Pulling Design Outta Your Booty: Chaos, Conspiracy, and Cowboy Contemporary

Besties, buckle up! This week on Designing Bitches, we’re recapping Rock the Block Season 6, Episode 4 — aka the one where HGTV throws the rulebook out the window and the teams are forced to channel their inner Trading Spaces madness. With surprise themes, no budgets, and 48 hours to create stairways and bonus rooms using random transportainer junk, the drama (and delirium) is real. We’re talking moss walls, influencer spas, a gaming room nobody wanted, and whether “Refined Rustic” has completely lost the plot. Plus, conspiracy theories, designer feuds, and one very inappropriate (but iconic) color critique. Tristyn and Kamohai finally get their win, and honestly, that playroom might convince us to have kids.

✨ Come for the hot takes, stay for the shade. Press play, hit follow, and don’t forget to check our Insta and FB for the Rock the Block bingo card. #DesigningBitches #HGTV #RocktheBlock

Love and Kisses,

Rhonda and Shari

Find us at https://designingbesties.buzzsprout.com, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Transcript

Designing Bitches Episode 5 - Pulling Design Outta Your Booty: Chaos, Conspiracy, and Cowboy Contemporary

[00:00:01] Shari: Hi there, I'm Shari, and this is my BFF Rhonda.

[00:00:04] Rhonda: And welcome to Designing Bitches!

This podcast is for women

[00:00:08] Shari: and brave men

[00:00:09] Rhonda: who eat, sleep, and breathe interior design and recognize their addiction to HGTV.

[00:00:15] Shari: Whether you're rearranging your living room for the 12th time or here to justify another HomeGoods spree. You're in the right place.

[00:00:21] Rhonda: Let's talk design, disasters, and all the beautiful chaos in between.

 All right, buckle up design lovers. This week we're dishing on Rock the Block, Season 6, Episode 4, and yes, this one is hilariously titled, "Pull Design Outta Your Booty.":

[00:00:38] Shari: Yep. Rock the Block hit us with a surprise twist that felt straight outta Trading Spaces, minus the hay glued to the walls. The teams had to design an upstairs bonus room and stairway. But here's the kicker, Rhonda. No budget this week, which, uh, actually for some of the teams, they're really lucky they didn't have a budget.

[00:00:58] Rhonda: I thought the same thing.

[00:00:59] Shari: Yep. Instead, they had to work with whatever wild items they got in a themed transportainer. Think of it like a design mystery box, HGTV style. And they had to play a game called Rock the Drop to win.

[00:01:12] Rhonda: I liked Cole's idea of arm wrestling better.

[00:01:16] Shari: I think that would've been a lot of fun. Oh, and they just had 48 hours to make the magic happen. Rhonda, be real, could you survive a Trading Spaces style all-nighter design challenge without glue gunning yourself to the wall?

[00:01:29] Rhonda: No, and I'm shocked there weren't more accidents, you know, visuals of them in arm casts and bandaids after working 48 hours, deliriously into the two day challenge 

but I will tell you, I thought it gave it some energy that was lacking in the previous episodes,

[00:01:45] Shari: Absolutely. I completely agree with you. And what was funny is that it really did make me think back to Trading Spaces, especially 'cause Ty's yelling all this stuff out

[00:01:57] Rhonda: Yes.

[00:01:57] Shari: and back when Trading Spaces was playing, I would've told you I could absolutely do it. 48 hour challenge, like no problem today

[00:02:07] Rhonda: Absolutely not.

[00:02:08] Shari: Mad respect for these teams. I don't think I could do it. Hey, the other change they made is that they were judging each other.

[00:02:14] Rhonda: Yes. Interesting. I was curious how that was gonna play out in the episode

[00:02:18] Shari: yeah, I, I actually really enjoyed that they made that change.

 Spoiler alert, we will be talking about the winners. So if you haven't seen the fourth episode of Rock the Block, put us in your queue and come back after you've watched.

So what did you think about the themes, Rhonda?

