Project Runway Goes Down In Flames As The All Stars Get Emotional, Take Sides: 'This Is Going To Divide Us'

The only thing more ruffled than Anna Yinan Zhou's look on this week's episode of Project Runway were the feathers of her fellow designers.

Thursday's challenge required the 11 remaining contestants to craft ensembles that conveyed their unique points of view. The catch? They all had to use 15 yards of the same red fabric, resulting in "a lot of very similar looks," according to judge Nina Garcia, who was also disappointed by how many minimalist designs and simple draped looks she spotted on the runway.

But nothing the panel said about any of this week's looks was harsher than what Zhou's peers said about her ruffly design, which was actually one of the judges' favorites of the episode.

Watching from backstage, several designers rolled their eyes and laughed as the judges praised Zhou's look for its originality; Korto Momolu pointed out that Zhou's look bears a strong similarity to the one she made for the unconventional materials challenge a few weeks earlier.

Here are the two looks, for your reference:

"Nothing against Anna personally, but she makes the same exact look [twice] and she's in the top?" Momolu asked. "Like, come on!" She continued: "This is bulls–t! This is All Stars. You've got the best of the best to ever do it. It's an insult. It's insulting."

Several designers agreed, including Laurence Basse, who said, "This s–t right now is a joke. There's different rules for different people. This s–t's crazy."

Bishme Cromartie offered a slightly different perspective: "Everybody's coming at Anna for making the same design. At first I was salty as hell, but I realized that Anna is sticking to her guns and creating looks with ruffles as a signature. I respect that she knows the type of designer she is."

Tensions boiled over when Zhou joined her fellow designers backstage, immediately facing their objections. She did her best not to let it affect her, but she noted the "weird energy" in the room.

And things only got worse from there. Following Hester Sunshine's elimination, Kayne Gillaspie took it upon himself to put Zhou back on the spot, asking if she agrees that her design was similar to the one she made for the previous challenge. (Don't worry, he started with "I don't mean to be disrespectful...." so at least he wasn't being disrespectful. At all.)

For what it's worth, Zhou did not expect positive comments from the judges this week. In fact, she admitted to wearing all of her rings on the runway in case she had to leave directly for the airport.

As emotions continued to flare, Kara Saun spoke through tears, calling for peace: "We are designers, we love what we do, we have an aesthetic, and now you're here creating art. So please don't bring any negativity into this thing!"

Unfortunately, it's way too late for that. As Momolu said, "The whole mood has changed. The energy has changed. I don't know if y'all know this, but this is going to divide us."

A fashion house divided cannot stand, so it should be interesting to see how things evolve from here. While we wait for next week's episode, let's talk: Do you think Zhou's two looks were too similar? Even so, did her fellow designers need to call her out like that? And what of poor Hester? Drop a comment with all of your thoughts (and we know you've got 'em!) below.