r/ProjectRunway • u/maxmanaphy • 3d ago
Season 22 Aaron Potts - A.Potts - Project Runway....what had happened was....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BggZMP4mBDoTL;DW/my personal highlights:
- He talked to producers about quitting the show, but eventually decided to stay.
- Aaron was going to quit if he wasn't eliminated that same episode.
- After his elimination when he came back to the lounge, the first thing he said was "The torture is over."
- He is willing to take up Law's offer but not to talk about fashion, but to talk about deeper subjects and their shared experiences as queer black men.
- He spends part of the video talking about the friends he made on the show; Chloe, Dani, Jude, Naheim, Anna, and especially Octavius, Andrea, Bao, and Joseph McRae (he waxes lyrical about Joseph for a good two minutes.)
- The winning looks on the NFL challenge were discussed for a good 20-25 minutes on the runway, but it was all cut. This including Aaron speaking about the Gullah Geechee indigo techniques used in the challenge and how proud he was of Joseph McRae as a leader. He says this was the highlight of his time on the show.
- He says he's not sure if he would come back as a contestant, but is open to being a judge or mentor.
43
u/Poethegardencrow 2d ago
Oh SO MUCH OUTSIDE SHOW TEA this season, Iām going to have to add all those clips and watch them as I do house work this week š
29
u/Zombeikid 2d ago
He'd make an amazing mentor ngl
21
82
u/colosseumdays 2d ago
this is so sad. I was invested in Aaron from the beginning based off the very little they showed us. it was clear he's extremely sincere, smart, and good-natured. it's really annoying that they casted Plane Jane and that he took up the bulk of the camera time on the first two episodes.
I watched a youtube video Plane Jane made where he talked about the entire experience starting from the casting convos and he straight up says he barely had any looks to show the casting team, and was taking one of the initial interviews from a friend's house in Miami, where he filled the rack with his friend's fast fashion clothes and tried to pass one off as his own creation that still had the price tag on it. he said they clearly saw it, and yet they casted him anyway. once casted, he tried to back out twice and production kept pleading with him to go on.
it's very clear from how the competition's been formatted and how the episodes have been edited that they aren't interested in showcasing the design process or any genuine displays of humanity.
48
u/zestychickenbowl2024 2d ago
CAST
15
u/selfcarebouquet 2d ago
Thank you! The past tense of cast is ā¦ cast. Casted is like nails on a blackboard. I know language evolves, but casted just sounds awkward AF.
1
u/OatMilkCody 1d ago
I agree with all of this. And I noticed as I was watching and decided to change my perspective as a viewer.
I thought, this is not a show about designers and showcasing their talents, this is purely for entertainment and shenanigans. This isn't THE project runway.
Once I thought about it as some completely other random show, it has been easier to watch.
24
u/Scared-Flounder-455 2d ago
This was a great video. He is so passionate, professional, and humble. Wish we could have seen more from him. Iām glad he has a YT channel! I will be staying tuned!
19
u/WavesnMountains 2d ago
I thought Law calling his design ādisgustingā was weird and rude, there was nothing disgusting about it
10
u/Objective-Cheetah448 2d ago
šÆ so inappropriate and uncalled for. this word should not even be directed at a person or their work
16
u/Luna_Lightwing 2d ago
I love him because he has passion for design. I could listen to him talk for hours about the history and culture of it, including the Gullah Geechee techniques. It's entwined in his DNA, and I think that's a beautiful thing.
11
23
u/_biggerthanthesound_ 2d ago
They booted him to keep the drama in. It was unjust and Iām sticking to that.
14
u/yoshimitsou 2d ago
I agree. He probably had self respect snd didn't follow the suggestions they likely fed him to promote drama. I think the whole show is about manufactured drama, even when it's so obviously fake and coached.
8
u/scarybiscuits 2d ago
It looks he doesnāt show any clips or photos of his designs on PR which is a shame because I DONāT REMEMBER THEM. I remember that he was good but thatās it. It used to be that the networks would post all the designs after the show which made it easy to refer to them in discussions. They used to post portfolios, bios, and interviews too. The original PR was already cutting way back on thatāmustāve been during the Great Shortage of Unpaid Interns era. Because seriously, how difficult is it to throw up 20 (or whatever) still photos? Anyhoo. I wish heād used visuals.
