On “Project Runway” in 2010, Atlantan Anthony Williams was not only skilled in fashion design but also bursting with funny quips and artful commentary. Though he only finished in fifth, he left with a smile on his face and plenty of fans.

So when the producers were picking past contestants for an “all star” edition that debuts Jan. 5 on Lifetime, Williams was a no brainer.

But he hesitated.  He had just finished a rigorous summer styling actress Stacey Dash for the VH1 show “Single Ladies” and wanted to take a break. He also said he had been “burnt out” by the fame.

“People wear you out,” he said. “They keep talking about what you are doing next. It’s never a celebration of now.”

They also assumed he was rich just because he had been on a reality TV show and wanted to talk fashion all day long.  “Sometimes, I just want to eat my crab cakes and drink my wine,” he said.

But ultimately, he said, “I got my act together. I was the last person to hand in my contract. It ended up being a wonderful experience.”

Taped this past fall, Williams competed for $100,000 and other prizes against other notable past contestants including season one’s Austin Scarlett, season four’s “Sweet Pea” Kathleen Vaughn, season eight’s April Johnston (from Savannah) and season nine’s lovable Mondo Guerra. (Based on pure popularity, Williams has the second-most Facebook “likes” off the “Project Runway” page, only behind Mondo.)

One other contestant from his season was part of the crew: Mila Hermanovski, a woman he actively bad mouthed while on the show in 2010.

In a trailer for the new season, he said, “Mila? That’s it. She’s not worth my camera time right now. Ask me something else.” But in a separate interview, he said the rivalry is exaggerated. “It was nice to see a familiar face,” he said.

He wouldn’t say the name but said there was a contestant that he really loved while watching the show but found to be not quite the saint behind the scenes. “Horrible attitude, work ethic was shot,” he said. “I had that feeling you get when you see Santa smoking a cigarette. He’s not real! He’s drinking a 40!”

The show itself features different judges, host and mentor than the regular “Project Runway.” Williams said it was disconcerting.

He had no idea entering the competition who judge and host Angela Lindvall was, unlike Heidi Klum on the original show. “I had no impression of her at all coming in,” he said. “I see why now people value your opinion if you’ve been on television in some capacity. I’d hear her critiquing. ‘Honey, remind me who are you again?’ ”

He liked Marie Claire editor-in-chief Joanna Coles, who had Tim Gunn’s role as mentor, but said she sometimes pulled her punches at times and didn’t always give constructive critiques.

Williams said he got a negative vibe from designer and judge Isaac Mitzrahi but loved Georgina Chapman. “She could say you made the most horrible clothes but you take it because bad news is easier coming from a gorgeous person!”

He said once he decided to compete, he relaxed and decided not to second guess himself. “Six months later, nobody will remember what happened,” he said. “Just keep it moving. If you stress out, that’s all they’ll show. You have to show you can handle this. You have to let your maturity and wisdom shine through.”

And he felt the work done by most of the designers was excellent. “It’s all stars. It’s pretty hard to find crappy work. But someone had to be eliminated each week.”

Williams said he went through a phase where he was not a good person after the show. “I was having too many conversations about the wrong things instead of the right things. I’m back to being a good friend, a good son. I became more active in my church. I have blown off the dust of my design books. Every two weeks, I’m teaching myself something new.”

For a time, he felt pressured to put a collection out when he wasn’t necessarily ready. “I had to start being honest and keeping it real,” he said. He didn’t want to just create a bunch of clothes, hold a show and have zero investors.

Being an Atlantan, he thinks of Martin Luther King Jr. “If he were still alive, what would he think of ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’? If he saw me on ‘Project Runway’ and ‘All Stars,’ I think he’d be proud because I think I’m exuding integrity and creativity. I’m taking hold of the opportunity and making it for me.”

He plans to move to New York or Los Angeles this spring. “I think I’ve done what I can here,” said Williams, who lives in Ormewood Park. “Like Joan Rivers said, ‘You can’t get struck by lightning if you don’t stand in the rain.”

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk