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Why I don't watch deco shows on hgtv anymore...

concretenprimroses
12 years ago

Wala!

It spread to blogs too.

I don't like calling mirrors "meers" either. Please excuse me if this is your regional accent. But it seems to me this pronunciation appeared then was adopted on all shows.

Worst of all, the shows apparently got reined in so they are mostly very similar. And deco shows are almost all there is on hgtv now. Strange there was more variety in the shows 10 years ago when they were actually fewer in number.

I lurk here occasionally post seldom. I searched for both Wala and Voila and didn't find it in another post. I just read the "tired of" thread, and "Wala!" is what popped into my head (like a color in a room! ha!)

Kathy

Comments (109)

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    12 years ago

    MIz G --- LOL

  • 47dt
    12 years ago

    "meers" .....lol. that's funny. funny because i didn't realize that that's how i pronounce it myself!

  • htnspz
    12 years ago

    LOl-Miz G.

    I miss the old HGTV also. Back then they would actually use real designers rather than "talent".

    I really hated that show that they came in and rearranged the room with their own stuff. The rooms would become slightly better at best. More often than not, they were sad looking rooms.

    I also miss Michael Payne. He was such a design inspiration and one of the reasons I went and became a designer. To this day, I picture him when I go to see clients for consultations.

  • lynninnewmexico
    12 years ago

    Agree, agree, agree! Most shows today on HGTV are one version or another of 'buy a house/sell a house'. I am so bored with them, except for Genevieve and Candice! Last week DD was home early from school and we watched two episodes of "Design on a Dime". They were so bad it was painful to watch. Cheap, tacky and impractical. My 17y/o DD could come up with better designs!

  • wkate640
    12 years ago

    lisamocha--thanks for correcting me. I did like their taste by the time they were finished with each room they did. Also, what's up with the yard crasher show where they make every back yard look like Las Vegas, complete with fire/water feature, no matter where the house is located, and no matter the style of the house. Have you ever seen the adjoining yards? I can't help but wonder what they all really think.

  • regina_phalange
    12 years ago

    I feel the same about HGTV that I always have. I like some of the shows and dislike others. I used to love Michael Payne and Designing for the Sexes as well as Designer's Challenge. Room by Room was too cheesy for me and Decorating Cents was just terrible...especially the "trash to treasure" portion. These days I love Property Virgins. Sandra Rinomato is awesome and I love how she sets those fools straight! I'm a Candace Olsen fan and enjoy her old show as well as her new show. I really can't stand the show Secrets From a Stylist. I'm not interested in either the Dina or Donna shows.

    Candace Olsen says 'meers' but I always assumed that was her Canadian accent.

  • emma1972
    12 years ago

    I am with you. I stopped watching it a long time ago. It's just not fun anymore :(

  • hlove
    12 years ago

    You all forgot to mention: "Oasis"

    mjsee: I have to admit....Renovation Realities is one of my, and DH's, favorite shows for purely entertainment purposes. We don't have cable any more and I don't miss any of the HGTV/DYI shows except for this one. The music/captions/editing were hysterical.

  • pharaoh
    12 years ago

    List of annoying pronunciation...

    1. Meers (mirrors_
    2. assessories (accessories)
    3. Fo-'ee'-yeah (foyer)
    4. Carmel (caramel)

  • leahcate
    12 years ago

    I'll add to the OT above:
    I'm from Va.and say
    " mirrahs"
    "Foy-A"
    "Caramel"( yankees say 'carmul')
    "ak cess ories"( is the other one accepted anywhere?)
    How about aesthetic? I'm hearing many designers say
    "As-stet-ics", which is not aesthetically pleasing to my
    ear. :>)
    As for HGTV...yes, I miss the quality and watch very little anymore. Sigh

  • hudsonleigh
    12 years ago

    One more: "pillars" -- apparently people have these "assessories" on their sofas. I have pillows. Just sayin'.

