The return of "Project Runway"

Finally life can begin again as Tim, Heidi, Michael and Nina return to my television. Following a year long absence, "Project Runway" returned last night on Lifetime with a three and half hour premiere night that left hardcore fans like me giddy.

I knew I was missing it, but I didn't realize how empty my life had been until I heard Tim tell a designer to "make it work."

The evening started with the "All-Star Challenge" featuring past contestants returning to compete for $100,000. Participants included Korto, Daniel V., Sweet P, Uli, Jeffrey, Mychael, Chris March and Santino.

The alums returned to show off how they had improved in their time away from the "Runway." Apparently Santino hadn't learned how to not make a fool of himself, because whatever small amount of fame he had gained from the show had turned him into an even bigger d-bag than he was before. Though I must admit he had some competition from Jeffrey who seemed to be trying way too hard to get noticed.

Ultimately after two hours of sewing drama it came down to Daniel and Korto, who is one of my all time favorites. This seemed poetic since they were both runners up during their respective seasons. Much to my and Korto's chagrin, Daniel was proclaimed the winner, thus paving the way for the main event.

To the delight of fans, Lifetime didn't try to reinvent the wheel and left the show completely intact. We started with introductions to the designers and the first challenge, which was to design a red carpet outfit that would show off their style.

It's always hard to get to know the contestants in the first few episodes but there were a few who stood out.

Johnny

A recovering addict who had the first breakdown of the season five minutes into the challenge when he couldn't make a decision. Following a Tim Gunn peptalk he did pull it together enough to create a nice red gown that almost got him the win.

Mitchell

A fashion school graduate who seemed to forget that a huge part of "Project Runway" involved thinking on your feet. So when his original dress didn't work out, instead of "making it work" he made his model basically wear a sheet down the runway and threw her under the bus for the first outfit not fitting properly.

Ari

A complete and total kook who doesn't sketch and threw "a diaper with a halter" (thank you Michael Kors) down the runway. She was even too crazy for guest judge Lindsey Lohan and was the first to hear the dreaded auf Wiedersehn.

The last half hour was the slightly less interesting "Models of the Runway" which follows the models through their half of the competition. The show picked up minutes after Ari's elimination and concluded with the designers selecting models for the next challenge.

Unfortunately for Mitchell's model, who he again bad-mouthed, she was the odd woman out and was the first one eliminated.

All in all it was a great relief to have "Project Runway" back where it belongs and to once again enjoy all the cattiness and craziness that only happens when you have a workroom full of designers making clothes out of placemats and stainless steel scrubbing pads.