My Most Memorable Moments
Moment #1: Um, Winning!
Let’s see the most memorable moment of the show would probably be…oh geez…let me think…maybe..WHEN I WON MY OWN TELEVISION SHOW!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! BREATHE…breathe…breathe…. I remember looking over to the right and seeing my TV screen still on while Michael’s screen had turned to black. My mouth dropped and shock set in, but the good kind of shock, the-I-just-won-something-so-much-better-than-the-lottery kind of shock. BOOM, I get the career of my dreams. Just like that. I knew all those HGTV hours I was logging in the last 7 years were going to pay off. Who knew that my reality show addiction could lead to my dream job? I’m a lucky, lucky little blonde duck.
Moment #2: Meeting the Other Designers
We all met each other the day before we filmed the first episode, at the big photo shoots for marketing. But we weren’t able to talk to each other until the cameras were on us that first morning in the studio! We were going through something so foreign and surreal and not being able to talk about it was tortuous, especially since we are all HUGE talkers. I mean they didn’t cast us because we were shy. So the second that we found out names and what everybody did was a huge and total burst of excitement and adrenaline. I think we all thought that we would just fall in love with each other and live like the Von Trapps in The Sound of Music, except Real World style.
Moment #3: The White Box Challenge
You know how in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind they could pay someone to erase a memory? The day of the first challenge could be it for me, but I’m pretty sure it will be burned into my brain forever. Here’s an FYI, future Design Star competitors DON’T PANIC ON NATIONAL TV. I got so nervous and was so worried about not doing something cliched and cheesy, that well, you remember what I did – very little. But the memorable part was when I didn’t get sent packing. I knew that in my hosting video I had weaseled my way into the minds of the judges and they couldn’t send this little bundle of self-deprecating snark home.
Moment #4: The Firehouse Challenge
I mean, my job can be very dangerous, too. What with threading of really pointy needles or arranging flowers that if eaten could make you sick. But their job? Oh yeah, they fight fire. And fire can be mean. Getting a peek into their jobs and lives was absolutely one of the best things I have ever done in my life. My signature element was a tribute to them, full of flirtatious snark and utter gratitude. I love you, FDNY. You and your big muscles.
Moment #5: Switching Up the Teams for the Firehouse Challenge
I sighed a sigh of relief the size of Texas, no, wait… Antarctica. Some people just aren’t meant to work and live together. So when they split the girls’ team up, I felt such weight removed, like the biggest itch in the world had finally being scratched. Or, like I had been breathing thick smoggy hot humid air for weeks, and all of a sudden I was back in Oregon, next to the ocean and I got to take the biggest, cleanest inhalation of my life…. Ahem. Apparently, that was memorable….
Moment #6: Mimosas at Brunch
The double elimination happened the night before, and all of a sudden there were just four of us. Wham! FINAL FOUR!! Of course when Vern invited us to brunch we knew something was up, but for a couple hours we fooled ourselves into thinking that we were having a couple mimosas and a delicious four course meal with 3 of our closest friends, 10 of our closest producers and 4 of our favorite cameramen. You know, like real life.
Moment #7: Hanging Out in the Penthouse
It didn’t happen often because this wasn’t “Socializing Star,” so we tried to get as much sleep as possible and not get too distracted by partying. But if you were a lucky, lucky soul and didn’t have to go to elimination then you got to relax with your team, make dinner and have some drinks. And even though we were in the middle of competing for our dream job and surrounded by cameras, it kinda felt normal for a couple hours. Like a different version of home. One that I miss sometimes, a lot.
Moment #8: The Glass House Challenge
As much as I loved hanging out with Casey and Michael, I was a little over working with other people. We all were. I was ready to show the judges what I could do. The challenge was to show them our style and give them a peek into what our show would be like. It was the challenge I had been waiting for, and I loved every hoarse second of it.
Moment #9: The Designers Return
I was so excited to see Casey, Court, Dan, Stacey and Tom. Truly. We had grown really close and seeing them again made me very, very happy. I immediately scooped them onto my team (Michael stole Court) and I added Alex (who I got to know better in the final challenge than I had all season, and guess what? Me likes Alex, a lot). They all worked sooooo hard, and now I know what the word “heartwarming” really means. I felt so grateful. I mean, think about it. They came into the competition to win, but instead they were sent home only to return to help a competitor win. I’m pretty sure that is the definition of grace.
