Arzen Rose Dulzura

R’Bonney Gabriel on ‘Project Runway’ elimination: ‘I feel so frustrated at myself’

Article (news)

E. Kristhoff Cagape

Push Team

<p>Filipino-American designer and former Miss Universe R&#x27;Bonney Gabriel opened up about her feelings following her elimination from <em>Project Runway s</em>eason 22.<em></em></p><p>R&#x27;Bonney was one of six contestants eliminated after the season&#x27;s first design challenge.</p><p>In a TikTok video, R&#x27;Bonney recalled the moment she found herself in the bottom two of the competition.</p><p>&quot;When I got cut from the competition in that judging room, my heart sank. I couldn&#x27;t believe it was happening, but at the same time, I was not super surprised. All day that day, I had a lot of anxiety. This terrible feeling that I was not safe to stay in the competition. I kept it in my head, but I was really trying to convince myself that maybe there&#x27;s just a glimmer of hope when I got to the bottom two,&quot; she said.</p><p>The designer recounted becoming overwhelmed with emotion after returning to the workroom and seeing her fellow contestants.</p><p>&quot;I was devastated and went back into the work room and saw all the designers and started crying. I never cried on camera. It was something I&#x27;m not comfortable with. I could not help it, it&#x27;s like the floodgates just opened,&quot; she recalled.</p><p>R&#x27;Bonney admitted feeling frustrated with herself following her elimination, especially because she had high expectations for her time on the show.</p><p>&quot;I had all these dreams of the success that could come from competing on this show. The opportunity to have FaceTime with the hosts, be immersed in the design room for a long period of time without any other distractions. I was fantasizing about that, and it got cut so short. I feel so frustrated and mad at myself,&quot; she confessed.</p><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@rbonneynola/video/7663457708854512910" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7663457708854512910" id="v80319997389087040" style="max-width:605px;min-width:325px"><iframe name="__tt_embed__v80319997389087040" sandbox="allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7663457708854512910?lang=en-US&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-07-18T03%3A54%3A04.398978%3Ada8a8a50-46f8-486f-a85c-51bec26b28e4%26action%3Dedit" style="width:100%;height:758px;display:block;visibility:unset"></iframe></blockquote><script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><p>During the first challenge, R&#x27;Bonney created an ensemble from repurposed denim, featuring a statement hood. However, the design failed to impress the judges.</p><p>&quot;I feel like I put myself in this position. I made a really bad decision on the design that I decided to bring from home. I feel like I just didn&#x27;t understand the assignment, and it makes me just feel like the biggest idiot,&quot; she said.</p><p>She went on: &quot;If I could do it all over again, I would bring a different piece. I&#x27;ve been sewing for 15, 16 years and there&#x27;s so many other pieces that I could have brought that showed my skill or pieces that look like it took a really long time. But I brought a piece that was one of my most recent and that I was so obsessed with. I feel like I fumbled so hard.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/health-beauty-fashion/2026/7/13/former-miss-universe-r-bonney-gabriel-off-to-a-rough-start-on-project-runway-1747"><strong><u>READ: Former Miss Universe R&#x27;Bonney Gabriel off to a rough start on &#x27;Project Runway&#x27;</u></strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Despite the disappointment, R&#x27;Bonney described the experience as eye-opening and vowed to devote more time to improving her craft.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s embarrassing to be rejected. I&#x27;ve had a few days now to process it. This is a really eye-opening experience for me as a designer. I dedicated a lot of time to sewing, but I would say this last three years, I&#x27;ve done so many other things in my career that I haven&#x27;t been solely focused on design,&quot; she said.</p><p>She went on: &quot;I&#x27;d be lying if I were to say I don&#x27;t feel insecure after this experience. It definitely makes me question myself as a designer. But I&#x27;m gonna take this as a learning lesson. I just want to dedicate more time for my craft and my fashion business, and I will continue to improve on that.&quot;</p>

<p>R’Bonney Gabriel gets candid about her early exit from 'Project Runway’ season 22. </p>

R’Bonney Gabriel gets candid about her early exit from 'Project Runway’ season 22.