50 free Project Runway trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Project Runway has been sending designers to Mood with a budget and a deadline since 2004, and in that time it has won a Peabody, changed networks three times, lost and regained Heidi Klum, and turned a 21-year-old named Christian Siriano into its own mentor. This quiz covers the whole run: the original judging panel, the Bravo–Lifetime lawsuit, the season Tim Gunn publicly disagreed with the winner, the decoy collections at Fashion Week, the first disqualification, the Tim Gunn Save, and the winners from Jay McCarroll through the All-Stars season and the Freeform reboot. No sewing required, but you should know the difference between a fan favorite and a finalist.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01On which network did Project Runway premiere on December 1, 2004?
Bravo
Bravo aired the first five seasons before the show moved to Lifetime for eleven more, then came back in 2019.
Q 02Which supermodel hosted Project Runway from 2004 to 2017?
Heidi Klum
She left with Tim Gunn to make Amazon's Making the Cut, then returned as host and head judge in 2025.
Q 03Who was the designers' mentor for the show's first 16 seasons?
Tim Gunn
He was chair of the fashion school at Parsons and gave tips in the workroom, but never took part in judging.
Q 04Which fashion-magazine editor has judged every season of Project Runway?
Nina Garcia
She was Marie Claire's fashion director when the show began and later became editor-in-chief of Elle.
Q 05Which American designer was an original judge alongside Klum and Garcia?
Michael Kors
He stepped back before season 11 because of scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Zac Posen.
Q 06Who replaced the original designer-judge as a regular starting in season 11?
Zac Posen
Rachel Roy filled in on episodes he could not make. He left in 2018 along with Klum and Gunn.
Q 07Which New York fabric store do the designers usually shop at?
Mood Designer Fabrics
It is in the Garment District. Season 4 sent them to Spandex House and the Hershey's Store in Times Square instead.
Q 08The early seasons were filmed at which New York institution, part of The New School?
Parsons
It is part of The New School. Season 6 moved to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.
Q 09Finalists show a complete collection at New York Fashion Week. How many looks must it contain?
12
They get 12 weeks and $8,000 to build it at home, and must do most of the sewing themselves.
Q 10How much money are the finalists given to produce their Fashion Week collections?
$8,000
Compared with the weekly challenges, which can allow as little as five hours of work, the finale is a 12-week project.
Q 11What do the models wear when they line up for the weekly model elimination?
A black dress, barefoot
Models are randomly assigned for the first challenge; after that the designers choose who they want to keep.
Q 12Which prestigious broadcasting prize did Project Runway win in 2008?
Peabody Award
The citation praised it for using the reality-contest genre to 'engage, inform, enlighten and entertain'.
Q 13Whose 2018 bankruptcy sent Project Runway back to Bravo?
The Weinstein Company
NBCUniversal reacquired the rights after the Weinstein assets were sold off, then lost Klum, Gunn and Posen within months.
Q 21Which season-3 designer was the first asked to leave for rule violations?
Keith Michael
He was found with banned pattern-making books and had left the set for hours to use the internet.
Q 22Which sponsor replaced Banana Republic starting in season 3?
Macy's
The switch came as Macy's was converting the former May Company department stores to its own name.
Q 23What distinction does the season 4 champion hold among all Project Runway winners?
Youngest winner
Christian Siriano was 21. He also won the season's $10,000 fan favorite prize.
Q 14Which Amazon fashion competition did the host and mentor leave to create in 2018?
Making the Cut
It premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2020 and ran for three seasons.
Q 15Which model took over as host when the show returned to Bravo for season 17?
Karlie Kloss
She hosted seasons 17 and 18 and appeared only occasionally in season 19.
Q 16Which former champion became the show's mentor in 2019?
Christian Siriano
He won season 4 as the show's youngest champion and still holds the mentor job under Klum's return.
Q 17Which celebrity stylist joined the judges when the show moved to a Disney channel in 2025?
Law Roach
Zendaya's longtime 'image architect' joined Klum, Garcia and mentor Siriano. Tyra Banks was added for season 22.
Q 18Who won the very first season of Project Runway?
Jay McCarroll
The Pennsylvania designer turned down both the $100,000 prize and the Banana Republic mentorship.
Q 19Why did eliminated season-1 designer Austin Scarlett show a collection at Fashion Week?
As a decoy to hide the real finalists
Producers feared the finalists' identities would leak before the finale aired. Decoy collections became a fixture.
Q 20Who won season 2 of Project Runway?
Chloe Dao
Daniel Vosovic was runner-up and fan favorite, and later won the 2009 All-Star Challenge special; Santino Rice was third.
Q 24Season 4's Jack Mackenroth was the first designer to leave for what reason?
Medical reasons
Chris March, the most recently eliminated designer, was brought back to replace him.
Q 25Season 5 opened by repeating which task from season 1?
The grocery store challenge
The Gristedes supermarket challenge was a homage to past seasons, with Austin Scarlett as guest judge, for the last season on Bravo.
Q 26Who won season 5, the first with an all-female final three?
Leanne Marshall
Her wave-patterned collection beat Korto Momolu and Kenley Collins. Momolu took fan favorite.
Q 27Season 6 was the first filmed outside New York. Where did it go?
Los Angeles
It was shot at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Season 7 returned to New York.
Q 28Which company sued to stop the show's move to Lifetime, delaying season 6?
NBCUniversal
The case settled in April 2009 with the Weinstein Company paying an undisclosed sum. Season 6 aired that August.
Q 29Who won the 2009 Project Runway: All-Star Challenge special and its $100,000 prize?
Daniel Vosovic
Eight past contestants competed in one challenge; Momolu was second and Sweet P third.
Q 30Who won season 6, the first season on Lifetime?
Irina Shabayeva
She later appeared in the 2010 Wii video game alongside Klum, Gunn, Kors and Garcia.