Judging from the first episode of season 3 of “HGTV Design Star,” which aired Sunday, June 8th, Colorado native Matt Locke has a great shot at taking the title.
Most of the contestants on this season’s show, which will be on Sunday evenings through the summer, exhibit interesting design experience, skill, wit and creativity. (Others seem downright immature, naive and overwhelmed.) But few of them have ALL of the characteristics one needs to succeed as a TV designer. Locke does. Plus, we know from past seasons of the show, and from interviewing Locke, an eclectic and artistic Colorado Springs native, that “Design Star” challenges require tons of ingenuity. Locke has that in spades, having been educated in art school and the Ivy League, and raised by an artist and an architect. He’s also already commandeered a variety of forward-thinking business ventures, like the light sculptures about which The Denver Post first interviewed Locke in 2006.
So, go Colorado! We’ll be rooting Locke on throughout the summer. And if he wins, you can bet The Denver Post and its Home Girls will be first on the story. Elana Ashanti Jefferson
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After watching both of the previous seasons of “HGTV Design Star,” I can say that this seems like the most talented group of contestants so far, which should lead to plenty of nit-picking and infighting among the judges… Bring on the drama!
The first season featured a few contestants whose only skill seemed to be the ability to uncover great finds in a flea market. That turned me off and made me question the integrity of the show. But this year, the semi-finalists are top notch in their industries. Because of this, I’m not sure if I’m ready to call Coloradan Matt Locke a definite finalist. He had several years to build his Colorado house. Can he and other contestants handle the pressure of timed assignments as judge Vern Yip questioned in the season premiere?
In spite of those reservations, I totally dug the anal retentive side of Locke that came out during his first presentation to the judges (since I am anal too!)
This season also seems to have more young talent than previous seasons. That youth showed itself in some of the designers’ inability to explain their work. But one of the things I look forward too in these shows is seeing growth within each designer as they progress from week to week. Sometimes all you know is that you like a look and that your client likes it, too. Being able to express yourself and have the confidence of more experienced designers takes time. So let’s see if those youngins stick around long enough to understand for themselves what really makes their creative minds tick. Sheba R. Wheeler