Design Star Season Two: The Final Challenge

Okay, so most of you will recall when I broke up with Design Star Season Two over the (me thinks) totally irresponsible elimination of my favored contestant, Sparkle Josh, during the Trailer Trash Wedding Challenge.

Naturally, I have surreptitiously watched every episode that has aired since, albeit quietly, and without giving the show top blog billing like before. Design Star continues to reel from this vicious blow.

I can’t let the finale go by, though, without weighing in. I have long proclaimed Todd Davis the obvious winner from the beginning. And with the competition coming down to a final bout between Davis and Kim Myles, you’d think I’d be sticking to my guns.

Thing is, not so much.

I have to say after watching the final contest, I’m not so sure. The challenge was to redecorate two outdated luxury hotel suites in Hawaii. With a budget of $10,000 each and the help of formerly eliminated contestants Will Smith and RobB Mariani, and also the added benefit of mid-challenge critiques from the judges, both Myles and Davis seemingly gave it their best shot.
I was surprised and disappointed that Todd Davis’ suite seemed to be an obvious rehashing of his earlier brainstorm in Challenge #2. You’ll recall Davis’ winning design of sea surf overtaking the room. It is brilliant, it was unique, and it was a winner.

In this final challenge, however, Davis’ suite looks to be an attempt at an upscale version of the very same concept. With similar underwater blues on the walls and, ultimately, I thought, pretty amateurish sea themed art of his own creation, I have to say, I was distinctly under whelmed by Davis’ final product.

Color me conservative, but I’m just not sure a line drawing of a Hammerhead shark on the wall next to my bed in my high dollar hotel suite really says “luxury” to me. On the other hand, if you’re a frat party on spring break, this is your room. Davis’ space plan left much to be desired as well, placing the bed essentially in the same space as the kitchen. Again, if rolling out of the sack and grabbing a beer from the fridge is your idea of luxury, you are in for a treat.

Myles, in sharp contrast, showed a much better understanding of the challenge. Choosing a sophisticated color palate she called, “Tropical Punch” Myles suite was, I thought, much more in keeping with the spirit of the challenge. Combining chocolate, burnt orange, and an exotic turquoise with bold Hawaiian graphics, Kim’s suite was inviting, and luxurious while still maintaining that Hawaii vibe with a much more appropriate and most importantly upscale twist.

Especially noteworthy, I thought, was Myles’ space plan. Each element of the suite: kitchen, living room, bedroom, was sharply delineated while still blending together for an overall cohesiveness. Kim’s simple solution for separating the living space from the kitchen space was to hang wooden strips on chains suspended from the ceiling making the kitchen separate but still not isolated. Genius.

Davis, on the other hand, embellished his dining space with a jelly fish. It's enough to steal away the appetite of even a hard core sushi fan like myself:

Kim Myles is the obvious winner of this challenge, no doubt about it. While Todd Davis might have shown in challenges past, the Hawaiian hotel suite is, in my opinion, his Waterloo. One thing that has always come naturally to Myles are her on-camera performance skills. She has a relaxed but perky delivery style which should serve her well when hosting her own show.

The winner will officially be decided by the viewers, so we’ll have to wait until Sunday to see what happens. You can cast your vote here.

But I do think the smart money is now on Myles. Who knew?

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And now for something completely different, this post (NOT SFW) at Heckler Spray left me in hysterics. Britney Spears, it seems, didn’t embarrass herself quite enough at the VMA’s, oh no. After the ill-advised "Gimme More" performance, she again felt the need to flash her lady parts at the paparazzi. Can somebody please call this girl’s mama? It is time for the proper meds.

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Also, be sure and check out the iDate of the week, uber volunteer Brad Simmons (SFW). Girls take note: along with cute, smart, and a heck of a nice guy, Brad is "conversational" in French. Oo la la!