I have been reading months of emails regarding everything-Santino. People are mad at us for casting him. People are accusing BRAVO of keeping him on the show for ratings. People are accusing him of ruining Diana Eng's life by cruelly making fun of her voice. People are saying he's the worst designer they've ever seen. I always believed in him as a designer, feathers and jumpsuits and all, and I somehow thought that at some point viewers would be resigned to his being in the final three. But when I returned from LA last week, there was a whole fresh batch of Santino-rage awaiting me in the Andy's Blog Inbox. People wanted to RE-register their fury that the judges had kept him in the final 3.



Shelia wrote: "Andy, I mean get real, I wouldn't walk my dog in an outfit that Santino designed, much less go out in regular public. Nick should have been in the top 3, not Santino."



Well, Shelia, you are one of many many fans of the show who is furious that Nick did not make it to the finals. If we'd been manipulating the show in the ways we've been accused, then perhaps we would've kept fan favorite Nick and made our viewers happy instead of enraged.



Nancy wrote: "I think it is predetermined that Santino is going to win (regardless of the fact that only one of his creation probably would be worn.) He should've been outed long before the finale night, but the judges seem to like his form of bull just like they liked Jay's."



And then LC wrote in defense of Chloe: "Is it all about Santino and Daniel? Why in the world is no attention being paid to Chloe? Is it because she is not controversial, flamboyant? It's too late, but once again, it's not how talented a person is, it's the personality and what makes good television. The poor Asian is used again as a backdrop for others to get in your face and win. If that's the case, there should not have been the top 3, it should have been the top 2 so that the poor Asian wouldn't have to subject herself to such stress."



Well I am sure that LC was among those in the cheering section on Wednesday night and, to her credit, she logged back on and sent me an apology the next day. "I wrote an email before I knew the results of the contest. I was wrong, the judges did pick the most talented up and coming designer. I thought she would be overlooked because she didn't have the personality that made 'Good Controversial TV'."



That was among the positive emails that I got, but I will report that there were plenty of people upset by Chloe's win. I got a wave of emails from people rushing to DEFEND Santino as an amazing designer and as the rightful winner of the show. I understand why people were upset - I thought his collection was beautiful. People were upset by what the judges wanted from him in light of their telling him to tone it down all season and then feeling that he'd lost his personality with his final collection. But the emails rushing to his defense were a nice surprise given the rage that he elicited over the past few months.



I got a letter yesterday from a very upset viewer, a college professor I'll call "Renata" at a very good school that I will not name. She is convinced that the entire season is fixed, including Daniel V. and Kara and Santino being "pressured into fingering Chloe as the one who should be eliminated."



Renata fumes: "Too bad the producers don't believe that the best designers will actually yield the most interesting show. The whole thing leaves me sick to my stomach. So here is the explanation why you guys need to invent ridiculous challenges which ensure inferior designs: you just want to increase the torture level on the contestants because you cynically read the audience as being as sadistic as you are. This is not Survivor, or at least I thought it wasn't that's why I was willing to watch it.



Why can't hollywood realize that truth yields a good story all by
itself. It doesn't need malicious manipulation. Life is malicious enough without embroidery." She continues to berate us for our the 13th garment as a form of sadism over the designers.



Renata is right. Life is indeed malicious enough without embroidery. But she continues: "I am fed up with the creation of a Nazi culture via Hollywood. It is no wonder the Christian right wants to shut you down. I'm hoping you kill each other off and leave the earth to those of us who are truly the fittest to survive. You guys don't belong anywhere. PS. I get paid to be a cultural critic. What do you get paid to do?"



Well Renata, I may be one of the only Jewish guys who can be accused of creating a Nazi culture. I am certain that NBC Universal is not paying me to create a Nazi culture, and if they are I am going to ask to be let out of my contract. I am glad that someone is paying you to be a critic, but we don't tell anybody what to say. We love our judges; they're are experts in their field and we just ask them to express their opinions. We try to produce an entertaining show that gives new designers a place to show off their creativity.



Most of all, I am sorry that PROJECT RUNWAY made you so furious. It should make you HAPPY. It makes me very happy because I think it is smart and fresh and fun to watch. I would love it even if I didn't work at BRAVO.



I am happy for all the designers on RUNWAY - win or lose. I think they're going to go on to great things. I'm happy for Santino. He got to prove himself to everyone who thought he was all talk. I am happy for Daniel, who is at the start of a long career. I am happy for Renata for caring so much that she wrote that letter. And I hope that Renata will transfer her passion for design to a passion for cooking and tune in to TOP CHEF until RUNWAY returns and she can begin her boycott.



In the meantime, I love hearing anybody's thoughts about our shows so keep the emails coming!