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Design Star

In season six, Design Star finally fixes its judging: hallelujah

by Andy Dehnart 12 Jul. 2011 | 11:15 am

The first episode of Design Star‘s sixth season ended with a surprise: the show has finally started showing the judges’ deliberation, so we know why they are making decisions. It’s a miracle!

That isn’t difficult, but the show has stubbornly refused to show us the judges’ deliberations for years, instead cutting between disconnected footage of the designers and judges’ comments about various designs. But now, new host Tanika Ray (she’s good, but I still miss Clive Pearse) moderates a discussion, asking the judges explicitly about certain designers. We then see footage of their spaces and footage of them while the judges make specific comments. Amazing!

The show has new producers: following the surprising firing of SallyAnn Salsano, producer Mark Burnett took over, but was replaced by Next Food Network Star producer Bob Kirsh and CBS Eye Too Productions. I’ve been saying for years that the show needs to model itself more like its sibling series, which has always been superior, and there’s no better way to make that happen than to hire its producers. The show has also returned to its roots, letting the designers make over their living space as the first challenge.

New mentor David Bromstad isn’t everyone’s favorite personality, but he did a good job of giving advice but not taking over, and seems like a good addition so far. And I’m excited about guest judges joining the panel in future weeks, including, Paula Deen, Nate Berkus, and Dina Manzo (!). If the old judges can loosen up a bit and be critical without being jerks–maybe study footage of Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson?–that will be even better. After one episode, though, the show seems on track to do the near-impossible: improved significantly late in its life.

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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about reality blurred

reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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