Dear Top Design
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Becky |
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Design Press | 5 Comments
Ah, Top Design. I LIVE for Project Runway (I’ll even rip that off my TiVo on Wednesday nights before I watch Lost, which is saying A LOT!). You started out rough and improved greatly. Here is some unsolicited advice from a Runway fanatic and Reality TV addict (I’m not kidding – I’m going to be 35 on Friday and I still watch The Real World, not to mention Tori and Dean Inn Love and the rest of the crap on TV, with the exception of American Idol):
1) Problem: Personality (or lack thereof). As much as Carissa will probably NEVER be able to work with a client, contractor, upholsterer, architect, et. al., her bitching and moaning was total entertainment. This is TV after all. No reality TV character has ever entertained me more than the great Santino (“Whatever happended to Andre?”), with Laura running a close second (from total class to total snarky bitch to sweet mother dealing with a pregnancy and taking turtle poop in stride from one moment to the next).
2) We Want More Conflict! Like all TV reality shows, you have them all living together. Work that! We want to see the backstabbing and annoying traits that goes on in the contestant abode!
3) Get out in the world! And I don’t mean to an SUV storage, squirrel-urine-infested garage for God’s sake! The PDC gets annoying and boring and the prices are totally unrealistic for most of us. I heard Margaret Russell state on an interview with Design Sponge today that Elle Decor doesn’t really publish fake rooms – why do you keep having them design for unknown or non-existent clients in those boring white rooms? Project Runway contestants get to meet Miss USA and Sacha Cohen before designing for them, why can’t these contestants meet their clients?
4) More Creative challenges. You did a great job with the garage sale challenge. Keep that going. P.R. contestants have made gowns from items from the grocery store and items from the nursery. Step outside more often.
5) Limit group projects to teams of two.
6) P.R. has Tim Gunn. I adore Todd Oldham – my house is full of his dorm room items from Target, and I’ve worshiped him since the days Cindy Crawford hosted MTV House of Style. USE HIM! Those moments in the studio with Tim helping and saying “make it work” were precious. Dedicate more time to studio work with Todd giving his usual sweet and astute advice, and to the contestants getting punchy.
7) Your judges are great BUT… Get Jonathan to make Simon Doonan be a judge. The man is absolutely hilarious and full of personality. You need the hysterical bitchiness of Michael Kors, and Simon can do that with his eyes closed. In fact, make the designers create a window display for Barney’s or Fred Segal or even turn a Crate and Barrel window on its head.
Give Jonathan some caffeine or a carafe of Cabernet before each show. The man is a total stitch yet he comes across very stiff on camera. I know his real personality is dying to come out. I know this from reading his T.D. blog.
Thanks Top Design. I hope you are back for a second season, as the show has a lot of untapped potential. Congratulations to Matt. By the way, you are the only straight, non-professional tennis playing man to wear a Grand Slam Penguin shirt since 1979.
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April 12th, 2007 at 12:04 pm (#)
As a fellow Runway fan and reality TV addict (and I’m 37) I agree with all of the above. I wanted to like Top Design. I really did. I’m an architect and know that they will never ever have ‘Top Architect’ because, what would they be able to build in an hour long show … so I was hoping for some interesting interior designers and some really innovative design to represent at least one part of the field.
Top Design turned out to be BORING. There was more action in a single night of architecture studio when I was in school then there was in this entire series.
I didn’t even end up watching all of the episodes.
One thing that I think every good reality show needs is a villian! Maybe a good villian would have helped.
If they have a second TD, I hope they liven it up a bit.
April 17th, 2007 at 8:58 pm (#)
Hi Diana! As a fellow architecture school survivor, I concur. THose bitches had it made in the shade! A typical night with nothing due for weeks was a million times more suspensful than this boring ass show; however, I felt if they sit back and study Project RUnway (which felt a LOT like arch. grac school), they would learn a lot. I felt like the show had amazing potential and amazing particpants (Adler, Olham, Weastler and Elle cocktail dress lady) and I would like to see it come back with major improvements. – got the feeling they had NEVER seen nor studied Project RUnway, which rocked an totally reminded me of arch. grad school!
Becky
April 18th, 2007 at 12:42 pm (#)
As much as I wanted to like Top Design, I didn’t. Boring. But I realize now that television demands a colorful cast, with issues galore, in order for the show to be amusing, and watchable. Otherise, it’s like looking at a receipe being whipped up on the food channel. I agree with the comments that some of the cast members could never, ever work with a real client!
And finally, I feel it’s just not technically feasible for the producers to have each contestant work with a homeowner. Elle does work with homeowners, but we’re talking like one house, not 12.
April 19th, 2007 at 5:33 am (#)
I agree with the above. Top Design was a great concept just needs a lot of spice. Todd needs to go. He do not know how to relax front of camera. He just felt stiff and rehearsed. Loved Weastler and her clothing and HAIR. (Got use to her whiny voice that definitely do not match her exterior) and opinionated Russell. Real classy lady. Jonathan needs to be replaced by his significant other Simon and we will get some action. Projects could be more interesting and real clients could be nice. In two days you can design and renovate a real room. I hope they rework the show for next season and make it more action packed.
April 19th, 2007 at 10:19 am (#)
Hey Kristiina and John!
I agree – seeing Kelly’s outfits and hair was the most exciting part of the show! I would love to see Jonathan as the Tim Gunn (maybe he’d loosen up and his personality would come through more), then Simon Doonan, Kelly and Margaret as judges. I’d love to see Cynthia Rowley in there as well but she’s already on Design Star (I wonder if that disaster is coming back?). She has such an awesome personality and so much energy.
Becky