    More than agree with what you've all already said. I'm also over 40 and thus no longer of the demographic. Which is sad because a) I'm not old & washed up, and b) people in my demographic are actually quite likely to renovate/build/move. All the shows are now pretty lame, and mostly the same. HH & My First Place are usually on around dinnertime, I use them for background noise while I'm cooking. Invariably DH walks in the door, watches for five minutes, and declares: "people like that should be renting." Of course, that's another show altogether, lol!

    I was at a professional interior design conference last fall where the speaker said that HGTV had brought about the "dumbing down" of interior design; his theory was there's so much crap on there masquerading as "design" that it basically obliterates the actual art of interior design, and makes a mockery of the talent and training of real-life professional designers. I frequently think of that when I'm watching the drek.

  • finz2left
    12 years ago

    I must say I'm sickened by the "agenda" comments here. God forbid there is one network that embraces diversity.

  • pollyannacorona
    12 years ago

    Kitty Bartholomews show was interesting she was very talented and it was pretty instructional. The show mentioned "love it or list it" is coming to HGTV. I have to say about their ratings dropping and food network, maybe its all of those design star and food network star shows, pitting people against each other. Theres always a back stabbing jerk that annoys everyone, and they put those people through the critiques daily, in front of the audience, its horrifying and I think in bad taste.
    Why they feel they should rip these people a new one like they do is beyond me.

    They put people in tight schedules and expect them to perform professionally and chide them for lack of completion due to time restraints, what chef or designer has to do that really? You see Candice or any host, working on a nursery or a room in a home, the gal is expecting a baby, bearly showing, shes full blown nine months or already delivered by the time the room is ready, who are they fooling? They take forever for their own productions and put amatures through the ringer. All those competition shows are boring, I like the shows which take the time to instruct and show creativity, and dont enjoy battles. Who really thinks Tyler Florence is better suited to do a show about dueling food trucks? And the whole fall season comes and goes without any fall decor or gardening instructionals. I just dont get it. We have seasons and they address cooking for Thanksgiving or decorating for Christmas. They leave it there and really miss an opportunity to expand on more seasonal decor and gardening.

  • patty_cakes
    12 years ago

    I'm just waiting for Donna to announce she's 'fixin' to give this room a good spit shine'!

    Polly, I loved Kitty!!! She maintained traditional inspiration that anyone could relate to. Her rather small home with the 'Hunter green' ceramic kitchen tile always fascinated me, and I always wanted to see the other rooms. I've always wondered why so many of the shows were cut~~ratings I suppose, but I can't even remember what shows they were up against. Oh for the good ol' days! ;o)

  • greenthumbfish
    12 years ago

    Gosh, this became a very long thread... I admit I only read half of it, but needed to go ahead and comment...

    In this economy the vast majority of us have been forced to concern ourselves with a "just in case I have to sell" mentality!

    Why HGTV doesn't lean this direction anymore, I dunno, it makes absolutely no sense! We're inundated with make-over shows with unrealistic pricing for the addition of amenities far above what the location and value of the property dictates, not to mention the upkeep of said amenities.

    Please.

    But my biggest problem with all of them?:

    WHAT IS THE RUSH? On every, single, program?!

    Please.

    I know, advertisers want us to do a project per weekend = spend more money, so the show is about how EASY and FAST it is.

    Please.

    What they're doing is creating a bunch of Home Improvement Weekend Warrior Monsters who ruin it for the rest of us. Why don't these shows show how if you do it right the first time, you need not worry about it for quite sometime! Ummm, oh yeah, they want to sell you something else, FASTER!

    Please.

    I've enjoyed Sell This House for a long time, but Sell This House: Extreme (even though it is hammed-up a lot) is da bomb - they get 4 freaking days!

    O-M-G!

  • catkin
    12 years ago

    Cannot watch HGTV--especially the HH series. That whoosh sound they make at the end when they show house #1, #2, etc. is too much.

  • enailes
    12 years ago

    Normally, when I watch HGTV, no matter what, it is a repeat. It wouldn't be so bad if it were the 1st or 2nd repeat but these are marathon repeats. I actually like Holmes on Homes and have learned some very good information that has helped with my home. If the bones aren't good so much for interior design.