[00:02:32] Rhonda: Well, I was a little curious, what did they plan to do with those spaces before they had to change to the themes that were given to them?

[00:02:41] Shari: Oh, 

[00:02:42] Rhonda: Like, I would've liked to have Alison say, well, I was gonna make this into another bedroom, right? I was gonna do X, Y, Z with this. 

You know what I'm saying? I'm just looking for what was the plan for this upstairs space. I will say I thought Chelsea and Cole looked legitimately stunned. 

[00:03:00] Shari: When you get the 

box that you don't want and nobody wanted that, I'm just like Chelsea and Cole. Bless your heart.

[00:03:07] Rhonda: Yes, but I think Chelsea, Cole, and I are the only people in America that don't know what a gaming room should have in it. are we the only ones that don't game? I would have to phone a friend if I won the gaming room 

[00:03:17] Shari: You could definitely call me. I'm a little gamer.

[00:03:20] Rhonda: Mm-hmm. 

[00:03:21] Shari: But yeah, it was the one space that none of those people wanted and I just thought. Do none of you game 

[00:03:29] Rhonda: I don't think they do 

what do you guys do to waste time?

That's what I do. I also thought it was interesting for the workspace,

Ty, when he announces it says it could be a home office or a place for the kids to do homework. Alison says later, , we're gonna do this for the kids 'cause we have the adult office downstairs.

And then everyone judges them based on it really not being like a kid's space.

And I just thought, well, that isn't what Ty said originally when he was talking about the theme.

Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:02] Shari: I thought it was just so heartwarming when Kamohai wins the kids playroom

[00:04:06] Rhonda: You could tell they were so happy, and that's why the conspiracy theory that they knew it was gonna happen. I'm not sure I buy into that because I did feel like there was legitimate happiness,

you and I'm not Tristyn couldn't fake 

No. From previous episodes, I'd say no.

[00:04:22] Shari: And in the wellness or relaxation area, I kind of questioned using a bonus room with no ability to close the doors.

[00:04:29] Rhonda: Yeah. Yes,

[00:04:30] Shari: Imagine having five kids in the house and you're up there.

[00:04:33] Rhonda: Everybody be quiet. 

[00:04:34] Shari: I don't think it's gonna work, but Jonathan's chill zone and he won it and he didn't seem too unhappy.

[00:04:39] Rhonda: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. The only ones that were unhappy were Chelsea and Cole 

[00:04:43] Shari: Yeah. So the first two teams got the containers they wanted. So Tristyn and Kamohai and Jonathan, Alison and Michel were not too upset about what they got.

You're right. Chelsea and Cole didn't want the box that nobody else wanted either.

[00:04:58] Rhonda: I would be the same way. 

[00:04:59] Shari: They lost a turn. Can you imagine that feeling of like, eh.

[00:05:03] Rhonda: Uh, yes. I, I, again, I don't know the first thing about gaming. And so I would honestly, without the internet be kind of stuck. Like I know that they have special chairs and I know they have special screens. they wear headphones, but they're talking, right? So there's noise.

[00:05:18] Shari: almost like a podcast room,

[00:05:20] Rhonda: Mm. There you go.

[00:05:22] Shari: right? We're wearing headphones, we have 

[00:05:25] Rhonda: mm-hmm. Do you want it to be open like that? I wouldn't think.

 The way gamers talk to each other. You certainly wouldn't want the whole house to hear that.

[00:05:33] Shari: I don't know. I don't know.

[00:05:35] Rhonda: I will say at the beginning, everyone does look exhausted and cold,

[00:05:40] Shari: they do, at the beginning, 

they're already tired and now

they're facing 48 hours.

[00:05:46] Rhonda: yeah, and then the challenge reinvigorated that show,, the energy suddenly went up. So, I'm glad that they had this challenge. I thought it was one of the better thought out challenges.

HGTV snaps after I, dished on them for coming up with that lame Chalet challenge. I felt that this was actually worth my time. 

