Ask the Producer: HGTV’d Challenge
Kellie's Loft Bed
Each week we ask Design Star producer Loren Ruch your most-asked questions. This week: Did the little boy ever get his bunk beds? Plus, he dishes on how much the judges really see of the behind-the-scenes drama and how much the contestants get to talk to loved ones.
This week’s #1 questions was: Did the crew go back and do any updates after the HGTV’d challenge? Did the little boy ever get bunk beds?
Although we don’t usually go back to a location after the fact it has happened from time to time. In fact, we chose to do it a few weeks earlier in the bed and breakfast episode because the white floors weren’t sealed properly and didn’t ultimately reflect the caliber of work we’re looking to represent on HGTV. In this case of the bunk bed, we didn’t go back to the Bashkoffs’ home because they were happy with the makeover. Although Kellie’s bed wasn’t exactly what they had wanted, it was well-built and done with the best of intentions on her behalf. However, between you and me, I wouldn’t be surprised if they go out and buy a bunk bed on their own!
What was the couple’s favorite room of the house?
We recently received an email from the Bashkoff family and they told us that they absolutely love the master bedroom and the living room — and I would have to agree! I think that Karl and Mark both nailed this challenge. They also love the chandelier in the foyer!
Do the judges get any clues as to the dynamics and personality conflicts on the show? If not, why not?
They don’t, but this question has come up a lot, so it’s something I will really think about for next year’s show because it seems like our viewers are asking this a lot. In reality, there’s virtually no way for the design panel to know about the dynamics other than from the evaluation studio (where they can ask away with as many questions as they’d like). We have always chosen not to influence the panel in any way on their design-decisions by sharing personality issues that occur along the way. It’s very important as a network that we leave the decisions up to our expert design panel – and allow them to judge our designers on the camera challenges and design challenges. Since personality conflicts and dynamics are so subjective, I would hate for a producer to influence Vern or Gen by saying that someone is being “difficult” to work with, especially when there are two sides to every story. But since this question does seem to come up a lot, I promise to really think about it before we head into next year’s show – because your opinions do mean a lot to me!
From Annabelle: I am considering to try out for Design Star and have a question for you. If I am selected to compete, will I have any communication with my family? If not, could you explain why?
Hi Annabelle – we would love for you to try out for the show! Our designers do have the opportunities to Skype with their families a few times a week, but they are so incredibly busy that that’s about all of the free time they have. Also, in order to keep things fair, we ask that the designers don’t talk about the ‘show’ when they talk with their families. Instead they should focus their time just catching up with their spouses and children and enjoying good conversation. Get more information about Design Star audition dates and requirements >>
What questions do you have from episode seven or about Design Star? Tell us in the comments below — Loren may just answer you in next week!
I agree about the challenge of revealing personality conflicts to the judges. It is a very subjective issue and it would be hard to say a judge was being objective in their decisions if they knew about all of the different personality issues that go on during the taping of the show.
How would you even know that the entire group wasn't just ganging up on one designer because they decide s/he was the biggest threat for anyone else winning the show?
It would prove to be a very difficult challenge to keep it all fair and square.
I couldn't agree more. Envy, like money, is the root of all evil. These designers are all after the same thing, of course there is going to be friction. I've done several show homes, where each designer has a room to design, and some designers can be down right nasty. Fortunately, I've never been confronted with too much friction. In fact, hate to boast, but I find myself mentoring them during the process because they value my input. The friction I incur, is usually because they're fighting for my attention and then the jealousy starts.
No montiors should be allowed. These are grown adults, do they need a babysitter? NO! These people are being judged on their design capabilites, not whether or not they get a long with fellow (jealous) designers.
I agree they are grown adults and should act like one. But there are many instances where a third (and independent) party is used because people don't know how to act right sometimes. (ie auditor, evaluator, etc.) LOL!
Viewers/bloggers seem to have a serious issue with what's being aired and how the designers are treating each other. It might be good to have an objective 3rd party. Who knows?
