Can ‘Project Runway’ maintain the magic?

And, of course, they have to keep us entertained. Last season, few moments were more incredibly entertaining than when standout personality Santino Rice imitated the warm, slightly affected intonations of mentor Tim Gunn searching for fellow contestant Andrae. He cried out, “Andrae! Where’s Andrae?” all while he worked in the workroom alongside the other designers, who were laughing hysterically.

Those lighthearted moments in the middle of intense competition best illustrated why “Project Runway” is a success. It is not just about fashion design, but about talented people working relentlessly at their craft. There’s drama, but it nearly always centers on their work.

The behind-the-scenes work on the series is also strong, and its here that there’s the most concern with such a quick return to the air. Producing a new season so rapidly—from casting to production to editing—may mean less time to craft engaging stories and witty challenges. A thrown-together season may not be as absorbing.

But ultimately, it’s easy to have faith that the producers and cast of “Project Runway” will deliver a third season that’s as strong as the first two. At the very least, they’ve earned viewers’

trust and respect. If the third season builds on the first two as the second one built on the first, the only remaining possibility will be for audiences to tire of the formula and its regular personalities.

Right now, at least, that seems about as unlikely as Tim Gunn throwing fabric at someone and calling them a “stupid donkey,” as Hell’s Kitchen “mentor” Gordon Ramsay has done, or as unlike as host Heidi Klum deciding to arbitrarily dismiss someone based upon some facet of their personality she doesn’t like, as Donald Trump regularly does.

So far, “Project Runway” has risen above the challenges placed in its path by its predecessors and the pressure to imitate, and has instead continued to innovate. Hopefully “Project Runway 3” — and the fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons in the future — will continue to do the same.

Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.

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