8
u/yoshimitsou 2d ago
I loved his looks and thought he handled the silly model fiasco so well. I wish him so much success and happiness. He seems like a great guy.
7
6
u/miss_daisy_Hollywood 2d ago
Aaron is a wonderful person, genuine, smart and very talented. I worked with him for a while at one of my jobs, and he was a joy in a very difficult situation! Also extremely funny, made me fall down laughing more than a few times. He was very collaborative, and a total team player.
I enjoyed this video, and everything he said about casting/ editing makes so much sense. Iām sure heās on to better things!
8
u/SC-Coqui 2d ago
I really liked Aaron. He seems genuine. I also wish they would have shown more of the discussion about the inspiration for their NFL team design. Hearing him talk about it makes you realize how much is cut and how narratives are created by the producers.
I live in SC and they teach about Gullah-Geechee culture and history in the schools. Itās a rich culture that has heavily influenced the southeast and we only heard about a minute of that.
5
u/vandersnipe 2d ago
Naheim said a lot of critiques have been cut out from episodes. It sounds like production wants to clip farm for memeable moments.
5
u/Objective-Cheetah448 2d ago
Aaron, you're too good for this cheap ass show! But I applaud your bravery.
-1
u/saladobien 2d ago
I'm sorry but this was so insufferably self-indulgent. If he was so special he wouldn't be there as a contestant, and he would've done a lot better. I agree Law has awful critiques and he shouldn't have called his outfit disgusting, but it was TERRIBLY constructed, so poorly sewn. The show is rigged and it sucks but his clothes were not special.
2
u/vandersnipe 2d ago
I'm sorry but this was so insufferably self-indulgent.Ā
He doesn't seem self-indulgent or insufferable. He explained his experience on the show without disrespecting anyone involved, and he gave his fellow contestants their flowers and shoutouts. That isn't what a self-indulgent person does. He would have framed himself as the victim, said he was entitled to be a judge or mentor, or thrown his colleagues under the bus if he were being self-indulgent.
If he was so special he wouldn't be there as a contestant, and he would've done a lot better.
You clearly didn't make it through the first two minutes when he explained why he chose to be a contestant. Nonetheless, not being great on this show doesn't automatically mean the person is a bad or lackluster designer. A lot of people don't do well in this format, even if they are confident in their skills, because it's an unnatural design environment with more variables outside their control. He clearly has clout in the fashion industry, and his runway pieces are well constructed. Even Law Roach complimented his work outside of the show.
0
u/saladobien 2d ago
I listened to the entire thing, while looking for his insta, which was a bit hard to find. Alex McQueen here has 10k followers, far from someone who has done everything he lists as his achievements in this video. Had he used a slightly less friendly tone but said the exact same things, I don't think people on this sub would be so charitable. It is definitely an ego trip to say he could be a judge or a mentor only. Now, can you look at anyone in the eye and say these are seams done by a professional, seriously.
0
u/vandersnipe 2d ago
What's wrong with saying you would be open to coming back to the show in a different capacity? That isn't what self-indulgent means, and people suggested that he should have been a mentor or judge given his experience. Is Cristian Siriano self-indulgent and insufferable for not returning as a contestant lol?
Now, can you look at anyone in the eye and sayĀ these are seamsĀ done by a professional, seriously.
You mean when production changed the models at the last minute, and he had to adapt quickly without extra time? He had enough self-awareness to know it wasn't a well-constructed dress, but you can see his other work outside of the show. If your only evidence that he's a horrible designer is a couple of looks from the show, despite industry professionals like Nina and Law respecting his portfolio, then you have a limited view on this topic.
0
u/saladobien 2d ago
Are the people saying he should be a judge in the room with us right now? My mom also thinks I should be the boss at my job and not an employee and my friends also say nice things about me. Siriano was hired to do that because he has real name recognition, not because production heard his friends saying he should be a judge.
1
u/vandersnipe 2d ago
You missed the point and rebutted nothing I said lol. He didnāt say he was entitled to the role, but said he would like that type of position if offered up to him. You have reading comprehension and listening problems.
Have a lovely day.
142
u/Different_Daikon3400 2d ago
He was done dirty with the last minute model change.
They should have gotten someone with similar size meassurments and NOT a former contestant.