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!
Karl was by far the best designer! Too bad the Judges were wrong. He did need a bit more camera experience but that grows with practice. Megs lack of taste and design skills are very apparent. Lisa
Meg's show was awful, anyone can get kitchen cabinets, but the green wall paper in all kinds of designs, the bar shelf that really serves no purpose , the green painted glass top table with two young boys in the house, the last thing the chairs from nowhere. Green must be her color because she uses it everywhere. The home owners liked it because the kitchen cabinets were beautiful and the floor. but I could have done that and more. 40,000 worth of what.
No, thank you, I will not watch Meg's new show. I don't like her personality or her designs. Karl was so much more talented. I think choices are made based on what HGTV is missing, you didn't have a short, chubby girl designer so Meg was it. I wish her well in her private life but professionally, she is a loser in my book.
PS – I absolutely love David Bromstead. He is not only talented, but fun to watch. You got it right with him. I like him better in San Francisco though than Miami.
yah, the VIEWERS chose him, not the producers
Please get rid of the Lowes bird commercials in your older episodes of DS. These commercials ruin the whole viewing online experience because the same ones repeat and repeat!! Have resorted to watching the design shows on the internet because the only other show ever on TV in the evening is house hunters. For those of us who work all day and wish to get some design ideas, we would like to see design shows on in the evening.
Loved this episode. Were the tiny houses ready-to-assemble kit houses? or were they constructed by HGTV on the spot, from scratch?
Interested in putting one in my back-yard. Please advise as to how to purchase one.
Thanks for the great entertainment on this program – each year it's great to look forward to.
Cheers!
'cella in Pacifica
I love your program!! My husband and I enjoy it so much and I just want to "thank you all" don't change anything about it. It is perfect. Love you all from Rose