Trading Spaces

TLC (ended 2008)

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Show Summary

Premiered: Sep 01, 2000
Status: Ended

The first and best home decorating show, and certainly the most copied show of it's kind, ended its run in December 2008 after 8 years.''''Host Paige Davis, 2 talented professional designers and 1 or 2 skilled carpenters were given just 2 days and a thousand dollars each week to help 1 person and their friend or relative improve a room belonging to another person, usually a neighbor, while that same other person and their friend or relative had a go at improving the first persons room in return.''''The journey was much of the fun as both the viewer and the homeowners learned new ways to remake their rooms in innovative ways, while wondering if the homeowners would love or hate their new rooms! Ever sit in a friend or relative's home and wish you could strip or paint the walls, take up the floor, sew and replace fabric on the couch or chairs? Well this show was for you... Trading Spaces was a design show based on the British series Changing Rooms. For the first 4 seasons, the show took two sets of neighbors, and they switched one room in each other's home. They were given a $1,000 budget and they only had two days to completely redesign their neighbor's room. They were assigned a designer and shared a carpenter. Starting with season 5, the neighbors and the designer got to choose the room and if they get the right room Paige picked, they would get extra money (usually twice the normal $1000) for the room. But they still only had two days to completely redesign their neighbor's room after the prep day. They still were not allowed back in to their own rooms until the two days are up. At the end of each episode, the host would sit down to talk with the designers about the room they just finished. Then, the host took the owners into their rooms, with their eyes closed, and revealed the room to them. Will they like the design? Will they hate them? Will they get rid of the design... The answer could be surprising during the reveal.''''During season 5 and continuing through season 7, Paige Davis was dropped from the show and a host-less format took over, with the designers and carpenters serving most of the functions Paige had done so well.''''The show continued, but seemed to loose focus, as the producers tried a number of changes to the format. They added a 2nd carpenter to each show in several seasons, added several of the designers and carpenters from the sister show''While You Were Out to the roster, but ratings continued to stay low.''''So in season 8 the producers replaced everyone except Laura Day and Frank Bialec and one carpenter with a handful of new designers & 2 new male carpenters. The ratings must have nosedived because after less than half a season was shown, the new network bosses at TLC fired the production company and convinced Paige Davis and a 1/2 dozen of the most popular designers and carpenters to return to the show and see if going back to basics could restore the popularity the show had lost when Ms. Davis was let go. With the best talent on the show again, could the magic happen again! Apparently not, as the show was canceled after two more short seasons were shown. Some of the last season episodes were moved to a morning time-slot which probably lost the viewers that still remained. It was apparently a case of fixing the mistakes made to make the show without Paige Davis a little too late to recapture the audience that had moved on to other decorating shows during her absence.''Trading Spaces Product''sVHS/DVD Releases:''The Best of Trading Spaces Trading Spaces - They Hated It! Trading Spaces: Season 1 Viewer's Choice Trading Spaces: Season 2 Viewer's Choice Book Releases: Behind the Scenes Book Make It Yours! Color! Paige by Paige: A Year of Trading Spaces''Trading Spaces Ultimate Episode Guide Trading Spaces Trivia: Seasons 1-3''Ty's Tricks''$100 to $1000 Makeovers''48-Hour Makeovers''Rooms for Living''Instant Impact''''Game Releases:''Trading Spaces Design Companion (computer game)''Trading Spaces Game (board game)''''Most of these can be purchased through TLC.com. Just go to the Trading Spaces site at TLC.com and click on 'Buy TS Stuff' -- some items can be found at other sites such as Amazon.com.''''Awards & Nominations''2002 - Daytime Emmy - Nominated - Outstanding Special Class Series''2002 - Daytime Emmy - Nominated - Single Camera Editing''2002 - Emmy - Nominated - Outstanding Special Class Program''2003 - Emmy - Nominated - Outstanding Nonfiction Program 2005 - People's Choice - Nominated- Favorite Reality Makeover Show''''Spinoffs!''''Trading Spaces: Family''''Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls''''Cast''Hosts Paige Davis (seasons 2-5, 9-10)''Alex Mcleod (season 1)''''Designers''Frank Bielec Laura Day Genevieve Gorder Christi Proctor Rick Rifle (season 4)''Dez Ryan (season 1)''Laurie Smith Kia Steve-Dickerson Hildi Santo-Tomas Edward Walker Cat Wei (Trading Spaces: Family season 1)''Douglas Wilson Barry Wood Vern Yip (seasons 2-4)''Jon Laymon Carpenters''Faber Dewar Carter Oosterhouse Amy Wynn Pastor Ty Pennington (seasons 1-4)moreless

7.5

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Episode Guide

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S 10 : Ep 13	Trading Spaces Christmas Special	Aired 12/13/08
S 10 : Ep 12	From Buddy to Boss	Aired 12/6/08
S 10 : Ep 11	Stuntman's Apprentice	Aired 11/29/08
S 10 : Ep 10	Off to College	Aired 11/22/08
S 10 : Ep 9	Feuding Firefighters	Aired 11/15/08

Trading Spaces News

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Cast & Crew

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Alex McLeod

Host (Season 1: 2000-2001)
Frank Bielec

Designer (2000-present, recurring)
Paige Davis

Host (Seasons 2-5: 2001-2005, Season 9- 2008-)

Fan Reviews (27)

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Just another reality show that I don't care about.

