I'm not that much of a fan of home improvement shows, but I find TRADING SPACES to be rather addictive. Frank Bielic is, without a doubt, the best designer on the show, the one who always keeps the homeowner's tastes and feelings in mind, always open to suggestions and willing to sacrifice one of his ideas if the team he's working with isn't too sure about it. The next best would be Vern Yip and Southern gal Laurie Smith, followed by Doug Wilson, who bombed continuously in the first season when he wasn't doing kitchens, but has done some real winners in the second season. Genevieve Gorder and Hildi Santo-Tomas often boggle the mind with their ludicrous ideas (Gorder's rusted wall, Tomas's gluing hay to a wall and painting--painting!!--couches and chairs like they were made out of wood), and often make one wonder if they ever really did go to design school. Paige Davis isn't quite as good a host as the first season's Alex McLeod (the real reason I started watching the show), but she's improved over this second season. Throw in two rotating carpenters--funny guy Ty Pennington and sexy Amy Wynn-Pastor--and you've got a fun show that will have you saying "That's great!" as often as "Hildi is whacked!"
Review of Trading Spaces
