“It's getting a little too ugly for my tastes,” announced Vincent Libretti, perhaps the least likeable contestant on Bravo's “Project Runway.” 

What was once TV's smartest and most sublimely satisfying “reality” show, now comes perilously close to jumping the proverbial shark, or, more appropriately, the snark. Episode 10 lifted a lame twist from the “Survivor” oeuvre and resurrected two previously canned contestants: the aforementioned and talentless Vincent and milquetoast Angela Keslar, lover of rosettes and an aesthetic meant for JC Penney's junior miss department.

The stunt only achieved a new rip in its already gossamer-thin veil of civility. Clearly, the eliminated competitors were brought back just for sheer catfight potential. Wacky Vincent had previously ordered Laura to go stick Harry Winstons up her nose (whatever the fuck that means). And a particularly surly Jeffrey Sebelia—this season's Santino—actually made Angela's mother cry during one of the challenges.

Such is the nature of “Runway” in season three: kindergarten-level histrionics in which even parents get splattered with flying mud pies. By the end of one recent episode, Laura was in tears and judge Michael Kors was acting like a schoolyard bully with his cruel parody of Uli Herzner's accent. Noble Tim Gunn deserves a medal for rising above all this pettiness.

Granted, an undercurrent of snobbery has informed the show from its start, tempered by the allure of pitting populist designers against haute couture harpies like Elle's Nina Garcia and the merciless Heidi Klum. But “Runway” set itself apart from other industry-specific bitch-slaps (see: “Hell's Kitchen”) through its impeccable taste and the often jaw-dropping creations its artists send down the titular runway.

What is billed as a competition of craftsmanship and creativity has instead turned into a test of endurance, with the nicer (read: softer) contestants knocked out first and only the kooks and predators left in a white-knuckled fight to the finish. The notable exception: Michael Knight, a soft-spoken and solidly talented designer who deserves to take the top prize—if ice queen Laura doesn't feast on his liver first.