Dooce’s Recap: Does Anyone Have a Tomato I Can Throw?
We’re down to the final three: Casey, Michael and Emily. The contestants walk out to Foley Square to greet the judges in front of three giant glass structures. Please let this mean they get to design their own spaces. Please? Design Star, I’ll give you a shoulder rub.
Genevieve reminds them not many people get to be in their shoes right now, and then she introduces last season’s winner, Antonio Ballatore, someone who knows exactly how they are feeling. Oh, and before I go any further, is Michael wearing suspenders? COULD HE BE MORE ENDEARING? I mean, Larry King is retiring, so someone has to take up that post. Who better for the job, am I right?
Antonio advises the final three to be themselves and go big, and then Vern asks the designers to create sunrooms that reflect their individual styles. YAY! YAY! YAY! YAY! What we’ve been waiting for all season! Except maybe for a giant squiggly mural to fall and crush a wall of faux finish. Or is that just me?
In addition, each designer must use their own show idea as inspiration for the room. Michael’s concept is to help recent graduates repurpose dorm room furnishings and flea market finds to make a space that inspires them to achieve their dreams. Casey wants to help people achieve a designer look on a budget through items they already own, plus a few new pieces. Emily would like to take a client’s personal fashion style and transpose it into the room so that their home looks like them. I like all three ideas almost as much as I want to snap Michael’s suspenders. That is not a euphemism, by the way.
The designers get to work, picking out floors and shopping, shopping, shopping. Emily starts lining one wall of glass with beautiful fabric. And then there’s Casey who has no idea what she’s doing, trying to drill a wall of wood into her room. Michael is starting on something much simpler: a cocktail table made out of a tire rim. Then he makes the obvious joke about the whole challenge: “People who design in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
Does anyone have a tomato I can throw?
The second day rolls around and the designers are feeling the crush of working alone. Then Vern shows up. Emily expresses what I’m feeling: uh oh. Vern showing up is never a good thing, right? He’s going to throw something awful out into the mix, like, didn’t we mention? You have to design these rooms while riding on the back of a lion! It’ll be fun!
Except this time he has good news: the designers get help in the form of their closest friends. Even though they are all on the verge of tears getting to see a familiar face in the midst of all that stress, they hop back into their sunrooms and get to work. You’ve got Emily going totally bohemian, Casey going a bit vintage with frames and spray paint, and Michael trying to build a Murphy bed. And it doesn’t sound good since you hear him stripping screws as he tries to assemble it. I HATE THAT NOISE.
Antonio shows up to Emily’s room and they commiserate about losing their voices during taping. While Casey adds sheers to the top of her room to make it feel like a tent, Antonio stops by and compliments the bold color she’s chosen and reminds her that her show idea needs to come through. And when Antonio sees the task Michael has taken on, he’s like, I don’t know, man. Are you insane? He thinks you shouldn’t get too crazy on technical stuff that could potentially blow up in your face.
As they add finishing touches to their rooms, I love what I’m seeing. Casey has such a sophisticated sense of design, especially considering how many second-hand pieces she’s repurposing. Michael is actually really whimsical, and that’s a side of him I don’t think we got to see much of this season. And Emily really is just so Bohemian, combining so many different styles expertly, so that it doesn’t look like a furniture store threw up.
The judges show up for their walkthrough and go through Casey’s space first. We see a combination of older items, some which have been altered, some key newer items set against a vibrant coral wall. Michael’s room looks very young and hip with a cool yellow couch and a functioning Murphy bed. He did it! Emily’s room is a Bohemian paradise, with different textures and colors juxtaposed elegantly. My favorite? Emily’s. I just love the combination of all that “stuff” and the fact that she pulled it off.
Now for hosting presentations. This should be interesting since both girls are on the verge of losing their voices. Casey is nice, casual and easy as she takes us through various vignettes in the room, describing an old lamp, the frames and a chair she painted bright yellow. The judges like her movement through the space, but want her to be more engaging, and Candice doesn’t seem to understand her show concept.
Michael is just as playful in his presentation as he is in his design, discussing the cocktail table, couch and bed. The judges think it’s a vast improvement and they can feel his passion, although they think he lacked a crazy, bold Michael statement piece.
And then Emily, who basically only did one take, starts off with a bang, and then you can see her struggle with her voice. Vern agrees, says she started by sitting on the sofa but he wanted her to get deeper into the design aspect of things. Genevieve says the room looks rich, which is exactly how I felt about it.
It’s final judgment time and Vern expresses just how difficult the decision is. Michael is given the immediate green light to take a deep breath — he’s on his way to the final two. And then it’s down to the two adorable blondes… nail biting… nail biting… and Emily makes it through!
I think some people are going to be upset by this, especially since she was one of the first two people in the bottom two, and let’s face it, Casey doesn’t lack for male fans. But I think it’s a good choice. Emily’s design sense is truly unique, wild and playful. Hopefully, Casey can get some much-needed rest and some cough drops. She’s going to go far no matter what.
They took the right decision. The worst design on today's show was Casey's. Even if I like her personality more than the other contestants. I love Michael's room and the Emely's room looked cozy.
