Who's who

The week of premieres continues with the return of some old favorites. The shows were so good that I found myself excited to host the Watch Party. It was a good night for TV! Let's talk about ...

"Project Runway" (Lifetime, 10:00): It's an all new season of "Runway," and an eclectic batch of designers are here to show us if they're worth their weight in sewing thread. Last year's fiasco of moving the show to L.A. left us without our favorite judges for most of the season, but Nina Garcia and Michael Kors are back as the show returns to New York City.

We have two area designers representing the Northwest: Seth Aaron, 38, of Vancouver, WA, and 28-year-old Janeane Marie from Portland, home of Season 5 winner Leanne Marshall. Pause it: FYI, I'm not gonna be calling this guy by 2 names all season. I'll give him another week before I find him a fitting nickname.

Looking at the designers' portfolios during introductions, there are quite a few interesting stitchers in the bunch. Double-duty Ping has a day job that allows her to "liberate the body movement": she a physical therapist. You can fully expect her to be the weird one. Maya's designs looked very fashion-forward and unique. There's Emilio, a costume designer from the Dominican Republic. And who can forget Anthony, the southern gay man with the biting sense of humor.

For the first challenge, Tim Gunn tasks the designers with creating a look that represents their point of view. They are given three minutes to grab fabric that has been spread through Central Park then another five minutes to edit down their choices to just five fabrics. "Tim says 'go' and we are like fat people at an open buffet in Vegas," Emilio says. They get one day to finish their creations and the winner gets immunity.

Janeane Marie is off to a rocky start when her little black dress becomes a little hot mess. She starts over with only two hours left in the day. Pause it: This chick is waaaay too emotional. It's only the first episode girl! I'm not gonna watch you cry your way through the season! Ping's outfit looked like she tossed a pile of fabric in the air and her model just stood underneath. Slap on some rope and you would've had yourself a parachute. I don't know what they wear over in Vancouver, but Seth Aaron's model looked like she was ready for a couture hoedown in the plaid frock he came up with. I loved Maya's ruffled-collar dress and Emilio's creative pattern, but Amy's dress looked exactly like a design from Leanne's final runway show with the fitted top and the bubble, wavy-flapped skirt.

I couldn't believe the judges loved Seth Aaron's dress, but fortunately it was Emilio's "deceptively simple" design and technical execution that earned him the first win. Anthony, over-confident Christiane and "Hershey chocolate bar" designing Jesus sweated it out in the bottom three. Heidi tells Jesus he's in, making Chrisitane Season 7's first casualty. She boasted alot about being a designer who uses a lot of color, and it would've been cool to see her make good on that promise. But her cocky attitude was a turn-off. Auf wiedersehen, Braggy McBraggerton!

Finishing touches: Anthony already established himself as the comic relief for this season. He gave us some of the funniest material since Santino Rice's impression of Tim Gunn in Season 2. Here are some of Anthony's funniest lines:

• "My ultimate goal is to be one of the gown designers for Miss U.S.A. and Miss Universe. *whispering* I don't really care for Miss America."
• The guys were discussing who would get the broken bed which Jay volunteers to take because he's the smallest guy in the bunch. This leads to all the men announcing how much they weigh. "I'm 180" ... "I'm 145" ... "I'm 152"... "And I'm thirsty," says the husky Anthony.
• "I'm sweating like a baptist preacher!"

But what's funny to me may not be as entertaining to Mrs. Klum. When Anthony found out he was safe and made a dramatic deal about it, she rushed him off the stage with agitation in her voice.

It looks like the show is ready to bounce back from last season's snoozefest, and I'm excited to see these contestants rip the runway.

"High School Reunion" (TV Land, Wed., 10:00): That's me in the picture at age 16. In high school, I was captain of the cheerleading squad, student council president and on the homecoming court. I did yearbook and made that stupid "Who's Who" list countless times. I was also picked on relentlessly and had some of my most traumatic experiences in the halls of E.H.S. I'm not playing the victim (I do that in therapy), but I can totally relate to some of the students on "High School Reunion". This reality show reunites former classmates 20 years after graduation so they can relive their glory days and for some, patch up old wounds. This season follows Chapparal High School's Class of '89 from Las Vegas.

All the cliches are here: the troublemaker, the nerd, the late-bloomer and the football star. There's also the ladies man, the cheerleaders, the gay guy and the hot girls. When the classmates were arriving one-by-one, it was funny to watch their expressions as they quickly assessed who it was and how they remembered each other. But poor Cyndi, the class nerd, was unrecognizable. To make matters worse, they still didn't remember her even after she told them who she was. Talk about being invisible. But she won't be for long after she reveals she became an exotic dancer. *Handing Cyndi award for "Most Likely to be Remembered"*

Lissett and Elena called themselves "The Summer Girls" in high school. In their eyes they were the hottest, most popular girls in Chapparal High, but their peers thought otherwise. "They were the biggest bitches in school," says John the troublemaker. Lissett says she's back to prove she is more than just a pretty face. Pause it: Yes, sweetie, that's true. It's not pretty, it's plastic now. Here's your award for "Best Body On a Payment Plan". Football star Joe wants to rekindle the flame with high school sweetheart Jodi, but late-bloomer Rachelle hopes she can score a touchdown this time around. (Vomiting in mouth over Joe hearts Jodi. I'm sure they wore matching shirts, too.) And if I were ladies man Antanus's girlfriend before the show, I certainly wouldn't be after watching this episode. Dude, if you've been dating someone for three years, you're not single. You're damn near common-law spouses!

I didn't go to my 10-year reunion and I only keep in touch with a handful of my classmates (shout out to Jennifer and Piper!). You'll have to come to the Watch Party to follow these clowns!

The show airs on Wednesday nights but I caught this one on repeat.