We (viewers) are the objective 3rd party. We get to see what the judges don't, Loren, the producer has made that point clear.
Sometimes the ability to get along with others, far outweighs talent. David told the designers to try to get along and work together during team challenges because in the real world (TV) they would be working with an entire crew.
ALL THE JUDGES WOULD NEED TO SEE IS WHAT THE VIEWERS WATCH IN EACH EPISODE. WE ALL SAW HOW CATHY TREATED HER CO- WORKERS AND WE ALL SAW THAT KARL TRIED TO TELL HER THAT THE KITCHEN "STAGING" WAS WAY TO BUSY WITH STUFF OVER EVERY INCH OF THE COUNTERS.
Maybe there could be:
1) an independent monitor who is onsite during their challenges overseeing how the designers are interacting with each other and then;
2) a counselor/mediator who checks in weekly with each designer for 15 or 20 min
3) if there is a serious hindrance or concern with a particular designer,
BOTH the independent monitor and the counselor/mediator have to agree that it's a serious issue the judges should know about. At which point, they can submit a brief formal report written objectively for review during judging. And could potentially be considered before the judges make their final decisions.
GREAT idea.. if everyone is having a problem with one contestant (Cathy) then it should be stated.
I personally do not want the judges to hear who designed what room until AFTER they judge the room. I think this would let us know exactly how the judges feel about a room. When the contestants are brought into the judgment room then tell the judges who did what room. I feel the judges rate the room on WHO the person was — NOT by the actual results.
I used to love Vern on changing spaces I enjoyed his designs and wanted him to do my home .. BUT his personality and his comments in this show over the two years has been snippy non-helpful and egotistical. I said it last year and will say it again would rather a different designer was added as judge and Vern sent on his way.
Kellie should have been sent on her way 2 episodes ago and definitely this year. There were so many different bunk beds in the first store she shopped in. Plus with the help of a carpenter she could have adjusted one to make it a little more sports unique. She does not listen she whimpers.
How could you be so stupid to kick off LESLIE. IAM NEVER WATCHING
AGAIN!!!!!! see ya
Since they judge by the latest challenge they weren't stupid…they had no choice! i liked Leslie too but, she did a horrible job on that bedroom!
SHE WASNT VERY GOOD!!!
It was a joy to see the considerable talents of both Karl and Mark emerge without their having to deal with overbearing Cathy who steamrolled them. Only Leslie stood up to her in the wedding challenge by completely ignoring her…they were too polite and democratic to do so.
I do enjoy the show so much, but if Cathy were to win and get her own show, I must tell you I would avoid it like the plague. There are enough overbearing, egocentric people around in real life that I would never immerse myself in more of it on TV.
BOY DO I EVER AGREE !! SHE WAS THE PITS !!!
I have a question and if it has been asked before and I missed it, I am sorry for repeating.
How long does the entire Design Star challenge take from start to finish? We see it broken down into weekly segments for TV but what is their actual time spent away from their families and jobs? The contestants leave their familiar environment and enter into a (I assume) fast paced competition. I really admire anyone who can participate, let alone, accomplish their goal.
I e-mailed a suggestion to HGTV previously asking if the show could be aired for 1-1/2 or 2 hours so that we could see more of the planning and actual work of the designers without so much editing. Now with the camera challenges every week, we see less of the actual designing and work.
Thank you for listening.
I think it should be at least 1 1/2 hours long. There's many viewers who would agree, that 1 hour is just not enough to time to suck it all up. I'd watch for 2 hours, I love it so much!
It wouldn't matter how long, they would still have to pick and choose what get aired. They tape over a 2 to 3 day span. Impossible to air everything. Besides it's the network's choice how they are going to spin each episode. The first DS was totally not like this one. Of course there was still one problem child in the group, but not nearly as troublesome. And HGTV showed them having a budget and teamwork too. You don't see most of that stuff now.
