Ask the Producer: Design Star Finale and Meg’s New Show!
Each week, Design Star producer Loren Ruch gives us the inside scoop on the show. After this week’s finale, he discusses the panel’s final deliberation. Plus, what you can expect from Meg’s new show HGTV’s Great Rooms.
It must have been hard for the design panel to choose between these two talented designers! What made them ultimately choose Meg as the winner?
It was an extremely tough decision because our design panel liked both Meg and Karl so much. In fact, the deliberation took nearly four hours! They reviewed all of the camera challenges and design challenges, and ultimately selected Meg as the winner. Meg and Karl had each won two challenges throughout the season, and then split the win in the tiny houses episode, so it was a very, very even competition all the way around.
What was it like for Meg to meet so many of the HGTV talent right after the win?
Meeting our HGTV talent was a huge moment for Meg. When she said “Oh my God, you’re all real,” it was a true ‘light bulb’ moment. She told me it was in that moment she realized winning Design Star was a life-changing event!
The original concept for the Meg’s series was Design Crimes. How did that idea evolve into HGTV’s Great Rooms?
If I’m going to be completely honest, HGTV’s Great Rooms is the same show as Design Crimes. Meg uses her criminology background to investigate the crimes in her fellow Chicagoans homes, and then redesign the spaces to be more beautiful. This may sound crazy, but I believe that there’s power in words, so instead of focusing on something negative (like the word “crimes”) I’d rather we focus on the positive (like “great”), which is why we changed it to HGTV’s Great Rooms. “Great” is a double entendre in the show, because not all of the rooms are true great rooms, but they are all GREAT!
When did Meg’s show begin filming?
Meg’s show started to shoot about three weeks after we completed production of Design Star. She needed to get working on her designs immediately following our finale. Honestly, she hasn’t slept much since we started shooting Design Star back in March!
Can you give us any clues about what we can expect from Meg’s new show? What did you think were the best on-set moments?
I can say this with 100 percent sincerity – I think that Meg’s makeovers in HGTV’s Great Rooms are some of the biggest and best makeovers that I’ve ever seen on our air. I truly believe that our viewers will be blown away by the level of talent she displays in this show. By the way, HGTV’s Great Rooms debuts Saturday at 6pm ET/PT – so set your DVR’s!! Learn more about Meg’s new show >>
Note: The picture is one of our entire crew – look at how many people it takes to get a show like this on the air! I want to take this opportunity to thank the best crew in the business, and the best viewers in the world…we love our HGTV fans!
This is a farce, no producer wants to read what the devoted viewers who take time to comment think about the show. Meg was pushed through this whole process. Karl should have won, he is likeable and has more talent.
The judges should not be HGTV personalities, they are manipulated by the producers.
Give Karl a show..
I totally agree.. I think this whole series was predetermined.. Meg should have gotten dumped by episode 4.. heck they dumped Tyler who was 60% better than Meg.. but do pick her over Karl was an INSULT to Karl big time.. he was 400% better than her in all aspects.. .. good luck Karl hope you get a show and good business
HELLO LOREN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you there????????
it seems the only time you respond to any comments are when they are in favor of the "NEW" direction of the network. You need to LISTEN to your long-time viewers who are more then just dissapointed, once again. They are ANGRY because you put a blog like this out there to show you are listening but it isn't REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but why waist our time, anything other then HGTV agenda get's tossed into file 13!!!!!!!!!
Oh and I like wrote somewhere on these blogs, the gigantic Buddha should not be on a pedestal when there is a child in the home. You had an earthquake recently in NYC, I hope it didn't topple over. I don't think your dear Meg thought that process through, it should have been on a sturdy table or anchored to the wall. I hope for the homeowners sake they correct this mistake.
That kind of comment isn't necessary. I don't agree at all with the choice of Meg over Karl but see no need to be crude.
Facts are facts. Deal with it.
You obviously have some issues with yourself if you feel the need to attack Meg on a level like that. Meg is a great designer and I can't wait to see her show! You are just jealous!
I have no reason to be jealous of Meg. Read my OP again. I'd rather be dead, than be Meg.
You are just rude! It's unfortunate that you are such a miserable person. There is a way to post your opinions without attacking someone's appearance!
Meg's appearance is by her own design. It is the way she made herself over the years. It is the way that she chose to appear on a national TV show.
You want to give her a pass on her obesity and voice, as though she couldn't do anything about it? The way she looks and sounds is her fault and her responsibility to
deal with, redesign, before she makes a public appearance. As I have said before: Meg has no design talent.
The only thing unfortunate is your hypocritical ad hominem attack upon me for having the integrity to tell the truth
Uh, no. You obviously know nothing if you think that her weight and voice is something she can just fix like it's a wardrobe.
I don't like Meg. I don't think she would have won. Dislike her for her personality, dislike her for her designing, dislike her for how much you think she won't appeal to an audience. But making fatphobic remarks about her body, which may not even be possible to change is out of line. There's nothing wrong with her being chubby, which is, by the way, not the same thing as being obese. The problem is with people like you who think that all women in movies and TV need to be rail thin runway models.
She is obese, not "chubby" seems as though you have the same problem and that is what your post is about. I've dealt with an obesity problem through proper diet and exercise. I'm in shape now. And took a public speaking course and read books about voice, to get rid of an awful regional accent and other speech problems, now all gone.
Doesn't seem that Meg (nor you) ever even tried.
It's too bad you couldn't give up the drugs…You're one strange creature!
Another ad hominem attack! And from you again. Who would have thought that I'd get my own personal troll, here on the DS blogs?
Get a life!
It's an open blog, if you don't like someone replying to your lunacy, then maybe you shouldn't be on here spreading it…I'll bet money that you're not even close to being that perfect picture that you keep trying to paint of yourself to be…Then again it doesn't really matter, because you are ugly on the inside…I get it that you think Meg is fat and unattractive, but it's too bad that you judge people's worth based on their exterior shell, rather than taking the time to get to know what's inside…That's your loss, along with any other person that befriends, or lets someone into their life on that criteria alone.
Where did I try to paint a perfect picture of myself on these blogs? You are imagining these things about me.
You must be psychic.
Erik, you might want a little therapy to go with that new body and voice of yours because it seems like your self-hatred from before your change was pretty intense and hasn't been dealt with. That is if you didn't just make that up.
That's great for you that you were able to lose that weight, that doesn't meant that everyone else can or should. And before you give me the "losing weight is about being healthy" line think for a second here, do you really think those 98 pound folks we see on tv are healthier than someone who is a little overweight? Let me put it to you this way, most models and many tv/movie actresses are so thin that they stop menstruating, someone who is 20-30 pounds overweight doesn't.
I don't think the right person won and Meg really does annoy me but I'm not willing to look the other way when someone comes on to just to be insulting.
Erik, I wasn't insulting models and actresses, I was making a reality check. I have no problem at all with people of any weight, but the reality is that too skinny is just as bad as too overweight, neither are good for us and as a society we've come to accept an unhealthy level of skinny as the ideal and have been trained to give no value to people with extra weight.
We've also become a society that feels that the only people worth watching or listening to are people we think are attractive and fit very specific ideals.
Personally I find plenty of people to be unattractive for multiple reasons but I don't feel the need to dismiss them due to their looks, I judge them as people. There are an awful lot of "pretty" people out there who are ugly, and for that matter a lot of "ugly" people who are beautiful.
Jeni – I totally agree and Erik you are just plain UGLY!!! And miserable!!!
And, unlike Mark G above, you are not psychic.
Obviously you didn't read what I posted in answer to you in its entirety. You are the one fixated on weight. It is your problem not mine. Meg isn't close to skinny, and from the looks of her, if she lost a 100lbs., she still wouldn't be skinny.
What is a fact is Meg has zero design talent, and without that she has nothing to offer viewers of HGTV, who want to see great design. She can't do it, not even close.
i think that commenting on meg's looks is so irrelevant to, and just detracts from, the focus on her disgusting lack of talent. i think she must be related to someone high up in the network
Meg's slob look and sound are indicative of her total inability to be a designer. She can't can even design herself into a publicly presentable product, how can she possibly produce any design of value anywhere else.
Seems a lot of fatties, do not like my comments about Meg's looks and voice, because they too want everyone to believe that being fat is not something that anyone can do anything about, and that is dead wrong.
