Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge - General Discussion

[chediavolo]

I think this is a four part special series. Did anyone watch this? It’s kind of interesting. I love some of the things they put in the house but of course it is a little too wild to actually live in. I don’t know who most of these people are. I was a little annoyed with the one woman who was the chef who is half of the team that was doing the kitchen who wasn’t even there 90% of the time , why even bother having her on the show? Maureen McCormick made a comment about the kitchen faucet not being mid century, so they changed it to something that was also also not mid century.! The other team who did the living room they had pop-up TV trays and it was mentioned that they look just like cutting boards. They sure as heck did. That was the best they could find? I think they’re just doing this on purpose because nobody could be that dumb to not know which fixtures go in a 60s era kitchen or that using a wooden cutting board as a table would not be noticeable. 

[CalicoKitty]

All they needed was to get some TV trays.  I wondered how much the chef feeding the judges played in their win.

[Mom21]

I didn't catch the set-up of this  show.  So are Egypt and Mike eliminated now?

 

[peachmangosteen]

On 7/22/2023 at 3:31 PM, Mom21 said:

I didn't catch the set-up of this  show.  So are Egypt and Mike eliminated now?

I think so. I didn't really pay attention to the rules either though. But I think each week 2 teams compete and the 1 that wins goes on to the finale where influencers (and maybe other people I don't know lol) will pick which of the 4 winning rooms they like the best.

[Badsamaritan]

I call foul on Jasmine and that chef winning. They tore into the wall Egypt & Mike were planning to use, then Jasmine asked for their extra flooring cuz their original choice sucked. And a paper backsplash? Really? Ugh, I'm annoyed now, and worried about who the chosen winner is. 

Tonight is Jonathan Knight and Kristina from Farmhouse Fixer doing Barbie's bedroom/en suite vs Alison Victoria and Ty doing a new Ken's Den room. I have no dog in this fight. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[alexa]

I keep disagreeing on who they choose to win.  I think the bedroom bathroom should have won.  And last week I thought Egypt and Mike should have won.

[meep.meep]

I don't.  I agree completely so far.  The dance floor and the rotating chamber and the stash of staches were incredible.  I think Jasmine and Antonia won for the appliances that rose up out of the counter and for the hidden pantry.  I bet it was close with Egypt and Mike though.  Their elevator that couldn't hold people was really something out of a Barbie playhouse.

There's two teams of Christina + a gay guy on this show.

And there are two Project Runway tie ins:  Anthony (next week) and Robert Best from Season 3 who apparently is a Mattel executive and gets talking heads.

[mlp]

19 hours ago, alexa said:

 And last week I thought Egypt and Mike should have won.

I did too but that was partly because they're my favorite HGTV people and partly because I didn't understand why Antonia wasn't more help.  I like her but leaving like that seemed really odd.

I agreed with last night's decision.  I can't stand Alison Victoria but she and Ty did a bang up job on their Ken room.  I thought the bathroom in the other team's suite was great but the bedroom looked clunky.  That supposed canopy bed was atrocious.

I always hate watching anyone demolish stuff that could easily be removed and repurposed or even donated.  The kitchen cabinets in the first episode were a perfect example.  They didn't fit the Barbie theme but there didn't appear to be anything wrong with them.  It pained me to see them destroyed just for TV.

[chediavolo]

On 7/24/2023 at 4:37 PM, mlp said:

I did too but that was partly because they're my favorite HGTV people and partly because I didn't understand why Antonia wasn't more help.  I like her but leaving like that seemed really odd.

I agreed with last night's decision.  I can't stand Alison Victoria but she and Ty did a bang up job on their Ken room.  I thought the bathroom in the other team's suite was great but the bedroom looked clunky.  That supposed canopy bed was atrocious.

I always hate watching anyone demolish stuff that could easily be removed and repurposed or even donated.  The kitchen cabinets in the first episode were a perfect example.  They didn't fit the Barbie theme but there didn't appear to be anything wrong with them.  It pained me to see them destroyed just for TV.

I think the same thing. Why are they demolishing things? taking a hammer to glass and perfectly good cabinets etc. besides making a mess and being unnecessary there are lots of things that can be re-purposed. Do they think we want to see people smashing things unnecessarily.  it’s friggin ridiculous.

[CruiseDiva]

3 hours ago, chediavolo said:

I think the same thing. Why are they demolishing things? taking a hammer to glass and perfectly good cabinets etc. besides making a mess and being unnecessary there are lots of things that can be re-purposed. Do they think we want to see people smashing things unnecessarily.  it’s friggin ridiculous.