    I have NO clue what audience watches the Donna in Dallas show or what can be taken away after seeing one of her programs. I'm not into gothic decorating and have no use for dark tapestry chambers with bling.

    When will HGTV go back to its core design and decorating roots? I'm also sick of property virgins.

  • adrienne79
    12 years ago

    I watch some of the decor shows but only for the reveal. My DVR has some recorded shows and I fast forward to the ending. Sometimes there are colors/patterns I wouldn't think go together, but when another person does it I am like "wow that's cool." My problem is the decor shows are on air during the day when I am at work. When I get some it's only HH, Property Virgins, HHI or HH. Seriously on Fridays they play at least 6 episodes of HHI in the evening...so annoying.

    Here's another gem to add to the line up


    http://www.hgtv.com/my-house-your-money/show/index.html

  • Kathie738 P
    12 years ago

    The first decorating show I remember was Christopher Lowell...wonder what ever happened to him? He used to dress up in addition to decorating...LOL

  • homestylelisa
    12 years ago

    I admit I haven't read every post, but just wanted to chime in to say that my favorite show used to be "If Walls Could Talk" (which isn't actually a decorating show, per se.) If you haven't seen it, it is usually about historical homes with a past that someone accidentally discovers by finding clues while remodeling or whatever - its very interesting. But now, it seems like all the sudden the owners of these historical homes are young and beautiful, and now an appraiser has to make an appearance to tell them how much all their woodwork and stained glass is worth. So irritating. I get really sick of people having to know how much everything is worth or WILL be worth someday, and how they have to dub in that "Ka CHING" sound all the time!

  • bird_lover6
    12 years ago

    Love Selling New York, and now Selling L.A. just because they're different.

    And HGTV is on at my house every night around 10:00. It's great to watch while getting sleepy, since it's nothing I can't turn off when I'm sleepy enough. Works great. Mindless. Non-controversial.

  • rockingrammy
    12 years ago

    I'm sick of most of the shows on HGTV too. I used to watch Design Star, but got tired of all the fighting and gossip between the contestants. It also seems that they do a lot of houses for gay people, and that turns me off as well. I'm not homophobic, just don't want that lifestyle shoved down my throat in the name of entertainment.

    I really hate Color Splash, The Antonio Treatment, and Cash & Cari. I love Income Property (DH calls Scott the magic man), Property Brothers, and Property Virgins. We also like Holmes on Homes and Holmes Inspection. Mike seems to be a really genuine man who comes to the aid of people who have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous contractors. I just wish they'd do some new shows and stop rerunning the old ones so much. I used to watch much more frequently than I do now simply because most of the shows are reruns.

    As for OWN, I will never watch it. Oprah bought the Discovery Health network and completely ruined it with her crap. I used to watch Discovery Health all the time. She can run all the decor shows she wants. I will never see them.

  • lolab
    12 years ago

    Does anyone else grit their teeth when the host goes on and on about a room's heighth?

    FYI -- it's not a real word.

  • belugacoop
    12 years ago

    I like the high low project. I think Sabrina Soto does a good job of finding pieces that resemble the high end stuff. I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a store and the item I fall in love with is the one that's way out of my budget. For me the budgets she shops with is more realistic than some of the other designers' purchases.

  • belugacoop
    12 years ago

    I like the high low project. I think Sabrina Soto does a good job of finding pieces that resemble the high end stuff. I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a store and the item I fall in love with is the one that's way out of my budget. For me the budgets she shops with is more realistic than some of the other designers' purchases.

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    12 years ago

    It's akin to recent acceptance of "off-ten", "impor-tant", "ditn't" and "whole nother". Even news anchors now say "off ten".

  • andreadeg
    12 years ago

    I haven't read all the threads but wanted to add a couple of observations.

