Spotted on the streets of Asheville: Project Runway fashion designers Santino Rice and Austin Scarlett

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Two former (and unforgettable) contestants of the popular reality television show Project Runway – Santino Rice and Austin Scarlett – are in the Asheville are today to film a segment of their new Lifetime televsion show “On the Road with Austin and Santino.”

When my colleague Jaime saw on Twitter that Santino and Austin were spotted downtown, she rounded up another colleague, Carol, and myself and we decided to go on a celebrity manhunt. Jaime writes the Dishin’ Divas blog at the Citizen-Times, and has a post up about the encounter. She shot the photo above.

We hit Pritchard Park and Lexington Avenue, but it wasn’t until we were headed back up Battery Park Avenue that we spotted our marks. There’s no missing Santino, who stands well over six feet tall and today was wearing a moose hat with big floppy antlers.

I said hello to Santino, introduced myself and asked him if he was in Asheville for his show. He said he was, that he was just on break and headed back to work. I offered to send him an email or tweet him for some deets, but he said he couldn’t say much about the show’s makeover subject, because it would ruin the surprise.

Austin kindly introduced himself, then the little group moved on down the street, and Jaime, Carol and I headed back to work.

A promo for “On the Road with Austin and Santino” has road signs for all the places they are visiting, and includes a sign for Black Mountain, which may be a clue as to where their makeover subject lives. I guess we’ll have to check back with the show to find out for sure.

Here’s what People magazine’s tvwatch blog has to say about the show:

On the Road with Austin & Santino, which premieres July 29 after Project Runway‘s season 8 premiere, will follow the duo as they “travel to and immerse themselves in the culture of small towns across America to create new, dream-come-true looks for special women in unique situations as they celebrate such life milestones as anniversaries, birthdays, balls, graduations and bachelorette parties,” the network says in a statement.

Sounds fabulous! But there will be drama, too, in the 14-episode series, as Austin and Santino will face differences in opinion and demanding clients, including a rodeo trick-rider, a military officer and a female truck-driver.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

3 Comments

  1. lena August 19, 2010

    santino i can do without but OMG! Austin Scarlett?!?!?!?!?!??!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I probably would have died. And then maybe asked him to make a garment for me out of corn husks. Swoon.

    Reply
  2. judgeyall August 19, 2010

    Cool!! Nice hunting there, Ash!

    Reply
  3. Katie August 18, 2010

    I got an email yesterday from the lovely ladies at Waechter's Fabric store in Biltmore Village saying they were filming there over the weekend and that the store would have amended hours. I have a feeling they are using the store as a workroom. Waechters has great fabrics which I'm sure they'll be happy about since the last three shows I saw they were scrounging for decent material!

    Reply

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