every high-end designer...they must put on a runway show that dazzles and amazes, and then actually sell clothes to real live women.

The designers were told that they were going to have to design an Avant Garde and "conceptual" outfit inspired by the hairdo of whatever model they chose. They were told to think big, think creative, don't think practical or wearable.

Since the previous challenge had involved a group of teenagers who are about to become the worst-dressed prom-goers ever (and that's saying a lot, given they're from Jersey! Ba-da-bing!) once again two models were going to have to go. This has been a tough year on the models, don't you think?

Two models I can't really remember were auf'ed, and the 8 designers were sent to the work room.

And now we discover why they had to bring Chris back when Jack went to the hospital, because this episode brought back the return of the dreaded TEAMS. Twosomes were randomly assigned, and then they had to pick only one of the wacky hairdos to inspire them. They also had to pick a team leader.

Once again, I will give my advice to future Project Runway contestants: Never agree to be team leader. You are only about 99.999% more likely to be the one auf'ed from your team if things go badly. Yes, that would be the five nines of responsibility, not reliability. (Telecom inside joke for my old high tech homies...shout out!)

So, here were the teams, leader assignments, and the inspiring hairdo options:

1. Kit and Ricky were teamed; they chose to be inspired by Marie's ratty bird's nest of a hairdo, and since the whole "nest" concept was Kit's, she was chosen as leader. Cue ominous music.

2. Rami and Sweet P were teamed; they chose to be inspired by Sam's long, wavy red locks (about which there was nothing particularly avant garde, I must say) and I'm sure you're not surprised that Rami seized leadership with both hands and strangled it into submission.

3. Christian and Chris were teamed; they chose to be inspired by Marcia's bit fat bun of braids (and come on PR, couldn't you have sprung for a big fat bun that was at least the same color as Marcia's own hair, couldn't you, huh?) and again, since Christian was running ahead fantasizing about "circles and circles of organza" he was chosen as team leader.

4. Victorya and Jillian were teamed (didn't you see Ultimate Passive-aggressive Fighting in their future?); they chose to be inspired by a Ponyhawk. Oh, and in true passive-aggressive fashion they flipped a coin for leadership, and Victorya won (lost?)

Team #1 was led by Kit's concept of bird's nest=gardening=layers of aprons. I know. All the people hatin' on Ricky aren't remembering that this entire crappy idea was Kit's. including some key fabric choices.

Team #2 was led by Rami's Johnny-One-Note vision of yet another grecian drapy gown...this time made shocking and avant garde by being worn over pants. Knock me over with a feather.

Team #3 was led by the aforementioned vision of circles and circles of organza, but don't you think for a minute that Chris' beach Blanket Babylon type work didn't finally pay off for him on this show!!

Team #4...well I'm not sure who really had the vision, but it's not like it's unthinkable that a Ponyhawk would lead you to think of militaristic apocalyptic clothes, so I guess it doesn't really matter.

On day two, Tim had a little surprise for our teams...revealing that they would also have to design a ready-to-wear (RTW) outfit that evoked their Avant Garde design, but was wearable and affordable.

This is where it got really interesting, because while the designers were acting shocked and appalled (mostly at the lack of time) I was excited to see what they would come up with, and agreed that this is what real designers have to do every single season.

Most of the drama in this episode was centered around Rami and his complete lack of people management skills trying to work with Sweet P who is the least scary woman completely covered in tats that you'll ever meet. Additional drama was found in the Time Management Twins, Jillian and Victorya who whined and moaned incessantly (as they do every week, come to think of it) that they didn't know if they would finish...and then sent something snap-worthy down the runway.

On to the show.

Our judges were introduced by Heidi:

Michael "Please, man, shave!" Kors
Nina "What happened to her charming and (oh my god) slightly ethnic 'hola'?" Garcia
Italian designer Alberta Ferretti

And this is what they saw:

1. Team Rami/Sweet P

The AG look was a beige, oh, OK, champagne Grecian dress with a corset top with too much embellishment over black pants. Seriously, were those jingle bells at her shoulder? (It was one-shouldered, of course.) There were ribbons down the back and several drapy layers (and I missed the whole relationship to the model's long, wavy hair personally.) Later we discovered that for Rami long waves=romantic=corsets. Yeah? Try breathing in one and see how romantic you feel! Anyway, you could see the criticism coming form a mile away...looked like everything else Rami does, and black pants do not an avant garde outfit make.

