Top Design premiered on January 31, after the finale of Top Chef 2. The series is part-Top Chef, part-Project Runway and potentially amazing. Hosted by Todd Oldham, a definite style-maker, the show pits interior designers, architects, artists and other wannabe style icons against each other. There’s drama, diva-tude and some cool challenges.
However, Top Design has yet to live up to its name. There is some serious stinkage in Denmark, to paraphrase Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
So far, the Top Designers have had to create a room based on Alex Arquette’s kitschy crap, pull together a bedroom for a ten year old and… create a beach cabana along the lines of an exotic locale. They hardly ever get to meet with their clients ahead of time...and have to shop at the Pacific Design Center, which is usually way out of their budgets. Ugh!
WHAT WORKS:
Before I delve into what needs to be fixed, let’s discuss what works. The show’s concept is brilliant. It has solid potential to be a winner. Todd Oldham is coming into his own as a host (he’s not quite there – but more on that later) and … it’s a classy design series the likes of which the mainstream hasn’t seen much of before. There’s also plenty of drama such as the cat-fights between Carisa and Ryan and John, the HIV-positive tough guy who’s since been eliminated and Michael, the fey gay who may never have gotten his hands dirty before this show began.
However, there are few things that could change or undergo renovations, so to speak, to make this series move from good to great TV. They have a lot to do with the personnel.
THE HOST:
Todd Oldham is one of the “most beloved designers working today.” He designs home furnishings for La-Z-Boy and items for Target. He began as a fashion designer and hosted “Todd Time” on MTV’s classic House of Style. He truly is a style icon. However, Todd is often stiff and uncomfortable in the role of host. He seems to be improving, which is a good thing. However, we’d like to see more warmth and oomph from a man we know has got it in him. Have you seen this?
To be clear, I wouldn’t kick Todd of the show, but…I would suggest that Bravo allow him to take lessons from Project Runway’s Tim Gunn. Now he knows how to 'make it work.'
THE JUDGING PANEL:
Oh my god! The judges are the worst thing about this series. They are snobby and crabby. They so stand-offish and snarky that they make Simon Cowell seem like a great, big and fluffy teddy bear.
MARGARET RUSSELL:
She may be the Editor-in-Chief of Elle Décor Magazine - which she helped found by the way, but she’s lacking a bit in the personality department. Margaret argues with the designers and tells them how badly they’ve done. She totally pooh-poohed Elizabeth and her team’s color scheme on the beach cabana challenge, but…she never seems to offer anything constructive. I think she referred to one contestant's room as looking like an "assisted-living facility". Whoa!
I think that she spends more time looking for catty sound bites than inspecting the designer's work. She comes across all wrong.
Ugh! Ditch the b*tch is my recommendation...unless of course, it's all in the 'editing.' Then, fix it immediately!
Kelly is definitely the Paula Abdul of this bunch. She’s the most positive of the judges and tries to see the designers’ point of view. She’s cute – although some of the stuff she wears would make Heidi Klum say Auf Wiedersehen to her toot sweet. However, she seems to see this as an opportunity to help mentor new designers so she can stay…just keep the hair natural – no more crimping iron for you - and provide some substance to go with the cuteness. I know just by reading her bio - I mean she made the Viceroy the stylish haven it currently is - that it’s in there. Somehwere.
JONATHAN ADLER:
This dude is a definite mover and shaker in the style world. His stuff has appeared on Will & Grace, Sex & the City and The Today Show (among others). Jonathan tries to make happy homes, so why is he being so miserable on this show?
I'm also ticked that he came up with the catch phrase, “See ya later, decorator,” and thought it was funny. Oh man! I can't even begin to tell you how much that phrase irks me.
Jonathan comes across as superior-than-thou and can be quite abrasive instead of innovative. He’s not a complete wash-out. He just needs to ditch the diva-tude and the catch phrase.
FINAL ANALYSIS:
Top Design has more good going for it than bad. It’s a great guilty pleasure. The designers are very talented even if the panel hasn’t hit its stride yet. The series is well worth watching. With a few tweaks, it can be true, must-see Reality TV. I suggest you look for it on Bravo TV if you haven’t already found it. New episodes currently air on Wednesdays at 10 pm ET.
Deanna Couras Goodson - I am a freelance writer and content contributor to several online sites such as Tourneyblog, Bettingpro and more. I am a web content ...
