The great thing about this show is that you can watch the first 10 minutes or so, grab a sandwich and surf through the rest of the channels, and come back without missing much of a beat. The best parts of any episode is when the audience first sees the two rooms that will be re-designed, the revealing of the chosen paint colors (and the subsequent reactions of the neighbors to said hues), and the finale where the couple is either delighted or horrified by the final transformation. To me, it really makes no sense when someone gives up an already tasteful, fully decorated room to the designers. It makes more sense when the room barely has anything in it except for like a stereo and neon Budweiser sign on the wall. That way you actually see some improvement (or lack thereof) by the end of the show. Some of the best designers on the show include Verne, who actually takes function into account and not just how fancy or gaudy a room can be. He usually creates very tasteful, sensible rooms that delight every couple, and I've never seen anyone dislike his style. Another good person to have in your home is Jenaveve (spelling?), who usually comes up with something neat and creative. Toss up designers include Frank, whose down home country fetish can get way out of hand, and the red-headed designer who was pregnant in many episodes, who tends to rely on geometric shapes and lines too much. And now for the worst designers on the show: DOUG, definitely, because he's made so many bad rooms that his reputation actually precedes him. Examples include the God-awful stainless steel, factory kitchen he designed, the room where he put a Beetlejuice-inspired frame around a fireplace (much to the horror of the wife, who cried and left the room), and a bar with random sheepskin rugs and sheet metal around the bar with neon lights. YUCK. And coming in second is HILDE, who is basically an idiot with expensive clothes. She comes up with the most idiotic ideas, sometimes. Like the circus tent room, or the one where the walls were blue plaid, etc. And in third is the designer who was actually a lamp maker. Her rooms were totally random, with one wall being stripes and the other being polka dots. People tended to hate her rooms, so she got kicked off pretty darn early. As for the hosts: I really liked Alex, who had dignity and didn't try to take over the show, but Paige is so giddy and annoying and in your face it makes me wince. Trading Spaces Family is pretty sad, since it barely toyed with the formula to warrant a totally new show. That host is so bland I don't even remember his name, and the new desingers (Kia and Gay Grey Haired Ponytail Guy) are also lame. I liked the carpenters, too, since they were funny without being abrasive, but Carver is just eye candy for the lady viewers. I'm starting to wonder if this show has jumped the shark, but for now it's still okay. It's always fun to watch a room go down in flames!
Review of Trading Spaces