Moment #10: The Last Day of the Challenge
This day was tricky because while there was a lot to do: edit the video, attend the photo shoot, pick the logo, etc. The hardest part of the competition was over, and you can’t imagine how that felt. It was the last day after 6 weeks of competing. It felt like someone had injected me with the largest dose of adrenaline and I was high as a kite, unbelievably excited and undeniably exhausted. I’ve never run a marathon, and frankly don’t plan on it, but I would imagine that while you are exhausted you are also totally exhilarated because you accomplished something beyond what you thought you were capable of. When Casey and Stacey helped me with the photo shoot it felt like girl time with real friends, which we had become, and hanging out in the editing booth with the guys felt like a mini-family.
Moment #11: My Friend Scott Surprising Me
We were so far away from reality I had kinda forgotten all my New York friends were just blocks away. So seeing him was strange and for a second, I was like, wait….I know that guy, I think we used to be friends. And then WHAM, it hit me, SCOTTY!!! Having somebody appear from my real life was bizarre and so out of context. Hugging him made me want to sob. At this point we were worn out and exhausted and wanted to win so bad, and these are all feelings you would normally share with loved ones, but instead you keep it to yourself. So having him there was incredible in every way.
Moment #12: Waking up the Morning After the Finale
I woke up in a hotel room. It was silent; no cameras, no producers, no twin beds. On the night stand was my iPhone and wallet. Neither of which I had seen in six weeks. I was all alone. I started getting memory flashes, likee on a stage in a studio celebrating and Vern saying something about my own TV show. But that morning, it seriously all felt like a really long dream, and I wasn’t sure it actually happened. I checked my suitcase, and yep, all my clothes had paint on them. I slowly started to realize that it did happen, I had won HGTV Design Star and along with it came the career of my dreams. I haven’t had a baby yet, but I would imagine having children would be the only thing that could trump the feeling of sureallness, fear and sheer ecstasy I felt when I won and that I still feel now. I won’t let you down. I promise.
Yay, Emily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!……I'm really happy for her and I'm even happier Nina had the opportunity to be disappointed and angry AGAIN. Did you see her expression at the very end of the show?
I am extremely happy that Emily won. She is adorable, genuine, humble, funny, adorable, talented, and the sexiest girl-next-door you could ever hope to meet. The last two challenges really allowed her to shine as a designer. Only her awareness of what a good job looks like (whether it's in hosting or in designing) stood in her way as a presenter, as she clearly found it difficult to sell a flawed product. I wish her the very best in a long and successful career with HGTV.
The judges gave it to Emily but the real star/winner was Michael. You could see it on Emily's face as she watched his presentation and viewed his room. She knows she did not win and that the judges gave it to her. Maybe, it because there are so few females that have won in the past. I don't know but Emily will not be around for long. She will do a few shows (probably with a lot of help)….but in the end, she does not have the design or star quality to last. Why doesn't show allow the public to pick the design star vs. the judges? At least, there would be a greater chance that the design star winner would have a following. Disappointing outcome.
HGTV already has Design on a Dime. Michael was not going to bring anything new to the channel. Emily brings a fresh design perspective and a different and fun-to-watch personality. May you come to regret your disparaging remarks years from now as Emily becomes a big star with a huge following.
Wow! I loved Emily! Perhaps you are mistaken by her not having a following. Did you not notice the voting element to the show? You could vote up to 10 times a day for your favorite designer.
As long as fashions change, Emily will be relevant. She seems more genuine than Michael. I have never voted online before for any reality show, and only voted on this show because I could not watch a Michael show.
There have only been 4 previous winners – 2 men, 2 women, now 3 women with this season.
This show has been in the can for a while now, and the people editing it must have known the final outcome, so they presented a picture that they felt led logically to the ultimate conclusion. Who knows how many hours of tape and what it showed ended up on the cutting room floor? The judges may have been aware of stuff viewers were not.
