Who Went Home on Project Runway Season 21 Episode 6 Tonight?
Madeline Malenfant was ultimately sent home on tonight’s episode of Project Runway Season 21, Episode 6. It was one of those tense moments where host Heidi Klum admitted it was “a tough call,” but in the end, Madeline was the designer packing her bags, while Antonio Estrada and Belania Delay were safe for another week.
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So, the numbers dwindle—only seven contestants left and, honestly, at this point, the runway feels more charged than ever. If you’ve ever tried to make a decision after a sleepless night, you’ll recognize some of the energy swirling around these designers. No one wants to slip up, especially this late in the game.
The challenge tonight was all about elevated streetwear. Heidi and Law Roach dropped the prompt like a glitter bomb on the workroom: streetwear, but make it worthy of a big city billboard. Of course, everyone side-eyed Yuchen Han, the group’s resident streetwear talent, but he surprised with a wild pivot away from his signature style. Ambitious? Yes. Risky? Definitely. Yuchen himself admitted more than once that his own grand vision might eat him alive—“I might not get everything done,” he worried, counting hours like loose change.
Meanwhile, Ethan Mundt (drag superstar, queen of avant garde) was sweating bullets. This was a world apart from his usual sequins-and-stage persona. If you ever fumble through a task you know you should be good at—but your hands just won’t cooperate—that’s pretty much how Ethan looked rushing through that workroom.
A fun little side anecdote: Joan Madison went all-in on three expensive fabric panels, swearing off backup choices despite Christian Siriano’s ghost-like warnings from previous episodes. If you’ve ever bought fancy groceries and then realized your main dish recipe might flop, Joan’s gamble probably feels familiar. She joked about commitment, but when her model tried the dress, the whole “eveningwear” effect became a problem—Joan wasn’t hearing it, even as Jesus and the model nudged her gently toward something more street.
Back in the thick of things, Ethan melted down with less than three hours left—two of three outfit pieces done, panic creeping in. Joan was there, real MVP style, with an encouraging hug. It’s moments like these that remind you—Project Runway isn’t just sewing, it’s surviving together.
Runway time rolled in, and the judges (Heidi, Law, Christian Cowan, Joan Smalls) didn’t waste time. Ethan, Veejay, and Jesus landed safely out of the line of fire. Belania and Antonio snagged the top two spots, a wild swing given their rocky start earlier in the challenge. Belania, with her Old Hollywood twist, got Law’s sharp tongue— “I hated that story”—but still picked up her second win of the season. Somewhere in there, Antonio blew a kiss to Nina Garcia, even though she wasn’t a judge this week. Hey, you take wins where you get them.
That left the dramatic bottom: Joan Madison and Yuchen Han. Joan was there for the third time, Yuchen for the first—both looking nervous but holding it together. The critiques were tough. Law Roach, always unfiltered, told Yuchen he was “so mad” at his knockoff Balenciaga look (“This was your challenge to win!”), and the tension got real.
But when the dust settled, Madeline Malenfant was the designer to go. It always stings—jokes, stress, second-guessing, and all the hope bound up in a day’s work end with a hug and goodbye. Now the competition presses forward, and if tonight’s episode proved anything, it’s that nobody’s truly safe. Every challenge is do-or-die, every critique a crossroads. Next week? No clue who’s on the chopping block, and honestly, that’s what keeps things exciting.
