{alltv} 'Project Runway': Meet the designers for Season 9

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

{alltv} 'Project Runway': Meet the designers for Season 9

Behold the largest starting group of designers in the history of "Project Runway." These are the 20 contestants who will start the season in Lifetime's fashion-design competition.

Four of them won't make past the July 28 premiere, however: In the first episode, each designer pleads his or her case for being on the show to host Heidi Klum, judges Nina Garcia and Michael Kors and mentor Tim Gunn, but only 16 will make it through to the first design challenge.

The contestants are:

- Amanda Perna, 25. Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Resides in: New York City.
- Anthony Ryan Auld, 28. Hometown: Linden, Texas; Resides in: Baton Rouge, La.
- Anya Ayoung-Chee, 29. - Hometown/resides: Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
- Becky Ross, 38. Hometown: Calumet, Mich.; Resides in: Portland, Ore.
- Bert Keeter, 57. Hometown: Washington, D.C.; Resides in: Los Angeles.
- Bryce Black, 26. Hometown: Twin Falls, Idaho; Resides in: Portland, Ore.
- Cecilia Motwani, 34. Hometown: Cordoba, Argentina; Resides in: Woodside, N.Y.
- Danielle Everine, 26 - Hometown/resides: Minneapolis.
- David Chum, 29. Hometown: Merong, Battaan, Philippines; Resides in: Boston.
- Fallene Wells, 29. Hometown: Las Vegas; Resides in: Denver.
- Gunnar Deatherage, 21. Hometown: La Grange, Ky.; Resides in: Louisville, Ky.
- Joshua McKinley, 25. Hometown: Cleveland; Resides in: New York City
- Joshua Christensen, 29. Hometown: Snohomish, Wash.; Resides in: Los Angeles.
- Julie Tierney, 35. Hometown: Baton Rouge, La.; Resides in: Grand Junction, Colo.
- Kimberly Goldson, 35. Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.; Resides in: White Plains, Md.
- Laura Kathleen , 26. Hometown/resides: St. Louis.
- Olivier Green, 22. Hometown: International; Resides in: New York City
- Rafael Cox, 27. Hometown: Alamogordo, N.M.; Resides in: Atlanta.
- Serena da Conceicao, 31. Hometown: Kingston, N.Y.; Resides in: Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Viktor Luna, 30 - Hometown: Guadalajara, Mexico; Resides in: New York City.

"Project Runway" debuts at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, July 28 on Lifetime.