Getting into good looking shape and developing a pleasing voice are things that can be learned. It takes dedication, thoughtfulness, planning, not making excuses, follow through, never giving up, detail oriented, dealing with reality, not being lazy; all things that would also be necessary to be a great designer, if one were fortunate enough to have been born with design talent. Meg's appearance shows that she has none of those qualities. Her excuses for design, show that she was born without design talent.
That was my first visceral reaction when I first saw Meg on DS. My view hasn't changed.
well maybe one day you'll meet a fat designer
whose artistry is beyond your greatest expectations. then what would become of your theory?
Never have so far. People without high personal standards for themselves, never have high standards in any other field of endeavor.
That's a ridiculous response. Meg could be attractive, if only she would dress better. She needs to accentuate her positive traits, while covering her worst. Not everyone has as much success on the road to fitness. Becoming smug about one's success seems incredibly obnoxious.
the original post was removed (I assume because of extremely poo taste) HOWEVER, the network practices this same kind of discrimination when it handed out pink slips to almost all of their talent that was over 40 years old and not formal models. So, like it or not, the network practices this same kind of nasty rating of others also. If you don't agree, then just look at the 'party' Meg joined at the end of the finale.
HGTV needs to remove this website if they are going to continue to post bloggs like this yet ignore the very people who respond. If you TRULY are concerned about your viewers then you would respond to them. Obviously you do not care (and probably don't even read these) so you should remove this website as it is a fraud now.
Meg was just an awful choice. I can't listen to that voice, her work was pretty much always a mess. Having to buy a new rug because your first choice was bad might happen to an average homeowner, but it sure doesn't happen to a "design star." The only reason her last room looked good was because Kellie and Leslie picked out the furniture. So, HGTV can pick her, but they can't make me watch her.
they not only picked the furn, they stayed behind to design the room and furn placement, while meg was out filming and refilming her segments
Actually I suspected some sabotage in picking out all that white-upholstered furniture in a home that was about to have a small child in it. Did they hang those scattered little pictures? And didn't the guy ask for some cozy leather?
ok. I am a professional college degreed designer and I can tell you that lighting in the retail store can make a color look one way, and lighting in your home can make a color look very different and I don't care how good or bad you are as a designer.
You cannot always control the lighting situations and it can be very difficult sometimes. I always take something like that directly outside or to a window to see the colors in natural light, but even then, if the ligting in the homeowners house is different it could still be "off". Just saying don't be so judgemental.
rose, that was just one example of the many, many problems I have with them picking Meg. I doubt people want to hear every one of them. Bottom line is I wouldn't want her to design a room for me and I don't want to watch her design rooms for others. I won't be watching her. If that is "judgmental," so be it. I have limited time to watch TV so I'll pick people and ideas that appeal to me.
I am so glad Meg won!!! I love her designs and style. She is very bright, happy and full of energy… Congrats Meg!
I agree with you Graham! Meg is fun to watch:-)
I'm sure I am going to get a ton of thumbs downs for this but, I agree. She seems really genuine, and acts like she enjoys what she is doing. I don't know what is up with all of this Meg hate. It's kind of disturbing to me that everyone is being so nasty and hateful towards a person they have never met. I wish that everyone would just be open minded and give her a chance, even if you wanted Karl to win. Or at least just be nice.
I too have become extremely uncomfortable with all this hatred toward poor Meg. Most likelye it stems from the frustration of the viewers so they are taking it out on her, that would be my guess. It was so infuriating to see such a great designer get passed over for one who we felt is no way near as talented so they are ripping the poor woman to shreds. To be truthful I firmly believe the following:
1. The producer doesn't give a damn about what we think.
2. They had chosen Meg right from the start as their Ugly Duckling Darling
3. This was done so they would look like heros and someone as brilliant as Karl wouldn't show them up.
Honestly: Look at the design contributions each of them made and there is no way she is better than him, it is beyond obvious to anyone. Not that I begrudge her the show, it is just annoying that those damn judges were so intent on making her their stooge so for that reason alone I am grateful that Karl didn't win!! I stopped taking those snotty judges seriously when they started using words like "veritcality" ! I mean seriously, wth!?!
