S10.E11: Training Spaces

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

The search is on to find a design assistant to be paired with beloved designer Frank Bielec; Paige Davis hosts a competition reality show where six up-and-coming designers battle it out to join Frank as his assistant.

Original airdate: May 25, 2019

[Maverick]

Wait, what?  Is this a one off episode of the series or a separate spin off show?

[Eeksquire]

It's so random - he's only done one room on the reboot right? He always seemed like a nice person, but I can't say I ever really appreciated his style.

[friendperidot]

I love Frank. Back in the heyday of this show, he appeared at the local Home Show as a speaker. I had to go hear him speak. I would have enjoyed him a lot more if 2 women sitting in front of me were using the chairs to rest and gossip during the entire time. I couldn't hear much of him, just their rude yaking. I did enjoy the few stories I got to hear. I've aged a bit since then, now I would tell their rude asses to shut the f**k up.

[Bastet]

35 minutes ago, Eeksquire said:

It's so random - he's only done one room on the reboot right? He always seemed like a nice person, but I can't say I ever really appreciated his style.

Yep.  I couldn't stand the majority of his rooms in the original seasons - to the point I'd rather have Hildi than Frank do a room in my house, because with her I might get something I hated and had to do a good bit of work to fix, or I might also get a room I really liked, but with him I'd almost certainly dislike it - but he wasn't bad with the room he did this season.  So, while I am not interested in this contest to become his assistant (but if he's part of it, and it's not just Paige, I'll watch, because I've always liked his personality), I would like to see him do another room, to see if it's like his old designs or his one new one.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I couldn't stand the majority of his rooms in the original seasons - to the point I'd rather have Hildi than Frank do a room in my house

I would have wanted to work with Frank to do my neighbors room but I'm not into the country thing he had going so yeah, I wouldn't have wanted him doing my room. If I had to pick someone to do my room it would have been Vern. I liked his aesthetic the most and would probably have the least amount to redo once he left. lol 

Frank though was such a doll, and seems like he'd be fun to work with. 

But I don't get what this is. Is it an ep of TS? Is it some kind of special? Will they be swapping rooms like normal with regular homeowners or are the homeowners somehow competing to work with Frank? Also, why am I asking so many questions because I really don't care? lol

[caitmcg]

9 hours ago, Maverick said:

Wait, what?  Is this a one off episode of the series or a separate spin off show?

3 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

But I don't get what this is. Is it an ep of TS? Is it some kind of special? Will they be swapping rooms like normal with regular homeowners or are the homeowners somehow competing to work with Frank? Also, why am I asking so many questions because I really don't care? lol

There was a sort of spinoff called Training Spaces, paired with the first reboot season that was only available on demand, where the episodes were around 10-12 minutes at most (no ads), hosted by Paige Davis but without the usual BS of the regular shows. There were a few with Sabrina Soto and that John Gidding, meant to acquaint them with the kind of make-do/short time stuff TS requires. And then there were others that were sort of "auditioning" up-and-comers, with TS designers judging, that I just watched one of. This episode sounds like the latter, just putting the challenges together in a regular-length episode. 

[ams1001]

On 5/23/2019 at 8:44 PM, Mabinogia said:

I would have wanted to work with Frank to do my neighbors room but I'm not into the country thing he had going so yeah, I wouldn't have wanted him doing my room. If I had to pick someone to do my room it would have been Vern. I liked his aesthetic the most and would probably have the least amount to redo once he left. lol 

Frank though was such a doll, and seems like he'd be fun to work with. 

Yeah, I like Frank, but his style is a little too cutesy/folksy for me. I like Vern's cleaner, more simple aesthetic. I would love to work with Frank, though. He seems like a sweetheart.

On 5/24/2019 at 12:39 AM, caitmcg said:

There was a sort of spinoff called Training Spaces, 

Now that you mention it, I vaguely remember this. Next week's episode has the winner of tonight helping Frank. So only Frank gets an assistant? That seems unfair...

[alexa]

Why did they choose the guy that didn’t really finish anything?  I would have liked to see the girl that went against him do some of the other challenges. I am glad in the end that guy didn’t win.  

Edited May 26, 2019 by alexa

[ams1001]

I feel like the tiered sleeves on the girl in the overalls was a really bad choice to mix with power saws...

Also she comes off really smug and annoying and I hope she loses.

Also also, this has held my attention so little that despite the fact that I've been sitting here the whole show, I don't recall a single finished project except the pallet "bookcase" that couldn't possibly hold any books and the piñata lampshade that cracked me up only because it reminded me of my niece's fifth birthday when she was running around the backyard holding the severed head of a Paw Patrol piñata.

Edited May 26, 2019 by ams1001

[LexieLily]

I'm really confused. How old is Frank? Why does he have to have an assistant? (Unless this is something Frank wanted, then I won't be so annoyed). He did his own room by himself earlier this season, didn't he?

[friendperidot]

the winner's last project was some cardboard tied together with a bunch of cardboard of different sizes standing upright on the bottom of whatever that was? The only challenge I understood and liked the look of was the pallet bookcase things.

I guess the judges saw things I didn't. 

Please don't do this crap again.

