‘Project Runway’s’ Most Bonkers Challenge Is Streaming on Hulu Again

Reality competition shows gotta get paid in order to keep moving. There ain’t no shame in this game! If I don’t mind when scripted shows sneak in a Chili’s meal, I sure don’t mind when a reality show does it–and that includes Project Runway, a show home to quite possibly the most egregious product placement moments in TV history.

I’m not talking about the branded content that actually makes sense, like the Brother sewing room or the rotating now-defunct accessory wall sponsors (RIP Piperlime). I’m talking about things like the season where they kept talking about how nice and cold the break room’s Samsung refrigerator kept drinks or the challenge inspired by French/Canadian animated feature film Leap! or the one where kid superfans of something called “Shopkins” had to explain WTF a “Shopkin” was to designers desperate enough for their big fashion break to be temporarily inspired by a “Shopkin.”

But of all the sponsored challenges in Project Runway history, there is one that makes me cackle every single time I think about it and, after a brief hiatus from Hulu, it’s finally back on the service and ready to be streamed. I’m talking about Season 12’s Yoplait/Coney Island unconventional mess around.

Project Runway puts its designers through their paces, but the designers had to know things were going to be extra weird when they were called to Coney Island early on a rainy morning and greeted by Tim and–I’m not kidding–”one of our friends at Yoplait frozen yogurt.” Fashion and yogurt, together at last! The Yoplait rep then sells the froyo Project Runway is contractually obligated to build an entire challenge around, saying “it’s everything you love about Yoplait, now frozen.” Whoever came up with that slogan, a Peggy Olsen they were not.

The challenge, Tim explains, goes like this: the designers are going to give out samples of Yoplait frozen yogurt to a crowd of wet extras, collect words from those taste testers that describe their “experience” of eating froyo on the Coney Island boardwalk, and then use three of those words to inspire a look. Does any of this make sense? The look on Season 12 bad boy Sandro’s face says it all:

Project Runway regularly asks designers to do things that you know will never be a requirement in their chosen field, like making a couture look out of dog toys in 12 hours. But I have to say, watching the designers hand out yogurt samples to strangers in the rain is by far the goofiest thing the show has done in 17 seasons.

To keep the weirdness rolling, here are the words they get: creamy, luxurious, tangy, refreshing, fluffy, divine, light, natural, refreshing, arousing, delightful, happy, playful, temptuous, waves, foam, and raspberry town. Imagine any other challenge, one void of yogurt, where Tim Gunn tells designers they have to make a gown inspired by the words “fluffy,” “tangy,” and “waves.” These designers have nothing to go on (and I will also point out that “temptuous” is not a word, even though the editors give it a fancy font and try to sell it like one).

All of this would be enough weird for one challenge, but it doesn’t end there. Not only do the designers have to work with a partner to design a gown based off of foamy and arousing frozen yogurt, they have to make their looks using carnival prizes. Using $100 from their GoBank cards (another sponsor, ka-ching!), the teams have to throw balls and whack moles in order to get enough plastic inflatable aliens, sombreros, and plush monkeys to make their design dreams come true. At this point, Project Runway is bordering on Punk’d territory. These designers busted their asses to get to the show in order to hand out yogurt and play skee ball?! I live.

Truly the whole episode has to be seen to be believed. What does a “divine” ready-to-wear look made out of a stuffed ice cream cone even look like? This is the tough question this Project Runway episode strives to answer, and I heartily suggest you stream it before it disappears from Hulu again.

Stream Project Runway "An Unconventional Coney Island" on Hulu