NEW YORK – Heidi Klum (search) is hosting her own reality TV show, but that doesn't mean she's a big fan of the genre. The supermodel prefers to call "Project Runway" — a contest among 12 aspiring fashion designers that premieres Wednesday on Bravo — a documentary.
"We're going to show the public what it's like to be a designer. I think people will be interested to see what it's really like, how talented designers are. What we're looking for is who is talented, not who is the funniest, not who is good-looking," Klum told The Associated Press recently.
Klum, 31, has watched "America's Next Top Model" (search) a few times because that show's creator and host, Tyra Banks (search), is a friend, and she's also caught Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" once or twice.
"Project Runway" brought contestants from around the country to New York for a series of "fashion challenges." Their work was judged by Klum, designer Michael Kors, Elle magazine's Nina Garcia and Constance White from eBay.
Viewers will see pre-taped episodes that whittle down the number of contestants to three finalists, who will appear in a live runway run-off contest in February during New York Fashion Week.
"You could see very, very quickly who wasn't going to be up to the challenges but then it got very difficult because (the remaining contestants) were equally good," Klum said.
Klum, who also serves as the show's executive producer, said she wanted to find wearable clothes. "The final thing comes down to talent. The winners have to be good, they have to represent themselves well and they have to be able to work with others."
The winner will receive $100,000 in seed money to launch a fashion line, according to Bravo's Web site.
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