Dooce’s Recap: Paint catastrophe! Explosions! Grenades!
We begin with the men returning to the apartment without Trent, and there seems to be a sigh of relief from everyone. Alex admits he’s disappointed with his performance so far, and he plans to step it up this week. I think that’s one refrain you always hear in these kinds of competitions: “This week I’ll show them!” Along with, “I’m not here to make friends.” I’m just waiting for that one.
This week’s challenge starts outside a flower shop when Candice announces each designer gets to choose the flower that inspires them the most. None of the contestants know which flower any of the others are choosing, and finally Vern walks out with a bouquet made up of each team’s combined choices. They must design a studio apartment based on the overall team bouquet and also incorporate their own individual floral inspiration.
The men’s bouquet is, as Courtland describes, “easy on the eye.” Clean, minimal, soft and fresh, made up of ranunculus, tulip, calla lily and snapdragon. Whereas the women’s bouquet is much more overtly romantic and whimsical: orchid, daffodil, carnation, hyacinth and wax flower. Immediately Dan starts to try to fight for himself and warns the women that in the last challenge they tackled too many construction-heavy projects, meaning ALL HIM. Can they please shop a bit more this time? Does he really have to say that to a car full of women? IN NEW YORK CITY?!
The spaces are 650 square feet, bright, full of light. Immediately the men decide to break the space up into a series of seating areas. Michael suggests a wall of open shelving to separate the living and sleeping areas. While shopping, Tom suggests this challenge is more about the form of the flower, not necessarily the color, and they choose several accent pieces that give off a luminosity. The judges told him last week to bring his knowledge and experience into play, and I think someone was paying attention.
They plan to focus on the finishes, meaning they want an array of paint: matte, semi-gloss and eggshell. Michael says these are crucial to the story of texture in the room. We see Alex furiously writing down how much paint and what kind they need. I get the sense this is some sort of foreshadowing of conflict. Look at me! I paid attention in English! FORESHADOWING! CONFLICT! You guys, Design Star is like Shakespeare!
The women start shopping, finding furniture with fancy, romantic lines, and then back at the apartment you see them taping up the room to paint molding. And there’s Dan doing construction work, hanging the rod for the sheers around the bed. Even Emily expresses concern that he isn’t taking his interests seriously enough. And you can see him attaching batteries to tools with a bit of exasperation. Oh, Dan. You and my husband should go out for beers! You’d feel a lot less alone.
And back at the men’s apartment, that foreshadowed conflict? IT HAS ARRIVED. Alex bought the wrong paint. Paint catastrophe! Explosions! Grenades! Michael is the most distraught, going on and on about how he didn’t think they could translate their concept without the semi-gloss paint. Courtland says, “The number one rule is semi-gloss, semi-gloss, semi-gloss!” It is? I thought it was, “No one talks about semi-gloss.”
Michael explains the semi-gloss is so important because of the layered paint effect he wants to create to showcase the inspiration of the ranunculus. Courtland isn’t sure how his flower really plays into the room, only that the wall of built-in shelving could possibly reflect the fact that the calla lily looks like it’s hiding something. Alex attempts an art installation to reflect the snapdragon, but he can’t even get it to stick to the wall. He is so stepping it up this week!
Back with the women we see Dan working on another construction project for Nina. You guys! Is this the first time I have brought up her name this week? BEHOLD, MY RESTRAINT! And I can’t say anything nice. Because she’s picking on Dan, saying that he’s more of her assistant than anything else. It’s not her responsibility to be civil! And then this thing that she’s creating for the wall, just…just…stop it already! Stop painting murals on the wall! Someone had better stop her so that I can move on to something else. But no one is. So I’ll force myself to move on.
Did you guys hear that Nina paints murals? On walls? It’s true.
It’s down to the final fifteen minutes, and Tom sounds like he’s giving birth. I just had to bring up this part because, really. That’s exactly what it sounded like when I was giving birth.
In walk the judges, and this time the teams have to stand there and listen as the judges walk around the room. I could not possibly handle that kind of awkwardness. I’d start itching sores that don’t exist and fall over. The women hear whispers, one of them being, “We’ve seen that before.” Oh please! PLEASE! Let them be talking about that mural on the wall. Because the world can’t handle seeing one again!
I like the overall design of the women’s room, especially the vibrant walls and mixture of furniture. However, I think it lacks cohesion. The room feels like it starts and stops in too many places, where maybe they were trying to go with contrasts (billowy sheers vs. hot pink squares on the wall) when what they got was a bunch of noise.
The men’s room, however, is slick from front to back, as if the design had taken months to create. You can feel the luminosity Tom was talking about earlier, and everything flows. Fresh is the first word that comes to mind, in fact, and they discussed this word in their initial meeting together. The room really does look like their bouquet and not just in color.