    Could Holmes on Homes be any more egotistical? Seriously, they tout hime like he is the "God" of home improvement. He may be good at what he does, but it is still home improvement after all. Mr. Holmes, pleaes check your ego at the door, thank you very much

    The other rant is that alof of the decorating shows do create nice rooms for people, but they never ever discuss the design of the overall house and the appropriate design for that particular house. Each room that is redesigned is treated as though it's the only room in the house to consider.

    Okay, one more rant. The speed with which the TV programs redo rooms is crazy and gives people a completely wrong idea of how long a quality remodel should take.

    I don't watch HGTV much anymore. I miss Sarah and Candice.

  • gmp3
    12 years ago

    I like the Designed to Sell where they put neon orange tile in the shower and paint the small bedroom black. Yeah, that will sell quickly. But I guess staging for the typical buyer would get boring after a while. I also love how they pretend to meet up with people at the home improvement store. Ummm, they have castings for these shows.

    And yes I liked Sherri and Steve, I think most of the shows are set up to sell products.

  • arcy_gw
    12 years ago

    I have to give another shout out for the High Low project. I think it is INSANE any one would EVER pay what one could on the "high" side. The show proves it isn't about how much you spend, not by a long shot. The newer Design on a Dime's also are doing some real life decorating. HGTV as a rule is one long long long advertisement. It is nice when they are actually pushing REALITY.

  • anele_gw
    12 years ago

    Ann and bird-lover, I am right there with you. I love those shows for mindless TV. There aren't too many shows I actually WATCH, but HGTV is perfect for when the baby is fussy and I'm going to be up late anyway. I don't have to pay close attention and I don't care if I miss the end.

    I admit to being VERY TIRED of people complaining the size of a bathroom. Let's be honest. There's not much you're supposed to do in the bathroom, so why does it have to be huge? Why does every family member have to fit in it AT THE SAME TIME? In my house, we have a little thing called privacy and "wait your turn," or "get up 15 minutes earlier."

    Also do not get the attachment to the idea of an en suite. I do not like the idea of a bathroom being close to the bedroom . . .to me, that is not a pleasant thought, but I am in the minority! I'd MUCH rather a bathroom be far down the hall from me.

    Sad to see brainwashed people who say, "Granite countertops, SS appliances," just checking them off the list. They do not know what else to look for, so this is a sign of a "good house."

    I am also sad to see perfectly good rooms that supposedly need to be "updated." I think of all the waste.

    I would be interested in good design shows. A show that would really breakdown elements of design would be great!

  • bird_lover6
    12 years ago

    It drives me crazy to see young couples just starting out whose "must have" list is a mile long. I realize that many of these couples are older than I was when I married, but it's still shocking to see.

    My favorite - the women who look into a very spacious closet and declare that it's not even big enough for their shoes! LOL

    My other favorite - the buyers who just MUST have a completely remodelled and updated house from the get go, so they won't consider a fixer if the budget won't cover complete remodelling from roof to basement. I see a lot of gems passed over for that reason.

  • chardie
    12 years ago

    I get a kick out of those shows like Househunters and Property Virgins. The to-do made over paint colors! Please, does anyone really buy a house and never paint the walls again? What about the inevitable marks on the wall, lines made by furniture against the walls, not to mention the fading which is obvious when you remove pictures? Please someone tell those newbies that, yes, of course you have to paint the walls, at least eventually. Paint doesn't last but five or so years, IMHO.

  • callie25
    12 years ago

    I missed this thread in November; but I thought it was just my idea that HGTV could REALLY use some improvement. The older programs were definitely better.....Sensible Chic, Designing for the Sexes, and liked Christopher Lowell as well. Someone forward this thread to HGTV...lol

  • kiki_thinking
    12 years ago

    I do sort of like house crashers on the diy channel. It does have that artificially imposed 3 day deadline, and it irks me that they smash up stuff the should be donating to recycle/reuse places, and they are a little shouty, but they dont dumb things down as much as most other shows.

    I miss Designer's Challenge!

