Reviews

When we start off in the beginning of film, meeting all of the wannabe pledges, I thought that we would be following their journey through Rush week and see how it all pans out. But all we get is a bunch of selfie footage of the girls talking about themselves and showing off their wardrobes, interspersed with a few conversations of girls talking to the director about their insecurities. There are no timelines so you have no idea where in the semester they are. (At one point there is footage of two of the girls are dressed up like movie theater ushers and I thought they were going to part-time jobs but then all of a sudden, everyone in the scene is in costume and you realize, oh this must be a Halloween party). In fact, most of the conversations seem to take place before Rush, rather than during. Then, the director turns the camera on herself to talk about her alopecia and tries to equate her struggle with the condition with the girls who are rushing. Say what? The only interesting parts of the film are learning the history of sororities in the US and finding out that there are actual Rush coaches who help the wannabes get into their dream sorority. I am not even sure how it ends because I turned it off halfway through.

Admittedly, the premise of this show is a little all over the place. Jenna Lyons is launching a new business since leaving her storied career at J. Crew. Ok cool. I would've loved a show where this was the focus, a behind-the-scenes look of her working life (like 'The Rachel Zoe Project' which I LOVED).

However, then they throw in this reality show competition thing where she is ALSO hiring a new associate to be on her team. That part was an unnecessary mess. In the real world, these folks never would've gotten through the door with her in the first place. She is a total perfectionist who IRL would hire the most accomplished, professional and talented people on earth. But these contestants show up for interviews with NO resume in hand (hello? That's Rule #1 of interviewing). No portfolios (When Jenna asked to see her work, one says, 'I can show you pictures on my phone?' Jenna recoils at the idea). And not a ton of relevant work experience. (They DO have loads of confidence, though). She brings these people along with her to help with various major design projects, which is baffling because they are untested and inexperienced.

And also, the little pop up captions were corny and annoying.

Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the show for one reason -- Jenna and her team. They know fashion and interior design and retail, and I've been trying to find a design show to fill the void (HGTV is basically all real estate shows now). Jenna is a master stylist and I love the "Just the Tips" vignettes. Plus, Jenna herself has such great style I could watch her walk back and forth on the TV screen.