Trading Spaces is so successful, it has spawned not only countless imitators but its own spin off, Trading Spaces Family, a bunch of books (yes, I’ve read Trading Spaces Behind the Scenes and enjoyed it), and various special versions (like last years live reveal and this years $100,000 episode).

So first up, let me say I do like Trading Spaces Family. I don’t know if it’s just chance, but it seems to be the only place you can see Vern anymore. My wife and I are very tempted to apply, as the whole Murphy Family likes the show, but fear of Hildi and Rick keep us back. Having the kids on and involved gives the show a nice touch, and it tends to be more laid back than the regular version. I think Carter Oosterhouse’s breezy affability works well on the show, especially with the kids (let’s face it, Ty would scare them), and while he’s a hunk, he’s an approachable one – the klutziness helps. I’m not wild about Joe Farrell, but he too brings the right level of laid back to the show. I did enjoy the episode where Paige dropped in because the young girl idolized her. I also enjoyed the show where Paige showed up in workout attire – she’s got better abs than Ty!

I’ve come to like Christi Proctor – great personality, generally good designs. I wasn’t wild about putting butcher paper on the wall on an early episode, but I loved putting the cowboy silhouettes with it (even though the HO hated it).

I’ve come to hate (along with most fans) Rick Rifle – and I’ll note that he isn’t listed in the crew section with the other designers on the TLC site. Despite Hildi’s awful designs, she has a certain elegance and style, wheras Rick is just as unpleasant personally as his designs are aesthetically.

OK, I know that Doug and Hildi aren’t secretely married – she’s hitched to some French count or something. Perhaps Dougs hesitant kissing (as I discussed earlier) wasn’t due to his orientation but due to his fear of ending up stuffed and mounted over some mantle in the Loire Valley. He did flirt shamelessly with a couple of gals in the first episode of season 4, and once again got an onscreen kiss but this time without looking like he was kissing a dead fish.

I, along with America, was disappointed in the “they hated it” specials as I thought I going to see mostly new stuff with some flashback, and instead got the old episode with a trifle tacked on to the end. The only good part was that I was in Las Vegas at the time and so I only had to watch the tape. Still, I have to admit I enjoy watching the crying lady reveal – perhaps because she and her husband were so honest about it – sometimes I swear the people are being polite when they say they like it.

The 100 grand episode was pretty cool – much more of the behind the scenes stuff, and it only felt slightly padded at 2 hours. Heck, the ads alone were worth it – no matter how many times I saw it, I still loved Ty’s expression at the end. I thought Doug did a great job on his, although I’m still not clear why the countertop had to be glacier white and still remain under budget; Laurie did her usual job (I think I’d have a heart attack if she did a purple or blue room without any green, yellow or orange anywhere) but you had to wonder where the 50 grand went. The room was crammed full of stuff, mostly ultra expensive furnature and draperies that don’t look any better than the cheap stuff on TV. It’s hard to spend 50 grand on a living room, especially when the electronics are thrown in for free by Sony. And they did spend money on hiring crews to do the work – when you gut a kitchen and put in a new floor, new cabinets etc. two people can’t do it in two days. I think Home Depot got their money’s worth in advertising, too. The premise of the 100 grand episode lacks appeal on a regular basis, so let’s hope they don’t do it more than once.

OK, one last thing. Is that Paige Davis’ real husband in the Enterprise Leasing ads? Enquiring minds want to know!