You're right, it would be impossible to air everything. But, if it were at least a half hour more, they could pick and choose MORE, (less editing) footage for us viewers.
More time does not equal less editing. In fact, it means since they have to fill in more air time, it means more editing since they will stick pick and choose from what they recorded. And it certainly does not mean HGTV will take a different angle.
Tina, DS is produced as a "reality TV show" format. I have read several articles from reputable media outlets that have officially called it that. Even though it's a competition for the next host on HGTV, it's not a straight competition. It's laced with TV drama to keep the viewers entertained.
But HGTV has made no pretense about what DS is. It's pretty much their interview process to find a host on their network. It's their 'fun' way of doing it that gives them and opportunity to produce a program and for us to get some entertainment at the same time.
No reputable professional designer/architect I know who take their work seriously, takes DS seriously. LOL! This is NOT to say, the contestants are not real designers. But the show is for entertainment
My first time watching this design star challenge was a disappointing experience. You presented the viewing audience with your talented design winners, after a rigorous selection process. Then you put them in a "shark tank" environment which appeared to bring out the worst, not the best, of their creativity and teamwork capability. I'm curious about your selection criteria. Rather than a "survival show" concept, more rewarding to watch would have been a "talent show" concept. If a designer's personality was unsuitable for the camera, why expose this person to the viewer? All talent should leave the show as winners!
KEVIN WAS FAR BETTER THAN KELLIE…..HE WAS TOO HYPED UP AND EXCITED,,,,THE COUPLE LOVED THE ROOM BUT HE RAN OFF AND DID NOT LISTEN TO THEM…..A FEW TWEEKS IN FURNITURE AND HE WOULD HAVE STAYED HAD HE BEEN MORE POLITE?
They are all winners. They made it to the finals out of 7,000 who applied. Besides no one should need validation from a panel of 3 judges and a TV show to validate them as winners. Any worthy achievement takes a lifetime of dedication and hardwork (and some talent would help along too) to cultivate. I'd rather be a winner in life than on some TV show any day.
Having said that, this is a TV show, and admittedly a reality TV show. It's mostly for our entertainment and partly a job interview for the next HGTV host. Make it anything more than that and you are in for some serious disappointment. So take it all with a grain of salt
Not the end all be all of things.
Hey all, I found this info under David's comments section of the blog.
I am only posting this because I think it's important for us to recognize that we don't get to see everything on the one hour airing of Design Star.
Please read this with an open mind and remember that the winner has already been since taping ended in May: http://modernwhimsyinteriors.com/design-star/abse…
Thank you so much for posting this info. I loved learning all about the shopping process during a challenge. Interesting to know that pottery barn only takes special orders on bunk beds, and that designers can only shop at certain stores for their challenges. It was really an eye opener. Also I loved her wall art, that was not quite done and didn't get hug, very adorable.
Here is Kellis take on this weeks episode. Read her blog it is eye opening. http://modernwhimsyinteriors.com/design-star/abse…
Thank-you for posting this link. It's certainly an eye opener. To think this family was HGTV'd and Kellie wasn't even given enough money to buy bedding, how terrible for her and the rest of the designers. This is precisely the reason why a budget should be disclosed to us at the start of each challenge. Yes, they are supposed to be creative, but how creative can one be with a budget as tight as it was. Did anyone read her other entries? The basement she, Leslie and Kevin worked on had mouse droppings and mold. I can't imagine having to deal with stuff like that and then have to design too. If I hadn't read it, I would have never believed HGTV would allow this kind of working environment. Thanks again for the link Kate.
Kellie's blog post was most informative. Do I think it's people's business to know everything that happened on the show? Not really, but in Kellie's situation, she probably had no other choice but to disclose all the "bad stuff" so people could see her point of view. She made bad choices, she had a creative block, she failed to give the boy what he wanted and everyone seen that. What we didn't see is that she was struggling the entire time because of limitations, and she just couldn't deliver. She knows she messed up. Like I said in a previous post, some people work better than others under pressure. That's why it's a competition, to find the designer who can do it all, effortlessly.
