Project Runway (season 1)
Project Runway Season 1 was the first season of Project Runway series. The season aired first on December 1, 2004. The winner was Jay McCaroll. He won several prizes including an Elle spread, a $100,000 cash prize to start his own line and more. Austin Scarlett later appeared in Project Runway: All Stars in 2012, where he finished runner-up. Wendy Pepper, in the same year, competed in the second season of the All Stars edition placing 12th out of 13.
Contestants
[change | change source](In order of elimination)
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Place Finished |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Franco | 32 | Los Angeles, California | 12th |
| Mario Cadenas | 23 | Pembroke Pines, Florida | 11th |
| Starr Ilzhoefer | 27 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 10th |
| Vanessa Riley | 34 | London, England | 9th |
| Nora Caliguri | 21 | Cheshire, Connecticut | 8th |
| Alexandra Vidal | 21 | Miami, Florida | 7th |
| Kevin Johnn | 37 | New York, New York | 6th |
| Robert Plotkin | 28 | New York, New York | 5th |
| Austin Scarlett | 22 | New York, New York | 4th |
| Wendy Pepper | 39 | Middleburg, Virginia | 3rd |
| Kara Saun | 37 | Los Angeles, California | Runner-up |
| Jay McCarroll | 29 | Dallas, Pennsylvania | Winner |
(ages listed are the designers' ages at the time the show was taped in the summer of 2004.)
The 12 models competing for an ELLE spread in the first season were:
| Model | Age | Hometown | Place Finished |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Henderson | 19 | Texas | 12th |
| Alison Zebelian | 19 | Michigan | 11th |
| Josiane Barboza | 21 | Brazil | 10th |
| Audrey Chihocky | 18 | Virginia | 9th |
| Joy Pursell | 21 | Texas | 8th |
| Morgan Quinn | 21 | Iowa | 7th |
| Erin Denardo | 21 | New Jersey | 6th |
| Olga Kononova | 18 | Czech Republic | 5th |
| Martinique Mitchell | 21 | California | 4th |
| Melissa Haro | 17 | California | 3rd |
| Jenny Toth | 22 | Ohio | Runner-up |
| Julia Beynon | 20 | California | Winner |