I don't hate Meg, but I've seen more than enough of her and don't want to watch her. Ever again. She has no design tips I need – not how to paint a design on a table, or put a table on glasses, or put way too many lanterns on a wall. No thanks. I am not passing judgment on whether she is a nice person, I am passing judgment on whether she is a designer I want to listen and learn from.
I can't wait to watch Meg's show…. I dont know what you guys are all talking about!!! Meg had great designs and her last great room/dining room rocked! Karl was a good designer as well but I am happy with the judges pick!
Really? Do you not remember her awful white box challenge with the pink walls and table that fell over from plastic supports? She should have been sent home right after that. Do you not remember the challenge where she styled a loft area of a house where it was so sparse and looked incomplete? Not to mention the irritating yellow and green colors of the mini house challenge.
I do agree that she definitely missed that white box challenge, but there were many others that didn't do so hot either! I don't think the loft area was that bad I just think she ran out of time… and I do think she got a little bit shafted on that room. That loft area was a lot more difficult to design than a child's bedroom where you are told exactly what the kid wants! And I actually really liked her little mini house. I thought it was very open and bright which is what I would want if I were living in such a small space.
I am excited to see her new show too! I don't get all the negative comments on this blog.
you, like meg, have no visual intelligence
I am not sure why everyone attacks meg on her voice… this is not a singing competition! And frankly, she cant help or fix the way her voice sounds. Why don't we all focus on her designs instead of her weight and voice….. Her last great room was sleek, clean and inviting! I loved the colors and the way she used the space. I also loved her room she did with Tyler — that was one of my favorites! And then her loft space was by far the best out of all of them! Congrats Meg!
The only reason her room turned out that way was because Leslie and Kellie did most of the furniture shopping and styled the room. You could tell that immediately from looking at it. All Meg did was to buy a rug that looked terrible in the room and had to go get another one at the last minute. She didn't even respect the homeowner's wishes of using a specific color blue on the walls. Had Meg been working only by herself, I think the final outcome might have been different.
totally agree — if Meg was on her own the room would have been a dump….Meg should NOT have even gotten to finals . Leslie knows how to select furniture and you can tell in the final room.. Would have been more fun watching Meg work with CATHY instead that would have been a great comedy series… .
Why do people attack Meg on her voice? Because it grates like nails on a chalkboard. Even if her design sense and the points she is trying to make were great (which they're not), to me it's not something I choose to spend time listening to. She and Cathy were both unwatchable for me.
Your opinion… not everyone feels that way. Her voice is fine. Please…. everyone stop belittling Meg!
Yes, of course it's my opinion. This is a forum for exchanging opinions.
Because when you watch her, you also hear her, and 30 minutes of an unpleasant voice is distracting to many people. We want to relax and understand the styling rather than getting distracted by a rough voice. Maybe they will give her a voice coach.
Meg's voice is awful, and there are things she could do to improve its tone, etc. Her design sense just falls flat; I watched her first show, and the work was just terrible.
Well, I guess you can see that there are a lot of viewers who like Karl Sponholtz. I sincerely hope that you will work at finding a place for him at HGTV. He is a superb designer.
I have a question…If Meg had already won Design Star, why was she asking for Fan Favorite votes on her webpage? That doesn't make sense.
Because she is a greedy witch and didn't want to share the spotlight with anyone else? Why stop at just a TV show when she could also have an on-line show?
Yes, Lynda. Because HGTV would totally let that happen. I honestly doubt she is even running her webpage. They all asked for votes so you wouldn't figure out who won ahead of time.
doesn't the fan fav winner get their own show too?
I dont think they ever said what the fan favorite got. Lynda – why do you feel it necessary to call Meg a witch? She is far from that!
I'm sure it's partly all the negative posts about her, honestly.
She was hovering at the bottom around 6-7% just up until last week then to 9%.
Who wants to be declared a winner when nobody wants to watch your show accept your family and friends? (No offense just trying to tell a story here)
I won't be watching her show.
The fan favorite gets an on-line show. The only reason I can think of for Meg to lobby for votes is that maybe it's embarrassing to win DS a few months ago and then learn, as the show is broadcast, that the DS fans don't like you enough to vote for you as fan favorite. And it didn't matter how many times Vern told us that Meg's B&B room was the best room he ever saw on DS, the fans that care enough to vote for fan favorite weren't buying it.