That bothers me as well. When perfectly good granite countertops are smashed I cringe. A friend's father saved granite countertops that were removed from a bank building that was being torn down and my friend used that granite for her bathroom countertops.

[callie lee 29]

I was out after the first episode when the kitchen people won. The hidden pantry reminded me of something I see all over TikTok and Instagram right now. And were kitchen  islands around in the 60's? The room with the fireplace was fantastic though, but compared to that entry room and staircase??? That staircase was amazing.

[alexa]

I clearly am opposite of the judges.  I thought Keith and Evan had this one. Oh well.  

[edie3]

Once this is finished and the fan gets to stay there, then what happens to the house? I'm starting to feel sorry for the neighbors in this episode!

[CAM]

26 minutes ago, edie3 said:

Once this is finished and the fan gets to stay there, then what happens to the house? I'm starting to feel sorry for the neighbors in this episode!

Probably sell it to someone who will possibly turn it into an short-term rental or it will meet the fate that alot of the makeover houses fall victim to...being completely demolished or just remove all of the Barbie-ness and return it to its pre-Barbie self.

But yeah I always feel bad for the neighbors/neighborhood in shows like this; especially when the houses are nearby.

Edited July 31, 2023 by CAM

[SusanwatchingTV]

I wondered the same about the neighbors and who would want to live in that, so I started searching for articles about the house and where it was located.  

I found the location on google map, and then found that it is currently listed for sale.  BUT, y'all will be happy to know that it has been "de-barbiefied" and is now something a respectable owner and neighborhood would be happy to have.

Here is the link to the Google Map location (the photos show the original look):
https://www.google.com/maps/place/15330+Michael+Crest+Dr,+Santa+Clarita,+CA+91387/@34.4012175,-118.40622,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x80c28951f6c02967:0x2b8e3988b3d40266!8m2!3d34.4012131!4d-118.4036451!16s%2Fg%2F11c5jhkt07?hl=en&authuser=0&entry=ttu

And here's the listing: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15330-Michael-Crest-Dr-Santa-Clarita-CA-91387/20214247_zpid/

Edited July 31, 2023 by SusanwatchingTV

[meep.meep]

It's interesting to see what they did keep from the Barbie house!  The stripey awnings and the fountain in the front, the second pool slide (but in a different color) in the back, the wallpaper in Ken's room.

I think the flamingos may have lost it for Keith and Evan - it looked like you would get soaked walking up to the front door.

 

[edie3]

3 hours ago, meep.meep said:

what they did keep from the Barbie house

Seems like such a waste to do all that work and use all those supplies, and then....

[chessiegal]

1 minute ago, edie3 said:

Seems like such a waste to do all that work and use all those supplies, and then....

Since they did it to promote the movie, I'm not surprised.

[MaryMitch]

I'm glad I found this topic - I've been watching the episodes and was wondering what others thought of the renovations.

I like all the individual renovations, but I really thought they chose the wrong team for the last challenge - the outside front vs the back. I mean, the changes to the front were seriously imaginative. That handle was amazing!

[mlp]

I preferred the front myself.  I thought it made the right statement without being OTT.  I thought the backyard was overdone and garish.

The handle was genius.  I've noticed that it's been featured every time the show is promoted.

[Kip1]

I was looking forward to seeing what Keith and Evan would do. The handle on the roof was genius, but I was surprised that this was the time that Evan chose to use restraint. I would have liked to see a bit more color. The pink flower boxes were a nice touch, but turquoise trim around the windows would have given it a punch. The pink fountain was sitting on drab rocks. Spray paint those rocks blue or yellow. Maybe dye the water in the fountain a bright blue. I have mixed feelings about the flamingos because the water just ended up on the walk way. Paint the driveway. Barbie doesn't drive up to her dream house in her pink convertible on a drab, gray driveway.

As for the earlier challenges, I was rooting for Jasmine but thought Egypt and Mike should have won. Felt pretty equal about the bedroom/bath and Ken's den, but probably would have given the edge to the BR/bath just because it's harder to do two rooms.

[HyeChaps]

IMO those flamingos would get ruined in rain and strong sun..

Also, I was horrified when they destroyed the old grill!

