List of Project Runway contestants explained

Project Runway is an American reality television show in which contestants compete to be the best fashion designer, as determined by the show's judges. The series first broadcast in 2004, and seventeen regular seasons and seven all-stars seasons have aired as of June 2019. The first five seasons aired on Bravo, while the succeeding seasons aired on Lifetime.^[1] Project Runway contestants are chosen by the show's producers through an application process that includes a videotape submission and "virtual portfolio" of sketches and completed designs, semi-final interviews at select cities, and a final interview.^[2]

Two hundred contestants have competed, three of whom have competed twice—Daniel Franco competed in both season 1 and season 2 and Kate Pankoke in season 11 and season 12 in addition to Amanda Valentine in season 11 and season 13. Angela Keslar and Vincent Libretti were originally eliminated in Episodes 8 and 9, respectively, of season 3, but were brought back due to that season's twist. Justin LeBlanc would have originally been eliminated in episode 6 of season 12, but was given a second chance due to the newly instituted "Tim Gunn Save". During season 13, the "Tim Gunn Save" was used to retroactively bring Charketa Glover back into the competition for Episode 7 after she was eliminated in Episode 6. Seven contestants left Project Runway for reasons other than being eliminated by the show's judges. Keith Michael was disqualified in season 3 for bringing design books to the contest, which is prohibited.^[3] On the other hand, Jack Mackenroth of season 4, Maya Luz of season 7, Cecilia Motwani of season 9, Andrea Katz of season 10, Kooan Kosuke of season 10, and Sandro Masmanidi of season 12 all withdrew from the show for personal reasons.

The 18 winners of the regular series are Jay McCarroll, Chloe Dao, Jeffrey Sebelia, Christian Siriano, Leanne Marshall, Irina Shabayeva, Seth Aaron Henderson, Gretchen Jones, Anya Ayoung-Chee, Dmitry Sholokhov, Michelle Lesniak, Dom Streater, Sean Kelly, Ashley Nell Tipton, Erin Robertson, Kentaro Kameyama, Sebastian Grey, and Geoffrey Mac. The 7 winners of the All-Star series are Mondo Guerra, Anthony Ryan Auld, Seth Aaron Henderson, Dmitry Sholokhov, Dom Streater, Anthony Williams and Michelle Lesniak.

