Mary

Contributor to HGTV Urban Oasis

Nov 2

Vern’s Ambush

Hi all!

Today, I’d like to treat you to a sneak peek at Vern’s ambush of our 2011 winner. Take a look — and don’t forget to watch the winner special in late December!

Posted at 10:27 am

  • Permalink
  • 32 Comments

32 Comments

  1. Wow, now that's a winner reaction….
    <3

    dreamn_again on November 2, 2011 at 11:35 am
    • Il est Parfait !! E'Perfetto !! Es Perfecto !! & where DBCoop is currently at… มันสมบูรณ์แบบ !!

      lucyourdog on November 9, 2011 at 3:18 pm
  2. That was sweet !!!

    akaMissy1961 on November 2, 2011 at 12:18 pm
  3. Wow that is awesome!!! those tears are real..God Bless you and your family, how wonderful…

    Go Blackhawks!!!

    maria_w_in_nj on November 2, 2011 at 12:45 pm
  4. What a great ambush! I loved Dehorah's reaction — I would probably react the same way. The gorgeous roses were a nice touch, Vern!

    CplusE on November 2, 2011 at 12:53 pm
  5. Deborah you are a beautiful, radiant woman, congrats again. Vern you are cuter than cute and have a knack for making the surprises just right. I prefer the roses over the balloons, –much classier. That was some pretty fancy camera and editing work too. Way to go team!! A+ A+ A+

    Cami on November 2, 2011 at 1:36 pm
  6. "GO MS BALTIMORE!!!! Hope you enjoy your beautiful new home in CHICAGO!!!!!!!

    It's always nice to see beautiful people winning beautiful things!!

    Congrats!!!!!! :p

    StellaF on November 2, 2011 at 10:14 pm
  7. Love that video! Deborah, I think many of us were right there with you, feeling the same reaction and happiness for you.

    DIY fans, the winner of the Blog Cabin in VA has been announced now also.

    LLColeman on November 3, 2011 at 1:57 am
  8. TOTALLY AWESOME!!!! I LOVE IT!!!

    Debra G. on November 3, 2011 at 11:47 am
  9. That was a great ambush! I loved it. There were tears in my eyes for her as I watched it. Congratulations again Deborah!

    funfordot on November 3, 2011 at 1:15 pm
  10. Great ambush!!! I love the excitement that Deborah has shown. She is going to love her new home at Chicago's Trump Tower.

    Summer on November 4, 2011 at 4:08 pm
  11. Word is that on Friday, 4 November, Deborah Robertson was handed the key to her luxurious new Urban Oasis by Vern Yip. The stirring media event took place at Ms Robertson's new home on the 35th floor of Chicago's Trump Tower.

    I hope we have more details, maybe even a few photos or a video of the emotional presentation coming soon from Mary, right here in a blog near you.

    Which reminds me, is it time for Urban Oasis 2012 clues yet?

    DBCoop on November 5, 2011 at 5:40 am
  12. Wonderfull, wonderfull,wonderfull,tears of joy.Vern is good at everthing he does,the show is going to be GREAT!!!

    Angelways on November 5, 2011 at 7:32 am
  13. Coop mentioned that Deborah received the key to the UO on Friday. Here's a video of the event.
    Congratulations, Deborah, again. I'm not sure which event has touched me more, the winning
    moment or the winner receiving her key!
    http://www.nbcchicago.com/the-scene/real-estate/

    DeerSpring on November 5, 2011 at 10:23 am
    • Deerspring, thank you for once again sleuthing this video! Deborah is such a beauty, and she looks so perfectly at home in that chic condo, sitting on the couch with the custom light sculpture behind her. I could feel her breathless reaction to the view. Her present plan is to actually move there… She must have fallen in love with Chicago and the U O instantly !

      LLColeman on November 7, 2011 at 2:19 am
      • LL, I like the way you described Deborah during her first visit to her new home!

        DeerSpring on November 7, 2011 at 10:51 am
      • LL Coleman, I found some photos posted on Trump Tower's FB and a Baltimore Sun article
        featuring Deborah's big day at the UO…….. "It's gorgeous, simply gorgeous."
        http://www.facebook.com/TrumpChicagoHomes#!/photo
        http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/home-garden/

        DeerSpring on November 7, 2011 at 5:30 pm
        • Thank you ! aren't those photos great–Vern looks so sweet; enjoying the moment as much as Deborah was…and she looks so at home on that sofa-even her outfit matches the color scheme.<3

          LLColeman on November 8, 2011 at 4:21 am
    • Here's one more article about Deborah's UO visit. In addition to her sister, a brother and Deborah's
      daughter visited the Urban Oasis. This was Deborah's very first visit to Chicago!
      http://mobile.baltimoresun.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&a

      DeerSpring on November 12, 2011 at 4:29 pm
  14. Oddly enough, I can't watch the video with this thread. For some reason, this and a few other videos I've tried to open while here in Thailand simply go black, with a comment indicating that the particular video cannot be viewed from this country.

    Boy, I hope neither Mary nor I have done anything to upset the Thai government! Maybe if Jack T offered to locate a Dream Home here or even an Urban Oasis in Bangkok, the authorities would relent and I could finally watch the UO winner's reveal sooner rather than later.

    DBCoop on November 6, 2011 at 4:07 am
    • I have been very sorry to hear of the devastation in Bangkok…..very sad.

