Back in the year 2000, TLC debuted the hit series Trading Spaces, where neighbors would
go into each other's homes and help redecorate a room in whatever crazy way the show's designers
felt like. It was lik e a televised trust fall involving your living room, and the results
were often unpredictable if not downright horrifying. The series was a massive hit,
running for eight years and becoming a fan favorite. But how much do you really know
about the cult classic series? Here's a look at the untold truth of Trading Spaces.
It wasn't an original idea
Though it helped usher in a whole wave of home redecorating shows, Trading Spaces wasn't
actually an original idea, as it was based on the British series Changing Rooms, which
aired on the BBC from 1996 through 2004. The shows were nearly identical, right down to
the role of fan favorite carpenter Handy Andy, whose shoes were filled in America by Ty Pennington.
"You're going to love this! Come on, put that helmet on Frankie, you're going to love it!"
"You can't get enough of that fun."
The safe zone
One of the best parts of Trading Spaces was the homeowners' reactions to their newly renovated
rooms. Will they love the changes? Will there be tears? Though some couples ended up hating
the redesign, they often had themselves to blame, because participants actually had to
sign a liability release form which allowed them to list specific items and elements in
a room design that would be protected against any changes. Should have protected that velvet
Elvis painting, guys!
You could be disqualified
Getting chosen to have your room redesigned was an arduous process, and even included
some clauses that could get you disqualified after you were selected. Among the show's
requirements: your home had to have parking for the show's trailer full of renovation
tools, you had to be within a two minute walk of your neighbor's home, and you had to allow
them to actually redesign the room without too many of those protected items on your
list. Break one of those rules and you could be out before the show even started.
Top secret
Those shocked reactions from the homeowners weren't faked. In fact, the producers went
to great lengths to make sure people didn't know what changes were being made to their
home. Good Housekeeping editor Susan Leaderman wrote that when she appeared on the show,
"They hung sheets on the windows and other shielding mechanisms around our homes. In
fact, when the producer from my home makeover went to my neighbors', even the paint splotches
on her clothing were covered with duct tape so I couldn't see the colors being used."
Who renovates the renovators?
According to the Chicago Tribune, it took some couples less than 48 hours to completely
undo the work that was done in their homes. Homeowner April Kilstrom lived out a nightmare
when designer Hildi Santo-Tomas infamously glued hay all over the walls. Neighbor Rhea
Wisherop, who appeared on the show with Kilstrom, told SFGate it took five people 17 hours to
remove all the glue from the wall. "The baby the next day was gagging on the hay. We loaded
[the bookshelf] up with books, and the next day it was pulling out of the wall. What if
that fell on the kids?"
"They have a baby in a cover."
"What do you mean?"
"Well they might pick it off."
Well they need to be told not to, I mean… "
They also had to remove other health hazards in the room, including glass that was intentionally
broken to get a modern art look, and wooden window frames that immediately gave the children
splinters. All told, it cost Kilstrom thousands of dollars to undo the damage left behind
by Trading Spaces.
The host got fired
In 2005, Trading Spaces fans were shocked when beloved host Paige Davis was abruptly
fired from the series. TLC issued a statement claiming that going without a host would "enable
the show to be more spontaneous, focus more on the homeowners and designers… "
Instead, ratings went in the tank, while Davis used the opportunity to forge a successful
stage career. In 2008, Davis finally returned, but only after TLC gave in to demands that
included the return of the show's original designers, and a return to this show's original
basic concept of two couples, two days, and a $1,000 budget.
Davis told TV Guide,
"To not use a host was one of the more visible, destructive mistakes they made in terms of
the fans."
"They wanted the old show back."
There's still more to come
Fans of the series were encouraged in 2016 when designer Genevieve Gorder told TooFab
that the cast and crew of the show still keeps in touch, saying, "I wish TLC would throw
a reunion." And that may actually happen. According to Deadline, Trading Spaces is scheduled
to return in 2017. TLC President Nancy Daniels said "We are thrilled to expand in this space,
and what better way to do that than to bring back Trading Spaces, the series that put property
on the map."
So will any members of the original cast return? Only time will tell. But if they do, we have
just one request: this time, leave the hay in the barn.
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