I think Casey & Emily should have been the final 2.
I agree. Casey has a professionalism and polish about her; Emily has a wild side that just needs to be trained a little for TV. As for Michael, I think he's just more of the same. HGTV's already got Design on a Dime…
Yeah, i agree!
Although I didn't like Casey's room, I have to agree, the whole gay guy/ soft spoken sweet girl combo is too much like Season 1 except without the stellar talent. It is a shame Casey didn't "bring it", because like Tom, she had a nice polish about her. I love Bromstad, but he is really casual like Antonio, lets hope unlike Genevieve, Emily can keep her shoes on. We really needed someone stylish who is not pretentious, and I thought Casey would have brought just the right "stuff" to HGTV
I honestly don't understand this especially because- Casey won a challenge twice. The others? Never. Casey was never in the bottom two. The others? Mhmmm. Why the judges did not look at previous work in the competition is beyond me. . . not sure if I will be watching next week. Good luck, Casey. You were the best this season.
Exactly right … this is just another of the many, many contradictions in this season of DS. Just when we (and presumably the contestants) think we understand what the judges are going for, the judges shift the ground under the contestants' feet. Truly, this season, is a total mess.
Do I agree with Heather this time around? Nope, I think it should have been Emily who was sent home. Her glass house was nice, but that doesn't cut it, and all of the miscellaneous decorative items simply weren't visually cohesive. Her hosting didn't make the superstar grade either.
Casey didn't pull through strongly on her presentation, but brought together a well-designed room.
My favorite room of the three was Michael's, and his presentation was engaging. Good moves this week. He deserved to make it into the final winner-takes-all challenge next week.
My least favorite parts tonight? The A.B. moments, but then that's my opinion, and besides, that's so last year, and we're all so focused on this year's Design Star Challenge, for better or, well, or not.
Damn. there is going to be another episode! I thought they'd just get it over with now, and get rid of two of them now. Sort of a mercy killing, of DS. But, they are going to drag it out. This dreary example of a design show, will, eventlessly, cease next week, and who cares?
Preach!!!!!
Why oh why did I ever start watching this season?
Funny that the person who should have been eliminated first made it to the finals…And Michael needs to be taught how to use power tools, or stay away completely…I wonder if he would have screwed his hand the Murphy bed and had to leave, if he would have still made it to the final?
Thank God there is only one more show, so I can get back to my much needed beauty rest.
As usual typing errors…That's what happens when you're tired and just don't care to bother proof reading what you've wrote.
if it beauty you need you are certainly watching the wrong show.
another mistake – why do I keep watching this train wreck.
Well whoever wins, they'll have 2-3 attempts at a show during the year and then we wont see them again until the show after the finale of DesignStar next season. Oh wait…that's this year with Antonio. Shows you the judges didn't have a clue last season either in picking talent.
Antonio is awesome. His designs are unique and they work. He's going to rank right up there with Bromstad as the best decision HGTV made with this series. It takes time to create a series. Get a clue.
Antonio is a no talent dirt ball.
I wonder if the DS process hurts the recent winners in the end- so many get all steamed-up when their pick doesn't make it. And hate the one who did. If you were a Dan person- yes I like him too and have seen his room ideas for kids. The one that combos a headboard and storage for two boys is so novel. I would watch a Dan show, too. As an art teacher, I appreciate the effort made in design. Truly "the no talent" ones are the network execs in HGTV. Sorry, but it is true. HGTV has gone away from design and into real estate. Clear out your schedules and rethink the purpose of this network. It can be done w/o a bunch of hype like DS has become.
I wasn't a Dan fan. I didn't like the contestants last year or this. They haven't been going for design talent in the contestants work, just personality and/or looks. Even last year when the new head of HGTV, who used to be head of the Cartoon Network, gave us a Cartoon Character DS: Antonio!
NO, that's just not right. Antonio is not a good designer, is not a good host, cannot play nice, and should never have won. I watched his show last night out of sheer curiosity and it was long and boring. His designs looked like a 3rd grader drawing on the wall with crayons.
He didn't have what it took last year and he doesn't now. That's why he has not gotten any traction. David Bromstad was a hit during Season 1 of Color Splash. Antonio–NOT. You don't have alot of company in your opinions here Genna. Antonio needs to go–there's nothing engaging about anything he does–nothing. Yuck!
NEWSFLASH – Antonio is back. He just redecorated a neighborhood coffee/cupcake shop.
He is amazing. He's not the guy you want to decorate your living room – he is the guy you want to decorate your office. I love the fact that he is such a street-smart kind or guy. It's a nice change to all the pretty people on HGTV. And he is much more artistic than the other hosts. Candice creates beautiful rooms with beautiful items. Antonio creates with art – totally outside of the box.
I am sick that Michael is in the final 2! I would never watch his show because of his nasty attitude behind the scenes.
This season has been very disappointing. As far as I can see, the only one who's had any original ideas was Casey and even hers were not that great. And Emily is awful. There were far too many group efforts rather than individual so how can you really judge their ability? It's been more of a decorating competition than a design competition. How can the judges honestly say these are the best "designers"? Maybe they need some new judges.