Welcome to the Design Star recaps.
HGTV has not made this show easily accessible, so I apologize in advance for the recap this week. It's a little less detailed than I would have liked. I'm working on other ways to access the show, hopefully with Comcast's cooperation, next week's recap will have more of the deliciously devilish details you have come to expect from your friends here at TVgasm.
The fourth season of HGTV's Design Star brings us to Los Angeles. 10 designers have been selected to compete for their own series on HGTV. One by one each designer arrives and we get a very short introduction as they file into their new Hollywood home.
Jason is also a radio host and is ready to bring his new-found celebrity to the state fair circuit, if he wins.
Joy Hickey is a color designer. She is one of only 150 people in the country who holds a degree in color design. She doesn't elaborate on exactly what that course of study entails, but my (2 minutes) of research shows that there aren't any American schools that specialize in this program, so she probably had to study in Australia or Finland. I would have guessed Sweden. If Sweden has trailer parks that would make so much sense.
Woody has a degree in architecture. He auditioned last season, but didn't make the cut. It was a very difficult time for him, especially after discovering someones poisoned the waterhole!
Jany says she's a self taught designer, her background is in economics. Amy is giddy with excitement, she's the most perfect for this. It's the most perfectest job ever. Nathan is a designer and an artist.
Meredith Baxter-Birney owns a her own business, so she's on par with Sarah Palin for being qualified to be Vice President and by default, a TV star.
Antonio will bring something big and bold to HGTV--he's a set designer. He's a badass.
Tashica and NadaStar join the group, but there will be an 11th designer joining season four.
Host Clive Pearse brings the designers together to announce that one semi-finalist will be voted onto the show by the contestants. Gary, Evil Eyes and Torie Sugarbaker answer the contestants' questions and the votes are cast. The universe is happy with me today so my favorite, Torie Sugarbaker, wins the vote -- arguably because a background in designing model homes may indicate she is the weakest.
Clive then introduces the judges, all of whom are established television hosts and designers and recognizable even to me. Clive, not so much. What are his credentials?
This season the final decision will be made by the three judges and not left to America's vote. Joy Hickey likes this new system, because it won't be so strongly based on personality. A competition to find a television personality by judges who are television personalities won't consider your personality? Think again Trailer Park.
1st challenge: The contestants will have to design their Hollywood home. This house has been home to Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. So I'm guessing if these walls could talk, they wouldn't be impressed by Clive Pearse's celebrity either...
The designers will have 32 work hours over 4 days and a budget of $50K to design the living room, dining room, and three bedrooms. They are given a chance to break into teams and decide a budget. The contestants decide to divide the budget based on the square footage of the room. And all these rooms look like an empty exhibit at the MoMA, so I guess even the a large sum like $50K is going to have to stretch -- thinner than Clive Pearse's hairline.
Dan and Nathan will take the dining room. Antonio, Meredith and Amy take the living room. NadaStar and Tash will take the master bedroom -- Jason and Joy, and Jany and Torie will get the two smaller bedrooms.
« NYC Prep : Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll | Main | So You Think You Can Dance: I Have Been Emotionally Manipulated Against My Will »
Comments (6)
Not a good start for Design Star. If this ep was an indication of the talent in this group then my guess is Team Dining Room has it wrapped up.
oh and Medusa, thanks for recapping. These bozos are going to make this an easy job for you.
1 of 6 | Posted by Quean CeCe | Posted on July 25, 2009 6:58 PM
Yep, thanks for recapping!
That room with the cut duvet made me laugh, not gonna lie. "The store didn't have two twins, so we bought a king and cut it in half." Whut? And then she commenced to playing the victim. It kills me. There's a jerk on the current Next Food Network Star doing the same thing.
I actually didn't mind the random letters wall. It reminds me of Brain Age that my kids have for their Nintendos. The heads on the walls were quite bizarre though.
Hated those pink geese. Hated them.
I didn't care for the dining room having to have the painting on the floor, either. And is it me or is the table is so short, only children could comfortably sit there?
As for the twins, I presume they were instructed to buy them. Each bedroom was equipped with twins, even the master. And no one made a joke about whether Mary Tyler Moore or Dick Van Dyke used to own that house. hehe
I conclude by saying I love Candice Olsen. She wails all over every other person associated with this show.
Thank you!
2 of 6 | Posted by Memememe | Posted on July 25, 2009 11:52 PM
I have to admit, I love Clive. He's no Lucille Ball, but he does host half the shows on HGTV, and he's funny to boot. You'll have to trust me on that, since on this show he's apparently been instructed to maintain a standard "dammit, this is a serious reality show" frowny face.
What were those women thinking? Did they even try to fix the floor? And duct tape to hold the curtains up? And cutting the duvets without even bothering to hide the rough edges? Personally, I thought they should have both gotten the boot.
3 of 6 | Posted by EmmyLoo | Posted on July 26, 2009 10:46 AM
50K and they can't spend $20 on a curtain rod?
4 of 6 | Posted by comehomenow | Posted on July 27, 2009 7:44 AM
glee!!!! I'm so happy someone is capping this!!! Yay!!!
That being said, I think Antonio should get over here with his pink geese and let me take care of it!!!! I don't always go for the rough and tough tattoo guy, but he is seriously hot to me!!!! I was happy to see how efficient and handy he was on the show, which translates to me as, I will have time to lust for him . . . .
My co worker and I like to guess at winners and losers from the web page. Both wrong, wrong, wrong!!! Oddly, we both picked Tashica for the win . . . yeah, oh well . . .
I honestly didn't like anything shown, with a small exception for the letter wall, and the table cut out.
As to the tape, I think their top paint soaked through or bled underneath--it is so misleading to present a tape that is supposed to protect paint and give a clean line, when it almost never does . . .
Cutting the king size . . . isn't this like the room they have to sleep in while on the show . . . did they not think, someone will end up with a cut duvet--no where in all of los angeles had a set of white twin duvets . . . . c'mon!!!! Soooooo incontinent . . . yes, wrong but typo stays!!!
And . . . astroturf!? paired with neon lime and deer heads . . . !? HUH? How much money did they have . . .
Well, Medusa, may the cable/dish gods be with you and serve your needs for next time!!! Mwah!
5 of 6 | Posted by juddfan | Posted on July 27, 2009 11:12 AM
I've never seen this before but since BRAVO doesn't have Top Design on, I decided to give this show a chance. It seems very similar; but I like the announcer better from Top Design--not a big fan of Clive. But I like the judges!
Anyway, I agree with Emmyloo I think both girls should have gotten the boot. That room was horrible. I would not want to sleep in there or even walk on the floor, it looked dirty.
And what was with the Hollywood Glam? Half the house talked about it but I sure didn't see it and if that is it, I don't like it.
I also thought the same thing about the dining room with the mural it looked like a RISK. I liked it on the walls, but not on the floor.
Thanks for the recap!
6 of 6 | Posted by MelBell | Posted on July 28, 2009 5:42 PM