Who is Irina Shabayeva? The back-stabbing mean girl that this season made her out to be? Or victim of a “bitch edit”? Why was she always ragging on her colleagues? Did she have any doubts that she’d beat Althea and Carol Hannah to the Bryant Park finish line? Dalton and I covered these burning questions and more (!) when the divisive season six winner sat for her Project Runway Talk grilling. Press play on our two-part interview below to see what Irina had to say about her controversial all-black collection, how the nickname Mean-a Irina came to be, and her claim that behind whatever bitchery she displayed on screen, there was always a good reason for it…only, it consistently ended up on the cutting-room floor.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to check out our chats with runners-up Althea and Carol Hannah.

Holy smokes is Althea tall. She’s 5’11″ to be exact, but when she came to the EW offices this morning, she looked more like 7’11″ thanks to the fierce-ass stilettos she was sporting. Of course, I’m barely 5’6″ in my highest heels, so even Tom Cruise looks like a skyscraper to me. Anyway, what was I saying? (Sorry, brain still fried from staying up late writing my TV Watch and getting up early. Tough life, Schwartz.) Ah yes, Althea. She was a great sport during her Project Runway Talk segment. We covered Sweatergate, Smokey Eye-gate and Zippergate. (She’s pretty embarrassed about the last one.) All the while, her new NYC roommate Carol Hannah watched in the wings. Maybe she was texting Logan? (“Hey, Althea’s talking about you again!”) I kid.

Enjoy! Plus, don’t forget to watch Carol Hannah’s interview, and, of course, our grilling of Irina.

As we near the end of season 6, I challenge anyone to convince me that Michael Kors’ and Nina Garcia’s prolonged absences haven’t been disastrous for this season of Project Runway. Nina herself more or less acknowledged this fact a few weeks back. An utter lack of continuity on the panel paved the way for the premature elimination of talents like Ra’mon, Epperson, and Shirin. And that’s not the only problem it created — at least according to the vociferous Runway fans who comment on the boards of my TV Watch (thank you for weighing in each week!) and to recently auf’d designer Gordana Gehlhausen. Their argument? That the judging has been unnecessarily harsh of late.

Now, part of the reason we all watch the show is to experience the laugh-out-loud packages of wit in which Michael, Nina, and Heidi wrap up their critiques. But in past seasons, even the sternest of admonishments usually came with a constructive chaser that kept the words from feeling gratuitously bitchy. The chemistry of the Holy Fashion Trinity tended to guarantee an affectionate jocularity. (I give you: “That crotch is insane!”) This year, that’s been rarer. A lot of fans, for instance, were put off by Jennifer Rade’s icy take-down of Qristyl in episode 4. And even more of them have commented on Heidi steadily turning up the harsh-o-meter to 11. This last point in particular unnerves Gordana. When the fourth-placer came to the EW offices for Project Runway Talk, she explained how hard it was to relive Heidi’s glare while watching the Bob Mackie episode. She also talked about much she envied the supportive brand of judging that the So You Think You Can Dance contestants enjoy each week.

Take a look at Gordana’s Runway Talk episode [embedded after the jump] and tell me what you think. Are she and the fans right? Has the judging gone from humorously blunt to flat-out mean?

(Also, there’s no elimination on tonight’s episode, but Dalton and I will be back with three new episodes of Runway Talk following the Nov. 19 finale. See you then!)

Photo Credit: Mike Yarish/Lifetime

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Break out your hankies, Runway fans, ’cause in this latest installment of PRT, things get a little emotional. As this season’s fifth-place finisher explained to us the morning after his final episode, he’s a sensitive guy whose tear ducts go into overdrive when the cameras roll. So we made sure we had a box of tissues on hand for his visit to the EW offices, where he gamely chatted with us about being the last man standing, his lack of training versus hands-on experience, and a possible betrayal from his longtime model Katie. We hope you’re moved. (Check back later for our chat with Gordana, who dishes on Irina, Heidi and more!)

Though his superhuman powers of near-invincibility helped him outlast Ra’mon, Epperson, and Shirin, the time finally came for Logan to pack up his zippers and head on home. The morning after his elimination episode aired (which he hadn’t even seen yet, ’cause his New York hotel room didn’t have Lifetime!), Mr. Neitzel stopped by planet Project Runway Talk. I tried to get him to accept some gorgeous plastic pink zippers, but to no avail! Fortunately, Dalton and I had better luck getting him to chat about Althea’s accusations of design thievery, how it felt to be the designated “hottie” of season six, and whether or not his designs exclude 90 percent of the American population. Click below to witness his coldhearted rejection of my colorful gift!