HGTV Design Star, Season 3, Episode 4

Another Episode of Design Star is under our belts, so what went down (in flames….a number of the designers)?

We start with the designers milling around the kitchen when someone finds a note…design starts everywhere, met me at the airport and don’t forget your passport. They are all getting excited thinking they are going somewhere, yeah right, like HGTV is going to pay to send any of them anywhere.

The challenge is to design a room (one of the identicial white squares in a hanger, we’re used to these) inspired by the country you got for $500, plus two gallons of paint (which would probably have been about $50) and 12 hours. All shopping will be done at Michael’s Arts and Crafts, which kinda limits the design and what you can buy. Product placement!!

A couple of really good quotes from last night all come from Tracee:  “If this turns out the way I think it will, the way I see it then I’ll win” and then later “Everyone is being nice to me, they must now have figured out that they need to keep the biggest competetor’s close to them”. Of course I am laughing so hard at this it is not funny, it’s almost tragic that Tracee thinks she is that good, when she is clearly not. Two weeks and in the bottom both weeks, the only thing to save her was that someone else was worse, she is the Lisa of Design Star (referrence to Top Chef).

Jennifer is walking through the isleways and breaks two of Trish’s vases, which just happen to all be piled right out where people are suppose to be walking, if she was so concerned about them, then I would have hidden them somewere away from the main walking traffic lines.  Mikey V has to show Michael how to use the saw, oh this does not bode well for the little guy, Michael. And then as to color, all I can say is for the countires of Italy, Spain, and Mexico there is an awlful lot of lime green paint. Did lime green suddenly represent these countries and I missed the memo?

As the designers arrive for Judging they are met in the green room by Angelo and Lisa LaPorta, which has all the desingers atwitter, thinking they must be special to get to met these people, but I think what HGTV was trying to say to them was this is what you could be, but none of you are getting it yet. You all are no David Bromstead.

Judging:

1. Jennifer: yellowish walls, blue furniture, pattern freehanded onto the walls, made the room look like a big piece of pottery. The judges loved that she drew the pattern, called her a real contendor and that her room had high impact and a fanstic job. Personally, although I didn’t like the pattern on the walls, this was probably the best room, and the only one (aside for Mikey V) that actually implied the country they were suppose to be using as inspriation.
2. Tracee: berry pink walls, black floor and band at the top, a cartoon sleigh bed and cardbaord drawing of a mirror and a drawing of a chandelier on the wall. This was called cartoony, defintely not Italy, modern and interesting, and then Vern said he hated this room! I’m with Vern. There is nothing about this that makes me think Italy, nothing! I think Mikey V or Michael called it Barbie dream house, and that is what it was.
3. Michael: He said he wanted this to be a lunge in a club in Barcelona, it was black and lime green, what about this says Spain? Vern said he looked more Spainsh than that room, and I have to agree. It was totally not Spain, and not it, it could be a club anywhere in the world, and I think it was Cynthia that said it was jsut not a design star room, to which Michael cried and kept saying sorry.
4. Trish: It was navy blue, with lime green and white accents, and the judges called it predictable but not Mexico, the clean lines were nice, because they were starting to think all she could do was “grandma tradtional” and they liked her floor, which looked a little odd to me, but oh well. I just missed the memo saying that navy and lime green were the new colors in Mexico.
5. Stephanie: It was all black, with an arbor above a bed of ottmans. Sorry, I didn’t like it, didn’t get it at all, but the judges like her lighting, and said she does a great job at setting a mood.
6. Mikey V: He did a red and black room, with bambo and just really felt like Thailand, but the judges felt he went too literal, that it was almost Thai take-out, but overall okay.
7. Matt: Had been watching too much of last season, and was trying to channel Todd from last season, and I am sorry but Matt you are no Tood. Anyway, he tried to build a scultpure out of the sofas to be a Buddast Temple, the judges didn’t see it, they weren’t blown away, but they did give him credit for going big, for trying, it was a high concept, it just didn’t work.

After deliberations, the judges called:

Mikey V and Trish –  your work was satisfactory this week, you are safe

Jennifer and Stephanie – you were the best of the week, you are safe

Tracee – this was largely unsucessful, Matt – we appericate that you went big, it just missed the make, Michael – you had the upper hand by being able to pick your country, but your design was unoriginal…..

Michael your show has been cancelled.