Here is a link to Kellie's blog http://modernwhimsyinteriors.com/blog/. It is very interesting and she explains the freshman remark. I have to say that I was surprised by the remark because she had answered my question about the bunk bed episode on the blog and was very forthcoming. She didn't have to do that and I was so glad that she did.
Reading her blog also confirmed for me that Gen had already decided that Leslie should win. I hope they find some unbiased judges for next season. They have not picked the best designer ever, David learned, some of the others never got the chance that he did. I remember wondering how Emily even got to the finals, Karl was more talented then Meg, who also should have been gone long before the final. I felt that Danielle or Britany should have gone home instead of Mikel after the condo episode. Hilari should have been in the finals.
The All Stars was fixed from the start. In the first episode Gen remarked that the green was Hilari's go to color, when in reality she had never used that color before, so Gen laid the groundwork to use color to get rid of Hilari because I think she knew she would need to make up a reason.
I like the idea behind Design Star and at least this season we did have good designers in the final four. I liked Hilari the best but at least Danielle and Britany are both good designers. I just wish the judges would pick the best designer and not their personal favorite. It's the fans job to pick their favorites, the judges need to be impartial.
Corvette Lady, first off thanks for the link but I just want to add two important points. #1 David won at time when viewers were deciding the winners (he probably would never be able to win with these judges) #2 The show was also much more fair back then (or at least it seems that way) since there were different judges. Genevieve was not in the picture back then it was practically a different show.
Thanks bohemian princess, after I posted I remembered that David & Kim Myles were fan choices. Was Jennifer a fan choice too? I know the judges picked Antonio. I only started watching the 5th season, I did watch the others online but it's not quite the same as watching from week to week, plus I already knew who won.
It is hard to remember each season and how the eliminations were handled. In season 5 Vern and Gen were just mean and the challenges were stupid. I remember being so surprised that Meg won, also really upset. It wasn't until after she won that posters started saying she was hand picked from the start because she was what HGTV was looking for. I didn't want to believe that but after season 7 and the All Stars I think that is how it is done now.
I don't know if going back to the fan vote is the answer, the fans only got to pick from the final two and that can still be manipulated.
I honestly can't remember if Jennifer was a fan pick or not. All I remember is that it was a pretty disappointing season for me so I think I've blocked much of it out. I agree that viewer picks may not be the sole answer but I believe it to be a start. I don't think Antonio or Meg would have won and neither would Leslie.
I do agree with everyone who has says that we need a new crop of judges and certainly far less producer interference. If they want to pick a designer like Meg then just give her a show and stop with the Design Star manipulation. I knew the second Meg was picked that it was predetermined because she had been a subpar designer all season. She was not in Karl'a league. He was shafted as was Hilari these past two season. I'm sure HGTV expected us to go with the program as usual with no backlash. They did not expect the huge Hilari following. Stop playing us for fools.
I read the producers blog and he would have us believe they deliberated for hours and finally decided on Leslie because of the Murphy bed. The most obvious thing to do in a small space and she did it poorly, look at the pictures and you can see how sloppy it looks.
I just don't believe they looked at all the episodes and then decided it on that Murphy bed. Makes no sense at all, I think they are playing us for fools. He said that Leslie's guest spot would be as a judge on The White Room Challenge. Not really much of a prize. He also said he had a hunch we would see more of her on another show. I sure hope they don't make her a judge on Design Star!!This message has been edited. Last edited by: CorvetteLady,
Reading her blog also confirmed for me that Gen had already decided that Leslie should win. I hope they find some unbiased judges for next season.
Reading her blog is confirming for me what I've been thinking, and that's that the judges are TOLD who to send home before the fact by the producers of the show. That's one reason why their commentary seems so arbitrary and incongruent with what we're seeing. Kelly wrote about some of the ridiculous things that were told to her in the judging. I'm not so sure that it really came from Gen's bias against Kelly but because the producers told Gen to blow up whatever faults she could fabricate about Kelly's work because they wanted her to go home that week.
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honestly can't remember if Jennifer was a fan pick or not. All I remember is that it was a pretty disappointing season for me so I think I've blocked much of it out. I agree that viewer picks may not be the sole answer but I believe it to be a start. I don't think Antonio or Meg would have won and neither would Leslie.