[00:06:04] Shari: I loved it. I liked that they included the staircase too.

 And then the winner gets the entire 4,500. 

So no alliances for the challenge, which I thought was really smart of HGTV to think through that because definitely there would've been collusion.

[00:06:21] Rhonda: Well, if they ever watched Survivor,

[00:06:23] Shari: Mm-hmm. 

For sure. 

[00:06:25] Rhonda: This is the way to win. Yeah. this episode also intrigued me because of the title.

[00:06:30] Shari: Yes.

[00:06:31] Rhonda: out that pulling, de pulling design outta your booty is a paraphrase quote from Tristyn in the show, and it really reminded me of times when I've done some public speaking where I've said something in the spur of the moment,

it hits, everyone laughs, and then you lose control of it, right?

It

starts to have life of its own, and pretty soon you're walking in a room and people yell it out. So I

[00:06:52] Shari: Nobody remembers anything else you said, 

but they remember that and we actually called it when we were looking at the titles for the episodes, we felt like that would be Tristyn who originated that title 

[00:07:05] Rhonda: sassy thing. 

[00:07:06] Shari: I. 

also thought it's a little edgy for HGTV.

[00:07:10] Rhonda: Oh, thought the same thing. Wow. Hmm. I don't know if Tristyn wakes up at two in the morning thinking, I can't believe I said that. Or am I going to be the pull it outta your booty designer forever? But, I did appreciate that. 

it.

is clever. Yes, it is clever. Put it on a t-shirt, whatever,

[00:07:27] Shari: We want the t-shirts. We said, we already said we want the 

[00:07:30] Rhonda: Yes. Yes. So again, I was surprised.

HGTV used it.

[00:07:34] Shari: So Alison and Michel, Refined Rustic, they got the transportainer named homework. Again, I felt like there's something about these styles that they've come up with that just sort of didn't apply

[00:07:47] Rhonda: They've gone off, you know? Yeah. They've gone off, off point with refined rustic WTF. What was rustic in this space?

[00:07:55] Shari: There was nothing. There was nothing and they didn't really need a second office. But Alison makes a great case for downstairs will be the adult office and upstairs will be a kid's office. I do think the downstairs office would make a great podcasting or influencer office 'cause it 

[00:08:10] Rhonda: Yes, 

[00:08:11] Shari: door that shuts,

[00:08:12] Rhonda: I want it.

[00:08:13] Shari: When you start looking at this room, it doesn't feel very like kids' office to 

[00:08:19] Rhonda: No, absolutely not. The exact quote I think she said was another office we don't need, right?

 She didn't want that but I disagree. There are a lot of families that I know where Both 

mom and dad or both partners stay home, as teleworkers.

So. Um, I would also say that clearly Alison and Michel do not live with kids or have ever designed for kids as there was nothing, not even a tween or

teen about that space. Right. I agreed about the storage. , homework offices, they generate a lot of junk, a lot of debris. A lot of clutter.

[00:08:55] Shari: Let's close that off. 

[00:08:56] Rhonda: yeah.

Having to be able to put that behind a closed door, like in a cabinet or a drawer, 

[00:09:01] Shari: I was just so glad we did not see more white oak paneling. 

[00:09:06] Rhonda: Yes. They went with 

[00:09:07] Shari: thinking 

[00:09:08] Rhonda: a camel color, which apparently made, made, uh, uh, Jonathan had been nauseated, so,

[00:09:15] Shari: Which was so funny. 

And I had no idea michel was also an artist, which doesn't surprise me. And I loved his paintings. I would buy one of his paintings and I meant to Google and see if they're on sale somewhere. 

I, I loved them.

I love that kind of abstract look.

I also think their overall design is very consistent with the overall look of their house.

[00:09:37] Rhonda: Me too. I think they're the only ones that may be.

[00:09:40] Shari: Where it totally fits.

