While the show began on the Bravo cable TV channel it has ended up in the hands of Lifetime. As the female friendly cable TV station prepares for the Aug. 20 premiere, the 16 contestants diverse faces and backgrounds are ready for launch. Three of them - Nicolas Putvinksi, Gordana Gehlhausen and Irina Shabeyeva - hail originally from Russia, Bosnia and the Republic of Georgia, respectively.

Season six takes place in Los Angeles, where celebrities such as Christina Aguilera and Lindsay Lohan will make cameos during challenges. The 'panel of chic' remains the same Heidi Klum as a host and judge joined by mentor Tim Gunn and the additional judges Nina Garcia and Michael Kors.

As it happens, the finale was taped months ago. In February, the three top finalists trotted out their designs at the Bryant Park tents, but unlike previous seasons, they were not able to show themselves because the season had not yet aired. The crowd of fans and fashionistas clapped politely during the taping but lacked enthusiasm for anonymous designers they were not personally invested in.

That was because 'Project Runway', the cult series that transformed Bravo into a hot destination for addictive reality television, lacked a home base. Trapped in lawsuit limbo, the series was mired in a dispute between Bravo and Lifetime.

When asked about the upcoming season, Klum said 'We did it almost a year ago, but it was definitely a great season, and we all had a lot of fun and saw some great fashion.' -AP