  • martinca_gw sunset zone 24
    12 years ago

    Too bad if you liked Sandra ( I do ) on Property virgins. looks like they've replaced her with someone with more " personality " . I've only seen ads proclaiming this. I found PV. Mildly entertaining, but always wished to see the house after move in.
    As for the decor shows, how much would we love one that was not thrown together with new/ mediocre ( color splash...yuk ) brand new cr..p!?
    how about this idea for a show :
    Little Money Big Taste Contest. Six or so contestants ( pairs ?)would be challenged to furnish identical apartments , with identical budgets. We would follow them as they hunt all the various haunts: yard sales, thrift shops, etc. Real designers would judge the winner at seasons end.
    And the winner is.!.............hmmmmm, my 3 dogs, Ttodd, etc. Oh, I'm leaving so many out , myself included, but you get the idea. We are frustrated because so many of us Do have better taste than these hgtv " talents".
    P.s. let's be kind and assume typos we see are due to new users of touch typing! Not sure how much I'll improve, either.:>(

  • kswl2
    12 years ago

    Love the yard, you have hit on one of my pet peeves....I cringe when I hear that silent "t" in often.... Don't they teach about the quiet consonants any more? :)

  • patty_cakes
    12 years ago

    I'm sick of seeing the exact same style of furniture on *every* decorating show~~mid-century modern I believe is what it's called, and I still don't *get* the term. What has happened to the beautiful traditional rooms of days gone by? Every sofa/chair/lamp in the 'newly designed' room is identical, with little or no imagination being used. Even the 'diva' of hgtv, Candy Olsen, is following the trend, and as someone else noted, all her rooms look alike. Hgtv, please bring back the shows from the 'old days'! ;o)

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    12 years ago

    We know a couple who was on House Hunters. It is not real either. They had already bought the house and the show set up two others as if they were considering them. I was so surprised. Guess I should quit hanging around Home Depot and Lowes hoping to run into Ahmad-haha. *sigh* I so need help with the yard...

    I actually don't get why people want to be on these shows anyway. I also find it embarrassing to be an American when they walk into a HUGE kitchen/bathroom/house and talk about how appallingly too small it is. Most of the time, it is the lack of taste that is appalling. ;)

  • loribee
    12 years ago

    Ditto about HH, I know they had already bought the house~ but I still watch the show (and HH's International) and enjoy them...
    Love "Love It or List It" and "For Rent".
    Miss Michael Payne & his talent (met him at a book signing) and the middle segment on "Decorating Sense" where they re-arranged for $0.

  • anele_gw
    12 years ago

    cyn, I am so with you re: being embarrassed to be from the US. I cringe when people complain . . .there are people who have no running water yet here are people acting offended by a functional bathroom. The privilege we have is astonishing. I see these HUGE homes and the people are stretching their budget to buy them . . .and there are only 3 people living in the home!

    I saw a "What Is My Home Worth?" recently and it was sad to me. A new build . . .very big (and again, only 3 people living in it). It was in Hawaii. I hate to think of what was destroyed for this new home.

  • jillinnj
    12 years ago

    Oh, I forgot about that Joe Ruggiero show. I LOVED that show.

    I watched a few episodes of Love It or List It, but I don't like it. The designer woman annoys me. She always messes something up -- like she didn't find out that they couldn't build that addition because of zoning laws until later, or didn't realize it was a load bearing wall until taking it down, or...I like the real estate guy (think he's funny) but the whole thing is a setup. He shows them several houses that do not meet their requirements and need a lot of work, and then finally shows them a beautiful move in ready house. Every time, same thing. And, I've never seen a show where they actually list it. Maybe I've just missed those? Even so, I like seeing the last nice move in ready house and the final reveal of their house. They are usually very nice.

    I do like House Hunters. It feeds my desire to see inside everyone's houses. I do know it's fake. Read that not too long ago. Now we make a game of figuring out which one they already bought based on their comments.

    lolab - the "heighth" thing drives me nuts! I'm pretty sure it started on these decorating shows but now I hear it everywhere. IT'S NOT A WORD!

  • erinsean
    12 years ago

    The kitchens the HH don't like....must remodel...some look a lot better than mine and yes, "lack of storage" always gets to me also.

