Design Star – Recap & Review – Penthouse Challenge

photo: hgtv

Design Star
Penthouse Challenge

Original Air Date: Jul 11, 2011

Patricia Morris Buckley — Sr. Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com

Let’s start with the good news — the Design Star we all know and love is back. The hard part is that HGTV is going to have to win back its audience after last year’s disastrous season.

Gone is producer Mark Burnett who loved inspid challenges inspired by favorite foods or knick-knacks in a box. Yay! There are a few new additions. Tanika Ray is a bland but OK host (awww, for the days of the hilarious Clive Pierce). S1 winner David Bromstad of Color Splash is the general mentor, a role he fills beautifully.

Also new is a camera challenge every episode, which I like. This week they all had to introduce themselves on camera and talk about their design style — but only for 30 seconds. That is a real challenge that some did better than others. Cathy, who was once a TV reporter, is amazing.

But as no one is declared the winner, it doesn’t seem as much like a challenge as much as a way for the audience to start trying to figure out who is who. As that’s a huge challenge for the audience, so viewers really won with this one.

To prove that things are back on track, the 12 contestants start with the traditional first challenge of designing their own space, in this case a three-story New York City penthouse overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. They randomly pick rooms and work in teams of two. They get three days and the help of a painter and a carpenter.

Cathy, who set herself apart with excellent camera skills (although she needs to stop opening her eyes so wide), turns into a big bully when working on the great room with Leslie, a former Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. Doesn’t Cathy realize when she berates Leslie time and time again that the cameras are going to be on her all the time?

So it’s ironic that Cathy is the one to fall victim to the traditional “the piece won’t fit into the elevator” disaster, only Cathy uses it as a time to once again verbally abuse Leslie! She also had the biggest disappointment making a window seat that was seriously uncomfortable. Still, their room turns out stylish and polished and Leslie’s coffee table made of tires impresses the judges big time.

Kellie and Karl seem to really enjoy working together as they put together an awkwardly shaped bonus room. Between Kellie’s miniature cushions and desk (which the judges point out are perfect for her small frame as well), which turn a short nook into usable space, and Karl’s tree mural adding the sense of height to the room, they win this week’s design challenge. Karl is given top honors for his mural and space planning.

Several contestants blew their time management by thinking too big or just not at all. J (yes, that’s her name) ended up draping fabric on a headboard instead of upholstering it. Bret cut out the word RELAX from plywood, but didn’t have time to paint it. It didn’t help that the wall he hung it on was the brightest orange I’ve ever seen (David said you could see it with your eyes shut), a color selected by Kevin. Meg and Tyler had some fun ideas, but they never came together. Mark, who worked with Blanche, had unfinished shelves.

Blanche, who started the episode by questioning everyone’s credentials — always a bad sign — showed horrible execution with tea lights randomly stuck on the walls and framed silver and gold wallpaper that wasn’t well applied. She may be a good designer, but blew this challenge and went home to the new exit line: “I’m sorry, we will not be producing your show.” She took it well, which showed class.

Two great pieces of advice from David: “The camera tones your personality down, so bring it up a notch.” “Every day when working on a TV show, you have to work well with other designers.”

I’m sure there’s a lot of editing to make it look as if there’s lots of conflict. But some designers look as if they don’t play well with others. It will interesting to see how that plays out as the weeks pass.

Next week, everyone’s favorite challenge: The White Box Room!

Do you already have a favorite? Do you think Cathy is being made into this season’s villain? Did Karl deserve to win? Give us your TwoCents…