Austin, Mondo on ‘Project Runway All Stars,’ but no Heidi or Tim?

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‘Project Runway’ may have lost some momentum on the way to its ninth season, but fans will be happy to welcome back memorable designers such as Austin Scarlett, Karla Janx and Kenley Collins, who will all participate in a new series on Lifetime called ‘Project Runway All Stars.’

Lifetime announced that the series will premiere later this year. Other participants include runner-up Mondo Guerra and his Season 8 cohorts Michael Costello and April Johnston; Elisa Jimenez, Rami Kashou and Sweet P from Season 4; Season 5’s Jerrell Scott; Gordana Gehlhausen from Season 6; and Anthony Williams and Mila Hermanovski from Season 7. All will be competing for prizes that include cash and a yearlong guest editor stint at Marie Claire.

The competitors may be familiar, but the judges are all new: designers Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman will stand in for Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Heidi Klum. The host is model Angela Lindvall, with Marie Claire Editor in Chief Joanna Coles acting as mentor to designers. (Coles herself is no stranger to reality TV, having made numerous appearances on the Style Network reality show ‘Running in Heels,’ in which interns competed for a job at Marie Claire.)

So where are Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, the mommy and daddy figures of the ‘Project Runway’ franchise? Lifetime declined to offer an official explanation, but a source close to the show suggested that it was a chance for these former competitors to show their work without the biases of old judges.

What do you think of the ‘Project Runway All Stars’ lineup? And in the words of Tim Gunn, can they ‘make it work’ without him?

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— Joy Press

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