Heather and Lisa eliminated on the first show of Top Design
The first episode ever of Top Design debuted on Bravo tonight and I think you could have probably called the show Top Drama. Never in my limited run of watching reality television have I seen contestants take themselves so seriously. Maybe it is the artistic nature of interior design and the type of personality that works in this industry that lends itself to such personal drama (or melodrama). Even Project Runway with the artistic nature of fashion design didn’t even come close to some of the characters on this show. I think it could be fun watching some of these characters and their personalities and interactions with each other. It could be more interesting than the designs they create. Take John and Michael for example. From the first few minutes of the show you could tell that John is going to be a strong personality on this show. He just steamrolled over Michael and it was hysterical to watch.
Todd Oldham serves as host and so-called mentor to the contestants. While he has amazing talent and knowledge he certainly is no Tim Gunn. His hosting of this show was rough and seemed forced. Maybe as the series goes forward he will begin to relax and let his personality show through. Of course this could be his personality – the only time I ever heard of him before was when he did the commercials for his collection for La-Z-Boy.
The contestants worked in teams of two to create an “inner sanctum” for a mystery client. The client provided a few personal items so the contestants could get a glimpse into the personality and likes/dislikes of the client. The teams were then given an empty space in the Pacific Design Center and told to create a room for this client from the bottom up. They had a budget of $50,000 for furnishings and fabrics, and a small budget for carpentry items and paint. Each team had a seamstress and carpenter to help prepare their rooms.
In the “white room” (the equivalent to judges table or the runway) the three judges (whose names I don’t recognize or remember YET) hold court and determine who wins and who loses. We come to find out that Alexis Arquette was the mystery client and guest judge for tonight. Who is she? Or is it he? Any relation to Courtney Cox’s husband? Do you think they could have found a more famous client, although I don’t think the producers could have found a more interesting client.
In the end Alexis determined that the team of Goil and Elizabeth and their whimsical sandbox and swing was the top design tonight. Heather and Lisa and Michael and John were the bottom two teams, and the judges criticized Michael, telling him he better learn how to paint. Lisa and Heather were eliminated because the judges said their room was too themey, and looked more like a Chinese restaurant. However, Todd gave the candidates some words of wisdom before they left the design room, telling them that design was very subjective. Personally I am thrilled that John and Michael did not get eliminated because I think they are going to make for some good television.
I think this show has potential – we just need to see the kinks get worked out. I know I’m going to enjoy watching all these personalities interact. It’ll be fun, that’s for sure.
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