Jay McCarroll
As the winner of the show's first season, McCarroll was awarded $100,000, a mentorship from Banana Republic and a spot in the prestigious 2005 New York Fashion Week event, but the gregarious designer turned down the money and the mentorship, citing contractual issues. After leaving New York, McCarroll taught at Philadelphia University and had a fashion line on QVC. In April 2008, he launched his blog and designer fashion boutique, The Colony by Jay McCarroll. In 2010, McCarroll won the seventh season of Celebrity Fit Club on VH1, having lost 40 pounds on the reality show.