Jennifer was a fan pick according to Wikipedia (like you, I couldn't remember). The first season there was no fan vote was Antonio's. Not so coincidentally, it's also the season Gen joined the judging panel. Come to think of it, that was the first season we all started feeling like the judging was arbitrary and that the outcome was fixed from the start. This board was full of people who smelled a rat and thought that Antonio was picked to win from the start. I think he was, but not by Gen or Vern. I think his season was the first where the PRODUCERS chose who went home at every step of the way and told the judges to find any excuse to justify those decisions. In other words, the decisions are not necessarily based on the quality of the design but on who the producers want to get rid of next for any number of reasons. The judges are then left with the task of trying to make those decisions seem plausible from a design perspective. The only thing is, the public can SEE the work and will know when the judging seems off base and arbitrary. It was obvious to us in every season starting with Antonio's that the decisions were made even before the contestants did their work. It also explains why some of the comments made by Gen and Vern don't seem to match up with the results and they seem to pick on very insignificant things or things that are irrelevant as justifications for why they don't like a room.
So yes, HGTV, we're on to you and stop playing us for fools!
I think you are right ntuitive1, the producers are making the call. I still can't believe the producer said they gave it to Leslie because of that Murphy bed.
How sad that Vern and Gen have sold out. It's one thing for Gen to pick her favorite but quite another to choose based on the producers pick. I quess that means no actual judging actually happens. It really makes me wonder why the producers choose who they choose. I do enjoy Danielle's show but other than David's Color Splash I can't watch the other winners.
So we not only need new judges, we need new producers too.
I have to say that if there was anyone I thought was foreordained to win it was Dan. He's got a big fan base, was runner up and fan favorite. I think they did not expect to see him go when he did. Dan's failing (my opinion only, and obviously from the distance of a viewer who wasn't around to see behind the scenes!) was that he digs in on his original choice and doesn't keep his flexibility as the project develops. Now, 24-48 hrs is a very short time as real life design projects go, but one still has to be constantly editing. That is actually Hilari's best asset as a designer, IMO. She edits her work and can make soup out of leftovers, as evidenced by that floor she painted in her first competition (for the Hollywood party) when her disastrous rug concept fell apart. To me, she's a big personality but still a little young and inexperienced. Still, she came up with some smart stuff as she went along. So, Hilari fans, don't be that disappointed ... this was not for a show or anything. You will see more of her somewhere. She's like an American Idol 2nd runner-up, and I expect if she really wants an audience, she'll get one.
I agree that Hilari will turn up somewhere even if HGTV doesn't appreciate her. But I have to say that HGTV has never put fan favorites of Design Star on TV. This all star competition was not to select anyone for a show. They've already passed over all of the All Stars and all the fan favorites for shows anyway. Dan is just one of many that the viewers loved but HGTV seems determined to ignore, instead choosing who THEY want instead.
There are a lot of factors that go into whether a designer who doesn't win will end up with a show. Where are they located? Will they relocate? Do they have a strong show concept. (Can't say that for all the winners, and I recall that in some cases the eventual show seems far from the original concept presented on the competition.)
Also, is the individual willing to devote the time required to receive the money offered? Some may be making better money in their design practice and have responsibilities that ultimately don't allow taking an offer even if one is made.
Some designers come and go - that's only natural. Some won't enjoy doing TV as much (note that many hosts come from broadcasting rather than design) and some will have personal or professional issues with management.
Broadcasting is notoriously one of the professions considered low on the "job security" scale.
One thing you can be sure of: if HGTV/Scrips management think they have a good person who will make money (i.e. draw an audience, expand the demographic, attract sponsors) they will put them to work. If they can.
I don't recall a Fan Favorite going past the online show either, though Casey Noble, a 2nd runner-up, has come to Design on a Dime. But it's pretty obvious that HGTV does not use DS as a casting pool for the network! Many of their shows are created by production companies who develop the shows and sell them to the network.
Thinking (and researching) further, I recall that runner-up Todd Davis returned with his own show, Room Crashers. Rob Mariani became host of SpeedTV's American Trucker. Matt Locke could host anything, i think - and he's been busy, from what what can find about him online, though seems now to be focused on art. Dan Faires was a Fan Favorite, and is busy career-wise. Handsome and sweet as he was, he didn't have the host vibe to me. Blanche Garcia has been designing for Hotel Impossible.
most of the rest claim to have had a surge in business (and confidence) after DS, so perhaps they're really too busy to care!
