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Ty Dishes 'Trading Spaces' Designers
« on: May 24th, 2003, 11:04am » |
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Ty Dishes 'Trading Spaces' Designers
Thu, May 22, 2003 07:07 PM PDT
by Kate O'Hare
Zap2it, TV News
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -
As one of two regular carpenters on TLC's Saturday-night home-redecorating cult hit "Trading Spaces," Ty Pennington has a reputation for wisecracks and comedy antics, along with being the show's acknowledged pinup boy.
And, since he's been on "Trading Spaces" since it began -- it's currently in season three -- Pennington has worked with all the designers, as they help two sets of neighbors redecorate a room in each other's home, with a two-day time limit and $1,000.
"Especially in the first year," he recalls, "a lot of these guys, let's just say, they had alternative backgrounds, definitely creative backgrounds, but I'm not sure they were interior [design] backgrounds. So it was kind of funny watching some of these designers learn the ropes."
A "Designer's Cut" marathon airing Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, includes commentary from designers Doug Wilson, Hilda Santo-Tomas and Kia Steave-Dickerson, so it only seems fair to get Pennington's views of the trio, along with fellow designer Vern Yip.
Doug Wilson: "I love talking about Doug, by the way. I think he was left behind at several gas stations as a child, and it affected him. But then I was a hyperactive child as well, so I got left behind a lot, but they always find your address and call your mom to come get you. Doug is an awfully special human, isn't he?"
"He's awesome with what he does, but the boy just shows up with his ideas on a napkin. I say, 'Dude, this does not look good. Tell me you've got more an idea of what you're doing.' He says, 'Nope, we're going to wing it, Ty.' I'm like, 'Great.'"
"Doug is trying to contain himself on camera, which he didn't used to do. It's funny, because when people watch television, whatever your personality is -- in my case, it's ADD -- you're going to see your personality no matter what you do. Don't hide it."
"Doug actually tried to be a really nice guy for three shows, and I was disgusted. 'Dude, go back to being an a**h***, please.' I told him he was the villain of the show one time, and he said, 'Oh my God, do you think I'm the villain?' And I'm like, 'Dude, duh.' He went back to being Doug, thank God."
Hilda Santo-Tomas: "What I say about Hildi is, and I'll defend her on that, she is full-on creative. Of course, she's completely ADD and has no idea that she needs medication, but that's another story."
"I consider Hildi a hurricane, a decorating storm that comes into your house, completely leaving devastation and confusion. In the middle of the storm is Hildi with a clear vision of what the room's going to look like. There's no way of understanding where she's going until the room is done, and then when the room is finished, you either like it or hate it, but you understand where she was going."
"She's not great at explaining where she's going verbally, which is challenging for me. Luckily, I do understand her design sense. She builds and designs homes with her partner in Atlanta, and I've seen those homes, so the woman's actually quite talented."
"That's what I like about her and Doug -- and I'm not dissing the other designers -- but they are talented, and they know they can do a great room, but they also know they're on a TV show, and sometimes they do crazy things because it's a TV show. In a way, we should push limits. It's not like we're 'This Old House.'"
Kia Steave-Dickerson: "I'd rather not even talk about that."
Vern Yip: "Some of Vern's rooms look like $5,000 rooms. It's also Vern, and who knows if he's playing a fair game. Have you actually seen his receipts? 'Let's see those receipts, Vern. Really, you got a deal on that sisal, huh?' I think there's a little bit going on there."
"Vern is an incredible designer, but I built the furniture for him, and I know I built almost the same furniture repeatedly for him. He just paints it a different color. He's got a signature on his room, you know it's a Vern room."
"Where Hildi and Doug are different, they're not afraid to change their style for a room. That's the beauty and the politics of the whole show. You've got the safe designers and the ones that are a risk."
And if any of his colleagues get complacent, Pennington promises to stir the pot. "I try to keep the reality in reality TV, push people's buttons because that's what happens when the cameras aren't on. People are screaming at each other, causing scenes and saying, 'I don't give a damn.' Then when the camera are rolling, everybody's acting like they're not upset, and I'm like, 'Come on.'"
"My point is, I'm there to try to push the buttons and show what's really going on. Sometimes Vern gets really upset because I'll break things on purpose to see if he's going to freak out, because everything is trying to go so perfectly in Vern's world, and I'm like, 'Dude, this is not that kind of a show.'"
"I'm here to show the drama and the anguish."
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