[00:09:41] Rhonda: Alison completely ignored the challenge in my mind, which she did on the paint challenge from the previous season. If you remember, she got the green and then made some 

stick figure painting out of it. Uh, so when she's admitting she's a control freak.

while, Michel just stares at the camera with a no comment face, you know? 

It's 

like, yeah. Yes. Clearly, they're just sticking with their design theme, regardless of the challenge you could tell, right? 

 I wanted to ask you, did you notice that Alison and Michel were never on camera together? Like after they started doing their design, like he did the stairs and she did the office and it just felt like two different designers working on two different spaces is

[00:10:24] Shari: You know, it's interesting. I didn't notice it when I watched the show, but I always go to check my friend Reddit.

[00:10:30] Rhonda: mm-hmm.

[00:10:31] Shari: And I am a closet conspiracy theorist. And there's a big conspiracy theory that Alison and Michel are feuding and that they weren't, in fact on camera together.

[00:10:41] Rhonda: Hmm.

[00:10:42] Shari: And, and that's why, because they're feuding.

But I haven't gotten the vibe at all that these two aren't working together well. I've actually kind of liked how well they've gotten along. I've been surprised about it.

And maybe the redditers are just mad about not enough drama between the two of them, like we commented on last week.

[00:11:00] Rhonda: That's true, yes.

[00:11:02] Shari: I also love Alison's total confidence, which also is a topic

anywhere there's a post about Alison, there are people who love it and people who hate it. I would just say if ever in your life you hire a designer and if they're not confident, run.

[00:11:19] Rhonda: Yes.

[00:11:20] Shari: what you want in your designer is they're gonna go through the thousands of choices and you want them with absolute certainty to say this is the look for you based on everything you've told me.

[00:11:32] Rhonda: This is what we need.

[00:11:33] Shari: If I 

hired a designer, I'd want an Allison Victoria for 

[00:11:38] Rhonda: me too, me too. I feel the same way about doctors and pilots. I'd prefer a very confident one, not an insecure

[00:11:44] Shari: Good point. Good point. 

[00:11:46] Rhonda: Moving to,

[00:11:47] Shari: Tristyn and Kamohai, 

[00:11:50] Rhonda: moody, modern, kids space, which I thought was so funny when they said that.

[00:11:54] Shari: I felt like it just doesn't really apply to this challenge. First of All, the green wall. I immediately pictured somebody having a cat. A cat running all the way up that green wall. And also I have a couple of smoke detectors that are 14 feet high

[00:12:15] Rhonda: Yeah.

[00:12:16] Shari: and it is a production

when I have to change the batteries

[00:12:21] Rhonda: A challenge, so

to 

[00:12:22] Shari: I only have to do that every six months to a year.

And I can't imagine like, how often do you have to mist that wall? 

[00:12:28] Rhonda: In a dry 

climate? 

[00:12:31] Shari: Yes.

[00:12:32] Rhonda: I am a huge fan of a plant wall. I have actually investigated putting a plant wall in my dining room.

 My sister-in-law has a plant wall and I love it.

She has very simple, easy to take care of plants because she doesn't really have a green thumb, but I tried to use the same company she did. And while the plant wall seemed it kind of expensive, it was doable,

[00:12:51] Shari: Yeah. 

[00:12:51] Rhonda: but then they require a $250 a month maintenance fee 

like, they won't install it unless you sign up for this monthly

[00:12:59] Shari: does she pay for the maintenance too?

[00:13:02] Rhonda: Well, she said she did and then she dropped it after a year.

[00:13:05] Shari: Oh,

[00:13:06] Rhonda: Now, I never called them back because I thought that seems really high to come water my plants and I, and I know how to water plants. I don't need you to come to, and you know, it comes with a guarantee. They'll replace any plants that die, that kind of thing.

[00:13:20] Shari: Just don't give me the guarantee and I don't wanna pay the

[00:13:22] Rhonda: exactly. I can afford my own, pothos or whatever, those ones that, you know, will grow in a closet.

but anyway, the blank wall in my dining room is begging me every time I see it to get a plant wall going. I'm also thinking maybe the YouTubers, the DIY community can help me out there.

