Ask the Producer: Episode 9
Lindsey Weidhorn (Manager, HGTV), Loren and Genevieve goofing around with a cardboard cutout of Vern Yip on the set!
Each week we ask Design Star producer Loren Ruch our burning questions from the last episode. This week: What made the producers choose a tiny house challenge? Plus, what we didn’t see on the show.
How did you come up with the idea to do a tiny house challenge?
We really wanted to update and reinvent our Glass House challenge from previous seasons, and with the popularity of the tiny house movement, we thought that this would be a natural! A member of our staff had seen a coffee table book about tiny houses, and we were sold! The rest is history.
Did the tiny houses seem bigger or smaller than they did on TV?
Honestly, this depends on which of the tiny houses we’re talking about. Mark’s tiny house seemed really, really small in person because of the very busy argyle print pattern on the walls. However, Meg’s open foyer made hers seem much larger. I’d say that Karl’s felt like it was somewhere in between theirs in terms of perceived size.
What did the designers and carpenters struggle most with in the tiny houses?
The hardest part of the challenge was what you didn’t see — pouring rain during about 80 percent of the challenge! Battery Park was a big, muddy mess — and this wasn’t a nice cool rain, it was a warm, sticky, humid mess, where everyone was overheating. Not sure if you saw Mark’s shirt by the end of the challenge, but I was seriously afraid that he was going to end up dehydrated due to excessive perspiration! The other tricky part for the designers was working in such close quarters with another person (their carpenter) in addition to cameras following them. This was a very challenging challenge for many reasons.
It looked like the contestants had a great time with the HGTV and DIY carpenters. Were there any fun moments that didn’t make it into the show?
There were so many funny moments that didn’t make it into the show, but my favorite was when Mark and Carmen spontaneously started to salsa dance in front of their house! The chemistry all the way around was wonderful – and the carpenters added exactly what our designers needed at this point of the competition…motivation, talent, and the great attitudes.
What questions do you have about the tiny house challenge or Design Star as a whole? As in the comments below — Loren may just answer your questions next week!
Candace is my favorite designer, but I wonder if it is because she always has a big budget to work with. I would love to see how she could put her signature on makeovers with very small budgets. In this economy, we could all use beautiful surroundings that we could actually afford.
So true…and will they ever reveal the budget or the fact that the "family" fronts the costs…..nope!
Me too! Cant afford much out there these days. Thats why I love to repupose things they look completely new when I get done. I love painting furniture!
I think HGTV should incorporate some home voting element into their weekly decision-making. I'm too far invested now to stop watching but honestly I don't think I could watch an entire show by either Meg or Karl. Just like I haven't been able to watch Emily Henderson from last season or Kim Myles — they are talented designers but they didn't have the TV presence and haven't caught on yet.
I agree with ALL of the above….except one thing….I love Karl. He has a sophisticated, laid back personality combined with exquisite design talents.
Emily…..her show is fun but she tends to get too funky with her mannerisms….I have a hard time watching her away from her decorating. Kim Myles….is just okay.
I AGREE!!! But that could have backfired too…look at the Cathy based voting…just to make people frustrated. Little lives=little brains
Home voting would be nice, but it's not practical. The show was recorded months ago, with all the competitions taking place back-to-back over perhaps four weeks (not stretched out to ten weeks as we have been viewing them). Home voting would stretch out the competition to actually last the full ten weeks, which means the competitors would be away from their families and careers for ten weeks. That's not fair to them. But I would like to see the judging between the two finalists done via home voting, as was done in the first three seasons.
EMILY IS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes her designs are a little funky for my taste BECAUSE her client's tastes are, too, and she's creating for them and not me. However, I love most of her designs and just plain enjoy watching her. I also think she's really good at explaining how and why.
Yes, We should be part of the decision making process!!!!
I think Candace could make a barn look great on $10. She's that talented.
Well, let's see her do it!
I have been a fan of this program since it began but I have been distracted by the lack of hosting skills and tacky appearance of Tanika. Blue eyeshadow? Pink Wellingtons? Cocktail dresses? How can the viewers take the show seriously with her lack of style and annoying fake enthusiasm? Please get someone who is knowledgeable about design and style for the next season. She is distracting and annoying and takes away the integrity of this wonderful program.
Tanika….yikes! She has that 'canned' delivery of every line. Nothing at all watchable about her. I cringe when she has her portion of the program. Please….how unnatural can she get? I basically mute the volume when she speaks.
But Clive was a bit too dramatic at elimination…taking that in…he is still a better host. But he has gone MIA.
Totally agree! Looks to me like Tanika is more interested in looking for a man than designing. Perhaps a cheesy soap show is better suited to her!!
I don't get why they didn't use David as the host. He would be great. I think the only part he would struggle with would be sending people home.
I'm glad someone said something about this tacky host; wow…they really lost a great host when that wonderful man left the show!! Tanika has her own show, maybe they should give Meg the host job {after taking away her crown}, and give the new design show to Mark AND Karl!!!!! Just IMHO!!
I want so badly to have both Meg and Karl win and perhaps co-host a show together! They get along so well and their styles complement each other well. But I know one has to win… and I can't wait to see either of their shows. I've enjoyed the show this year – thanks for bringing back the focus on talent instead of personality conflicts.
Thanks Jolene!! They were both such a pleasure to work with – I hope you'll be happy with who our panel chose as our winner…and maybe they can host something 'together' in the future!
I guess you missed the first half of the season when Cathy went out of her way to make EVERYONE miserable.
Thats wht makes it even better it so much fun to watch drama filled design
I did not agree with the judges' decision, but I do recognize it's a TV show.
Mark did not win but he sure has quite the following for his work now.
