The eighth season of Lifetime’s Project Runway began Thursday, July 29. The premise of the new ninety minute show remains the same. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn take aspiring fashion designers to New York City, bring them to Parsons—The New School for Design, and force them to work under extreme time constraints to create stunning garments. All of which is done with the hope of becoming the next Michael Kors or Vera Wang. With the new extended time, I was curious to watch this season and see if I could learn anything new…

1) They eat.

Yes, one would think that this would be a given. How else would they survive? But one of the first things that I saw was that they were actually eating food that wasn’t just breakfast. Who knew?

2) Be prepared to know the designers a little bit better.

The extra time allows the viewer to see more interviews, I feel, with the designer. During these interviews, the designers don’t really hold anything back. In the hope not to spoil too much, all I have to say is that I really like April Johnston and Michael Costello. April adds the additional insight, while Michael adds the much-needed comic relief. After a while, you begin to stress just as much as they do!

3) Don’t try and guess what will happen.

The first two episodes alone were filled with twists that I’ve never seen in my years watching Project Runway. The unexpected turn of events really kept me wondering as a viewer if they would try and one-up the previous episode. Although I have yet to be shocked since episode two (besides with what the judge’s decided!), I am still a little leery to try and guess what will happen during the rest of the season.

4) The judges want well-rounded designers.

I’ve found it interesting this season to see that the judges are putting an emphasis not only on the garment, but also the styling that goes along with it. There is a focus on the hair and makeup and additional accessories (provided by Piper Lime this year), that I hadn’t seen in previous years.

5) Expect more critiques from the designers, but not the judges.

Heidi Klum claimed on Live! With Regis and Kelly in late July that the additional time would allow viewers to see more of the judge’s decision making. Yet, I have not seen any kind of difference compared to last season.  I have noticed, however, that you are exposed to more of the “green room talk” that the designers participate in while they are waiting to see who is going home. If you are looking to see additional judge commentary, you can visit mylifetime.com.