Regular Series Contestants

	Contestant appeared for a second season

Season	Age	Hometown	Finish
1	33	Los Angeles, California
1	23	Miami, Florida
1	27	Charlotte, North Carolina
1	34	Houston, Texas
1	21	Cheshire, Connecticut
1	22	Miami, Florida
1	44	New York City, New York
1	28	New York City, New York
1	23	New York City, New York
1	39	Middleburg, Virginia
1	37	Los Angeles, California
1	29	Dallas, Pennsylvania
2	24	Los Angeles, California
2	25	Atlanta, Georgia
2	37	Los Angeles, California
2	24	Los Angeles, California
2	34	Los Angeles, California
2	29	Los Angeles, California
2	51	Allentown, Pennsylvania
2	22	Jacksonville, Florida
2	42	New York City, New York
2	28	New York City, New York
2	32	Los Angeles, California
2	38	Los Angeles, California
2	29	Johannesburg, South Africa
2	30	Los Angeles, California
2	24	New York City, New York
2	33	Houston, Texas
3	40	San Francisco, California
3	32	New York City, New York
3	24	Minneapolis, Minnesota
3	34	New York City, New York
3	31	San Diego, California
3	31	Los Angeles, California
3	25	New York City, New York
3	36	Hollywood, California
3	33	Amesville, Ohio
3	49	Santa Monica, California
3	27	Norman, Oklahoma
3	28	Atlanta, Georgia
3	42	New York City, New York
3	35	Miami Beach, Florida
3	36	Los Angeles, California
4	32	Los Angeles, California
4	39	Dallas, Texas
4	37	New York City, New York
4	38	New York City, New York
4	29	Chicago, Illinois
4	42	El Paso, Texas
4	30	New York City, New York
4	26	Los Angeles, California
4	34	Winchester, Virginia
4	35	Escondido, California
4	46	Los Angeles, California
4	44	New York City, New York
4	26	Selden, New York
4	31	Los Angeles, California
4	21	Annapolis, Maryland
5	32	New York City, New York
5	23	Blackstone, Massachusetts
5	27	Los Angeles, California
5	27	East Syracuse, New York
5	27	Columbus, Ohio
5	25	Brooklyn, New York
5	26	Salt Lake City, Utah
5	42	Queens, New York
5	23	Seattle, Washington
5	39	Chicago, Illinois
5	41	Detroit, Michigan
5	37	New York City, New York
5	28	Los Angeles, California
5	25	New York City, New York
5	33	Little Rock, Arkansas
5	27	Portland, Oregon
6	25	Kansas City, Missouri
6	23	New York City, New York
6	25	Savannah, Georgia
6	41	New York City, New York
6	29	West Hollywood, California
6	30	Minneapolis, Minnesota
6	31	Dallas, Texas
6	49	New York City, New York
6	23	Richardson, Texas
6	26	New York City, New York
6	25	Seattle, Washington
6	29	Shakopee, Minnesota
6	44	Charleston, South Carolina
6	23	Charleston, South Carolina
6	23	Dayton, Ohio
6	26	New York City, New York
7	29	Los Angeles, California
7	47	Bucks County, Pennsylvania
7	34	Chicago, Illinois
7	21	San Diego, California
7	23	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
7	27	Portland, Oregon
7	24	Orlando, Florida
7	29	Tampa, Florida
7	25	Oakland, California
7	21	New York City, New York
7	29	Providence, Rhode Island
7	28	Atlanta, Georgia
7	31	San Francisco, California
7	40	Los Angeles, California
7	43	New York City, New York
7	37	Vancouver, Washington
8	29	Layton, Utah
8	33	Greenwich, Connecticut
8	32	New York City, New York
8	27	Toluca Lake, California
8	39	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8	26	St. Louis, Missouri
8	50	Lake Forest, Illinois
8	33	Astoria, New York
8	31	St. Louis, Missouri
8	30	New York City, New York
8	29	Cleveland, Ohio
8	30	San Francisco, California
8	21	Savannah, Georgia
8	27	Palm Springs, California
8	23	Waianae, Hawaii
8	32	Denver, Colorado
8	28	Portland, Oregon
9	25	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
9	29	Philippines
9	21	La Grange, Kentucky
9	31	Kingston, New York
9	27	Alamogordo, New Mexico
9	29	Las Vegas, Nevada
9	35	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
9	34	Cordoba, Argentina
9	26	Minneapolis, Minnesota
9	29	Snohomish, Washington
9	38	Calumet, Michigan
9	26	Twin Falls, Idaho
9	22	Columbus, Ohio
9		28	Linden, Texas
9	57	Washington, D.C.
9	26	St. Louis, Missouri
9	35	Brooklyn, New York
9	30	Guadalajara, Mexico
9	25	Willoughby, Ohio
9	29	Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
10	29
10	48
10	58
10	30
10	32
10	27
10	33
10	27
10	22
10	28
10	28
10	27
10	24
10	31
10	29
10	33
11	24
11	29
11	59
11	30
11	30
11	35
11	26
11	23
11	31
11	28
11	39
11	28
11	49
11	45
11	46
11	34
12	33	Richmond, Virginia
12	34	Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
12	24	Wanakena, New York
12	28	Krasnodar, Russia
12	45	Boston, Massachusetts
12	29	Wilton, Wisconsin
12	29	Boca Raton, Florida
12	41	Birmingham, England
12	24	Birmingham, Alabama
12	38	Los Angeles, California
12	24	Eau Claire, Wisconsin
12	25	Weehawken, New Jersey
12	38	Lowville, New York
12	27	Tampa, Florida
12	38	Stockholm, Sweden
12	24	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
13	25	Brooklyn, New York
13	24	Los Angeles, California
13	32	Los Angeles, California
13	33	New York, New York
13	25	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
13	26	Brooklyn, New York
13	27	San Antonio, Texas
13	45	Coral Gables, Florida
13	28	Birmingham, Alabama
13	22	Chicago, Illinois
13	28	Brooklyn, New York
13	41	San Francisco, California
13	37	Detroit, Michigan
13	30	Honolulu, Hawaii
13	32	Chicago, Illinois
13	25	Taranaki, New Zealand
14	25	Auckland, New Zealand
14	26	Hollywood, California
14	27	New York, New York
14	27	New York, New York
14	25	Delray Beach, Florida
14	24	Los Angeles, California
14	25	San Francisco, California
14	37	Las Vegas, Nevada
14	28	Austin, Texas
14	29	Chicago, Illinois
14	34	Mumbai, India
14	32	Savannah, Georgia
14	27	San Francisco, California
14	37	Atlanta, Georgia
14	31	Boston, Massachusetts
14	23	San Diego, California
15	30	Chicago, Illinois
15	55	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
15	42	New York, New York
15	34	Portland, Oregon
15	30	San Francisco, California
15	33	Shreveport, Louisiana
15	26	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
15	22	San Francisco, California
15	23	Framingham, Massachusetts
15	32	Oakland, California
15	28	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
15	24	Boston, Massachusetts
15	31	Los Angeles, California
15	41	Los Angeles, California
15	41	Caracas, Venezuela
15	29	Cambridge, Massachusetts
16	24	Taipei, Taiwan
16	33	New York, New York
16	32	Atlanta, Georgia
16	36	Lynnwood, Washington
16	23	Brooklyn, New York
16	36	Minneapolis, Minnesota
16	27	Grand Ledge, Michigan
16	27	Grand Ledge, Michigan
16	32	Inglewood, California
16	42	Los Angeles, California
16	25	Oakland, California
16	37	Atlanta, Georgia
16	30	San Juan, Puerto Rico
16	24	San Francisco, California
16	24	Salt Lake City, Utah
16	37	Los Angeles, California
17	26
	30
	47
	32
	29
	30
	55
	51
	29	Dallas, Texas
	31
	23
17	27
	27	Baltimore, Maryland
	45
	34
	31
18	34	Seattle, Washington
18	30	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
18	40	Chicago, Illinois
18	25	Houston, Texas
18	29	Jersey City, New Jersey
18	29	Orcas Island, Washington
18	33	Newark, New Jersey
18	37	Portland, Oregon
18	30	Chicago, Illinois
18	25	Chicago, Illinois
18	29	Fort Smith, Arkansas
18	30	Brooklyn, New York
18	64	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
18	30	New York, New York
18	27	Chișinău, Moldova
18	41	Brooklyn, New York

