"Thank you for indulging me in my little Tyra Banks impression (inspired by Law's abrupt rendition of the same thing on the runway this week), because it really captures what I feel about this season's penultimate episode, "Something Wicked." Finally, a two-day challenge, with a really great concept and an extremely helpful mentor in Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell, who made history by being the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design."
"We all know that "reality TV" is a manufactured thing with different levels of performativity, and I think that the producers found in Law (and always had, to a certain degree, in Heidi) someone willing to push the contestants' buttons with brusque statements and provocative questions. So I don't really blame Law as an individual for asking the twins which one of them deserves to win over the other."
A strong two-day challenge paired with Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell offered high creative potential and expert mentorship. The episode missed its opportunity due to production choices that sidelined Tazewell from judging and amplified manufactured conflict. A judge’s brusque questioning of twin contestants inflamed tensions and highlighted a producer-driven narrative strategy. The casting of twins created an inevitable intra-contestant rivalry that producers and on-screen personalities exploited. The season’s approach favored provocation and spectacle over allowing the challenge and mentorship to fully showcase designers’ work and growth.
Read at Vulture
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