Project Runway Junior Season 2 Recap: On Your Garde

Image via Lifetime

This week’s episode of Project Runway Junior sees the kids introduced to the programs concept of Avant Garde and Tim’s love of fencing.

It’s a new year and Project Runway: Junior is on their third episode already! Having been on vacation  the last two weeks, this episode feels like catch up as the remaining ten teenagers squeal over a fencer who is obviously Tim Gunn, and his fencing teacher, Olympic medalist Tim Morehouse. They’re here to introduce this season’s “avant garde” challenge, inspired by Tim being pushed out of his comfort zone.

This is also the first team challenge, eliciting groans, though we all know that the teenager’s team dramas are never as terrible as the drama on the adult version. To wit:

• Izzy and Cartier
• Chris and Rene
• A’kai and Hawwaa
• Chelsea and Allie
• Molly and Tieler

Image via Lifetime

At Mood there is a budget of $300, since they are supposed to be seriously over the top with these designs. Unfortunately, at Mood it also becomes clear that unlike last year, all team challenges are not going to be shiny happy designers holding fabric (and structural materials, provided free of charge in the workroom.) Hawwaa puts on airs early and often over being older, and being the “boss of the team,’ which is never, ever a good sign. Especially when she admits the bravado and snide behavior is stemming from the fact that she feels completely at sea in this challenge.

After all, it’s not like everyone else in the room loves their looks. Let’s see what Tim thinks.

• Chelsea&Allie: They were doubting themselves hard, but Tim came in, told them he loved it and suddenly it was all happy tears.
• Hawwaa&A’kai: Hawwaa starts throwing A’kai under the bus even before she hears the critique.He all but tells her to chill the hell out and calm down.
• Chris&Rene: Their idea of avant garde is painting a heart in the center of the bodice. Not like a heart emoji, like the body part. Next!
• Izzy&Cartier: They are trying not to go literal and wound up with a goth ballgown
• Tieler&Molly: They’re making something that looks like it was inspired by the iamknight Etsy shop. Carry on!

Image via Lifetime

Despite Tim’s plea to Hawwaa to stop acting terrible has fallen on deaf ears. Everyone else is having a good time, because everyone else is not freaking out over their designs. She winds herself up until she goes into the bathroom and melts down. A’kai runs to Tim, but declines actual mediation, he just wants Tim to side with him in front of the judges at the critique.

Day of runway, and the Product Displaying Makeup People turn out to be Butter London this year. There does not seem to be a hair sponsor. There’s no accessory wall either, or if there is, no one is told to use it thoughtfully. Instead the younger ones admit they’ve never heard of David Bowie, to the horror of the older teens. (They have no idea.) Hawwaa and A’kai have another spat where she all put announces she’s throwing him under the bus, with no idea he’s already accounted for that. We’ll have to see how it goes for the both of them.