Contestant's age at the start of the season
Angela Keslar and Vincent Libretti were eliminated by judges during episodes 8 and 9, respectively, of season 3, but were brought back due to that season's twist.
Chris March was eliminated by judges during episode 4 of season 4, but was brought back to the competition following the voluntary departure of Jack Mackenroth.
Anthony Williams was eliminated by judges during episode 10 of season 7, but was brought back to the competition following the voluntary departure of Maya Luz.^[4]
Joshua Christensen was eliminated by judges during episode 2 of season 9, but was brought back to the competition following the voluntary departure of Cecelia Motwani.
Raul Orosio was eliminated by judges during episode 3 of season 10, but was brought back to the competition following the voluntary departures of Andrea Katz and Kooan Kosuke.
Justin LeBlanc was eliminated by judges during episode 6 of season 12, but was given a second chance due to the newly instituted "Tim Gunn Save".
Charketa "Char" Glover was eliminated by judges during episode 6 of season 13, but was given a second chance due to the newly instituted "Tim Gunn Save".
Four designers have won the competition twice; Seth Aaron Henderson also won the third season of Project Runway: All Stars and Dmitry Sholokhov also won the fourth season of Project Runway: All Stars. Dom Streater also won the fifth season of Project Runway: All Stars and Michelle Lesniak also won the seventh season of Project Runway: All Stars.