And thousands of viewers for the past 6 weeks(?) have been watching.
I'm sure that's why all these designers sign up in the first place.
So they can get their name out there. Mission accomplished!
It won't be the last we see of Mark Diaz, I am sure of that.
Now, on with the show! And I HOPE KARL WINS! Woo hoo! Go Karl!
And sorry, I know you all work hard like the rest of us,
but if you picked Meg, I cannot watch her show for all the reasons already mentioned.
For NEXT season, I DO expect better for the record.
But thanks for listening to us, obviously you have made some changes we suggested already.
…and our goal is to get better with each year! Thanks for watching, I do appreciate it.
If you really want to get better, ditch Tanika. She is hard to take in every respect.
AMEN! ! ! !
It's incredibly apparent that Karl is head and shoulders above Meg and Mark. He has a laid back, knowledgeable presence….nothing too over the top about him which makes him easy to watch. Karl has a keen eye for space planning, the ability to make a space feel personal and unified and his design aesthetic is crisp, sophisticated and very unique. I really like everything Karl has done….from his first to his last challenge….they still get high marks from me. I will be anxiously looking for Karl's show. I think he will always deliver….just like David Bromstad does.
Mark can do some interesting work tho he isn't really made for television. He lacks some depth and warmth…maybe it would come about as he got comfortable tho. His projects are labor intensive and often a little too quirky for the general consumer. I loved his white box challenge best….but the rest…not really inspiring. I'm afraid I wouldn't be eager to look for Mark's show….I think he would drag a room on and on all for that one surprise element that may hit or miss.
Meg…ahhhh, Meg. She's someone I would like as a friend but I find her too bubbly to hold my attention and her voice is a bit annoying. Her styling is completely boring and unsophisticated to me. Her work is always just missing the mark….and messy. Every one of her challenges has reminded me of something seen from the old Design on a Dime days…. especially the redesigned condo room with the vertical wood strips. That room made me dizzy! Meg….a genuine BFF….just not on the same professional, all-encompassing level as Karl. If Meg gets a show…I probably won't be inclined to watch it….too many kitchy, done-to-death ideas that may not be well executed or planned.
Finally someone else who didn't like the vertical wood strips with little shelves from top to bottom, and each little shelf with some knick-knack to make sure the whole thing was all clutter. The vertical wood strips were a good idea until Meg turned them into clutter mania and a cleaning nightmare. She didn't know when to stop! Karl should have won that one. I disagree that Mark isn't made for television–he just needs a little coaching to soften the rough edges and to give him confidence.
I won't be watching any show from Meg. Her designs are too boring and typical. Nothing great. I personally do not like to have my pots on the wall. They belong in cabinets…not as ornaments. Karl is my favorite. He has a keen eye for true design and it shows in all his work. I loved his tiny house, but I do have to wonder, where are the showers i these tiny houses?
Agreed. Karl's work is amazing. He should have won over Meg for that gorgeous wall treatment that looked like a beach. Breathtaking. And that master bedroom was elegant and gorgeous. He's never overwhelmed by any aspect of a design challenge; he just got frustrated working with people who didn't have his talent – which was EVERYBODY ELSE in this competition. I also love him on camera – he's funny, personable, disarming and has a smile that really feels genuine. He's the total package.
Mark is good with wood, and quirky design elements, or "installations", but he goes for one really bold statement, at the expense of the overall design. And despite his looks, I don't love him on camera. He's stiff and wooden. No pun intended.
Meg comes across well on camera, she's personable and energetic, although her voice is a bit grating (not her fault). But her designs are a tad amateurish and lack the sophistication you see in Karl's work. She might work on something like Design on a Dime.
Karl is your BGF (best gay friend), Mark is your BFF (best flannel friend), and Meg is your RCF (red cup friend)…..that's how I see it. I don't see any of them as a "must see"…the Texas designer had a shot at it…to me after looking at her portfolio..she could have been a (RDF) real deal friend, but she lost steam in the end…it was sad to watch.
LMAO, If you were my friend, you'd be my BNF (best namemaker friend) :p
Funny stuff. Love it.
Ah, I finally found the Fans of Karl Corner! Yes, he's a thinking person's designer, with historic and cultural references just wafting out without any effort. He has the talent and time-management skills; we don't see him frantically arranging knicknacks or tossing toss pillows out the window at the last moment. And he has clearly made huge progress in overcoming his initial stage fright, which was probably due mostly to overthinking it all. I want to hear him talk about his design process.
I think Mark's fans are there because of his looks, not his talent.:D
Agreed. And the level of anger because he was sent home is WAY over the top. You'd think these people had never seen a good looking guy before. They're like some crazed cult.
It could be half and half. Half posting are TV fans and the other half are Mark's friends and they know the more they flood the posts, the better chance Mark will at least get an online show.
Just a thought. Something seems fishy though. It just seems a little bit out of character for people to react this way. But who knows? Anything is possible
I agree totally! I mean GET A LIFE.
Mark is easy on the eyes but he has to speak well to his viewers. If you watch his exit interview, he says "UM" a lot…his talent wasn't consistant, that was a big issue-time management & execution of his designs. Rooting for Karl!
The shows/talent they run ad naseum are Canadian. Look at the credits…they can run them forever and not worry about broadcast rights…I'm just sayin'.
Loren, for next year please consider going back to having the final winner chosen by the viewers, not the judges, as was done in the first few seasons. I know this delays the schedule of the winner's show by a whole season, and the viewer vote can be a popularity contest rather than a measure of talent, but generally the final two contestants are both talented. Wouldn't you rather that HGTV have a show where the host is popular, so the show is more likely to be popular, too?
amen