The other part of it is. I know the staircase was separate, but a plant wall next to a kid's area, I think, Cole was right when he said, you know, kids would be kind of hard on 

[00:13:47] Shari: They'd be picking that apart. I, I totally agree. I loved the overall look and vibe because I'm a plant girl, but even I, with my over 50 house plants

would not wanna put 'em on the wall. I would worry about things like mold.

Like I'd be a little worried about it. Now, having said that, take the staircase out of it. I absolutely love the room they created and like my heart was so full when they talked about they were doing this for their kids and even said 

their son is destruction and

daughter is more creative. Like they absolutely designed this for their own children and it shows.

People will love that enough that if they look at that house and they don't have kids, they're gonna have kids when they buy it just so their kids can enjoy that space.

[00:14:39] Rhonda: yes. I was curious, would the plant wall keep you from buying that house?

[00:14:43] Shari: No but I would have it taken down pretty quickly. I. 

Well, I would sell it to some sucker like you who doesn't wanna pay $250 a month maintenance. 

[00:14:52] Rhonda: Nice. Mm-hmm. 

[00:14:54] Shari: Yeah. Must be able to take it down and move it yourself. Thank 

[00:14:59] Rhonda: Like I said, I don't think the moss is a good idea in the desert climate. I'd have a feeling it would start falling off the wall pretty quickly.

[00:15:06] Shari: Yeah. Yeah, I 

completely Mm-hmm. The other thing I liked about this space was that it was actually a little sophisticated. I. 

Yeah, and those mountains would be a great place. You know, when you're doing that frantic cleaning right before someone 

[00:15:22] Rhonda: Mm-hmm. 

[00:15:22] Shari: where you just toss everything.

The 

kids have left in the other part of the room, you just throw it over the mountain,

[00:15:30] Rhonda: I thought the 

[00:15:30] Shari: kids go spelunking to clean your room.

[00:15:33] Rhonda: That's right. Where's my Legos? They're behind the mountains.

[00:15:36] Shari: mm-hmm.

[00:15:38] Rhonda: Yeah. I thought the same thing. Just so adorable.

[00:15:41] Shari: of the four teams, I felt like Chelsea and Cole did a good job of bringing Cowboy Contemporary to a room that was about gaming tech. And I was absolutely impressed with Chelsea's design skill in, being able to marry that all. And when they showed their 

[00:15:59] Rhonda: Me too. 

[00:16:00] Shari: mockup for the. Staircase. I thought, oh God, that's gonna feel overdone. But actually, when they did the slat wall and they painted it the same color 

[00:16:09] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:16:09] Shari: wall,

it just added so much texture and it just really felt elevated.

I

was, I was shocked that I thought, oh, I'm kind of starting to dig

animal skulls on walls again.

[00:16:26] Rhonda: Me too.

[00:16:28] Shari: And I just thought, no Shari. No.

[00:16:31] Rhonda: I have 10 foot ceilings, but it still would look ridiculous to have a giant skull with 

antlers. 

[00:16:36] Shari: and if you were playing bingo, 

[00:16:39] Rhonda: that actually one of the bingo 

squares. it. think it would show up. 

ah, nope. I knew it instinctively. I knew, 

[00:16:46] Shari: Yeah. Now also, I think this is the first room we've been in of any of the rooms so far that actually had a TV on the wall.

[00:16:55] Rhonda: Mm-hmm.

[00:16:56] Shari: And I just thought, well, that's something new. This is how people actually live. And then where they made that little game with the Rock the Block competitors as players 

[00:17:07] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:17:08] Shari: clever.

[00:17:09] Rhonda: Who did that? They didn't do that. Come on. 

[00:17:12] Shari: And again, put the cow hide on the floor. That room actually looked like a cowboy, contemporary.

