On August 20th, 2009, Lifetime finally premiered the much delayed sixth season of “Project Runway.” The first five seasons of the show were broadcast on the Bravo Network, owned by NBC Universal, and on that channel, the show became the number one most highly rated cable reality show according to EW.com. Therefore, the rights to season six were much sought after, and Lifetime was the high bidder. But that was not the end of the drama.This sixth season was actually recorded almost a year ago and the rights to air it have been locked up in a legal battle among the show’s majority owner, The Weinstein Company, Bravo and Lifetime. In April, the courtroom dispute finally ended, and the season was set to begin airing this August. The network was not the only change to the show for this season, however. First of all, the show was moved from New York, which has long been considered the fashion capitol of the world, to Los Angeles, a city that has been picking up steam as of late in the high-fashion race. Originally, the entire look of the set was supposed to be overhauled as well, but more conservative heads eventually prevailed, reportedly much to the dismay of co-host Heidi Klum. The biggest change from season five to season six was the addition of a second show, “Models of the Runway,” which is aired each week for a half hour directly following the main show. This is a fantastic new aspect to the Runway universe—it finally fills in a large gap in the viewer’s understanding of the show as a whole.  In previous seasons, the models, who seemed to be intimately involved in various aspects of the show, were seen as mute automatons, bouncing or prancing down the runway to be seen but not heard. The models were always a part of the competition, and at the end of each season, the model paired with the winning designer would win $50,000 and a fashion spread in Elle magazine. Before, whichever model happened to win appeared to simply be lucky, for no aspect of the models’ day-to-day attempts to succeed were shown to the viewers. But oh, how this has changed. After watching the first six episodes of “Project Runway,” followed by “Models of the Runway,” I now understand that although the models are not exactly given ample opportunity to truly compete for the prize, they are still able to sway the results of the various eliminations in their own favor. The majority of the “Models of the Runway” show is comprised of behind-the-scenes footage of the models attempting in some way to endear themselves to their designers through flattery, or flirting, or whatever else might work. It is the meat and potatoes main show, however, that is really soaring this season. Klum, arguably the show’s main host, has really perfected the art of being generally icy cold, but just caring enough to be a good role model to the aspiring fashionistas. And co-host Tim Gunn acts as her perfect foil: the nurturing counterpoint to Heidi’s cold glamour. Gunn is this show’s secret weapon, for he is the one who is really down in the trenches with the designers, being both mentor and friend when he is needed most. He will criticize a design when necessary, but mostly, he is upbeat. “Make it Work,” is his famous one-liner, and it really sums up his whole attitude about life and success. This is the first season, however, in which he has become noticeably agitated at the poor behavior of a designer. One of the designers, Johnny, came to season six as a recovering crystal meth addict, and in the first episode, he had a mental breakdown and decided that he was not good enough to be in the competition. Johnny left his workspace and cowered in the hallway, where Tim Gunn joined him to save the day. Gunn told him that he wouldn’t even be in the competition if his portfolio hadn’t been remarkable, and Gunn was eventually successful in talking Johnny down off the proverbial ledge. Flash forward to episode five. Johnny was working on a garment that was supposed to be inspired by a trip the contestants took to the Los Angeles Times. The designers had to use paper to make the majority of a dress, and Johnny was in the process of making a crumpled-looking dress that was supposed to appear to be held up by little paper birds. When Gunn visited Johnny for a consultation, he told Johnny that if he wasn’t careful, it would look like birds had instead “attacked the dress.” Johnny was defeated, and laughter ensued all around the workroom as Johnny crumpled up the “garment” and threw it into the trash. Then he began work on a new dress. Needless to say, the new dress was even worse, and as the judges were trashing it at the elimination ceremony, Johnny decided to lie and say that he had originally made a “really incredible Dior-like dress,” but that the steam from an iron had “sputtered” on it and forced him to start over. Johnny’s lie was completely transparent, and he was quickly eliminated. And after bidding Johnny a cold goodbye, Gunn proceeded to lose his always cool temper for a moment. “I am incredulous at that utterly preposterous spewing of fiction Johnny did on the runway,” Gunn said. “It was ridiculous.” This was a first for Gunn, and it really emphasized the no-holds-barred direction that the show has taken in its Los Angeles season. Overall, with the exception of the premature elimination of fan-favorite designer Ra’mon last week, this season has been the best in the show’s history. This is due to the combination of a well-varied cast, a new, yet familiar setting and the show’s decision to stick to the formula that has made it so successful in the past. “Project Runway” is, at its core, a show about fashion, and the producers never decide to place the emphasis on cheap infighting and insults. About 30 minutes of the show’s 43 minute actual runtime is about the actual process of making and displaying couture clothing, and this focus is at the core of what makes the show interesting. You can watch twenty-somethings flirt with social disaster on a plethora of other reality shows littering the television dial on a regular basis. But on “Project Runway,” you get substance over style, and for a fashion show, that is truly revolutionary.