Judgment time and SOUND OF NEEDLE DRAGGING ON A RECORD. They just changed the rules! Because of the strengths and weaknesses in both rooms they feel it is unfair to judge them as teams. And so, instead they will be judged as individuals. Okay, I don’t like this. You’re sending one message to work as a team, but when you throw something in there like this, who in their right mind would want to cooperate? I don’t like this one bit. Again, it doesn’t matter, because my job is to write recaps. And talk about awful wall murals.
Nina, Courtland, Dan and Alex are the bottom designers, meaning everyone else makes it through to the next week. The bottom designers head off to make their host presentations. The following day when they face the judges, they are each given a chance to explain how their individual flower fits into the room. Alex undercuts Courtland when he explains it wasn’t Courtland’s idea to make the wall of built-in shelving. Uh-oh! Looks like someone isn’t here to make friends!
Dan talks about clusters, how he’d seen clusters of daffodils growing in fields in his youth. He then tries to defend all the construction in the room, and Vern sternly points out, “You’re not a contractor, Dan!” This is a design competition. Exactly. Not a Let’s Paint Wall Murals Contest.
Nina claims she is all over this space, taking credit for everything from the fabric to the furniture, waving off the mural as just a blip in the room. And I was right! They had seen it before! PHEW! I’m not just walking around with squiggly wall murals haunting my head.
Alex explains the snapdragon “is really simple in shape” like asparagus. Um, what flower is he smoking? He then goes on to say it didn’t make him feel flowery or fluffy, but determined, and the judges give him credit here for speaking from the heart.
Down to the bottom two: Alex and Dan. Dan’s host presentation is cheerful and friendly, but he doesn’t explain anything about what inspired the design. He’s just pointing to things and saying what they are. Alex’s combines both: cheerfulness and the inspiration behind the design. He’s getting better, much better in terms of hosting, and that shows he’s learning. This means Dan is going home, and my heart just broke into pieces. He sacrificed too much to help the women. And I don’t know if they can hold it together without him.
I do NOT like this new format. I also find the odd way that the judges huddle and "whisper" just ridiculous! So unprofesssional. As posted many times tonight, the challenges are weird and silly .The editing is stilted, and really doesn't show anything, but the stupid drama between Nina and the other designers. Oh yes, BRING BACK CLIVE!
Mimi, I could not agree with you more! Especially about bring back Clive!
BRING BACL CLIVE is right!
I lost all respect for Nina on the first show when she revealed that she is "Bohemian Chic" after the judging! I wouldn't trust that woman in my home as a designer when she seems to possess a "Survivor" show mentality (She referenced that herself). She should have gotten the boot because I'm tired of the tape on the wall, the purple, the shoddy "graphic art" representations; she is apparently under the impression she can throw up some "artwork" like a female version of a David Bromstad. Her work is amateurish and cheap…let's see some skills on putting up real molding.
Waiting for the judges to say "Nina, personality is part of having your own show and yours drives people away. Please leave the studio". She's like Heather from Total Drama Island (hope she goes home sooner though).
I agree. She has to go. Don't know how she got on in the first place. She's weird and not that great of a designer. I bet she goes the next time. Good riddens Nina!!!
That won't ever happen, it takes someone with personality to see someone with persoanality and the judges have none of that.
The only one out of this group with a pleasant way about him was Dan. All the rest are just annoying! Too bad! There are no David Bromstads in this remaining group. A host needs to be likeable and believable… there are none left like that. Very sad. Sorry HGTV, but this year's Design Star is a flop!
p.s. What is with all that "inspiration" crap??? Flowers, clothing, music, blah blah blah! Totally lame!
Totally agree!!
I disagree…Casey seems nice, and Emily cracks me up because she's just so honest, even about her own work…Alex and Dan both seem like nice guys, but hey nice guys finish last!
Yes, none compare to David Bromstad. He is a genius!
Where are the other shows from winning designers anyway?
Hey there may be no David Bromstads, but there may be someone else. Who really knows? Some one could come out of their shell and really WOW everyone. And I agree with Mark, Casey seems really nice and Emily has this fun air to her. If they would only stop doing these "inspiration" things and do something really meaningful…..
I really wish they'd just cancel the rest of this show this season. Replace it with another repeat of House Hunters. Seems that's the network's solution to everything anyways.
So true. I am sick of House Hunters and watching multimillion dollar homes in our economic situation. I thought Dan was another David and the show this year is crazy. I am through watching.
I agree! So true!
yOU ARE right! all they seem able to run Buying a House….I don't know anyone who is selling or buying. Why would people be that interested in buying and selling or Real Estate. At people looking at houses and woryring about wall color, etc. I would be more interested in age of roof, furance, windows, hot water heater, etc…etc…The mechanics, But does not sound like that to me! I live in a town that over 300 houses were hit and destroyed by a tornado last Thursday night. Those people have no home to go back to and fix up, sell, or buy another.
