"I don't want to say that I'm going to have the last laugh, but ..." — Michael Costello

... OK?

I get it. It's foreshadowing of the painfully uncomfortable Nancy Kerrigan-esque breakdown we will see at the end of the episode! (Except she was whacked in the knee by a psychopath with a crowbar! And you lost a finale spot to a nice Hawaii boy who makes warrior-women fashions!)

Anyway, off to Hawaii!

Somewhere there is an animated .gif of Tim Gunn's "I am revolted by the sight of catfish!" reaction to Andy's outdoor portion of his home visit. (I may or may not have had something to do with it.) Andy has been patiently waiting for the US Postal Service to deliver the custom fabric goods from Laos (delivered in Austin Scarlett's cape concept from Season 1, in my mind) and has a mere two (2!) weeks to sew 10 looks together before returning to New York. If he ever wanted to prove that his designer questionnaire was not fibbing, he really will need to sew like a one-man sweatshop to make this tight deadline.

Back on the U.S. mainland, Tim has managed to find even more tropical climates in Palm Springs, California, at Michael Costello's, where everyone looks like Michael Costello — except Tim Gunn. Michael, in pure Michael C. fashion, sewed 63,487 looks for his 10-look collection. He has feathers, he has fringe; he has pulled a Seth Aaron and sewed above and beyond, and needs to be reined back into editing mode. He has the exact opposite of Andy's problem.

Hitting the road, Tim pulls into Denver to visit Mondo's home. I was expecting Mondo to open the door with a houndstooth-printed dog trailing behind him, but that scene must have been edited out. Mondo's inspiration of "Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead) has greatly influenced his collection, and Tim, thank goodness, warns Mondo to rethink an über-hot pink top that may have blinded me from my television screen.

Gretchen is in Portland, Oregon, packing. Since last we saw her, she is now broke and brokenhearted and moving - a trinity of occurrences no one should have to deal with simultaneously. Focusing on Western roots and cultures, she has already created a lot of nice necklaces, a bunch of print-driven pieces and one giant diaper that I really hope looks less diapery once it's dyed.

Finally arriving in New York City for Fashion Week, Mondo hides under a giant bed 36 times his size at the Hilton to surprise Michael, and Andy has an "unbeweavable!" new hairstyle. (And Gretchen's just there.) But the fun doesn't last for long.

In typical Episode 13 style, the designers must create another look — which seems to be met with less resistance than it has in the past (Season 2's designers, for example, looked like they wanted to throw themselves out the nearest window). Andy pulls out an 11th-hour big winner on his 11th look, but his bikini (modeled by "I have a secret sassy tattoo" Rose) is just not stacking up.

If Mondo wasn't going through, the world would end, so who's worried? Crunchy Granola Gretchen has a glimmer of hope in her leather look for spot number two. And Andy makes it through a scathing critique from an in-rare-form Nina Garcia for the third and final spot.

... And this is where things get weird. Real weird.

Four minutes and 45 seconds of raw Michael in hysterics WEIRD. (I know. I timed it.) This show is eight seasons in, and I have never seen a finalist who just missed Fashion Week do. That. Wow.

Somewhere, Ivy is OK with this.

Well, next week's the big show — and the Season 8 reunion! And you know what that means ... more plush puppies!