Tim Gunn takes a group of fashion industry professionals in search of the next great designer. They interview thousands of applicants, and narrow them down to the 15 contestants for the third season of Project Runway.

Fifteen designers arrive in New York and are asked to create an outfit in just two days using only materials found in their apartments.

The designers are paired into groups to design and create a gown for Miss USA, Tara Conner, to wear for the Miss Universe pageant. The designers have $300 and two days to complete their designs.

The designers are informed that they'll be creating an evening outfit based on a story inspired by a tiny dog. The designers must also design outfits for the dogs to wear. They have $150 and two days to complete their looks.

The designers, in teams of three, are asked to design a three-piece look that embraces the INC (International Concepts) brand. The winning design will be manufactured, produced, and sold at Macy's stores. The teams have $100 and two days to complete the challenge.

The designers face the challenge of modernizing a look for a famous "fashion icon:" Cher, Farrah Fawcett, Pam Grier, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Onassis, Diana Ross, or Twiggy. They have $150 and two days to complete their designs.

At the Waste Management Recycle America Center, each designer is given 30 minutes to fill as many bins as they desire with recyclable materials. They must create an outfit from these materials, in one day, with an additional $25 for art supplies.

The designers are asked to create an outfit for an "everyday woman" …each other's mothers and sisters. They have $150 and one day to complete the challenge.

The designers are tasked to create an "international jet-set" outfit. They will then be flown to Paris to model the wearability of the garments. They have $75 and one day to complete the look.

While in Paris, the designers' next challenge is to make a gown employing haute couture techniques. They have 300€ and two days to complete the challenge.

Eliminated designers who have won at least one previous challenge are given a chance to get back into the competition. The designers are asked to create a cocktail dress using only black and white fabrics. They have $100 and one day to complete their design, with the stipulation that they must use all of their purchased fabric.

The designers are asked to create an outfit that expresses "their specific point of view." They must also stage a photo-shoot with their models and find three words that best express who they are as designers. They have $250 and two days to complete the challenge.

The cast of Season 3 reunites to recap all the gripes, drama and other shenanigans which were only seen by those behind the scenes. One of the designers wins the first ever "Fan Favorite" award, along with a check for $10,000.

In the fourth-season opener, the new crop of designers invades New York City. It's pins-and-needles time when the first challenge finds the newbies racing to design whatever they want. They are given 10 minutes to grab from $50,000 worth of fabric in three tents set up in Bryant Park to create a garment that best reflects who they are as a designer.

The designers are asked to create a two-piece garment for Sarah Jessica Parker's "Bitten" line. After pitching their designs, Parker chooses seven who will be team leaders, working in teams of two to create the design. They have $15 and one day to complete their look.

The designers are asked to create a menswear outfit for Tiki Barber to wear on The Today Show. They have $150 and two days to complete their looks.

Each designer must pick one of 12 outdated fashion trends. Then, working in teams of three, they must incorporate all three trends into a cohesive mini-collection of three looks. They have $225 and two days to complete their outfits.

Each designer must create an outfit for a woman who has recently lost weight. The new outfit must incorporate aspects of the now-thin woman's personality, as well as the designer's own style. They are given one of the woman's outfits from before her weight loss as raw material for the new design, $10 to use for additional materials, and one day to complete the challenge.

Designers are asked to create a garment using any materials available at the Hershey's store in Times Square. They have only five minutes to collect materials and one day to complete the outfit.

The designers are challenged to create prom dresses for a group of 16 and 17 year old girls. They have $250 and two days to finish the garments.

After designers are randomly paired the teams are asked to create an avant-garde outfit based on inspiration from their models' hairstyles. They have $300 and two days to create this look. Later, each team is asked to create a ready-to-wear outfit which embodies the essence of their avant-garde look. For the second piece, the designers have an additional $50.

The designers are tasked with creating an iconic look using deconstructed denim while also showing off the Levi's 501 legacy. They are given three minutes to collect provided denim (jeans, jackets, and cotton fabric) and one day to complete their designs.

Working in pairs, the designers must create innovative avant garde looks highlighting one of the most trendy and complicated of materials — faux fur. They have $500 and two days to complete the challenge.

For this assignment, the designers are each teamed with an up-and-coming hairstylist for a head-to-toe fashion collaboration. They must create a runway look inspired by their stylist's hair design. They have $500 and one day to complete the challenge.

The must create editorial looks specifically inspired by internationally renowned model Coco Rocha. They are tasked to show their artistic range by delivering not only the perfect garment, but the perfect photograph to show it off. They have $800 and two days to complete the challenge.

Each of the remaining designers is given five months and $10,000 to design a 10-piece collection for Fashion Week. In the interim, each gets a special visit in their hometown from Christian Siriano. Back in New York, they present their work at Fashion Week and a winner is crowned.