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, friendperidot said:

the winner's last project was some cardboard tied together with a bunch of cardboard of different sizes standing upright on the bottom of whatever that was? The only challenge I understood and liked the look of was the pallet bookcase things.

I guess the judges saw things I didn't. 

Please don't do this crap again.

I wasn't particularly impressed by any of the projects. I was rooting for him only because he was the only one of the three who said (in the little talking head bit just before the winner was announced) "I want to win this because..." and not, essentially, "well obviously I'm the best and I'm going to win."

Seconding your last line. As annoying as the shenanigans are getting in the regular episodes lately, this was just boring.

[Gregg247]

This was just stupid.  None of these young "designers" were any good at all.  A group of 5th graders could have matched everything done on this episode.  Why are they auditioning these hacks to be Frank's assistant, anyway?  Couldn't they just hire a true professional to handle the job off-camera?

The lighting challenge was the worst, followed closely by the cardboard project.  How could they all do such a bad job on these and still not get eliminated?  Shouldn't the producers have looked at this footage and realized that the completed projects were so amateurish, that broadcasting them would be a huge mistake?

[Mabinogia]

2 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

Shouldn't the producers have looked at this footage and realized that the completed projects were so amateurish, that broadcasting them would be a huge mistake?

In their defense, they haven't figured out that they shouldn't be broadcasting the main show anymore so there is no way they would have known this one would be even worse. lol 

[Kerri Okie]

Any time spent commenting on this episode is more than the episode deserves, but here goes anyway:

It felt like I was watching a cheap, Trading Spaces version of Chopped, but where none of the food was remotely edible, and the judges were so lackluster it didn't seem they bothered to even phone it in. 

The painting projects turned out least bad of everything else on the show, but I'm shocked--shocked!--that Cayle (?) beat out the girl in round one with a "stool" that couldn't even handle the weight of someone sitting on it.  At least his opponent made something that could stand on its own.  And Kara was a snot.  

Between this episode and the recent one where they had to use Sabrina's sister and mother as contestants, I get the feeling that Trading Spaces doesn't have enough, or any, people volunteering to be on the show anymore.  Can't say I blame them.  I used to love this show, but now it's a chore to get through.

[seacliffsal]

My favorite part of this show was seeing Frank-he hasn't really been featured much in the reboot.  Oh, and my second favorite part-Paige was pretty normal, not all yelly and hyper.

[Jessa]

What the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks did I just watch??? 

I can’t stop laughing. That was so ridiculous. I guess given the standards of the show this season, any one of them should fit right in.

I can’t believe they actually aired that. What a mess! 

[Koalagirl]

This was a throwaway episode and an insult to die-hard Trading Spaces fans.

[Eeksquire]

I couldn't even watch it. I think I got about ten minutes in and was like, "Nope." Couldn't even leave it on while I did something else!

[AnnieHeights]

This was horrible!  All of the contestants were pretty and that was it......the guy who actually won did seem to have actual design talent based on the pictures they showed of his actual work (not on the show).  The overalls girl was rude, the first two with the stools/benches? were not good.....the washcloth light fixture which would have caught on fire if it was actually turned on?!?!?  Let alone it was hideous. The way the 'judges' acted like everyone's designs were actually good?!?!?  Thank goodness for DVR to be able to ff through most of this God awful insult to viewers of a show.....not that the actual show is too much better.  Hildi is stunning though.         

[FormerMod-a1]

21 hours ago, Eeksquire said:

I couldn't even watch it. I think I got about ten minutes in and was like, "Nope." Couldn't even leave it on while I did something else!

That's about as far as I made it, too.  I haven't deleted it yet, though.  I *may* still watch it some point...  maybe.

[qtpye]

This was the worst design competition I have ever seen. All the projects looked like they were completed by Kindergartners hopped up on sugar. 

[BusyOctober]

I finally watched this dreck.  I kept waiting for the punch line...that these were all just PA's or people off the street instead of "design school graduates" as their chyrons stated.

 First things first...every single one of them needs to get their $19.95/semester back from whatever unaccredited, online "University" they stumbled onto during a late night of drunk TV watching and questioning their life choices up til that point.  None of them had any real skills.  It was worse than the crafting time I spent as a Daisy Scout Leader of a dozen 5 year olds.

The young woman in the overalls with the unfounded sense of confidence and overestimation of her abilities had a very off putting personality.  She told the audience exactly who she is in her first TH.  She said she got into "design" because she made fun of her friends' and families' decor and sense of taste.  Really?  So being a bitch is all you need on your resume to be a designer?

I hope they don't do anything like this again.  Or if they need filler, then have the real TS designers compete instead of unemployed, untalented randos the casting folks found milling around the the local Starbucks.

Edited June 1, 2019 by BusyOctober

[Captain Asshat]

We watched part of the Training Spaces thing, because we thought we could get some creative DIY/reclaimed item ideas. But? No. After a couple of rounds, we realized neither of us was actually watching, so we deleted it. "Let's just watch the actual episode. That will show us who won."

The "Outdoors Inside" episode was alright, though. Even the assistant didn't bug too much, other than being a walking spokesman for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. 

Edited June 7, 2019 by Captain Asshat