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    12 years ago

    jillinnj wrote, "...or didn't realize it was a load bearing wall until taking it down".

    WHAT?!? Did that really happen?!? Tell us about that, please.

    Carol M. in Jacksonville

  • lauriedeee
    12 years ago

    I miss Designers challenge, and Designs for the sexes, or whatever that show was called. At least on those shows they were actually designing. Many of the shows on HGTV now are just rehashing cookie cutter decorating schemes that even I could do by now because I've seen them done so often.

  • jillinnj
    12 years ago

    Yes, that actually happened! Well, I think the supports were still there, but the wall was ripped out. They were opening up the downstairs to make an open floor plan. The homeowners came in and asked why it was still there and she said it's load bearing and can't be removed. It annoys me that she tells them the plan before she knows if she can execute the plan. Same with the time they were going to extend the back of the house. Well, turns out zoning laws didn't allow them to do that. Shouldn't she have found that out before telling them the plan??? They had already started renovations.

    Forgot to mention - I also love Selling NY and Selling LA. Again, feeds my desire to see inside houses/apartments, especially high end ones that I'll never own.

  • kgdallas
    12 years ago

    Long time lurker here, but this is one of my first posts so please be gentle :)
    I used to be a long time, all day, every day HGTV viewer myself, but lately I've found that I watch less and less of it because in my opinion, the shows just seem staged, fake and they all follow the same formula, just with different people and different locations. There's nothing unique about it anymore. Perfect example being one of their new shows Love it or List it.... Interesting concept.. but every episode is practically the same. Same crisis over and over again.

  • beekeeperswife
    12 years ago

    Unfortunately once you realize that they are all scripted shows the fun really is all gone.

    Househunters takes 6 days to film one episode. The buyers already are under contract. The realtor is told exactly what to say, as is the buyer.

    Property Brothers, same thing, they already have the house and are scheduled to close before they would even start filming.

    Once you know this, when you watch the show it is obvious which house they are going to "choose".

    And that Love it Or Leave It show....how scripted is that? "David isn't working hard enough to find us our new place he better get his act together"....really? Would people really talk like that on a show when they are being filmed? Well, I guess if the producers told them to do so they would.

    But it is mindless, and it helps me fall asleep at night...

  • sable_ca
    12 years ago

    The show that I really like is Bang For Your Buck. On BFYB the camera takes its time and actually shows whole rooms and details with a well-photographed and easy eye. No jarring editing. No dumb "reveal." The owners explain why they remodeled as they did, how and why they made their decisions, what worked and what didn't, etc. Then the designers come in and critique the rooms. Of course, they're supposed to find something wrong, so they always do, even if it's silly. But you actually have a serious discussion of a room by two separate parties. I don't actually care much who got the biggest "bang", but I've gotten a lot of decorating ideas.

    Love HouseHunters just for choosing the house I like best and guessing which was the one chosen. Some of the stories on HH are very moving. Unless, of course, it's some 20-something whippersnapper who whines about granite or looks at a perfectly usable bathroom and says "dated". In that case, like some other posters here, I yell at him/her to go live in a village in Afghanistan or Iran, where the toilets are literally a hole in the floor (or the ground). Sometimes we don't realize how great our lives are!

    As an English teacher and cranky grammar-nanny, I do blame HGTV for its cruel assault on our beautiful language. However, I'll spare the forum my lecture. :o)

  • pugga
    12 years ago

    I completely agree with you, jillinnj, about Love it or List it. The other thing that designer always does is goes ahead and makes a decision about where the money is going to be spent without consulting the home owners.

    We all know that you can compromise an original plan to meet unexpected budget needs. Like using less expensive materials for certain items instead of high end. She just goes and decides that she'll finish off a basement, for example, and ignore a bathroom that could have been updated if the budget was massaged a bit.

  • lynxe
    12 years ago

    I commented on HGTV back in November apparently. And have come to the realization that I haven't watched anything on it since about then. HGTV no longer seems to occupy any space in my brain, and I just do not think about it any more.