Ask The Producer: Episode 8
The final four designers with producer Loren Ruch.
Each week, we ask Design Star producer Loren Ruch your most-asked questions from the show. This time, he tells us how long it takes to shoot the full season of Design Star. Plus, what were the best moments backstage at The Nate Berkus Show?
What happened to the decorated apartments after the designers finished with them?
Since these apartments didn’t belong to actual homeowners we returned all of the purchased items when the episode was finished. Of course, our producers alerted all of the stores in advance so they knew to expect them back. Some of the items that couldn’t be returned were donated or offered to residents in the building.
How long does the entire season usually take to film?
The entire season takes place over a 35-day period in early spring where we shoot back-to-back days, seven days a week. It’s a pretty intense schedule, but it’s incredibly fun — almost like summer camp, because we’re all in it together…from the designers to the design panel to Tanika and David! We only take four days off in the entire cycle, one of which is Easter Sunday.
What was it like for the designers to be on set at The Nate Berkus Show? Were there any fun moments that we missed during the show?
I think that The Nate Berkus Show was both the most fun and scariest challenge for our designers in the entire season! They were INCREDIBLY pumped about doing Nate’s show, but they also realized at that moment just how important the ‘camera challenges’ are – literally on par with the design challenges, because we’re looking for an overall Design Star. There were two fun behind-the-scenes moments: 1.) When all of the final four got to have their hair & makeup done. They felt like celebrities. You need to remember that they feel dirty, grimy, and sweaty for most of the series, so it was fun to be pampered! 2.) Meeting Nate on the set! He gave the designers a pep-talk moments before the show that really empowered them.
What was your favorite design element this week?
I have two favorite elements this week. I thought that Karl’s bookshelf was a ‘novel’ idea (pun intended!), and I also loved Meg’s wall treatment – the striped panels were quite beautiful and rich looking in person.
What do you want to ask Loren? Tell us your questions about Design Star in the comments below — he may just answer you next week!
Dear Loren,
I just want to thank you for taking the time to read and respond to some of our posts. You don't have an easy job trying to find a way to please everyone. I know you weren't there when the first Design Star was produced but it might be interesting go back and review it to see if you can catch glimpses of what made that so successful.
Also, I think most of the viewers are fine with DS being a competition. Please don't make it into a "game" instead of a competition. That would diminish what the show is supposed to be about. A lot of the complaints are also from designers who watch and they don't like it when design is trivialized because of the "TV personality seeking" aspect of it.
Whatever suggestions people are making here, I would like to add two things:
1. It's not just the content that make a quality show great. But all the people who are working to make the show happen. At the core, you need to have good, down to earth people who share the same vision and have the same goals on what you want the show to be about and what the viewers want to see. That includes everyone down to assistants and up to film editors (especially the film editors). It doesn't seem to us that you or the judges have a good pulse on what goes on behind the scenes between contestants from what we have seen aired on the show this season. Viewers miss people like Clive and Lisa La Porta because they were down to earth and seemed like real people – not sitting on their thrones looking down from their noses.
2. As a professional you probably already know this so I say this IMHO – Make sure you take the time to evaluate your whole team so you are all on the same page when you go out looking for new potentials for the show next year. If you spend some quality time on the front end with your selection process, you will get better results in the end and everything else will fall into its place.
Thanks for all your hard work and listening to what we write here.
Good luck with the show.
Alright all you Karl fans, Please make sure you vote. I see Mark's votes are growing but not Karl! He's been the most consistent this season, do we want to see him walk away with nothing?
Please vote!
I LOVE KARL!!!! VOTE PLEASE!
WE LOVE KARL TOO! 15 0f us at the office just voted…BOOM!
Yes, we want to see him walk away with a new backbone…
Alright all you Karl fans, Please make sure you vote. I see Mark's votes are growing but not Karl! He's been the most consistent this season, do we want to see him walk away with nothing? He's been lingering at 13% for the past 3 weeks while mark is 5% ahead of him!
oops sorry not sure why it posted it 2 times on this section.
Could there be a season of design star where some of the designers from the past seasons come back.
designers that left before they should have
Why is Mark still on here? He can't complete a project, poor use of time. He has time and timea again gotten caught up in one aspect of the project. He is the one that should be gone this week, he has been at the bottom several times, how many second chances? Why was Kelly not awarded the same opportunity? She has rocked it the majority of the time and while the curtains did leave much to be desired she did not have the worst room this week.
WRONG! Mark has a much more sophisticated design sense than Kelly has shown. Even though he stumbled on this week's camera challenge, he has demonstrated over and over that he is very good on camera. Kelly actually should have gone home before she did. She made it as far as her limited abilities could take her on this show.
RIGHT! Mark does have a sophisticated sense..however…he comes across rather over confident about his skills yet fails to bring it on camera. What he has shown is Nice Skills BUT Zero personality. White smile and trimmed facial hair shouldn't sell a show. Talented? Yes we agree, he has some skills and a very good strong design aesthetic, but can he carry a show and keep us (America) entertained? He would need to be groomed (not physically, but TALENT wise) for t.v. work…
i miss Kellie so much!!!! i think her room had the most color and i think it was very creative! and yes i hated her camera challenge but her room was definitely the best ! if you don't believe me go look at the pictures from this challenge! then you will see i hope she wins the online show and please people vote for meg to we have to pass her up Kathy!!!!!!!!!
i agree Anna
VOTE FOR MEG!!!!
yes meg is so cool
I am wondering why the designers have such a hard time with their camera challenges when they seem completely comfortable during their commentaries.
It is because of the setting. They are pulled aside in a quieter space to do candid comments. It's one on one between the camera, camera guy and the designer – not a lot of fuss involved. Camera challenge is in front of lots of lights and more people and a set which is probably their own design as a backdrop. Candid comment interviews are done in a much more comfortable and intimate setting. You can tell because there are no lights in the background, etc.
Would also love to see a changed format wherein the designers have more time, so that I won't feel like I'm watching a design show combined with a track and field event. Thanks for listening to us!
Please, please, please find a new host for the show. It's getting to the point that I will never watch Design Star again. Tanika over enunciates every last word and tries to make her poorly written script interesting by emphasizing certain words at odd times while speaking. ARrrrgh, there has to be a better host available!
I'm wondering why you even need one…If David's going to continue to mentor, I'm sure he could handle, taking the judges into the spaces, and saying a few more lines like "time is up" or "I'm sorry we will not be producing your show"
I agree. Tanika s awful
There is – his name is Clive.