The fashion police have come for Project Runway's Keith Michael.
The aspiring designer was kicked off the Heidi Klum-helmed reality series Wednesday in an dramatic exit scenario that had been endlessly foretold in promos for the episode.
Though Michael had long been speculated to be the contestant who would get the boot, his ousting came after producers were tipped off to the fact that he had been secreting forbidden fashion pattern books under his bed by rival contestant Kayne Gillaspie--not, as had been predicted by sharp-eyed fans of the show, for supposedly copying some of the designs he displayed in his portfolio.
Tim Gunn, who serves as mentor to the contestants, was given the task of handing Michael his walking papers. Gunn explained that the disgraced contestant had committed "an absolute no-no" by possessing the books, as well as violating additional rules such as leaving the production for several hours without permission and using the Internet.
"You're incredibly talented. That's why these books make me sick," Gunn told a stoic Michael.
"We need you to get your stuff together tonight and you'll leave tonight."
Michael, who established his status as a frontrunner during the first fashion challenge of the season, was clearly upset at being unceremoniously dismissed.
"My image has been tarnished forever, I'm off the show and I'm going to be a laughingstock to my friends," he said.
Despite his flagrant rule-breaking, Michael still attempted to defend his possession of the books.
"The kind of sad part is that I never used those books to give myself any unfair advantage," he said. "I am disappointed. I would have made it to the end, I'm pretty sure."
Unfortunately for Michael, cheating never comes into style.