Surprise!

There were surprises for the stylists and designers on both "Project Runway" and "Shear Genius" last night. On both shows, the surprises often aren't pleasant. And when they are, they tend to have a negative twist included.

That's pretty much what happened last night. On "Project Runway" the good part of the surprise was that they would be designing for Brooke Shields. She looked great as she explained wanting a garment for "Lipstick Jungle" that could go from daytime to nighttime. The winning outfit would be actually worn on her show. When the prize is good, as it is in this challenge, immunity is not awarded. However, the chance to have Brooke Shields in their portfolio was motivating for the designers.

Now for the wicked twist. The twelve designers would be working in pairs. To determine whose designs would be used, each designer pitched their ideas to Ms Shields. Once she had chosen the designs she liked, those six designers chose partners. I've never really understood why they have people work in teams. How often do designers collaborate like that? Anyway, most of the final products were nice.

The bottom two designs were Kelli's, assisted by Daniel and Blayne's, with Leanne as his partner. I thought that even those two outfits had some nice elements. I loved the two tops Blayne put with Bermuda shorts. It was a risky idea, but I think the thing that killed it was the fabric and color he chose for the shorts. Black would have made for a classier look.

Kelli's actually had a nice silhouette but it was a weird mixture of fabrics. The worst part was the 'night' version. When the jacket was removed, the model was left in a midrift revealing bustier. The judges declared it slutty-looking and questioned Kelli's taste. As much as I hate Blayne's obsession with tanning, I think the judges were right to declare Kelli 'out'.

"Shear Genius" put the stylists on a rollercoaster of surprises. Their shortcut challenge dealt with giving first graders a new look for their first day of school. Most of them did well, though Dee, one of my favorites, butchered this little girl's bangs and Paolo's do was a don't. It was just a mess. Daniel won, having delighted his 5-year-old client by giving her an age appropriate version of host Jaclyn Smith's hairstyle.

Surprise number two was the next set of clients. Family members. Mothers, sisters and cousins arrived to the excitement of the contestants. The reunion was short-lived, as it was explained to the stylists that they would not be working on their own relatives. Daniel was the one to choose his own client then assign all the others. In the end, not only did the stylists get input from the judges, but from their competitors.

Charlie won for the style he gave Daniel's mother. I think Daniel put them together because he trusted Charlie to do something nice for his mother. In the long run, taking care of Mom is more important than sabotaging a competitor.

Paolo did another hack job, although the judges were nice to him than I am. I actually like Paolo a lot. He's very compassionate and sweet. It wasn't a surprise, though, that he was sent home.