The RTW look was all Sweet P and it was truly adorable. It was a pleated silver and pewter dress with (again) one shoulder and a wide ribbon empire sash. Totally would wear it tomorrow.

2. Team Fierce aka Christian and Chris

The AG look was indeed circles and circles of organza, culminating with a fierce, constructed collar/ruff gone to extremes over the models left shoulder. So, the sleeves were a bit Carmen Miranda, and the neck ruffle a bit Beach Blanket Babylon, and this team also went with a rather pale and neutral beige/champagne color, but it was definitely jaw-dropping and conceptual.

The RTW look paled by comparison. It was a camel pencil skirt with a champagne, ruffled, sleeveless blouse and a wide brown belt. it made themodel look like she had no waist and was all in all...Meh.

3: Team Kit/Ricky

The AG look was a nice slim corset top, with limp straps and then a hoop skirt that was part Holly Hobby, part Carol Burnett's take on Scarlett O'Hara and the curtain dress. The satin trim at each layer made each layer look like a blanket...and yes, all those trim were puckery and wrinkly. What a disaster.

The RTW dress was actually cute...it was a simple little floral dress with a keyhole front. It did use the unfortunate Holly Hobby fabric that Kit picked, but otherwise it didn't really seem to coordinate much. No bird's nest growing out of the ass of the RTW dress, that's for sure. but again, cute little shape of a dress.

4. Team Victorya/Jillian

The AG look...well, I have to say that while I liked the combo of a black sateen militaristic trench coat with beige jodphurs and a wide belt, with some interesting lining peeking out, i didn't find it particularly new or fresh. I have seen that look before. Many, many times. The best part of the outfit was the white blouse (and particularly the back with a wide ribbon criss-cross lace up) that they didn't even show. So perhaps it erally was the second best design, but it was behind, at least from a forward, conceptual, original perspective, by a mile.

The RTW look was a throwaway black one-shouldered dress with a flounce at one side of the skirt and a plaid strap. Yawn. And if you're going to call the Kit/Ricky RTW dress cheap, why not this one too? It looked like that 70s fabric Quiana for goodness sake.

It was clear where the judges were headed:

Christian and Chris were in the top 2, and michael got to pull out the word "soigne" which must have made him feel all tingly all over.

Victorya and Jillian were also in the top 2, and they also raved about there really being three looks.

It seemed obvious to me Team Fierce should win for the actual challenge: which was to make something fantasical. and so, they did.

Rami and Sweet P were in the bottom 2. He tried to throw her under the bus, but they loved her little dress, and the criticisms were all about him: one-note designer, bad team leadership.

Kit and Ricky were in the bottom 2, and they mentioned everything I did above, including the Scarlett O'Hara reference (if not the Carol Burnett reference) but they also didn't like the RTW. Which is why you knew someone on this team would go home. People can complain about Ricky, but it's true that Kit had the vision, Kit chose the fabric, and Kit hasn't done a single other things this season that I can even remember, let alone that stands out.

So, I'm not sad to say Auf to Kit. (And I'm sure Ricky will go soon, all you Ricky-haters.)

The thing is I have no stand-out favorite at this point, do you?

Rami is talented, but definitely a bit one-note, and so bad at working with people that I wonder how he'll run a business.

Sweet P has made some cute things, but I have no sense of what she means when she says "this is so 'me'" really? Because what is that?

Ricky seems to be the best at working with people, and he has some worthwhile ideas, but the design never goes that extra step to be fabulous, and his execution never quite steps up.

Christian is hella obnoxious, doesn't listen, doesn't care, and he better steer away from ruffled/pleats now or become a little one-note himself.

Chris... is lucky to be back in, and is doing perhaps the best job of molding himself to be more what the judges want. but you do have to worry about the whole Kayne/taste-level charge and when that's going to rear its ugly head again.

Victorya is, actually, even more hella obnoxious than Christian. and I have never seen what is all that about her ideas either. I don't like her; I wish she was Auf.

Jillian has talent, but again, hasn't really wowed me. She has promise, but I'm so sick of the whiny, poor-me, can't-do attitude.

How about you? Who's standing out to you?