Trading Spaces Thread

“Ah, another fashion victim. Just wait til she snags those puppies on some shag carpet.


Well, it's past my bedtime. G'night!”

“G'night treebait!”

“I bet Bit likes Amy Wyn!

I can't stand either hildy or Doug. Someone should attack Doug for some of the awful things he does to their home. Hildy too. Wine labels (stickers) all over the kitchen of the people who don't tolerate alcohol at all?!

Vern's my favorite, with Frank coming in second.”

“imagine what micheal jackson thought when they removed the bandages off his nose.....


tito, hand me a tissue...”

“Amy Wyn is pretty cute, and any woman that can handle tools like her is good in my book.”

“I only remember the one where they put brown felt (yes, felt) on the walls of the people who had cats.”

“Most of the designs they come up with are a bit too wierd to actually live with but it's a pretty intertaining show.

Good Luck Ped!”

“"Ty is a goofball."
treebait
11:01:12 PM
06/05/03

Oh the humanity, when newgirl gets aholt of treebait!”

“Thanks NG and WD.

I suppose ABC family won't be able to able to get Ty - but if we get an episode, I'll let you know about any contractors with visible hip bones before the show goes on the air.”

“SHUT UP, PEDXING!!! that is too freakin' cool, dude. you're gonna be famous!

okay, is anyone else shocked by newgirl's tepid response? LOL! i thought for sure she'd be on the next plane to Boston for some Ty action.
:-D”

“oh wait! so it's like Trading Spaces, but not that show. i'm a little slow today!”

“Yeah, Lyra. If it was the actual Trading Spaces and not an ABC Family show, then I would naturally be moving in w/ Ped until the show was over. I would force Ped's son to pretend that I was one of his buds from school helping w/ the re-decorating, so I could hang around Ty all night. I would volunteer to do all the carpentery projects w/ him.”

“That isn't a tepid response. LOL!”

“HA!! i thought an alien had taken over your body or something. yeah, you could be ped's son's "friend" from "high school." that's more like it!”

“pedxing, that's cool.

Anyone see the one with the records all over the wall? They did it for a house where two teachers lived together. That was the worst room I'd ever seen. The only thing the owner did not want changed was her grandmother's old chair. They ended up painting it black and painting these crappy flowers all over it. F..uuuuggggly!”

“Skiracer, I did see that one. I thought it was the dumbest thing ever. Hildy and Doug suck the most. Vern is the coolest.”

“There ya go guys. All you need to do to spend a weekend with newgie is invite Ty over.”

“No, all you need to do is tell her Ty is coming over.

You can comfort her when he callously doesn't show.”

“Gawd, there's somebody in this world more evil than me? Don't ever die, Bit!”

“It's not in the plans right now...lol...

Besides, I'm married. My evil is all hypothetical...”

“It's the thought that counts.”

“So what is it newgie? You seem almost normal most of the time, and somebody says "tie," and you start drooling, your mouth goes slack, and your eyes glaze over.”

“Amy Wynn could be there instead of TY.”

“ahhh, send them over here. My kids rooms suck both... don't know what to do with that mess. they can't make it any worth”

“Amy is a good carpenter, Walkindude, but she just doesn't do it for me the way Ty does. LOL!”

“Inuendo is bubbling forth! I MUST NOT...POST ANYTHING ABOUT NEWGIRL AND TY'S WOOD....crap. I tried.”

“Sass, were you trying to say that ty's a stud?”

“Amy Wynn is a hottie!
I'd do her.

I'd also do Paige Davis and Genevieve Gorder.

Pile All three of 'em on me!!!
YEAH!!!!”

“lolz”

“I've git my Mom watching the show now. She thinks all the designers are "wierd". She feels sorry for the victims, er, participants.”

“Doug must die.


'nuff said.”

“LA Times

Dens of Iniquity

By Stephen Randall, Stephen Randall is executive editor of Playboy and author of the novel "The Other Side of Mulholland."

