Project Runway has been a reality TV staple for many years. It first aired in 2004 and featured a group of aspiring fashion designers who competed against one another to create a fashion collection for New York Fashion Week, with the winner getting a cash prize, mentorship, and plenty of exposure.

With the exciting announcement that Project Runway will be returning later this year, fans are remembering the reality series’ iconic mentor—Tim Gunn. For 16 seasons, Tim gave sound advice to the contestants and his “make it work” tagline will forever be a staple of the show.

Tim really wanted to see each one of these aspiring fashion designers succeed, even if he was not paid for his appearances in earlier seasons. In fact, he almost quit the show after learning that the contestant’s contracts held some really fishy stipulations.

Tim Gunn Almost Quit Project Runway When He Learned About The Shocking Stipulations In The Contestants’ Contracts

Tim Gunn is synonymous with Project Runway. Acting as a mentor for fashion designers who had big dreams of having their own fashion brand, Tim’s job was to motivate these contestants and push them to their utmost potential.

It came as no surprise that Tim came to the defense of these contestants when he read just how ruthless their contracts for the show were. When the show first aired, it was owned by The Weinstein Company, which handled all the contestant’s contracts. In an interview with Really Famous with Kara Mayer Robinson, Tim shared a story about a contestant unable to acquire his Project Runway designs because his contract forbade him.

Tim shared that this happened to Season 13 contestant Alexander Knox, who the mentor did not actually want on the show because he did not finish design school. “I said, what do you do? You win Season 13 and you go back to be a senior?” That’s exactly what Alexander did.

When Tim met with Alexander after the season concluded, he told his former mentor that he wasn’t sure what to do for his senior thesis. Tim believed it would be a great idea to use his designs from the show.

“Take the bright spots, the best moments in Season 13 and extrapolate, explore them further,” Tim told the former contestant. Although it was a great idea, there was a setback.

Due to Alexander’s contract with the show, he could not use his designs because they were now the property of the Weinstein Company. “We’re not allowed to have access to anything we did on the show,” Alexander told Tim. After hearing this, Tim not only warned the Weinstein Company that he was quitting the show, but was going to fight this stipulation in the contracts.

Tim Gunn Fought With The Weinstein Company For Weeks For Project Runway Contestants To Own Their Fashion Creations

Tim was extremely unhappy with this revelation that Alexander told him. Because of this, he took action and wrote to the higher ups at the Weinstein Company, including adding his lawyer, and Project Runway’s showrunner into the mix. After learning that what Alexander told him was true, Tim wrote back stating that he would quit the show. Although Tim believed he came across as polite in his letters, the higher ups believed he was trying to take control and wouldn’t allow it.

“How dare you tell us how to operate the show?” Tim was told by the Weinstein Company execs.

Tim fought for weeks with the company and even his lawyer believed that he wouldn’t win. However, the Weinstein Company finally agreed with Tim and shared that the contract would be changed for Season 14. This still wasn’t enough for Tim. He wanted the new terms to be “retroactive” for the previous contenders in the last 13 seasons. Surprisingly, they allowed it and Tim returned to film Season 14.

But, that wasn’t the end of it. While filming Project Runway: Junior, the show introduced three mentors from past Project Runway seasons. When Tim asked them how they felt knowing they now own their designs, he was shocked to hear not one of them received an email from the Weinstein Company.

It just so happened that the person working for the Weinstein Company was there on set, and Tim approached them wanting answers. After that person told Tim that “letters are going out this week,” he threw out a few expletives and couldn’t believe they had lied.

Project Runway’s Season 1 Winner Jay McCarroll Didn’t Accept The $100,000 Prize After Reading The Fine Print

The first-ever winner of Project Runway was Jay McCarroll. His winnings consisted of $100,000 to start his own fashion line. However, after reading the terms and agreements in his contract, Jay forfeited the cash prize.

According to the New York Post, Jay was asked about why he decided not to take the grand prize by the Washington Post, and stated that he could not reveal his exact reasons, but that it had something to do with there being “too many strings” attached.

In Tim’s interview on Really Famous he revealed that Jay did not take the $100,000 prize because of what was stated in his contract. The two met to go over the contract and after reading it, Tim looked up at Jay and told him, “You can’t sign this.” The contract stated that any earnings Jay made from that point on, 15% of it would go to Miramax, which was owned by the Weinstein Company.

Tim expressed that he was “proud” that Jay refused to pretty much sign his life away and that it was a huge “humiliation” for Miramax. Tim threatened the company that he would not return, and they changed the contract rules.

Project Runway

Release Date

December 1, 2004

Network

Lifetime, Bravo

Directors

Rich Kim, Ariel Boles

• 
•