A Project Runway First Will See Contestants Vote Each Other Off

It’s been a cut-throat season of Project Runway so far, to say the least. The Season 21 reboot of the reality TV fashion competition isn’t pulling any punches, and already we’ve seen some heartbreaking eliminations and some tough words from judge Law Roach.

This past week, an entirely new twist was dropped on the contestants: after the unconventional challenge, they would be voting among themselves to decide who would be sent home. With a choice between the bottom three, who will the group pick to pack up their work station for good?

The Cast Is Already Split On Their Decision

After last week’s unconventional materials challenge, which included making looks out of science fair equipment supplied by the cast of Abbott Elementary, the cast held a runway show in the workroom for Christian Siriano and Law Roach. Law was the sole judge of the runway show, and he selected three contestants as his least favorite looks—Joan, Antonio, and Joseph McCrae.

The cast was devastated when they learned that they’d be tasked with choosing who to eliminate. Though we won’t get their answer until this week’s episode, tensions are already running high, especially because another contestant, Jesus, is Antonio’s twin, and is clearly desperate to save his brother.

In a Reddit thread discussing the situation, fans are already predicting how the voting will go down. One commenter pointed out that, with six designers voting on the bottom three, it was possible that things would come out to a draw:

They’ve set it up already. Jesus says Joan’s is the worst. Veejay is crying she’s so offended by Joseph McCrae’s. And Ethan knows Antonio is the strategic play. Ethan and Madeline vote for Antonio. Veejay and Belania vote for Joseph McCrae. Jesus and Yuchen vote for Joan. It’s a three-way tie. Christian tells Yuchen since he won he gets to cast a tie-breaking vote, and everyone’s crying cause they think he’s gonna send Joan home, but then he votes… Antonio!

Fans Have Theories About An Even Bigger Twist

Other users in the thread posed even wilder theories about what they thought would happen in the next episode. Someone else shared that they didn’t think anyone was being eliminated at all, but rather that the vote was a way to figure out who the other designers deemed to be a threat. They elaborated on their theory that, instead of sending that person packing, they might actually end up getting privileges instead:

I don’t think anyone is being voted off. It’s sus to me that the bottom three are all kinda “front runners” and that yuchen won so easily and without debate. My theory- Whoever the designers vote to eliminate will become a team captain. Yuchen will become the other team captain. They then need to do an additional challenge- perhaps companion pieces? That will be judged by the regular judges and the Abbot Elementary guest judges. That’s just my theory! I think this past episode felt so weird because it’s only pt1 of this challenge.

The last episode ended with the six voting designers arguing with one another, some noting that they blanketly refused to vote off their friends, and others breaking down into tears over the pressure. It’s clear that none of them wanted to be in the position of eliminating one of their fellow designers, though one contestant, Ethan, told the cameras that he wondered if this was his opportunity to get rid of Antonio, who had been his rival up until that point.

Viewers will have to tune into this week’s episode to see what really happens. Either the cast will be forced to come to a conclusion, or we’re in for an even bigger twist than before!