In fact, for all the made-for-television tension that accompanies the announcement of the winning designer, it is fair to say that no one has benefited more from the show’s success than the three original judges and Mr. Gunn himself.

Though Michael Kors was an established designer before joining “Project Runway,” the show has made him a bona fide celebrity, and his TV fame could not have been an insignificant factor in his highly lucrative initial public offering nearly two years ago. Nina Garcia was the little-known fashion director at Elle when she joined the show, and is now creative director of Marie Claire. These days, she is on ABC doing red-carpet commentary for the Oscars, working as a consultant for J. C. Penney and doing a deal with the co-founder of Netflix. And Heidi Klum, already a noted Victoria’s Secret and Sports Illustrated model, has turned into a global fashion conglomerate, with a line of active wear for New Balance and a jewelry collection on QVC, while also starring as a judge on yet another reality show, “America’s Got Talent.”

But perhaps no one has come further (or benefited more from the show’s success) than Mr. Gunn, who for more than two decades was a largely anonymous administrator and teacher at Parsons the New School for Design in New York.

Since the show began in 2004, first with Bravo and now on Lifetime, Mr. Gunn, who turned 60 this summer, has nearly too many accolades to list. He has published three books (one written with Kate Moloney and one with Ada Calhoun); had an animation role on a Disney show; a period as chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne Inc.; numerous guest appearances on hit television shows like “How I Met Your Mother,” “Gossip Girl” and “Ugly Betty” (usually playing himself); a spinoff makeover show on Bravo that lasted two seasons called “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style”; red-carpet Oscar interviews with the likes of Helen Mirren; and a couple of invitations to the White House — the latest being to a lunch hosted by Michelle Obama. He and Ms. Klum also just walked away with the Emmy for hosting a reality TV show (beating out, among others, Ryan Seacrest and Betty White) at the most recent award ceremonies.

As even he would admit, the show has made him an unlikely celebrity, one whom Ms. Klum described in a recent e-mail as “the kindest, most humble person you’ve ever met,” and whom his longtime “Project Runway” executive producer, Sara Rea, calls “such a good person,” one who will “stop and give an autograph or take a photo with anyone who asks.”