I don't think you know what you want from this show and I don't think you get it. Did you read one of her other posts (I think the white room challenge) where she mentions about the 15 producers just lurking about while they shopped frantically for an hour, whispering into their little attached mics? Then all of a sudden the camera guy shows up while they fumbled up just in time for it to be recorded.
Wake up and smell the coffee lady. HGTV records many many hours during a challenge. Then THEY DECIDE how they are going to frame it and what angle to take.
All the 'stuff' we don't get to see (and not just the case with Kellie) is out of choice- not because HGTV can't.
btw – Kellie didn't HAVE to give anyone an explanation or an apology. That site is her regular blog that she posts to even before she was on DS. She's been blogging about the show all along and it just so happened that this week was the week with the bunk beds.
And there's no such thing as a designer who can do it all, effortlessly! Every one of the designer on HGTV talk about how stressful and crazy it is to work on their show, but they get it done and have fun doing it. Maybe to you, they make it seem effortless, but nothing worth doing in life is effortless.
That is exactly why I posted what I did. We did not see her struggling with this design and she got to tell her side on her blog. Why are you so confrontational? Wake up and smell the coffee lady is downright rude to say to me. I was kind and sympathetic to Kellie's obstacles and never said she had to give an explanaton nor an apology. There have been links to Kellie's blog on all of these blogs and I clicked the link, was taken to the page regarding this challenge. I read it, all of it, and she explained all the problems.
She had to inform us of all the behind the scene stuff, because what was aired, made her look bad. However, she did say she struggled, we seen it and she verified it, and most importantly, she apologized for messing up. I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
"Wake up and smell the coffee lady" is confrontational to you?
Haha. OK. Sorry.
I don't think I was the only one who woke up on the wrong side if that was taken so offensively. But to each their own.
Never said you were being confrontational with wake —lady, I said that was Rude, which it was. You were confrontational with your opening line,
I don't think you know what you want from this show and I don't think you get it
You're underestimating me and yes, I find that most confrontational.
I read the requirements for DS and what it entails and one is that the camera could be rolling all the time 24/7. So it wasn't surprising when I read that the camera guy captured something during hours of competition.
SHE WAS UNFAIRLY JUDGED IN MY OPINION !! SHE IS TALENTED AND WOULD MAKE A GREAT DESIGN HOST!! WHY SHE WAS TAKEN OFF I DONT UNDERSTAND!! MEG KEPT ON AND SHE COULDN'T DESIGN A DOGS ROOM!!! NOT SURE I AM GONNA WATCH ANYMORE!!!!! I THINK THE JUDGES ARE PICKING FOR PERSONEL LIKES!!! NOT TRUE TALENT!!!
Thanks, Kate, for letting us see "the other side". I'm so disappointed that Kellie is gone because I liked her designs – they were realistic and usable in "middle America" homes like mine! Best of luck to Kellie as she goes back to her family and clients!
I really can't stand watching Emily's review of the designers' work. Does anyone speak good English anymore. If she says "like" one more time, I'll be moving on. Her attitude is one of a 16 year old. If that's humor, I can do without it. She's a "David" wannabe….and he doesn't really thrill me, although I do think his mentoring is a good idea and he's fair and helpful..
I am finding I like this year's format better. The judges seem to have gotten the message about being so rude in last season's episodes, because they seem more polite in their criticisms this season.
I didn't care for either of the children's rooms, and the upstairs loft, while I liked her idea, hated the design execution. I did like the foyer chandelier and lanterns, but there again, how could you not see that the lanterns were hung crooked. It didn't seem like much was going on the foyer, so what took so long?
I agree with designstarnana. I'm wondering if those poor people really liked any of it with the exception of the bedroom and possibly the dining room.
Agree with you about Emily! I don't know how she won HG design star – that "like" and her whiny voice which I cannot understand a lot of the time really turns me off.