All Stars Edition Contestants

Season	Designer	Age	Hometown	Original Season	Original Rank
1	Elisa Jimenez	49	New York, NY
1	Kathleen "Sweet P" Vaughn	53	Pasadena, CA
1	Gordana Gehlhausen	47	San Diego, CA
1	April Johnston	22	Savannah, GA
1	Anthony Williams	30	Atlanta, GA
1	Rami Kashou	35	Los Angeles, CA
1	Kara Janx	35	New York, NY
1	Mila Hermanovski	42	Los Angeles, CA
1	Jerell Scott	32	New York, NY
1	Kenley Collins	28	New York, NY
1	Michael Costello	29	Palm Springs, CA
1	Austin Scarlett	28
1	Mondo Guerra	33	Denver, CO
2	Peach Carr	52	Lake Forest, IL
2	Wendy Pepper	48	Middleburg, VA
2	Stephen "Suede" Baum	42	Barryville, NY
2	Andrae Gonzalo	39	New York, NY
2	Kayne Gillaspie	33	Nashville, TN
2	Althea Harper	28	New Haven, CT
2	Carlos Casanova	36	New York, NY
2	Laura Kathleen Planck	28	St. Louis, MO
2	Ivy Higa	32	New York, NY
2	Joshua McKinley	26	New York, NY
2	Uli Herzner	41	Miami, FL
2	Emilio Sosa	46	New York, NY
2	Anthony Ryan Auld	29	Baton Rouge, LA
3	Ari South	26	Honolulu, HI
3	Daniel Esquivel	49	Austin, TX
3	Melissa Fleis	32	San Francisco, CA
3	Mychael Knight	35	Atlanta, GA
3	Jeffrey Sebelia	43	Los Angeles, CA
3	Irina Shabayeva	31	New York, NY
3	Viktor Luna	32	New York, NY
3	Christopher Palu	25	Massapequa, NY
3	Elena Slivnyak	29	San Francisco, CA
3	Korto Momolu	38	Little Rock, AR
3	Seth Aaron Henderson	42	Vancouver, WA
4	Patricia Michaels	47	Taos Pueblo, NM
4		39	San Mateo, CA
4	Chris March	51	San Francisco, CA
4	Kate Pankoke	25	Chicago, Illinois	& 12	& 6th
4	Benjamin Mach	36	London, England
4	Gunnar Deatherage	24	Louisville, KY
4	Samantha Black	29	Fairfield, CT
4	Justin LeBlanc	28	Raleigh, NC
4	Jay Sario	35	San Francisco, CA
4	Fabio Costa	31	Brooklyn, NY
4	Michelle Lesniak	35	Portland, OR
4	Helen Castillo	26	Union City, NJ
4	Sonjia Williams	29	Queens, NY
4	Dmitry Sholokhov	35	New York City, NY
5	Fade zu Grau	46	Coral Gables, FL
5	Daniel Franco	43	Los Angeles, CA	& 2	& 12th
5	Stella Zotis	50	New York, NY
5	Mitchell Perry	26	Fort Lauderdale, FL
5	Valerie Mayen	35	Cleveland, OH
5	Alexander Pope	41	Ridgewood, Queens
5	Layana Aguilar	31	New York, NY
5	Asha Daniels	26	Cincinnati, OH
5	Emily Payne	42	San Francisco, CA
5	Sam Donovan	24	Boston, MA
5	Ken Laurence	26	Atlanta, GA
5	Kini Zamora	32	Kapolei, HI
5	Dom Streater	26	Philadelphia, PA

Accessory Contestants

Designer	Age	State of Residence	Finish
Cotrice Simpson	38	Georgia	12th
Kelly Horton	32	Pennsylvania	11th
David Grieco	40	California	10th
Nicolina Royale	30	California	9th
James Sommerfeldt	29	Illinois	8th
Shea Curry	38	California	7th
Adrian Dana	41	Georgia	6th
Christina Caruso	33	New York	5th
Diego Rocha	36	Illinois	4th
Rich Sandomeno	40	California	3rd
Nina Cortes	26	Florida	Runner-up
Brian Burkhardt	40	Florida	Winner

Under the Gunn Contestants

Season	Designer	Age	Hometown	Mentor
1	Melissa Grimes	29		None
1	Rey Ortiz	32		None
1	Amy Sim	53	Portland, OR	None
1	Camila Castillo	47	Caracas, Venezuela	Mondo Guerra
1	Brady Lange	29		Anya Ayoung-Chee
1	Isabelle Donola	33		Nick Verreos
1	Nicholas Komor	26	Atlanta, GA	Anya Ayoung-Chee
1	Stephanie Ohnmacht	37		Nick Verreos
1	Michelle Uberreste	29		Mondo Guerra
1		30		Nick Verreos
1	Blake Smith	25		Anya Ayoung-Chee
1	Shan Keith	33		Anya Ayoung-Chee
1	Asha Daniels	25		Mondo Guerra
1	Sam Donovan	23		Mondo Guerra
1	Oscar Lopez	40		Nick Verreos

