Emmys: ‘Project Runway’ makes it personal, Heidi Klum says

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As an executive producer on ‘Project Runway,’ host Heidi Klum said she was excited by the show’s recognition in the Emmys’ reality-competition category and is looking forward to celebrating with the whole team.

How will you spend today?

It’s very exciting; we are shooting today actually for the next season [in New York]. The whole gang, we’re all together. We’re excited and we’re celebrating. We’re gonna open a bottle of champagne. We have to have a little bit of alcohol. The original crew from ‘Project Runway’ are all here together. We go back a long ways; we’ve been together for 14 years. We do celebrate a milestone throughout each year and different things together. It doesn’t always happen that we’re together to celebrate -- from the sound people to producers to the caterers, it’s better because we’re all part of this.

‘Project Runway’ has had an Emmy nomination streak with similar other shows. Do you think it’s got a good shot this year? Against ‘Amazing Race’?

You never know, it’s quicker to go than you come. We’ve been lucky. Now we’ve shot till Season 9 and we still have a lot of fans, and that makes us still want to do a good job.

All these shows are so different, and all the shows are really great. In a way, we can’t compete with one another really, because we have completely different shows. You can’t really compare them in any way.

I think our show is a low-budget show. It’s more a documentary-style show. Compared to ‘The Amazing Race,’ and you know I also host ‘Germany’s Next Top Model,’ and I can see that the budget for ‘Germany’s Next Top Model’ is much bigger, you know, we’re traveling all over the place. That’s what makes [‘Project Runway’] amazing. We give only one day and a $150 budget for designers to design something. And I’ve had designers who say, ‘What do you mean we only have $150 and one day? I thought that was just [the way it was portrayed in] television; this is real?’ But yeah, that’s how it works. We are a low-budget show, but we’re still a great show because it’s still all about talent.

‘Top Chef’ is definitely a version of ‘Project Runway.’ I hate to say it, but yeah, they are similar to our show. I think they kind of model their show after us, not to sound arrogant or anything. I actually, to be honest, don’t watch any TV, not even ‘Project Runway.’ I just watch the cut and some parts of it, but I don’t watch the entire show.

What caught the voters’ attention with ‘Project Runway’?

Last season was the best season ever because we had a great mixture of talented designers. I don’t think we had gotten as close and personal to the designers before, because their personal stories weren’t as honest and open before. We were all just very touched by so many of their stories. For us, Season 8 was one of the best. It was the first year that we did a full 90 minutes. We can tell more about the contestants with that much time, and that’s what made it a better season.

What are you working on now?

I have four children, so I’m either with my family or I’m working. I design, so I’m in my office a lot. I’m launching jewelry in September. I design clothes; I have a whole range on Amazon, and a perfume line coming out. I love doing it and being busy. I’m like a crazy maniac.

You’ve hosted the Emmys before. This year Jane Lynch has the job; how do you think she’ll do?

I don’t know her at all. I don’t think it’s fair to point fingers at the host. It’s what’s been written for them. When you host something like that, you really don’t have any input whatsoever; you just read the prompter. That’s why it’s hard, because you’ve got people so harsh on you; they think it’s not funny or clever or whatever, but you’re just doing and saying what you’ve been told to do. People should point at the people who write that stuff instead.

RELATED:

Emmys: Reality program nominees

Emmys: Reality competition nominees

Show Tracker coverage of ‘Project Runway’

-- Sophia Lee

Photon: Heidi Klum. Credit: Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times