I think the show has the judges pick now because the viewers pick contestants who the network thought were clunkers (Jennifer and Kim)
David Bromstad was criticized during his season for his poor hosting skills, but was coached and is a great host now. I think Emily's show will last a season, but most of them do just that. Karen McAloon (a designer I love) has had a couple of different shows, they only last a little while. Same with a lot of the hosts on HGTV, they have a one-season show and come back a year later with a new one.
At least Emily's theme is one that might inspire us hacks to design on our own, instead of watching the dull house hunters marathons week after week!
I agree you Edward. I agree, I agree, I agree. I wish I could give you a 25 more thumbs up. But I'm not sure you're predicting Emily's thoughts and her future very accurately. She was a very sweet girl and she has hidden potential. But Michael showed up as himself, he wasn't afraid to go out on a limb. He was daring,…sometimes a little too daring. But that's what would've made his show so intriguing and funny and, admit it everyone, we all love to watch the jerks and the stylish freaks because it's something new. Michael had a lot to teach us, and he had a lot to learn. Emily, we just expected her to give us this sky performance and we got it. I love her and her designs are gorgeous. I'm ok with the fact that she won. She's an AMAZING designer, but she's like every other designer on HGTV….awesome.
That is so not true. Emily totally deserved it, and she will be a GREAT host.
I think you are sadly mistaken. The show is based on design talent, likeability and sponsors. Michael acted like he was at a party with his constant flirting. Sponsors are not going to take that big of a risk. Especially when he was warned by Candice earlier to "tone it down". Later Michael gets excited and buttons up Courtland's shirt. What's next? There is your problem…
I'm glad to see that Emily wins, but it's also predictable and no surprising.
It's pretty much about balance. Just like last episode, the judges balanced the show with one woman and one man to enter the final (although Casey's glass room looked better than Micheal's), in the final episode, the judges balanced all HGTV shows by picking the girl with a relative unique hosting style. I guess there are plenty hosts with "Micheal" style in HGTV already so people may want to see something different.
Emily deserved to win Michael was just too over the top for me.
boo. Micheal was so much better in every way…. Emily is blaaa and has a distracting tone in her voice. what is wrong with the judges.
Sorry, just my opinion, but Michael's attitude seemed pretentious to me and he really turned me off. Also, I thought his show idea was kind of redundant, with all the "design on the cheap" and "design for beginners" shows that HGTV has had for years. He is very creative, I'll give him that, but his last design seemed kind of cheesy to me.
I find Emily much more accessible and genuine, and she can learn to be a better host.
you are SO right. Watching Michael makes me twitch!
Am so glad Emily won, and I will watch her show, Michael was just a little too much for me and his hosting style was a little too much "copy cat". Congratulations Emily!! Also nice to have some one from the west coast!!!
The same here she diserved her winn in every imaginable way…
You go emily and cant wait for your new show
Someone had to be picked between the last to remaining, just glad it wasn't Michael!
I have watched all 5 years, the way the end was drawn made my stomach drop. My favorite won!!!!!!
Although I did not like her glass house room at all, I certainly didn't want Michael prancing around "I won I won." Alot of people had to eat alot of humble pie to "play nice" for one last time. Yes, she has the girl-next-door look, but especially in New York, you would want to see elegance and high fashon in designing. Not make do with what you've got look! I've never seen what everybody sees in her. She might get her show, but how long will it last? I'm guessing, not very long.
What is wrong with all of you homophobic soccer-moms? Gag. Oh, and prance. Prance, prance, prance. I'd still be prancing about if the proper contestant had won, you know, the one who could actually dress himself???
Unfortuneately there are more "soccer moms" watching than fabulously erudite nancy boys. Those of us queens who can't afford a chic little Greek Revival in P town, or a glass block monstosity on Fire Isalnd,aren't that upset by the outcome of a summer T.V. show. Besides do you really like the 70's Godspell suspenders? I thought if you were anybody who is anyone you were doing the 80's these days
Now now..this show is not for name calling….they both did a great job in the end. Neither of them excited me until the last two weeks. I still liked David Bromstead the best.
I'm a proud gay man myself, but have to agree that Michael did a lot of prancing. I found him very condescending.
Agreed , and bad stereotypical press for the rest of us who can speak without sounding like a leaky radiator