Recently, a very dumb kid trying to copy a stunt he had seen on MTV's "Jackass" jumped off a five-story condo, aiming for the swimming pool below. He missed, breaking both legs, cracking his pelvis and pretty much ruining his summer.

There will be those who use the kid's pain to attack reality TV shows. I intend to be one of them. My problem is not with "Jackass" — frankly, anyone who voluntarily jumps off a 60-foot building has bigger problems than what he watches on TV. My problem is with another breed of reality programming, one that is far more insidious.

"Jackass," hosted by Johnny Knoxville, at least runs a disclaimer, urging — in fact, insisting — "Don't try this at home." But a certain group of shows has no disclaimers. Instead, they cry out: "Please try this at home. We want you to do this. Really. It's fun. It won't hurt at all."

This evil has a face, and that face belongs to Paige Davis, the Johnny Knoxville of the Learning Channel and host of "Trading Spaces." She seems harmless. But she's not. And neither are her co-stars on "Trading Spaces," although they pose as well-meaning interior designers and carpenters.

The premise of "Trading Spaces" is simple. Two sets of homeowners swap houses and "redecorate" a room in each other's house, assisted by a demonic designer and armed with a budget of $1,000. Those of you who have tried to buy a sofa lately might think that you can't do a lot of damage with $1,000, but you'd be underestimating Paige and Company.

For a mere $1,000, the crew from "Trading Spaces" can take an ordinary ugly room and turn it into something extraordinarily ugly, a room so over-the-top, so garish and cartoonish, it feels like a Disney theme restaurant — but less tasteful.

How bad? Genevieve Gorder, one of the "Trading Spaces" regular designers, once made over a room for a San Diego couple in floor-to-ceiling moss. The unsuspecting couple was led blindfolded in the room. "Something smells," said the couple, becoming the first (and so far only) people to reject a room redesign before taking off their blindfolds. "I'm sorry the San Diego homeowners didn't get it, and that they had allergies," writes Gorder in "Trading Spaces: Behind the Scenes" a book enthusiastically displayed at Home Depot.

Most room redos are not so dramatically bad, but they are bad. Paint is hastily slapped on by amateurs in order to meet the program's deadline. Photocopies are fastened into bargain frames and passed off as art. Weird treatments — "Let's make this wall look like cheap, fake leather!" — are standard. And strange themes — "This room cries out for a jungle look" — dominate.

But Paige, Genevieve and the rest are not alone. Now MTV has followed suit, with "Crib Crashers." Feeling kindly toward your college roommate? Of course you are. Wouldn't he love to see the apartment turned into a carbon copy of Tommy Lee's famed in-house party spot, Club Mayhem? Of course he would. What apartment doesn't benefit from purple velvet, a disco light and a Jacuzzi swing?

"Crib Crashers" shows up, and the rest is easy. Within a weekend, the apartment is transformed. Add a pair of fuzzy dice, and you'd think you were in the accessories aisle at Pep Boys.

There are others — the Learning Channel features hour after hour of cheesy make-over shows. But the problem isn't the lack of programming imagination — "Hey, let's repackage the same simple concept 12 different ways" — it's the message. These shows suggest that we can do it, too. Bored with that den? Hang a net from the ceiling and fill it with stuffed animals. Bedroom a bit ho-hum? Why not make a bedspread of artificial turf and silk flowers? (Well, yes, it does look like a grave, but what are you afraid of?) It's easy, it's fun, it's inexpensive.

It's also hideous. I know. My wife is a "Trading Spaces" victim. Our house, which seemed plenty good enough to me, has been tweaked beyond recognition. Our bed's headboard, once white, now sports a "treatment." "See, it looks like an antique," said my wife. The mirror frame, which was a stately brown for a decade, has been painted four times in four months. There was a treatment involved too, so it would match the headboard. I think it just looks dirty.

