Following in the grand tradition of the runaway hits Project Runway and Top Chef comes Bravo's latest reality competition, Top Design. What I love about Bravo's reality competition programs is that they all require contestants to demonstrate actual artistic talent. Top Design is no exception.
The set-up is all pretty self-explanatory. Project Runway = fashion; Top Chef = food; and of course, Top Design = interior decorating. Six men and six women were assembled for this new show, all with varying degrees of interior design experience. As with all reality shows with large casts, some people manage to stand out from the get go while the rest get lost in the shuffle. They'll all be playing for a $100,000 cash prize, a feature in Elle Décor, a spot at the “Dine by Design" showcase, and a brand new GM SUV. In order win it all though, they'll first have to win over head judge Jonathan Adler, judge Margaret Russell (Editor-in-Chief of Elle Décor), judge Kelly Wearstler (founder of Kelly Wearstler Interior Design) and Todd Oldham, who serves as the show's Heidi Klum/Tim Gunn host/mentor all in one.
Right of the bat, it was clear that John was going to be a handful when he met his roommates. He started off by bitching about how he couldn't live with a bunch of queens even though he was clearly the biggest queen of the bunch. Way to make friends, John. The other male contestants included Michael, Goil, Ryan, Erik, and the very cute Matt. My first instinct was that Matt was gay (Of course! It's a design show!), but then he revealed that he's a father and also apparently married...though he never says whether he has a “wife" or a “husband." I'm still not convinced my gaydar has failed me.
On the female side, Lisa makes the best first impression on me, but mostly because she looks just like Storm from the X-Men. Then there's also Felicia, Elizabeth, Heather, Carisa, and Andrea, who reminds me of Justine Bateman for some reason.
For their first challenge, Todd presents the group with 5 objects belonging to the mystery judge for whom they'll be designing a room. The objects, which they're supposed to use for inspiration, are an odd assortment of things I would never want in my home, including a creepy, gigantic Kewpie Doll head. The contestants are informed that they'll be working in pairs (which they all get angry about) and that each team will have a $50,000 budget (the anger miraculously disappears!).
As the teams start working, John and Michael start having major issues because Michael accuses John of taking complete control and stifling his ideas. I initially sympathized with Michael because John had been an ass from the start, but then came the big shocker: Michael had never painted a wall before. Ever. Sure, he's only 23, but what hope does this poor loser have if he's never even painted a freakin' wall?! John now had my permission to abuse Michael to his heart's content. The whole fight was a lot bigger than this but it was so exhausting to watch it unfold the first time that recounting it here would take too much out of me.
Once all the rooms were complete, the mystery judge was revealed to be none other than the delightfully batty Alexis Arquette. As Todd and the judges surveyed all of the rooms, I decided that my personal favorite was Felicia and Matt's sleek and modern living room. No, it didn't feel very “Alexis Arquette," but it definitely felt very “me."
Goil and Elizabeth's living room ended up winning. I could understand why it won since it was pretty off-the-wall and thereby true to Alexis' taste, but I still wasn't digging it. I mean, they had a swinging sofa with an indoor sand garden beneath it and a huge rake for fuck's sake! It was innovative, no doubt, but it wasn't particularly welcoming.
John and Michael were one of the bottom two teams (no surprise there), but in the end it was Heather and Lisa who went home thanks to their atrocious, Asian-inspired bedroom. I was sad to see Lisa and her fabulous hair go, but the judges got it right.
Check in again this weekend for the recap of Episode 2, “Child's Play," which I'll be watching on my DVR as soon as I get back from Vegas!
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I admit that I still have a
I admit that I still have a lot to learn about interior design and this is for my personal (not professional) needs. This article looks challenging for me, I guess I could try some good tricks for my living room furniture.