0.1

"None"

By MassInsanity, Dec 16, 2010 Report Abuse

I am so sick of these Reality shows! It seems that every other show is one these days! Trading spaces is just another show that should not even be on the air!

This show is pointless and boring in ways never before seen on US airways! I got so tired watching this show, I fell asleep! I can't stand watching programs about redoing rooms! How cares about this stuff anyway? I would like to know who likes this show and why they do! It is mindnumbingly tedious and just plain annoying at times, every episodes seems to be same, and that is not good for any show!moreless

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0 3
One of the best interior designing shows.

8.0

"Great"

By TvFreak123, Dec 16, 2010 Report Abuse

i don't know but I totally dispised the show but now I really like it because now the designers actually know how to design. I used to watch While you were out but ever since they changed the host and took out some very good designers the show started to suck so I switched to this. For any designing junkie I advise you to watch it.

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0 1
I love home improvement shows ... but without Paige and Vern, I just don't stay interested.

4.0

"Poor"

By justintdonie, Dec 16, 2010 Report Abuse

I used to watch this show all the time ... I planned my evening around the new episodes. NOT anymore. Since they ditched Paige Davis, I find the show to be really dull. It's like cake without icing. I see two problems. #1 - without a host, there's no one to provide an interface between the crew and the audience ... how many home improvement shows are host-less? Bob Villa ring a bell? #2 - Paige had a chemistry for this show that was really compelling to a lot of people, including me. And without it, I just don't find myself able to stay interested. I don't know if Paige left the show or they fired her ... but without her, the show just doesn't hold my interest. I also don't find the mix of designers as interesting as it once was. Too many flakes. All in all, I've stopped watching. I check in every month or so to see if they've caught and corrected the drift ... no sign of hope so far.

:(moreless

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1 0
When I first started watching it, I loved it. Now, not so much.

4.9

"Poor"

By Sharpfan, Dec 16, 2010 Report Abuse

I started watching this in the middle of season 4 because I caught it flipping channels and fell in love with Frank and Edward.
I am a decorating show fanatic, and I loved the idea of being able to decorate on a $1,000 budget and getting great results. I had to start recording the daily reruns to see what I missed. But the more I watched, the more I started seeing things I didn't like, like ruining a room on purpose to upset the home owners, and conflict between the designers, carpenters, and host. The faux drama didn't interest me in the least. I liked the Trading Spaces: Family version much better, but it didn't take them long to cancel that.
With all of the format changes TLC did over the last year - getting rid of Paige, the 3 different rooms, 2 carpenters, and the bonus budget, it never regained it's footing because they continue to keep up with the drama that no one wants to see.
I sincerely hope that Frank and Edward get fabulous new shows, like Doug did, because this show will eventually crash and burn.moreless

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1 0
Used to be good but I don't know what happened.

5.0

"Mediocre"

By Asterisk09, Dec 16, 2010 Report Abuse

Used to watch this show frequently, but it soon started to lose touch with me. The designers are way too selfish and don't care about the homeowners wishes. Like if they say "We don't like orange. Don't use orange in my room", the designer still does and expects a positive reaction from the homeowner. Or if the neighbors tell the designer, "She told me not to touch the fire place", the designer does so anyway.

Also, what's up with the getting rid of the host? I don't get it. Is it to save money or they simply thought a host was a waste of time? Either way, I couldn't care less.moreless

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Replies

is it over?
after they pulled TS Paiges picks off saturday night it came back again.but now they have pulled it again and put the 2009th rerun...

By CBourque2025, Jan 12, 2009

04/08/09

2
Reply
yes it is, sad to report...
http://www.tv.com/Trading+Spaces/show/5581/board/61715/post_msg.html

By CBourque2025, Apr 08, 2009

04/08/09

1
Reply
new shows?
Paige Davis is scheduled to host 10 episodes of what will hopefully be the actual 'best' of the series so far, with inserted comme...

By CBourque2025, Jul 10, 2008

11/01/08

3
Reply
Who would you choose?
If you could choose any of the designers (past or present) to design a room in your home/apartment, who would you choose? For me...

By tafj73, Dec 29, 2006

05/15/08

10
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Trading Spaces now casting
Trading Spaces now casting relationships in need of repair!Do you have a rival who you'd like to trade spaces with in the hopes of...

By TS_Casting, Mar 26, 2008

03/26/08

1
Reply