Then there's the weird blue thing in the backyard. It's a "found object" — a pole with inexplicable arms and no base. My wife painted it blue and put plants on it, but even she isn't sure if it's right side up or not.

Even my wife is beginning to see the downside. "This doesn't look like 'Trading Spaces,' she admitted, examining her latest project with dismay. "It looks like 'Sanford and Son.' "

Sadly, that hasn't stopped her from watching the shows. She openly fantasizes about "While You Were Out" — that's a show on the Learning Channel in which a hapless husband like me is sent away for a weekend, unaware that when he returns home his den will look like a high roller's suite at Caesars Palace.

Of course, that might be better than moss-covered walls. It's certainly better than jumping off a five-story building.

Still, until these shows start running disclaimers, I'm refusing to travel.”

“What amazes me about Trading Places is that you can actually buy paint in those colors.”

“Its so true about the paint being slapped on in a hurry. On one show, the designer was shocked to learn that the couple had used two coats of paint for their 'homework'.”

“I dunno about other people, but I always have to use two coats, and sometimes three. I guess I'm putting it on too thin.”

“Oh, and Doug must die.”

“invent your own show called "changing locks" :o)”

“Ut-oh Viol Man - you're scaring me! But, hey - its my sons room and he wants to do it (and he'll be there when its done).

Here's the update: The casting agency person came and videotyaped an interview my son in his room, then did some video with him and his friends... and finally a really brief tape of me. That casting agency's videotape, together with all the application materials (including the tape my son and a friend made) will go to the Producer. If the Producer likes it, it will go to the network people - so he's passed through the first two hoops and has two more to go.

I don't know how many videos the casting agency will submit for every show available - so I don't know if his odds are better than 50/50 or worse than one in ten.”

“They have that one, ynami, but it's called "Divorce Court", lol...”

“I agree w/ Bit. Doug must die.

Ped, don't give up. This is going to be so cool!”

“You do realize that technically, we have conspired to murder someone? lol....

See ya in the Big House, newgie...”

“This afternoon we got the call. They will come and shoot the episode of Knock First on August 25 and 26th. It cuts into a backpackpacking trip I was going to take with my other son (who will be tied up with work and job until August 22nd) - but its worth it. My son is so thrilled - the only downer is they told him he had to limit the number of friends in the episode to three, so he has to tell two people they can't do it with him.

I'm really relieved, because they sounded like they wanted him, but might not be able to shoot the episode in time for him to go for his semester in China.

I'm not all that thrilled about being on reality TV - but my son is totally thrilled and thats what counts.

(thanks for the positive words newgirl)”

“Do you know which designers and Carpenter yall will be working with?”

“That is sweet ped. You'll have to lets us know when it airs, and be sure to wear your TT shirt.

Gotta represent!”

“Do me a favor. If you work with Genevieve, Try to get her to do the show Topless.”

“AMEN to that walkindude. She is choice!”

“I don't know anything about the designers or carpenters yet. We meet with one of the producers Monday evening. I'm kind of hoping there won't be any carpentry.

LOL! to WD. Since "Knock First" is going to be an ABC Family Channel thing, I don't think we can get anyone to show much skin. They've contracted for 30 episodes - I don't know when they'll start airing.

BB: - I just might wear the TT shirt, thats a great idea. Maybe I'll wear it when I come back to see what they've done to the room (they send us to a hotel for one night). Assuming that this really does happen, I'll post the times on this thread.”

“Here's a question: My girl friend just moved in with me. They've been referring to her as my wife, I keep referring to her by name. Should I make a point of telling them that we aren't married?

Do you think the network would care about that for their Family Channel?”

“Well, if I was paranoid, I'd say you definitely should, because if it's broadcast on National TV that you're married, (and depending on the common-law marriage statutes where you live) that could be construed as "holding yourself out as a married couple".

But that's just what I would say if I were paranoid.”

“LOL! I hadn't thought of that angle.”