Dan was the best thing going for this show. He was positive, nice, hard worker, knew his construction…plus he was cute. I'd watch his show. I certainly won't watch Nina's. What an A$%.
i feel the same way. she is awful. if she wins i will never watch her show.
I agree I won't watch anything with Nina on it!!
I love Vern–listen to him!!!!!!!!!!
Patty
I like Vern too. All everyone on her does is whine and complain. Just take the show for what it is. Stop comparing it to last season or with different judges or whatever. If all these people hate the show so much why don't they just stop watching it and stop posting on here. It's just a broken record.
Chris, everyone ( except you and Patty) are rightfully pissed. There is so little good T.V. on, even in the Fall. And next to no good design related shows. This show filled a niche for people desperately looking for something that bridged a huge gap in programming. Supposedly the shows ratings were improving, so I think people feel like they have been duped. Maybe like all the pro Republicans who used to believe environmental issues were only for tree huggin' hippies until the B.P.disaster. In these economic times people don't need their entertainment to turn against them too!
So according to your logic, if HGTV decided to give us a whole season of future design stars working with excrement, urine, etc., we should just keep watching, since we should just take the show for what it is. The banksters and other rip-off artists in this country must do a happy dance when they see you coming. I used to like Vern's show, though I found many of his designs rather pedestrian. I can't stand his snippy, pedantic air on this show. I live with someone who was back-stabbed on the job for 20 years, until he developed several mental illnesses. Your little buddy Vern seems to think it's acceptable for people to behave that way. By all means, enjoy shows produced by nasty, back-stabbing cretins. The remote will seldom be tuning in to HGTV in our house.
This show is so fixed I'd almost put money on Nina being in the final two just to add needless drama to the show. I certainly hope they're reading these posts and take the remaining episodes and somehow re-edit them to be a more positive, uplifting show.
I had the feeling the first night that this was just a replay of last season, and, after tonight I'm more convinced of it. I have NEVER watched that scum bag Antonio's show and I have stopped watching the judges shows as well. I have lost so much respect for the judges I can't stand to even view them anymore. I used to love Candace and Vern's shows and always watched Gen on Trading Spaces, but since last season I have not watched any of their shows.
As for Nina, the only thing she knows how to to is push people around and draw squiggly lines on a wall that my granddaughter could do when she was 3.
No, no, not Nina, please!
Ok, who thought up this format? It is demeaning to the viewer, we are led to believe that these are the top. We have decided to find something else to watch, won't waste my time. It is bogus and does not allow individuals to create, execute and connect with clients. Sorry, this was the wrong format. It is also a mean spirited show, definitely if you are allowing Nina to continue. A black widow for sure. And the judges???? I feel that they got conned into doing this and it will damage their individual ratings.
Enough already, this isn't "Survivors", it's a show that is suppose to showcase design. All I've seen is bitching, back stabbing and little creativity. Cut the melodramatics and allow these individuals to design, not lumped in teams of two, over and over again and struggling to create a cohesive look when you've got some one like Nina the alpha b***h dominating with weak and tired ideas. Can we vote Vern off the show, too obnoxious and the whispering in front of the bottom two, so crass and unprofessional.
You dropped a huge bomb HGTV!
You're right – where is the design, exactly? So little time is actually spent on the showing the viewer the details of the projects. You don't even get a good look at them when they're finished. It's all about the "drama". The backbiting, the screw-ups, the personality conflicts — well, HGTV, get a clue! We're here for the design! And the designs this year have been pretty pitiful, in my humble opinion. There are no design stars here – just divas and cannon fodder – just the way the producers picked them. The divas to provide the "drama" and the cannon fodder to be used by the divas and eliminated. The last two years have felt like the winner has been predetermined, and we're just going through a pantomine getting to the end. After the show was changed and the winner wasn't picked by the viewer votes, all credibility was lost.
I agree, the show this season has a 'mean' feel to it and using a flower for inspiration almost seems laughable…. when would a real client come into a designer's place of business and ask for their space to be designed around a mundane thing like a flower? When I heard a judge state "I can't find the daffodil in the room" I simply shook my head. The Design Star show is a great idea but has lost something these past two years. Lose some of the artificial 'glitz' and the personal whining and back biting, give us creative design ideas. And please eliminate the whispering between the judges during the final segment, it comes across as very unprofessional and that adds to the whole feel of this season which has been disappointing.
love that comment about Nina being the alpha …. ur comments are sooo right on.
I like Tom he is mature enough to run a show. Plus he has fashion taste in clothing. I think Nina should have been out. She did exactly what Vern told her not to do. Which was to not use the color of your flower or else you're out and it doesn't look like she's out to me. Vern please don't be a trump on the show we all like Vern. We need a new sparkle josh next season.