Project Runway season 22
| Project Runway | |
|---|---|
| Season 22 | |
 Promotional poster for season twenty-two | |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 22 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Freeform |
| Original release | July 9, 2026 – present |
| Season chronology | |
The twenty-second season of Project Runway premiered on July 9, 2026 on cable network Freeform, and on streaming after on Hulu and Disney+. Following the success of its maiden Freeform season, the series returns with a record-breaking 22 designers, the largest cast of any Project Runway season.[1][2]
Heidi Klum returns as host and head judge, as well as resident judges Nina Garcia and Law Roach. Christian Siriano resumes his role as mentor to the designers. Tyra Banks joins the judging panel as a recurring judge.[3]
The winning designer will receive a $200,000 cash prize, a feature spread in Elle magazine, mentorship with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and professional representation to launch their brand. [4]
Contestants
The cast was released on Project Runway's official Instagram and as an exclusive on People.[1] Notable contestants in the cast include Joseph McRae from season 21, RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Andrew Dunayevskiy and Robert Crone,[5] Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Nola, and Bao Tranchi from Next In Fashion Season 2.
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Finish | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea Moore | 28 | New York City, New York | Episode 1 | 17th Place |
| Jennifer Daniels[b] | 28 | Atlanta, Georgia | ||
| Omolara "LRÉ" Odupita | TBA | Los Angeles, California | ||
| Andrew "Plane Jane" Dunayevskiy | 28 | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
| R'Bonney Nola | 32 | Houston, Texas[6] | ||
| Robert "Q" Crone | 29 | Kansas City, Missouri | ||
| Octavius Terry | 53 | Atlanta, Georgia | Episode 2 | 13th place |
| Dani Bennett | 28 | Los Angeles, California | ||
| Bao Tranchi | 48 | Los Angeles, California | ||
| Yangyang Xu | 28 | New York City, New York | ||
| Andriy Volkov | TBA | Manhattan, New York | Episode 3 | 11th place |
| Chloe Magleby | 27 | Provo, Utah | ||
| Aaron Potts | TBA | Detroit, Michigan[7] | Episode 4 | 10th place |
| Elizabeth Shevelev | 29 | New York City, New York | Episode 5 | 9th place |
| Varvara 'Bobby' Diakonenkova | 28 | Moscow, Russia | Episode 6 | 8th place |
| Bryan Barrientos | 38 | Patterson, New Jersey | Episode 7 | 7th/6th place |
| Jeffrey Kelly Abess | 39 | Orlando, Florida | Episode 7 | 7th/6th place |
| Anna Molinari | 28 | New York City, New York | TBA | |
| Bi Pham | 37 | Da Nang, Vietnam | ||
| Joseph McRae[c] | 34 | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||
| Jude Mikulencak | 23 | Brooklyn, New York | ||
| Naheim Muhammad | 23 | Los Angeles, California | ||
Progress
Legend:
| Contestant | Episode | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||||
| Anna | IN | HIGH | IN | HIGH | LOW | IN | IN | HIGH | |||
| Bi | IN | SAVE | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | HIGH | WIN | IN | |||
| Joseph | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | IN | IN | HIGH | LOW | |||
| Jude | WIN | IMM | IN | WIN | IMM | LOW | IN | WIN | |||
| Naheim | IN | LOW | HIGH | IN | WIN | LOW | IN | LOW | |||
| Bryan | WIN | IMM | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | WIN | LOW | SAVE | |||
| Jeffrey | LOW | HIGH | LOW | IN | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | OUT | |||
| Bobby | WIN | IMM | LOW | IN | LOW | OUT | |||||
| Elizabeth | WIN | IMM | HIGH | IN | OUT | ||||||
| Aaron | IN | LOW | HIGH | OUT | |||||||
| Andriy | WIN | IMM | OUT | ||||||||
| Chloe | WIN | IMM | OUT | Guest | |||||||
| Bao | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| Dani | LOW | OUT | |||||||||
| Octavius | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| Yangyang | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| Andrea | OUT | Guest | |||||||||
| Jennifer | OUT | Guest | |||||||||
| LRÉ | OUT | Guest | |||||||||
| Plane Jane | OUT | Guest | |||||||||
| R'Bonney | OUT | Guest | |||||||||
| Robby | OUT | Guest | |||||||||
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 270 | 1 | "22 for Season 22" | 9 July 2026 | 0.381[9] | |
|
22 designers meet Heidi and Christian in New York preparing to show a look that was prepared at home. In a surprising twist, 6 designers will be judged ‘best on the runway’ gaining immunity for the second challenge and 6 will be eliminated from the competition.
