Aug
30
David on Episode 8: “It Was Like ’80s Granny, Not-So-Chic”
David dishes on the final four’s budget design challenge. Who “ignored him completely” and who was practically “peeing in his pants” backstage at The Nate Berkus Show? Plus, he breaks down the best and worst designs.
What do you think was the biggest disaster of episode 8? Tell us in the comments below.
I HATE DS now that kellie is gone. She was the best, even better than David or EMily and DEFINITLY better than Antonio. I do love emily tho. Kellie was the only one with any ounce of talent or likability.
Agree about Emily. Antonio is talented and more likable than he was during the competition, but his show kind of drags. I sometimes just skip to the last 5 minutes to see the results. He has done some very good things for householders, but I get bored when he designs business interiors. I also get bored watching his behind-the-scenes activities with his "motley crew," although they seem like nice guys. But don't enjoy watching heavily tattooed, scruffy people. Candace seemed quite impressed with him during the competition, though, so I wonder if maybe they don't have many "heavy-on-the-testosterone" types where she is from.
One thing about Antonio, though, he seems to genuinely care about people (except his co-competitors), and really listens to what his clients want. He seems to put his heart into it.
This last episode was grueling. The designers had to design a living room, make something from an every day item, then had to demonstrate their creation before a studio audience. I give all of them a lot of credit, as this was probably the hardest challenge ever on DS. Karl's demo was easy breezy, he seemed comfortable and focused. Meg was super engaging, funny, and in her element. Kellie's demo was flat, hurried and was not like her at all-I was surprised. Mark was all over the place. Very nervous and seemed extremely tired. All of their rooms had good things as well not so good. Kellie's was at the bottom. I really liked her wall art and her stools, but that's about it, and I thought her furniture was the best of the bunch. Mark's room was third, nice layout and he chose good pieces, just not finished. Karl's place was arranged almost exactly like it was before he designed it. A little scarce but nice. Meg's room was stimulating and looked finished. She had a terrific floor plan and everything flowed together well. So who will win? Hard to say. All three have their strengths and weaknesses. My summary: Karl genuine and talented, Mark focused and creative, Meg engaging and informative.
you basically just regurgitated the order in which the judges scored each contestant.
So you felt the need to comment, did you? Good. Next.:)
I felt the need to comment? how about your long winded pile of empty chatter. Try to form an original thought, and be succinct.
Well put!
Sorry but engaging and informative is not enough for me to watch someone host their own show when it's supposed be based on their own unique perspective and style. Candice is known for her lighting amongst other things, Vern for creating beautiful urban spaces, David for his use of color and signature hand painted Bromstad art. I can see both Karl and Mark having an element of unique architectural detail (Mark more with wood) in their design style. So what is Meg? She said something about Palm Beach Chic but that's really specific to one theme. Moditional? Her design sense isn't well balanced enough to pull off the mixing of modern and tradtional. I don't think I will watch her show if she wins. I will switch channels for sure.
Im really getting bummed out about contestants not really having enough time to utilize their true talent & skills. I understand that part of the gig is working within the TV constraints but a genuine show has an entire team working together with virtually endless sources, etc to pull from. If they want to work all night then they should be allowed to do so IMO. Thats what would, and DOES occur on many of your actual shows so why not this one? Most contestants (except those from NYC) are handicapped by not being familiar with local resources, etc so that just heightens the time mgnt issues.
Harvey
If you are referring to Mark. He lived and worked in NYC for a long time before he moved back to FL. But that's really not the issue here since they are only allowed to shop in the pre-approved stores by HGTV.
I agree.
These "challenges", in no way resemble real life which makes this oddly entertaining! Its the grownup answer to Jersey Shore! hahaha. Anyway this much money in this much time are their only parameters. If Mark is working for a client that specifies no wood, the best option for him as a designing lumberjack would be to fire the client. Which you CAN do in the real world. I'd like to see one challenge per season given where time is not a defining element. BUT, if a design is awesome AND it was completed before any one else's…..they win that week. I'd also recommend not starting with 12 and putting them in teams, but instead, focus on individualism every week. But then, no more Jersey Shore moments!
