Keith’s desperate attempt to change his “collage” style to please the “Project Runway” judges succeeded only in winning him a tearful exit and a trip back to Utah after another wacky challenge using recycled car parts.

But despite the tears, the whining and the drama, Season Five of the popular fashion design contest is showing signs that the show is losing its cutting edge.

Whether its the contestants themselves, the recycling of some past “Runway” challenges, or  the blatant cross promotion of upcoming Bravo shows and commercial  sponsors,  much of the sparkle seems to be missing this season.

Tim Gunn, whose polite but pointed mentoring stitched the show together, seems listless in his now brief visits to the workroom, rarely going beyond his ”make it work” mantra. Is Gunn too busy working on his own TV shows these days?

The designers, for the most part, seem to lack that winning combination of personality and  talent that made past favorites Christian Siriano and Santino Rice so watchable. This year’s Leanne and Korto have the talent but seem camera shy, while Blayne’s dressmaking skills often fall short of his ego.

Gunn appears unimpressed with the current crop. “They keep walking around telling each other how great they are and I keep saying to them, ‘Someone is gonna go home’, ” Gunn told OK! magazine this week.

In the words of host Heidi Klum. “In fashion, one day you are in and one day you are out.”  So we wonder, is ”Project Runway” in need of its own fashion makeover?