From Nicole Richie's return as judge to Jeremy Scott losing it to the contestants competing for $1 million, season 3 is worth watching.
Making the Cut is back with a captivating third season on Prime Video with hosts and executive producers Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn on the search for a designer behind the “next great global fashion brand.” This time, the stakes are as high as ever as a new group of 10 entrepreneurs from around the world compete for $1 million to invest in their budding fashion empire while the judges panel welcomes back House of Harlow 1960 creative director Nicole Richie and Moschino creative director Jeremy Scott.
“There is no snoozing time around here. This is a short period of time and you have to really buckle down and really pour out everything that you have,” Klum tells ET.
And what makes The Cut so intense (and so substantial) compared to other fashion competitions is “with each designer we’re digging deeper,” Gunn says. “It’s not just about this pretty dress, which may be pretty, but it’s about how this fits into the larger rubric of your brand and tells us more about that brand and where you see it going.”
He adds, “It’s richer all around.”
Among this year’s competitors are Ciara Chyanne Morgan (Los Angeles, California), Curtis Cassell (Brooklyn, New York), Emily Bargeron (Savannah, Georgia), Gabriella Meyer (Chicago, Illinois), Georgia Hardinge (London, England), Jeanette Limas (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Markantoine Lynch-Boisvert (Montreal, Canada), Rafael Chaouiche (Curitiba, Brazil), Sienna Li (Harbin, China) and Yannik Zamboni (Zurich, Switzerland), who all hope to impress the hosts and panel, which features a number of guest judges, including Chloe x Halle, stylist Jason Bolden and TikTok star Wisdom Kaye.
Given their global background, fans can expect to see varying points of view on what they consider fashion -- as well as what makes up their brand. “When you have people from different parts of the world, they just naturally bring a little bit of their heritage or their flavor from where they’re from and it’s beautiful to see,” Gunn says. “I feel like everyone brings a little of where they’re from to the table.”
And as they take inspiration from Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the desert landscape of Vasquez Rocks and the rooftops of Downtown Los Angeles during weekly challenges of the first six episodes, the designers will be pushed to the limits -- with some making lasting impressions and others leaving the judges utterly shocked by what’s come down the runway.
As seen in the trailer for season 3, it’s the latter that makes Scott lose it on one of the designers. “You want to know what I wrote about these looks? Nothing,” he exclaims as he throws his notebook to the ground.
While speaking to ET, Klum teased what pushed the creative director over the edge. “These designers have the possibility of winning a million dollars and they also have the possibility with each assignment to get a winning look, which then gets produced and people can shop it, so when you have a missed opportunity,” she says, referring to the fact that Amazon makes certain looks available as capsule collections immediately following each new episode.
“So, Jeremy got upset. He didn’t understand why this particular designer would throw away such a big chance at having a winning look or possibly being kicked off and not getting that million dollars, because your odds of getting that million dollars is pretty good when there’s only 10 designers,” Klum continues.
That said, all the contestants “have to be on their game,” she explains, adding that Scott or “anyone who gets this loud, this angry cares about that person.” And it’s better to have them passionately fighting for you rather than unimpressed, uninterested and asking, “What’s next?”
Balancing out Scott’s intensity is Richie, who returns as a main judge after sitting out season 2. Since making quite the impression in season 1 with her mix of charm, wit and unexpected one-liners, Gunn “was thrilled to have Nicole back.”
“It’s a rebirth of Nicole and season 3,” he says, with Klum adding, “Apart from being a fashion icon, she’s a comedian at heart. Sometimes she says things, you know, she makes us laugh all day long. So, that’s wonderful on top of her fashion knowledge.”
When it comes to season 3 as a whole, Gunn sums it up in one word: “Electrifying.” Klum, meanwhile, expands upon that to say, “We’re all about great fashion and it’s great fashion you get.”
Making the Cut premieres Aug. 19, with two episodes debuting each week until the season 3 finale on Sept. 9.
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