Threads Contestants

Season	Episode	Designer	Age	Hometown	Assistant
1	1	Kenzie	12	Portland, OR	mother Molly
1	1	Cambria	12	West Hills, CA	father David
1	1	Bradford	13	Birmingham, AL	mother Dana
1	2	Aliyah Royale	14	Valley Glen, CA	mother Tanya
1	2	Grayson	14	New Orleans, LA	grandmother Seria
1	2	Grace	15	La Cañada, CA	mother Peggy
1	3	Colette	15	Chicago, IL	mother Jill
1	3	Emily	15	Quincy, MA	father David
1	3	Zachary	15	Berkeley, CA	mother Camille
1	4	Matt	16	Manhattan Beach, CA	grandmother Dorothy
1	4	Claire	13	Braintree, MA	mother Kristen
1	4	Brianna	13	Ventura, CA	mother Lori
1	5	Bella	12	Manhattan Beach, CA	grandmother Nancy
1	5	Kimanni	13	Atlanta, GA	mother Rochelle
1	5	Tieler	13	New Orleans, LA	mother Tahmi

Designers and Assistants were identified by first name only
Each episode, one winner was determined amongst that episode's three designers

Junior Contestants

Season	Designer	Age	Hometown	Finish
1	Sami	16	Westlake Village, California	12th
1	Ysabel	17	Cerritos, California	11th
1	Jesse	16	Swampscott, Massachusetts	Tied 9th
1	Victoria	17	Westlake, Ohio	Tied 9th
1	Matt	17	Manhattan Beach, California	8th
1	Bridget	16	Brockton, Massachusetts	7th
1	Zach	16	Louisville, Kentucky	5th
1	Jaxson	15	Minneapolis, Kansas	6th
1	Zachary	16	Berkeley, California	4th
1	Peytie	15	Carlsbad, California	3rd
1	Samantha	16	Queens, New York	Runner-up
1	Maya	13	Toledo, Ohio	Winner
2	Ruby	14	Barrington, RI	12th
2	Lucas	14	Windermere, FL	11th
2	Rene	17	Dallas, TX	10th
2	A'kai	13	Hauppauge, NY	9th
2	Allie	14	Dayton, OH	8th
2	Cartier	16	Pocatello, ID	7th
2	Zach	17	Fort Collins, CO	6th
2	Tieler	15	Abita Springs, LA	5th
2	Izzy	16	Mount Pleasant, MI	4th
2	Hawwaa	17	Mankato, Minnesota	3rd
2	Chris	17	Calverton, NY	Runner-up
2	Chelsea	15	Chatsworth, CA	Winner

Contestant's age at the start of the season
In 2014, Zachary won episode 3 of .

References

General

Innovation. Project Runway. Project Runway. Bravo. 2004-12-01. 1. 1.
Road to Runway. Project Runway. Project Runway. Bravo. 2005-12-07. 2. 1.
Wall to Wall Fashion. Project Runway. Project Runway. Bravo. 2006-07-12. 3. 1.
Sew Us What You Got. Project Runway. Project Runway. Bravo. 2007-11-14. 4. 1.
Let's Start from the Beginning. Project Runway. Project Runway. Bravo. 2008-07-16. 5. 1.
Welcome to Los Angeles!. Project Runway. Project Runway. Lifetime. 2009-08-20. 6. 1.
Back to New York. Project Runway. Project Runway. Lifetime. 2010-01-14. 7. 1.
Web site: Project Runway Designers . Lifetime . 2010-07-29 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100726071613/http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway/season-8/designers . 2010-07-26 .

Specific

Notes and References

Web site: Lifetime Television's 'Project Runway' Becomes Highest Rated Premiere Ever for the Series and in the Network's History . 2009-08-21 . 2009-08-21 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091001154001/http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104 . 2009-10-01 .
Web site: "Project Runway" – Season 7: Application Instructions . . 2009 . 2009-08-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090521020025/http://www.bunim-murray.com/ProjectRunway_Application_and_Release.pdf . 2009-05-21 .
Web site: On TV: A stunning 'Project Runway' season wraps up on Bravo. Melanie . McFarland. 2006-10-17. 2009-08-25. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Corporation.
EW exclusive! Q&A with the 'Project Runway' contestant who quit the show tonight. 'I didn't want to be a one-hit wonder.'. Missy. Schwartz. 2010-04-01. 2010-04-02. Time Inc. Entertainment Weekly. 2014-10-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20141027071211/http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/04/01/project-runway-interview-maya-luz/. live.