Design Star Episode Four: Bloom and Doom

With 3 episodes down and only 9 contestants left, Design Star headed into the 4th challenge with flowers taking the place of instruments and fashion. I don't know if it was the editing or simply the direction of this plotline, but for some reason this is the first time I've felt this far removed, even distant from the designers and the challenge as a viable source of inspiration.

The nine remaining designers receive their 4th challenge- Flowers as a source of inspiration

The pace of the episode moved far too quickly, one minute having each member of both teams selecting their flower of choice and the next, hurriedly dashing in and out of high-end retailers shopping for furniture and accessories that echoed the sentiment of their mixed bouquet. Nowhere in this 48 minute of tape did I feel any genuine enthusiasm from these designers when learning of the inspiration or attacking yet another challenge grouped as a team. They look beat up, broken down, and left to dry. Much like their sad bouquets of a mish-mash of floral rejects. We're dealing with a group of professional designers here- why not try giving them a real challenge...you know, like with real people.

The men's apartment
I cannot see either bouquets apparent in both designs...looks like y'all are forcing them to dig real deep HGTV

Tom's huffing and puffing seems to be the only thing left breathing fire into this stale challenge

As a viewer, I've lost my connection to the remaining 9 only because it seemed evident that they each lost their connection to this week's inspiration. The challenges are seemingly becoming more ambiguous with nary a client in sight. You've got back-to-back interviews with each contestant struggling to explain how his/her flower is integrated into the space, coupled with both teams' growing animosity towards a select few amongst their own. Had this truly been Survivor Manhattan edition, I'd be psyched. But it's not, it's still Design Star, and while we do continue to see some interesting moments in design, we have yet to see individual talent outshine the rest. It's no wonder the judges couldn't select a winner, clearly no one stood out.

The women's + Dan's apartment
photo credits:  HGTV

I'm DYING for an individual challenge....Please!!! Makes me miss the White Box even more. Here's a space, here's your client, now design! Simple equations yield exceptional results. Stick to the formula HGTV. Hope next week's firefighters help to bring the flame back to this hot mess of an otherwise promising show.

Peace. Love. LOL Pin It