Well, this is one vexing season of Project Runway, is it not? Just when we had all tired of Ricky Lizalde barely scraping by, the judges give him a win.

I guess I should have seen this coming. Nobody could get as much screen time as Ricky has over the season without it building to something. The question is what? Just that last final moment in the sun, or more? He doesn't have immunity next week, so he will have to continue to step it up.

And we saw the departure of Victorya Hong, which, quite frankly, I was a little surprised by. Not from a fashion perspective, but rather from an editing one.

We've gotten a sense of her as an Ice Queen through the season. (Don't you love how in the above photo, she even sprints with her arms crossed?)  And perhaps for that very reason, she seemed remote. Nevertheless, like Kevin Christiana and Kit Pistol, I think I expected that we would get to know a little but more about them as people – i.e., beyond the workroom persona – before they were auf'd.

While generally having expectations overturned is a good thing for a reality competition, there is something that seems a little…off about it this season of Project Runway. I like the designers and I've liked the challenges, but somehow the whole thing seems more muted and less personal than it has in seasons past. Maybe now that we are down to six, things will get a bit more fleshed out for us.

But now, onto to Chic or Freak!

Or, for this week, Almost Chic or Freak.

ALMOST CHIC

I just couldn't pick a single best look, and once again, it's not because I love them all, rather because I don't love any one enough.

Ricky's is cute, for sure. And I swear I'm not picking on it because picking on Ricky has become the thing to do, but no matter how long I looked at it, I couldn't love it like the judges did. I like it, but when I look at it, I think, “Gee, that's an adorable Forever 21 dress,” not, “Wow check that denim couture!”

Rami Kashou's is also cute, and at first I thought, “Super cute! Absolutely Chic for this week.” But the longer I looked at that one, the more I wanted to stick a jaunty cap on her and put her behind an airplane beverage cart. “Please make sure your carry-on is stowed and enjoy your flight on Sassy Minx Airlines.”

Onward to Sweet P's, whose, I think showed probably the most beautiful take on the denim. Your eye first notices the strong lovely colorblock design, and then the fact that it's made of varying shades of denim is like a clever little wink. But the fit of the skirt is somewhat unflattering. While too tight could have looked a little déclassé, I think she could have fit the skirt just a smidge better to make the shape more feminine and less reminiscent of the unflattering jean skirt your fourth grade music teacher always wore with a Hawaiian printed camp shirt and orthopedic sandals.

(Aside: I admired Christian's clever usage of the jacket's sleeves, and thought he did make a cute outfit…um is anyone else starting to wish he could make a unpuffed sleeve and a wide-legged trouser just for the heck of it?)

FREAK

This challenge proved to be Jillian Lewis's most challenging hour thus far, and it showed, once again, that time pressures and stress can really get to her. I think her overall aesthetic and look is my favorite among all the designers, but when going through the looks this week, hers suddenly seemed much worse than even Victorya's. Welcome to Fuglytown, USA; population: This Coat.

I also question her choice of doing a jacket shape whose top is so similar to the one from last episode of Project Runway.

That said, I'd still love to see Jillian make it to Fashion Week, so I am hoping she improves this next episode.

What do you think?

- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Images courtesy of Bravo)