[seacliffsal]

I just can't even imagine what the neighbors had to go through and how they got around zoning issues (especially the pool slide in the back).  I'm old, had Barbies, Kens, Madges, Skippers, Barbie's car, etc. when young.  However, it wasn't my 'life' and I don't remember all of the pink on everything.  

Am getting tired of these 'designers' as it seems like they are on every show that HGTV has.  Just watched several of them on Rock the Block and then as mentors on the Beach Battle or whatever it's called.  Big promotional bucks for this show-therefore no mention of 'budgets.'  Oh well, one more week so I will stick it out.

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I don't remember all of the pink on everything.  

Since this show is one big promotion for the movie Barbie, they are following the theme of the movie. Therefore, all the pink.

[HyeChaps]

I had the same cardboard Barbie Dreamhouse as Maureen McCormick. Not a speck of pink on it. That came much later. 

Edited August 2, 2023 by HyeChaps
Typo

[salvame]

I have agreed with the winners thus far, but just sat down to watch the last episode, and was horrified to see Christina as one of the contenders. I cannot stand her, her ex Terrick, or his "Christina 2.0". I really hope she doesn't win,, but I haven't yet gotten to the end, so not looking for a spoiler!  So far, I think Christina and company are just copying Mattel's designs, whereas Michele and Anthony are reinterpreting and putting themselves into their design. 

[alexa]

Not that I like Christina, but that office was very drab with all of the bland curtains so was okay with her win.  This is the one time I have agreed with the judges.  I didn’t really agree with the final winners, but I didn’t love any of the options that made it to the finals so it didn’t matter.

[salvame]

Well, Christina won, but I have to begrudgingly admit that it looked good. I was hoping the outdoor challenge would win, as I loved it the best of all. I was sweating until the end, as I thought for sure the closet would win.

[seacliffsal]

I don't get all of the emphasis on the fans and the possibility of winning a vacation in the dream house.

The closet won it's competition because Mattel loaned outfits to them, their design was not amazing (the accessory ATM and hat train were clever).  The judges even had multiple positive comments about the ball gown which, again, was from Mattel not from the designers.  

I didn't really care which team won the final.  The backyard was fun, but how much of that was due to the fact that there was a swimming pool already in place?

Anyway, it was a cute idea and I was able to enjoy it as background entertainment while doing other things.  I probably don't need to see the color pink for a while...

[RowdyCam]

I could have done without Christina modeling the Barbie dresses "See how cute I am!" Looking the most like Barbie of all the participants has nothing to do with design skill.

[meep.meep]

This was a fun little show.  Loved how into it Jonathan Adler was.  That's how to judge!

The space distribution was bizarre:  all the teams got multiple rooms/huge spaces except for Michal and Anthony who got one tiny room.

[jcbrown]

Ashley Graham needs to fire the stylist that put her into that ill-fitting schmatta she was wearing for the first segment.

Agreed that the space distribution was bizarre. I think the office/closet spaces were close to the same size but the closet was bigger and they had less functionality to incorporate so it was kind of unfair. I did not want the backyard to win. Agree that the pool gave the win to the backyard team, when all they really did was decorate with Barbie colors and tchotchkes. Was the grill with the play food their "toyetic" element? That was pretty lame.

Edited August 8, 2023 by jcbrown

[mlp]

The pool was my least liked display.  I didn't even think it should have won its first segment.  It looked like a jumbled mess of stuff to me.  

The accessory ATM as cleverly done but no one mentioned the obvious problem with it.  There was no way to request an accessory that goes with your outfit.  If I were wearing pink or red, I wouldn't want a blue purse.  I wouldn't want to have to climb a ladder to get a hat either.  I liked the office much better.

I don't understand why Antonia was on this show.  She barely participated in the kitchen segment and she showed up for the finale in that black pleather jumpsuit she wears on FN shows a lot.  She seemed underdressed and out of place.

[jcbrown]

5 hours ago, mlp said:

The pool was my least liked display.  I didn't even think it should have won its first segment.  It looked like a jumbled mess of stuff to me.  

The accessory ATM as cleverly done but no one mentioned the obvious problem with it.  There was no way to request an accessory that goes with your outfit.  If I were wearing pink or red, I wouldn't want a blue purse.  I wouldn't want to have to climb a ladder to get a hat either.  I liked the office much better.

Agreed on the pool.

I wondered about the ATM--it looked like it dispensed the same items and only those items, from what we saw. There may have been two different pairs of pink shoes but the blue purse was the only one they showed. I thought it was pretty gimmicky and lame.

