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Tonight on Top Design, actual design gives way once again to drama as we face yet another team challenge. The phrase "panty-dropping chic" is also coined. So...just another night in reality television, basically.
To quickly wrap up last week's lameness, Wisit feels "awful" about Kerry's elimination and thinks Shazia should've gone home instead. Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't want to punch Wisit in his stupid whiny face. (Sorry, I hate injustice. And incompetent partners.)
This week's challenge is to work with bachelors in teams of three (SIGH). They've got a $10,000 budget, painters, wallpaper hangers, carpenters, and seamstresses. Hey, remember how they had that weird carpenter pairing thing last season? Man, that season sucked.
Andrea, Wisit and Teresa are working with Obi, a web designer with pretty definite ideas about his zen style. Wisit says they'll be going a little more urban (Kanye West is referenced), in addition to the Asian-inspired design Obi seemed to want. Um...I'm going to assume that the "urban" choice was based on something other the fact that Obi is black. Happily, they seem to drop that plan, and they actually work pretty well together.
Natalie, Ondine and Eddie will be designing for James, a frat boy type with nothing but white walls, a sofa, and a flat screen TV. Oh, and a bed for the ladies. He's very flexible, to the point of apparently lacking any personal style whatsoever. Eddie super-obnoxiously interprets this as a need for "panty-dropping chic." Yeeeah. 'Cause I have a really tough time keeping my underwear on when I see wall sconces and brown velvet at a guy's apartment. Eddie also jokingly posits that the big flat screen is to attract big boobs. Give your guy (and the ladies!) some credit, dude. Maybe he just likes to play video games on a big screen!
During shopping, Eddie's team breaks a vase and Eddie gets into an ugly tiff with the showroom operator. At one point he actually pulls the whole "I'm the senior style editor for Martha Steward Living...I am a professional and I work for the best." The showroom operator suggests a (much-needed) helping of humble pie, and Ondine has to step in to finish the purchases.
Nathan, Shazia, and Preston will be designing for Eddie, an investment banker with a shoe fetish and a simple, conservative style. Preston is feeling the design vibe, and takes the lead. Shazia has decided that now is the time to step up, and tries to assert control. Oh, sweetie, the time for that was before everyone realized you suck.
Shopping is tense, with Shazia feeling shut out of the process. Nathan labels her "Needy von McNeederson." Heh. Working with the carpenter is also tense. Nathan and Preston think Shazia was asking for too much, but she browbeats them into submission and they go ahead with her complicated plans.
Pop Design: As the designers are rushing to pick up final items from the Top Design Showroom, they're surprised with a flower-arranging Pop Design challenge. You know, at first I thought it was a bit dumb (Wisit's "Nobody in the world can deny the beauty of flowers" quote didn't help), but I like the idea of something so simple. If you can't arrange flowers, you probably can't design a whole house, right?
Shazia used to be a florist, and is understandably aching to win immunity. Ondine's wild yet understated country arrangement is my favorite, but I also love Nathan's fresh and simple green-dominated arrangement. The judges name Nathan the winner, but also really like Eddie's, which I thought was a bit too monochromatic and boring. They name Natalie (too bold) and Preston (silk petals) as underperformers.
Judging: Jeff Lewis, of Flipping Out fame, is the guest judge.
Natalie/Ondine/Eddie - This apartment would NOT drop my panties. Parts of it do feel sophisticated with deep red walls, a hardwood floor, and a large ottoman in place of a coffee table. However, I hate the screens decoupaged with color plates of animals from a biology book. The screens were just really busy and far too big to have so many different illustrations. Also a little creepy, if you're trying to get girls to jump you as soon as they walk into the place. And the bedroom was painfully blah. Grey walls and a muted brown bedspread. James also hates the screens, but seems okay with the rest of it.
Andrea/Wisit/Teresa - Ooh, I'm totally digging it. Not my style, but it's very sophisticated, and the design element is consistent throughout. It's definitely masculine zen, which was the goal, with many shades of brown, clean lines, natural materials, and thoughtful details like a chessboard. Obi really likes it.
Nathan/Shazia/Preston - Not at all as bad as I thought it would be, actually. Light blue and light brown are the dominant tones, with a very clean feel. Some of it also feels a little ugly (ALL the drapes, for example), and lots of it is unfinished (like Shazia's valences), but the client Eddie is into it, at least.
Andrea, Wisit and Teresa win, unsurprisingly. Eddie, Ondine and Natalie get dinged for designing an apartment their client didn't like. Ondine points out that he didn't give them anything to go on, but the judges don't care. And they hate the screens, too. (But love the bedroom. Really?) The judges thought that Nathan, Preston and Shazia's design was ugly and unsurprising, as well as unfinished. All the nasty team dynamics come into play, and it IS nasty, name-calling and all.
The judges name Nathan, Preston and Shazia the losing team, and eliminate Shazia. FINALLY. She gives a pretty great speech about going against her culture's career norms, but I'm still happy she's outta there. To justice!
Are you happy to see Shazia leave, or did you think the other apartment was more elimination-worthy? Any favorites developing yet?
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Zap2it Twitter Talk 
All I know is that I'm now going to use "panty-dropping chic" to describe all fancy, fashionable things ever. Especially hats.
I really can't get into this show, it just seems like everyone is trying too hard to be too cool and a bit naughty in the solo shots. India whatever reminds me of a female Lurch from the Addams family in that deep monotone voice "You rang?" Ugh. Whatizzit should have been gone last week - happy that Shaz is gone this week.
Still disappointed Dipsit didn't get bounced last week since he was insisting on the lousy rococo wallpaper.
As soon as those screens were being made, I turned to my wife and said those were awful. Great if you're a 10-year old boy who liked collecting bugs, but for an adult? Stupid move. Love how designers pick a project they think is cool without ever considering if the client may want it. Plus they stuck out like a sore thumb.
in Nathan/Shazia/Preston's apartment, did anyone else notice the HORRENDOUS paintjob? every time someone walked in the front door, all i could see was the blue paint all over the white door frame. they were provided with painters, but couldnt they find someone that knew how to use the blue tape on the trim???
thank gawd shazia is gone. i was tired of her whining.
Thank you for commenting on how awful the 'panty-dropping chic' was. Seriously, I was so annoyed. I viewed Eddie on Martha Steward earlier in the week and he was charmingly spastic. The fact that he would name drop MS on the show was pathetic and unprofessional. I guess had he been attacked it may have been different. In this case he offends a showroom owner by appraising the value of the broken vase at 10% of it's cost. He practically shouted it. What a knob. Then the bald designer makes a comment about flirting with the client? IEW. What is wrong with these contestants. I'll call them that. They are in no way professionals. And btw Jeff Lewis, I watch your show religiously- you're very entertaining. I have seen you use similar if not the same vocab (a**hole) on your show. Personally, I thought you came off as misogynistic. Although I must add the screen decoupage idea was a huge misstep. Someone should have been eliminated from that team, the design was B-A-D. This was my 2nd time watching and I doubt I will watch again. I liked Kerry and he was voted him off instead of the actual contestant who refused to listen to his client and just did his own thing. Rococo and then blacked out the windows? Seriously- what did he bring to the table? And Kerry was sent home. I'm done with this show.
Shazia is annoying, unprofessional, and talentless. Glad to see her go! She should have been cut on day one.