Reply #11: I never saw anyone take it as hard as Michael did.

[AngryOldDem]

You could tell that he had a lot riding on making it to Fashion Week, especially the approval of his family. His reaction, and him standing there totally defeated on the runway was really hard to watch.

I was preoccupied with other things but I DVR'd the episode. From what I saw on the runway of the final three looks, though, none really stood out to me but I did like Michael's evening gown with the beautiful draping. Gretchen's stuff was not my cup of tea.

What really got me was Gretchen being right there to console Michael, after spending most of the season baiting and trash-talking him at every turn, trying to drive him out of the competition. It says a lot about Michael that he was able to rise above all the bitchiness (which for some reason was bad this season, perhaps because of the longer running time of the show) and act civilly. I noticed that even Gretchen's "concern" and "sympathy" seemed fake, especially compared to Andy and Mondo, who at one point also bought into the Michael hate but changed their mind over time. Andy's comment that he felt guilty for being a finalist spoke volumes.

I wish Michael all the best, and I hope Mondo wins.