[Shermie]

It was a fun show, but I didn’t agree with the final winner. As others said, the pool with the rocks and the waterfall were already there, so it was an easy redesign. I thought all the floaties made it looks cluttered, and there was no cohesion. The surfboard bar was lame because how would it work? You bring drinks to the pool and set them on it, to give them to someone else? Why not put an actual swim-up bar in it? Barbie’s supposed to be 19, so not legally allowed to drink everywhere.

Christina and her vocal fry are grating, and I think she’s too impressed with herself. The closet looked good, but it wasn’t functional as a closet. It was more of a clothing display area. Where would Barbie put all her clothes? That ATM thing was silly, since it only gave out 2 things. 

I thought the living room and kitchen looked most like they were in a dollhouse. They had that plastic toy look, while still being functional. 

Overall a fun summer show, and good on them for getting some of the cast, including Margot Robbie, to do their bit part.

[ML89]

On 7/31/2023 at 8:55 AM, SusanwatchingTV said:

I wondered the same about the neighbors and who would want to live in that, so I started searching for articles about the house and where it was located.  

I found the location on google map, and then found that it is currently listed for sale.  BUT, y'all will be happy to know that it has been "de-barbiefied" and is now something a respectable owner and neighborhood would be happy to have.

Here is the link to the Google Map location (the photos show the original look):
https://www.google.com/maps/place/15330+Michael+Crest+Dr,+Santa+Clarita,+CA+91387/@34.4012175,-118.40622,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x80c28951f6c02967:0x2b8e3988b3d40266!8m2!3d34.4012131!4d-118.4036451!16s%2Fg%2F11c5jhkt07?hl=en&authuser=0&entry=ttu

And here's the listing: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15330-Michael-Crest-Dr-Santa-Clarita-CA-91387/20214247_zpid/

I want to see the episode where someone turns it “back” into the non Barbie version and how they picked what to keep.

I also really didn’t want that outcome! 

[Soapy Goddess]

17 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

how much of that was due to the fact that there was a swimming pool already in place?

There was more to it than just a pool. They built the barrel slide that supposedly is identical to one Barbie has (I don't know. I never had a Barbie) and they also did the grass in Barbie pink with Barbie's silhouette (logo?) embedded into it. There were a few other things, but I've already forgotten. LOL.

[HyeChaps]

They probably had to record Margot Robbie saying each of the rooms had won, so they would have the real winner at the ready.  
 

[edie3]

How could Christina forget to have mirrors in the closet???

[jcbrown]

7 hours ago, edie3 said:

How could Christina forget to have mirrors in the closet???

Good point--Christina certainly comes across as someone who is quite enamored with mirrors.

[Shermie]

In the closet, I think a mechanical effect that would have been better would have been rotating cubbies that had an outfit hanging, and then you push it and it rotates to show a second outfit that was on the other side. Sort of a combination of surprise and doubling up the display outfits. 

Plus, a giant wall of shoes should have been included, Barbie is all about the shoes. And didn’t the super fan say something about needing a display for accessories? There wasn’t anything for accessories other than a few purses. Barbie has jewelry too!

I think I just like criticizing Christina.

[LizDC]

How HGTV’s ‘Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge’ Became a Neighborhood Nightmare

What’s it like when a Barbie-themed TV renovation project moves onto your block? For the residents of a quiet street in Southern California, the experience was more than just an onslaught of pink.

Edited August 17, 2023 by LizDC

[Scout Finch]

Ashley needs to fire her stylist period. That...thing she was wearing on the Oscars red carpet was appalling and I didn't find anything she wore on this show at all flattering either. Also, a lot of the time she was verbally cringe-worthy.

[LizDC]

The Dream House has been sold.

[TwirlyGirly]

I realize this series is long over, but I just discovered it on MAX and am watching the first episode.

When Egypt and Mike walked into the Dream Studio, Egypt stopped in front of the display of Barbie dolls in different shapes, sizes, colors, and abilities. She gestured at the display and said:

"This, this is what I want. I want to show diversity and inclusion. I want to show that everybody counts."

Everybody except those who are mobility impaired, apparently (even though the Becky doll who uses a wheelchair was prominently displayed in that section). 

Instead, she and Mike decided to put an elevator in the Barbie Dreamhouse for pets to use to get between floors. What a slap in the face to every human unable to climb stairs. 

With all the supposedly talented designers HGTV has, why is it none of them embrace universal design in their projects?