4/4/07 show discussion *possible spoilers*

[pg13]

Andrea booted?

You've got to be kidding.

Could a show be more boring?

With respect saffronista, I don't see how keeping Andrea would have made the show less boring. In fact, Andrea's quiet confidence and uninspired competence is one of the things that have made the show boring.

I think Andrea deserved to make it as far as she did because she dealt with the challenges rather well--but not only did the quality of the final challenge rooms warrant Andrea's not making it into the final two, but for any hope of drama, you needed Carissa versus Matt as the final two.

And I disagree with Dogbat about changing the host...they just need to make better use of what Todd Oldham is actually GOOD at...which we used to see back in the Cindy Crawford days of "House of Style" and we actually saw in this episode when Todd suggested a neat trick to Matt to help him deal with his upholstery problems--TODD NEEDS TO HELP.

Of course, Todd also needs to learn from Tim Gunn--how many times did we see Todd do a walkthrough of the various rooms and you could tell that he didn't like what they were doing but felt dutybound to his role not to offer any guidance or express his dislike of what they were doing (watch his reaction to most of Michael's rooms, it's like he's saying what he is contractually obligated to say and then beating a hasty retreat before he starts spitting out, tourette's style, what he really thinks.)

There's got to be a way where Todd gets his hands dirty in offering suggestions or feedback, without his unfairly helping some contestants and not the others...and if he could learn to express his displeasure (and his usually engaging personality, which was absent for most of this season) while still offering a hopeful exit line (a la the incomparable Mr. Gunn), there'd be more reason to bring this show back for season two.

Right now...if Matt ends up with the one and only Top Design crown and the show never comes back...I'd be ok with that, too.

pg--seattle

[Harvest]

I wanted to see Andrea and Matt in the top two, but I did think Carisa's room was best (the most "finished") this week. It kind of guarantees that Matt will win unless something goes very wrong, however.

As for their carpenters, esp. Carl, they are so annoying! It is Top Design, not Top Carpenter. Carl cannot take orders at all. Both of them had lousy (difficult) carpenters this week, although Matt gets his good guy back for the final task. Carisa is screwed with her guy; what an impossible jerk he is. I don't care if he is trying to show that he knows what he is doing. All he accomplishes is to show how difficult he is to work with.

[pg13]

It is Top Design, not Top Carpenter. Carl cannot take orders at all. Carisa is screwed with her guy; what an impossible jerk he is. I don't care if he is trying to show that he knows what he is doing. All he accomplishes is to show how difficult he is to work with.

I tend to agree with you--but the fact that Carisa has the same impact on everyone, it seems, tends to make me think that she needs to work on her people skills a bit.

Part of being a "leader" or, frankly, a "designer" is an ability to get people to help give you what you want...and there's something about the "make sarcastic comments, roll your eyes behind their back, be both bossy and flibbertygibberty at the same time"-personality of Carisa that makes people less than enthused about working with her or for her.

It may be that Carl IS absolutely impossible to work with--but Carisa isn't helping herself either.

pg--And, again...I'm torn...because all of the things that must make Carisa difficult to work with are exactly the things that I like about her as a fan of reality tv...--seattle

[maude~flanders]

I tend to agree with you--but the fact that Carisa has the same impact on everyone, it seems, tends to make me think that she needs to work on her people skills a bit.

Part of being a "leader" or, frankly, a "designer" is an ability to get people to help give you what you want...and there's something about the "make sarcastic comments, roll your eyes behind their back, be both bossy and flibbertygibberty at the same time"-personality of Carisa that makes people less than enthused about working with her or for her.

It may be that Carl IS absolutely impossible to work with--but Carisa isn't helping herself either.

pg--And, again...I'm torn...because all of the things that must make Carisa difficult to work with are exactly the things that I like about her as a fan of reality tv...--seattle

Agreed. Carissa has had a problem getting along with all of her carpenters, not just Carl. The adolescent way she deals with people is completely inappropriate for a professional. But, I guess it makes for good tv, which is why she is in the finals.

[Bearcata]

Andrea: please stand up straight yu hunch over and it makes you looke poochie. That dress she wore in the White Room was horrid. It really emphasized her hunched shoulders, her pooch and her love handles. Ugh, not pretty at all. Sorta describes her design esthetic.

Matt: not totally sold on him.

Carissa: while I liked her room, what really surprised me is her real crappy defense of herself during the judges panel. I mean this woman has never lost any opportunity for eye rolling this entire show. She has very harsh opinions both in and out of confessionals about everybody and she couldn't state why she should be here and why the others couldn't. That was a gift from the judges and she totally blew the moment. This was not the moment to go all humble and 'gosh shucks'.

[Dogbat]

The blogs make it clear why Andrea was eliminated and why Matt won over Carisa. They are a particularly interesting read this week. The Assistant is hysterical. His description of Andrea is priceless!


pg13. Replacing Todd with another designer with a stronger presense is what I mean. The role of mentor has to be filled, not eliminated. The new host would have to be skilled in this field to give the designers feedback. Todd is just not strong enough. He should have warned Carissa to cut back on pillows and remove them from the chair.

A couple of the blogs implied that next week is intense.

[jpo726]

Initially the designers were assigned a different carpenter each week. IIRC, when each designer had to work with the same carpenter from then on, Carissa won the challenge where the winner got to select which carpenter he (she) would work with. Carissa got first choice and selected Carl, but I forget her exact words as to why, other than she had worked with him before. So now she complains about him. If the problem is Carl, she only has herself to blame. But I really really think the problem is Carissa.

[justCoz]

The blogs make it clear why Andrea was eliminated and why Matt won over Carisa. They are a particularly interesting read this week. The Assistant is hysterical. His description of Andrea is priceless!


pg13. Replacing Todd with another designer with a stronger presense is what I mean. The role of mentor has to be filled, not eliminated. The new host would have to be skilled in this field to give the designers feedback. Todd is just not strong enough. He should have warned Carissa to cut back on pillows and remove them from the chair.

A couple of the blogs implied that next week is intense.

I loved the assistants blog as usual, but his take on Andrea is more funny than normal. I think Todd explains in his blog why he doesn't take a bigger role in the feedback. He wants to let them make their own choices, but I also agree that he could be a stronger voice. If at least in questioning their choices. Tim Gunn does this very well, while still allowing them to be creative. I wonder if it's the difference in Tim's role as the teacher of that school for so long. He's given his opinion to his students, so this was not new to him, but is maybe for Todd?

[pg13]

I wonder if it's the difference in Tim's role as the teacher of that school for so long. He's given his opinion to his students, so this was not new to him, but is maybe for Todd?

One thing I loved about seeing Todd on MTV oh-those-many-years-ago was that he always had a suggestion about how to do something... I think the concern is that if he offers too many suggestions, designers are just doing what he tells them to do--and if he doesn't offer everyone the same amount of suggestions, it implies favoritism. Kind of a damned if he does, damned if he doesn't thing...

But you're absolutely right, Tim on PR has managed to find a happy medium of being able to ask questions and offer opinions without coercing contestants into doing things his way just because "Tim Gunn says."

Perhaps this means that budding fashion designers are more solid in holding true to their personal visions than budding interior designers?

pg--Just as long as Katie Joel doesn't take over the host duties on any sort of Top Design 2, we're safe--seattle

[rt1ky]

I'm tired of Carissa, her carpenter complaints and her orange.