And she's out! (Warning, spoilers ahead for Project Runway's Oct. 12 episode. Do not continue reading if you've yet to watch/don't want to know. Auf wiedersehen!)
Project Runway delivered one of its most shocking eliminations on Thursday night...and it happened in the first 15 minutes. Last week's episode ended on a cliffhanger, with several contestants accusing Claire Biutendorp, one of season 16's polarizing twins, of cheating.
The Lifetime reality hit resolved the cliffhanger pretty quickly in the opening moments of the episode, with Michael claiming Claire was using "a retractable ruler" to measure her pieces back in the apartment (a big PR no-no!), and also accused her of stealing design ideas.
"It becomes the point where it's not only a point of inspiration, but a direct design of stuff that they own," he told the judges. Margarita also chimed in, saying she believed Claire had stolen one of her designs for a top from one of her previous looks. (The judges didn't go for that one.)
While the judges initially kept their decision in place, with Claire winning the challenge and Batani being sent home, Tim Gunn swooped in, taking the allegations of tools being used in the apartment very seriously.
"Is it true to that you've been measuring garments in your room?" Gunn asked Claire, who admitted to having a measuring tape and using it in the competition.
And just like that, Claire was booted, with Batani returning to the competition and Brandon being named the winner of the challenge.
"I'm very regretful that I even considered holding onto something I shouldn't have had," Claire said of her exit. "Project Runway has been something I wanted to be a part of since I watched it when I was in my early teens. These are the worst possible circumstances to leave this competition. But that's how my story's going to end."
Project Runway airs at 9 p.m. on Lifetime.