| |||||
| 271 | 2 | "Ready, Set, Redemption!" | 16 July 2026 | N/A | |
|
The challenge this week is … of the 10 designers without immunity only 6 will be kept in the competition. A 12 person jury made up of the 6 with immunity and the 6 previously eliminated are tasked with the decision on who to save.
| |||||
| 272 | 3 | "In It to Win It" | 23 July 2026 | N/A | |
|
Designers split into four fashion houses must create runway looks inspired by NFL teams. Balancing collaboration with individual creativity proves challenging as emotions run high and relationships are tested. Two designers will be eliminated.
| |||||
| 273 | 4 | "Catwalk on the Wild Side" | 30 July 2026 | N/A | |
|
In a series of head-to-head fashion battles, the designers create bold looks inspired by wild animals. Special guest models from Hulu's Get Real lineup bring the contestants' creations to life on the runway.
| |||||
| 274 | 5 | "Viva la Fashion" | 6 August 2026 | TBD | |
|
Creativity is put to the test when the designers must transform paper towels into high-fashion runway looks. The competition becomes personal when the designers must name who they believe is the weakest designer amongst them.
| |||||
| 275 | 6 | "The Devil's in the Details" | 13 August 2026 | TBD | |
|
The designers compete for a coveted opportunity: creating a red-carpet look for Heidi Klum to wear at the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2. Glamour, elegance and high expectations collide. In another twist, the winning designer selects the bottom three contestants facing elimination.
| |||||
| 276 | 7 | "Battle of the Seasons" | 20 August 2026 | TBD | |
|
In this high-stakes episode, six returning contestants from Season 21 face off against the Season 22 designers in a dramatic unconventional materials challenge. The competitors must push their creativity to the limit by transforming obsolete electronics and bygone-era tech into high-fashion runway looks.
| |||||
| 277 | 8 | "Designing with the Stars" | 27 August 2026 | TBD | |
|
The remaining contestants design high-fashion, movement-friendly looks inspired by specific dance genres for professional ballroom dancers. The high-stakes runway culminates in a dramatic double elimination that leaves the remaining designers on a cliffhanger regarding a potential mentor save.
| |||||
| 278 | 9 | "Put a Ring on It" | 3 September 2026 | TBD | |
|
| |||||
| 279 | 10 | "The Finale" | 10 September 2026 | TBD | |
|
| |||||
Footnotes
- ↑ All ages, names, with hometowns, and outcome are stated at time of filming.
- ↑ Jennifer previously appeared on Project Runway as a model.
- ↑ Joseph McRae previously competed on season twenty-one, placing ninth.[8]
References
- 1 2 Santino, Catherine (May 27, 2026). "Project Runway Unveils 22 Contestants for 22nd Season, Its Biggest to Date (Exclusive)". People.
- ↑ Tinoco, Armando (May 27, 2026). "'Project Runway' Season 22 Cast Photos: Meet All The Designers From Hulu, Disney+ & Freeform Competition". Deadline. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- ↑ Je-Ree (June 19, 2026). "Tyra Banks Joins Project Runway Season 22". The TV Cave. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ "'Project Runway' Season 22 Episode 6 Live Recap: Who Was Eliminated?". Sports Illustrated Lifestyle. August 14, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
- ↑ Messman-Rucker, Ariel. "'Drag Race' queens are taking over 'Project Runway' cast | Out.com". www.out.com. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- ↑ Almazan, Ticia (August 1, 2023). "Queen's Gambit: Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel On Sustainable Fashion |". vogue.ph. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- ↑ "About1". A-Potts. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Project Runway season 21: Meet the contestants". E! Online (Press release). United States. June 11, 2025. Archived from the original on July 17, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
- ↑ Berman, Marc (July 14, 2026). "'Big Brother' Season Opener on CBS Tops Thursday". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on July 14, 2026. Retrieved July 13, 2026.