Who Are the Project Runway Season 22 Finalists? Anna, Jude and Bi Are In, One Spot Remains

Project Runway Season 22 finally has its first three confirmed finalists. Anna Molinari, Jude Mikulencak and Bi Pham will all present collections in the Season 22 finale, but Episode 9 adds one last twist before completing the lineup. After initially appearing ready to send the other three designers home, Heidi Klum announces that the judges have decided to advance a fourth contestant as well. The episode ends before revealing whether that final spot belongs to Joseph McRae, Naheim Muhammad or Bryan Barrientos. Anna enters the finale after winning the bridal challenge, while Jude and Bi are selected to join her based on their performances and overall bodies of work. The fourth finalist will be revealed before the final runway.

Anna Molinari wins her way directly into the finale

Anna earns the clearest route into the finale by winning Episode 9’s bridal challenge. The remaining six designers are asked to produce two wedding-day looks in only two days: a main bridal look and a separate after-party outfit, both filtered through their own design identity.

Anna’s work receives strong enough feedback to put her at the top alongside Jude. The judges ultimately choose Anna as the challenge winner, giving her more than just a finale position. Her winning design is also set to be produced and sold through David’s Bridal.

The timing could hardly be better for her. Anna had been competitive throughout Season 22 without dominating the challenge-win conversation in the same way as some of the other remaining designers. Winning the final challenge before the finale changes that immediately.

She now enters the last runway having proved that she can create multiple coordinated looks rather than relying on one successful garment. That matters because the finale asks the designers to present a capsule collection where cohesion becomes much more important.

Jude Mikulencak reaches the finale after another strong week

Jude does not win the bridal challenge, but the judges make it clear that his work belongs in the finale.

His Season 22 record already made him one of the obvious designers to watch. Jude built his identity around tailoring and controlled construction, and his quickstep look in the Dancing With the Stars challenge gave him another important victory immediately before the bridal assignment.

Episode 9 initially creates some concern when Christian Siriano questions part of Jude’s direction, including his jumpsuit. Once the completed looks reach the runway, however, the judges respond positively to both pieces. That performance is enough to secure Jude one of the first three finale positions.

His qualification feels less like a surprise than confirmation of the consistency he has shown across the season. Jude has rarely appeared lost about the designer he wants to be, even when the judges have pushed him to expand beyond familiar tailoring.

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Bi Pham completes the confirmed top three

Bi becomes the third confirmed finalist despite taking a risk that could easily have gone wrong in a bridal challenge: he moves away from traditional white and works with black.

Christian also questions Bi’s process during construction, particularly when he starts developing a veil before the main gown is fully resolved. The approach does not prevent Bi from doing enough to convince the judges that his Season 22 journey deserves to continue.

His finale spot also completes one of the season’s strongest comeback stories.

Bi began the competition in a much shakier position than Jude or Anna, but his work improved considerably as the season progressed. His unconventional-materials garment made from keyboard keys and zip ties became one of his defining designs, and he was eventually named the individual winner of Battle of the Seasons, earning the $20,000 prize.

By Episode 9, Bi is no longer simply the designer who survived the early rounds. He is officially one of the designers competing for the Season 22 title.

Why are there four finalists instead of three?

Episode 9 initially makes it sound as though only three designers will advance. With six contestants remaining, Heidi repeatedly emphasizes the pressure of cutting the field in half before the finale.

Anna, Jude and Bi are then announced as the three designers moving forward. That appears to leave Joseph, Naheim and Bryan eliminated. Instead, Heidi reveals one more twist: the judges have decided to send a fourth designer to the finale.

Project Runway does not explain the fourth designer’s identity before the credits. The decision has apparently already been made, but Season 22 continues its habit of delaying major results into the following episode. That means the official finalist lineup is currently incomplete.

Who could be the fourth Project Runway Season 22 finalist?

The final spot belongs to Joseph McRae, Naheim Muhammad or Bryan Barrientos, but Episode 9 does not confirm which of them advances. Each has a different case.

Joseph took another unconventional approach to the bridal assignment by using lavender rather than traditional white. Heidi appreciates the color choice, although the judges are more uncertain about the overall designs. His entire Season 22 run has been built around defending a strong personal aesthetic even when other contestants and judges question whether he repeats himself too often.

Naheim receives mixed feedback during the final challenge after Christian had praised some of his work earlier in the process. He has already won during the season and has generally avoided the amount of interpersonal controversy surrounding some of the other contestants.

Bryan enters Episode 9 in the most unusual position because he had already been eliminated. Christian Siriano saves him over Jeffrey Kelly Abess at the beginning of the episode, immediately giving Bryan another opportunity to compete for a finale place. His survival has also become one of the season’s biggest fan controversies. None of that tells us whom the judges chose. Until Project Runway reveals the name, presenting Bryan, Joseph or Naheim as the fourth finalist would be speculation.

What happens in the Project Runway Season 22 finale?

The confirmed finalists will move from tightly controlled weekly challenges to the biggest test of their individual identities.

Freeform says the finalists will present original capsule collections during the final runway. Instead of designing for a specific animal, dance style or bridal client, they finally get the opportunity to show a more complete version of their own fashion perspective.

One designer will ultimately win the $200,000 prize, an Elle magazine feature, professional representation and mentorship through the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Anna, Jude and Bi know they will be part of that runway. The only unfinished business is who will stand beside them.

Episode 9 may have confirmed most of the Season 22 finale, but by withholding the fourth name, Project Runway has ensured that its last cliffhanger is also one of its most consequential.