Tikkabik

Most so-called "reality TV" is exploitative and stupid. But there's a new show on Bravo (original home of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) that breaks the mold -- it's called "Project Runway," and it's actually worth checking out, mainly because the contestants are actually being judged on their creativity.

The concept is that a dozen fairly untested designers -- ranging from recent fashion school grads to professionals who own their own boutiques -- are tasked with creating clothing designs within a strict set of parameters -- being given $50 and told to use only those materials they can find in a supermarket, for example. Judges with backgrounds in fashion then look at the outfits, ask the designers to defend their ideas, then judge who's got the best outfit. One contestant is eliminated each week. The finalists will square off at an event in New York this February, with the winner getting a $100,000 purse, an Elle magazine spread and a mentorship.

I've seen three episodes so far (I believe the fourth is being broadcast for the first time this week), and it's been slightly different each time -- the supermarket concept was the first show -- the theme was "innovation." The following week the theme was "envy," and the contestants needed to come up with clever designs using cottom fabric and $50 worth of additional materials to demonstrate their vision. The third, and arguably most compelling so far, was to come up with a design for Banana Republic's Winter 2005 line that was good enough for the chain to actually sell the design in their stores. As you can see, there is some product and brand placement, but nothing out of the ordinary for this sort of endeavor.

The show's producers have done the usual thing of assembling a mix of contestants with wildly different personalities and backgrounds -- a few prima donnas, a few wallflowers, a few folks who look like they're a step away (in either direction) from some very intensive therapy and rehabilitation -- which makes for some interesting on-camera drama, with the inevitable breakdowns, screaming fits, drunken rages and so on.

But it's a nice switch from the usual shtick of taking otherwise interesting people and forcing them into humiliating, compromising or just plain weird situations -- these people are coming up with really creative ideas, having very limited parameters to work from. This is certainly a hell of a lot better than "The Swan" or "The Littlest Groom."

There's also a subplot involving the models they're using to show their designs on the runway. Each week, a designer is eliminated -- so the following week, a model is eliminated, too. That's a bit interesting, as well, because at the end of it, the top model will also get her own spread in Elle. So we can count on that competition getting a bit more heated as time goes on.

Anyway, I realize this isn't for everyone -- a show about fashion designers is bound to turn some people off from the word go -- but if you're open to it, it's really entertaining.