Design Star (VOD Hidden Gem)August 04, 2011
HGTV
EMAIL EXCLUSIVE
Every Thursday, media savant T Tara Turk goes deep inside cable TV to reveal Video On Demand's Hidden Gems so even the busiest of our readers can get the most out of On Demand TV. Tell Tara what VOD shows you think deserves her attention.
Design Star (VOD Hidden Gem)
By T. Tara Turk
My love for HGTV On Demand has only increased in recent weeks now that we are moving to another apartment. Yes, we are bidding a fond farewell to the paper thin walls, the five year old above us who sounds like Bigfoot, the legion of stray cats in the neighborhood who are nothing like a Disney movie. While I actually hate packing, I love interior design.
But I’m not good at it. And we have no budget. So the new season of HGTV’s Design Star has it On Demand just in time for me. Twelve contestants are brought to New York to face a series of home design challenges, judged by HGTV stars Genevieve Gorder, Candice Olson and Vern Yip with a few special guests thrown into each episode, all the compete for the chance to have their own show on HGTV. And they really get their own show!
This year’s mentor is David Bromstad, one of the early winners of the show and host of ColorSplash! Also, guiding the crew is tv host Tanika Ray (loved her since Extra! and still obsessed with her hair).
The competition is very much like Project Runway (Bromstad does not say “Make it work” but he gives them the same sasitude Tim Gunn exudes) except for apartments and having the crew in New York presents a series of challenges (like renting, space issues, availability of certain items) that are perfect for my situation.
In the first episode, the twelve immediately dive into a camera challenge. Some sink and some swim but the show is about design so their first challenge is to redo the space they’ll be living in. Hard not to be jealous at this point. A DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) loft with a view of, well, the world as far as I can tell. (Selling New York actually did a show where one of their realtors helped the exec producer find the perfect space for the show - a tour of New York places with their budget? I ate my feelings that night).
There are few standouts - some natural and some people with great intentions of standing out - and a couple of wall flowers - as the twelve are paired up and assigned specific rooms. It must be hard putting together your design aesthetic while spilling paint on your body, fighting with a stranger and sweating out a time clock. At least I get a few days to throw some boxes around and there’s no camera on me.
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T. Tara Turk is a novelist/playwright/screenwriter, living in LA with her boyfriend and dog - all three successful TV addicts. You can find her at www.ttaraturk.com or follow her on Twitter @ttaraturk.