      LLColeman on November 7, 2011 at 2:10 am
      • Although there are no problems with flooding here on Phuket Island, the capital of Bangkok is seriously hit with millions of dollars in damage, but more so, with loss of lives in the north of Thailand.

        The flooding may well worsen in the capital over the next several days before the flood waters begin to recede. Hopefully, on my part, I'll still be able to spend an overnight stopover there before departing for Hawaii, and on home next week. That will all depend on whether the Suvarnabhumi Airport escapes the floodwaters, which so far it has done.

        On Thursday, 10 November, Phuket will still celebrate Loy Krathong as usual, although the celebrations will not go ahead in most of the northern areas of the country due to the widespread flooding. I am very lucky to be spending my time comfortably in Phuket, but it is difficult to watch the daily news of the tragic situation elsewhere in Thailand.

        Now, along with a serious wish for the quickest resolution of the flooding in Thailand, I humbly ask that Mary humor us with a hint or two about the 2012 Urban Oasis location. Somewhere warm, safe and dry. Well, I'm really not too picky, Mary. I'll be happy just to get this UO show on the road!

        DBCoop on November 7, 2011 at 10:21 am
        • Coop you're one lucky dog! Well that would be Terri of course but she's not traveling with you. Since you're going to Hawaii and you now know Jack T personally, how about a little whisper (email, text, twitter, phone call, or live chat) in his direction about setting up a Dream Home, Green Home, Urban Oasis in HAWAII !! xD

          lucyourdog on November 9, 2011 at 3:12 pm
          • I'm sure Jack T is open to any suggestions. Ultimately, though, it depends on how many tenable and top-notch "offers" from developers he has stacked up in his location files. Dozens, hopefully.

            As you say, lucyourdog, a great choice for the next Urban Oasis would be Hawaii. On the other hand, an exciting choice for a Green Home would be, well, Hawaii. And then again, a dreamy site for a Dream Home in paradise would be Kukui'ula, Kauai. By strange coincidence, they are all Hawaii locations! Oh well, imagine what a year of home giveaways THAT would be! The perfect trifecta of HGTV sweepstakes.

            There you go, Jack T, why not go with an annual theme and give us a tropical triple treat!

            Followed by a sunny Southern serenade … and a magical mountain montage … or a panoramic Pacific presentation … a masterful Midwestern matchup … a coastal cottage cocktail … a lovely lakeside lineup …. must I go on?

            Why, at this point, we'll even settle for a creative cache of clever clues about Urban Oasis 2012. (I think that's your cue, Mary! You have a captive audience awaiting your next move.)

            Let's hear it — three honks for the next wild goose chase! And please, no ruffled feathers. ^_^

            DBCoop on November 9, 2011 at 11:32 pm
  15. Ugh, i entered the same way as i'm sure all HGTV fans and viewers.

    PpsiLvr10033 on November 7, 2011 at 4:22 am
  16. And next year's Urban Oasis will be located in……………………………….???? I hope we learn the answer to this question very soon. I am anxious to know!

    Summer on November 7, 2011 at 5:40 pm
  17. B I N G O !! How's that for hitting it out of the park. Great job HGTV team and Vern. I agree Vern I don't think you could change anything to make it any better. Well done. Deborah we're extremely happy for you and you deserve it !! ;)

    Two in a row HGTV. Yep, that's two very successful contests back to back (Green and Urban). Now, onto the Dream Home for back to back to back Home Runs ! I can't wait. :)

    lucyourdog on November 9, 2011 at 3:06 pm
  18. Congratulations to Deborah! Fantastic! Love the roses! Now onward and upward where do we go next? We are so anxious to learn where the next UO will be located. Actually, Downtown Baltimore would be awesome!!! Downtown Washington DC? We are ready for some clues Mary. East? West? North? South? Far West? = Hawaii? It's all good!!! Tomorrow is Friday, give us something to chew on for the weekend, pretty please?

    hokiemom on November 10, 2011 at 1:40 pm
    • So far, only the DH has a new post–I guess the HGTV staff has started their 3 day vacation already.

      LLColeman on November 11, 2011 at 2:59 am
  19. Oh my gosh, the HGTV blog construction crews are working overtime! Both the Green Home and Urban Oasis blogs are currently undergoing demolition. Hopefully the crews will keep a couple of lanes open in the Dream Home and DIY Blog Cabin blogs so we can still manage to get from here to there while we follow Mary's temporary detours around the various construction zones.

    DBCoop on November 16, 2011 at 11:06 pm
  20. Just checking. I guess Mary and crew are still out at the construction site, hopefully having donned hard-hats and safety vests for good measure. You never know when a distracted blogger might come careening through the blog barricades before the posting lanes have been officially reopened….

    DBCoop on November 17, 2011 at 4:34 pm
  21. hedge funds use a wide array of strategies, and sometimes are not “hedged” against the market at all. Hedge funds are usually structured as partnerships, with the general partner being the portfolio manager, making the investment decisions, and the limited partners as the investors.

    David Abrams on May 6, 2012 at 4:22 pm

HGTV Urban Oasis 2011 Giveaway

HGTV Urban Oasis 2011

Countdown

 DAYS
::

The countdown is on! You can enter twice daily starting August 18 at 9 a.m. ET. Get reminders from our HGTV Inspiration Newsletter.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter