Excitement Builds for Finale of Making the Cut

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn talk third season of Making the Cut ahead of this week's grand finale.

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn talk third season of Making the Cut ahead of this week’s grand finale

When Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum met 18 years ago, they had no idea what the next two decades would have in store for the two of them. After saying goodbye to Bravo’s Project Runway in 2018, the duo teamed up with Amazon for a new fashion competition, where the clothes created would be accessible to viewers at the end of each episode. Three seasons in, they couldn’t be prouder of their achievement, which this season sees the return of Nicole Richie and Jeremy Scott as co-judges.

“This is our second baby and we nurture it very much,” says Klum, who relishes the opportunity to give undiscovered designers a shot at the spotlight. “There are so many amazing people out in the world that have amazing talent, but you never get to see them unless there was a show like ours. We can put them on the map.” As the third season reaches its grand finale, and one fashion designer claims their million-dollar prize, Gunn and Klum talked to TV Week about the growth of their “baby” and how it continues to reflect the fashion industry at large. Making the CutPrime VideoTV Week: How do you feel the show has evolved in the past three seasons?
Tim Gunn:
Well, for one thing, we know what we’re doing [laughs]. Season one, I won’t call it an “experiment,” but we were shooting from the hip. The designers coming to season one didn’t know what the show was, they just knew that we were part of it. In Season 2, we refined things. What is so captivating about season three is that we have designers who were very self-selecting because they saw seasons one and two. They knew that if they didn’t have the right stuff, there was no way they were going to make it to the end or possibly even into the casting.
Heidi Klum: What also evolved is that a lot of the designs now have companion pieces. So, the design is almost like a tiny little capsule collection. Before, it was just one look, but now there are other looks surrounding that.

TV Week: The show has always been very reflective of industry demands. How do you feel that this season reflects what the industry requires from a fashion designer? 
Heidi Klum: Well, [there is a greater focus on] sustainability and, also, gender fluidity. You see that the designers are thinking more along those lines. They want to be good for the planet and also for the people. I feel like that is important, that they really are going with the times.

TV Week: What makes the third season unique?
Tim Gunn: It’s the designers. They’re a special, unique breed—as they are in each of the seasons—that really make the show. It’s about them and the work that they create and what we learn about them.
Heidi Klum: They all come from different walks of life, different parts of the world. And with that comes a lot of their heritage. I feel like someone who is from the Dominican Republic, for example, brings a little different flavour to the table than someone who’s from Switzerland, Brazil or China. It’s a wonderful group and I love them all.
Tim Gunn: The show is the United Nations of fashion. Making the CutPrime VideoTV Week: It feels like this particular reality show has never revelled in behind-the-scenes drama. How do you balance tension and talent?
Heidi Klum: Obviously, if someone has a real hissy fit, we’re not going to cut it. But the premise of the show is not that. It’s about the fashion and how we get there. But yes, if they’re having a little cat fight or they’re b****ing at each other, we’re going to show it. That hardly ever happens.
Tim Gunn: With Making the Cut, I don’t believe it’s happened at all. They’re a very congenial group. They really support each other. And when there is tension and stress—because the show is stressful enough—and there’s something incendiary that’s bubbling up, we do everything possible to extinguish it because under those circumstances, the designers don’t do their best work. And that’s what we want: their best work.
Heidi Klum: I also think they pick each other up. When someone was down, another designer has come over and helped pick them up again, or even pick up their workload. In our previous show, I had never seen that before. No one would help anyone. It was, like, each to their own. They wanted to win and leave everyone behind or even throw others under the bus. Here, there’s a big camaraderie between them.

TV Week: What makes a good guest judge on this show?
Heidi Klum: A great guest judge is someone who has a point-of-view, and an opinion. No one is a good judge if they don’t speak what is on their mind. There’s nothing worse than when we say “cut,” and then they say what they really think. We want you to be able to voice what you’re thinking. If that is negative, don’t be afraid to say it. How is anyone going to learn if you don’t say what’s on your mind? It doesn’t have to come out mean; just say if you don’t like it and say why you didn’t like it.

TV Week: You two have been friends for so long. How would you describe your relationship at this point?
Heidi Klum: We’re a great old married couple. We just don’t sleep in the same bed.
Tim Gunn: We’re very comfortable with each other. We love and respect each other. We each have a great sense of humour that feeds into each other. And we have a good time. We’re so happy with what we’re doing and feel so lucky.  

Making the Cut, series finale airs Friday, September 9th on Prime Video