I am glad that Mark, Meg and Karl are all likable. Mark is more an artist than a designer. He tends to create one unique piece (the rope ladder, the skateboard ceiling hanging, the wood partition wall) in most of the challenges. His personality exudes warmth and charm – I love his kitchen presentation where he kept his hat and put on an apron. Meg is eager to please and very capable but she doesn't seem to have a signature trait in her designs. Despite looking and sounding like a neighbor or a colleague, Karl seems to be "the designer" right off the bat. His ideas are simple but smart and his designs feel fresh, cohesive and inviting.
Kellie started out strong, but waned as the weeks went on. I think she was tired and missed her kids. Nothing wrong with that except to do this show, you can't wane and get tired (or at least you can't let it show). Not giving the kid his bunk bed and lockers was not good. She should have given them to him but in a unique and different way. She claimed he really just wanted to climb, but I think she's wrong. He's at the age where kids start wanting to have sleepovers. The bed she gave him was not safe. No rails. I hope the parents got rid of it right away.
Mark has great ideas but no sense of time management. He cannot spend all his time making a single item (think rope ladder, skateboard panel, silver leaf lamp, etc.) His camera challenge in front of an audience was bad.
Karl has my vote and has from the beginning. I find his laugh adorable, just like David B's. He's gotten so good at his camera challenges and his designs are wonderful. Won't be much longer and we'll know who the next Design Star is.
Kellie has since blogged that little Mason now has bunk beds and the lockers he wanted. I felt better when I read that.
As for the other designers, unless someone drastically steps up, I don't think whoever the winner is will last long on TV.
WHEN is Mark's total lack of time-management skills going to be allowed to eliminate him? Other designers have learned from mistakes over the past weeks, but he consistently goes overboard on his grand intentions without any sense of how long his plans will take to execute. The judges this week noted that Meg had completed her look and asked whether she'd be able to do that consistently, but why wasn't Mark similarly challenged? Because they saw that he's still hopeless in that department?
Having done a lot of work backstage, I've seen other folks like Karl who are a nervous wreck when *anticipating* their performance, but who drop all the anxiety and are perfectly focused and calm once they're actually onstage.. He'll be fine. For instance, this week it looked like Mark hadn't even planned what to say, but you can bet that Karl knew he'd be tossing out that storybook/teddy bear suggestion. Vern's comment about Mark not even naming the materials correctly highlights Mark's lack of preparation and/or presence of mind onstage.
I cannot BELIEVE the judges sent Kellie home!! I was rooting for her all the way!! Even though her "curtains" weren't the greatest, she was definitely resourceful and used what she had!!! Way to go, Kellie!!!
Kellie is a lovely woman and a good designer.
But it was just time for her to go home. Her heart really wasn't in it.
Aside from her room design, you can see it in her face. She was ready to go home.
So it all worked out. Don't be upset. Just because someone doesn't get their own show doesn't make them a bad designer or a bad person (necessarily). Good luck to Kellie. Maybe we will see her somewhere down the road still. You never know on this network.
The name of the third season DS winner that several posters on this thread were trying to remember is Jennifer Bertrand. She was good, although I was also impressed with the runner-up, Matt, and hope he gets to come back like Todd and Casey (enjoy both of them). Vern had expressed concern at first that Jennifer might be a "one-trick pony" with her drawing on walls, but she stepped up and eventually won. Glad some of the other posters on this thread were able to explain what happened to her, b/c I had been wondering about that.
OK. I'm not gettin it. Can someone please explain to me what is so exceptional about Meg?
Or at least explain why she is equal to the other designers Mark and Karl that she is still here?
I really want to understand since I don't watch design shows for the sake of their personality.
I see Candice and David on their show and it seems their personality compliments their design talent and so they are the whole package. I have yet to see a design show the other way around. Even Antonio and Emily – the newest DS star winners have SOMETHING that is UNIQUE about their presentation, DESIGN-WISE. So someone please explain what MEG's is to me! I don't get it. Picking out good fabric on one episode does not make for EXCEPTIONAL TALENT! I can do that with some cash in my pocket. =/
I think Meg should go and find a talk show to host, not a design show. Design is not where her talent lies.