Last nights episode on the fabulously entertaining Project Runway Australia was riveting as the designers had to work with the already eliminated designers as their muses to designer a winter outfit that was white, structured and tailored. The big carrot however was the eliminated designer in the winning team would be allowed back into the competition.
The much maligned Helen
Manuell (yes I know she has her painful moments) had to take her partner
Petrova to task as she was trying to take over the design by pointing out she was the designer still in the competition and
Petrova was to assist her. She quite rightly pointed out she was the designer still in the competition so if she was going to be eliminated it would be her mistake that would do it. Also
Petrova got into a funk when Helen unpicked her sewing and redid it. She was right and it was something Julie have heeded to by trying to satisfy the many whims of her partner Deb which almost saw her eliminated.
Anyway Helen designed a funky suit which matched the brief perfectly and
Petrova is now back in the competition. I hope she gave Helen a big thank you.
This week TV Week had an interview with Helen
Manuell which queried whether she was the new queen of mean taking over from
Omarosa from The Apprentice. However Helen strikes back.
She states that she
was presented as a diva. "Rightly or wrongly, I don't know, but at the end of the day, if the others can't do their stuff... well, of course they've got to blame someone. They've blamed me and I have to be honest - I'm getting a little sick of it."
On the suggestion she acted like a
martyr by helping people finish their pieces she responded "I choose to help people. They can see me however they want. Maybe it's their shortcomings that make them see me as a
martyr, but I didn't see myself as one. It's pretty black and white - if I want to help, I will."
Her response to why she rubs people the wrong way. "I'm larger then life and I say it how it is. If people don't like it, well, go and crawl back into bed. I've had a lot of diversity in my life, and if I don't trust my
instincts at my age, I may as well not be there. Everyone else is stressing and I don't stress. If they see that as my shortcoming, good luck to them."
She was asked how she felt when people on the show saying they could not stand her. "I was surprised that there was that level of... that people didn't actually like me. And you think, "How much can you help people? Why not like people just because they're good at their job?" I did my job, I did what I was there for."
On the most hurtful things that were said on the show - "I know Leigh said quite a few things, and so did Juli and Brent, but they warned me things had been said. Leigh's "beached whale" comment in the second episode - he was mortified he said it. He told me it was tongue in cheek and I said, "It's OK love - if you didn't say it, I would be the first one to say it."
On the accusations she was a name dropper in the
Brownlow Medal challenge - " It's all in the editing. I knew when I started doing the show I would be portrayed as the arrogant bitch, but it's a TV show and I was cast as a character. [The producers] knew my skin would be thick enough to cope with whatever dirt was thrown at me.
Helen is glad she did the show and would do it again but would go harder. "Go hard or go home! I'd be really catty.
KNowing what I know now, I would give them so much more."
She will be at the finale and she is looking forward to it. "It'll be interesting.
There'll be a few people who are a little sheepish. The fur will fly at the finale."
Villain or victim you decide.
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