[00:17:19] Rhonda: She did say, you know, they were making the joke. Cowboys don't game. Right. They're busy. They're busy. but Chelsea, when she said the theme of their house and the theme of this room could not be further apart.

I thought that's, that's where her brain started working. Right? Like, how do I bring those together?

and I feel like she's the only one that made it work. 

[00:17:37] Shari: I agree. The redemption for me is here's a room with double monitors.

And the desk is against the wall. This

is the most incredibly functional room

[00:17:49] Rhonda: Yes.

[00:17:50] Shari: other than the kitchens that we've seen in these houses.

[00:17:53] Rhonda: Yeah. And when. When Jonathan said, I didn't like the curtains, I thought, well, they need to be dark. Right? They need to, if you're gaming you 

don't want 

that daylight in there. 

[00:18:04] Shari: I thought it was the color.

[00:18:06] Rhonda: Oh,

okay. And I like that she brought in the green. I, loved that room. You're right. Like they would need blackout drapes 

[00:18:13] Shari: and those probably weren't

[00:18:14] Rhonda: but yes, I give Chelsea major snaps. You 

[00:18:18] Shari: Yep. Yep. 

[00:18:19] Rhonda: that happen, and that showed some design chops,

[00:18:21] Shari: I totally agree. 

[00:18:23] Rhonda: She doesn't always get credit for that.

[00:18:24] Shari: Yeah. Now Jonathan and Jordan,

I 

mean Jonathan and you called it the Kristina thing, would be a surprise.

[00:18:34] Rhonda: Oh my God, I

can't believe it's you. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

[00:18:39] Shari: Now, unfortunately, she didn't go through and say, what the heck have you

guys 

done here? Or explain to him what modern farmhouse is, but she definitely had great ideas to make the spa space look more intentional and high end.

[00:18:55] Rhonda: maybe she did that off camera. 

For future fixes. Like, okay, let's walk around here and let's look at these, you know, mistakes you've made. I also loved, and you and I are probably the only people that really appreciated this, but she fixed his room, right? Because he was just gonna have those loungers and she says, make these loungers built in so they look intentional.

Ugh. Chef's kiss. 

Yes. This is exactly what Jonathan is lacking, is that designer to take it to the next level. I'm laughing at modern farmhouse wellness space like that just, okay. 

What I did think about, was the influencer thing with that space,

[00:19:36] Shari: Oh, true.

[00:19:37] Rhonda: right?

Like, I don't know what kind of influencers, you know, 

there 

are. 

[00:19:41] Shari: a massage therapist, you also

[00:19:43] Rhonda: you know, 

[00:19:44] Shari: be an influencer. 

[00:19:46] Rhonda: If you wanted to do, like, you're sitting there in this beautiful zen room and you

know, talking about, well, that would be the bigger deal, right? Like, I'm not sure the open area works for any kind of relaxation or influencer, private filming in a house that's quote, built for a big family, right?

Uh, we look at that space. And I, again, I think it's gonna be noisy. You're just, it's 

[00:20:11] Shari: Yeah, 

[00:20:11] Rhonda: It's not private. So

[00:20:13] Shari: and now I've got Rhonda-itis and I wanna have salt blocks in my house, I don't know where I could use them, but I did actually look them up.

[00:20:22] Rhonda: Oh my God. You did not.

[00:20:23] Shari: I guess people use these salt blocks to barbecue on.

[00:20:27] Rhonda: What? 

[00:20:28] Shari: Yes. It's a big thing, Rhonda, you need to look it up. You need to look it up. himalayan salt blocks.

 I got a whole education. I love when I can watch HGTV and I get educated in a way I. Completely never saw coming.

[00:20:41] Rhonda: Didn't expect it. No.

[00:20:43] Shari: I don't wanna spa in my house, but it's what they had to go with. And the room did feel balanced and calming.

[00:20:50] Rhonda: Beautiful. It was really beautiful and I will say, all the judges said they felt relaxed when judging it. Chelsea's like this is the best I've felt in two days, right? Just standing in that

room. 

So 

[00:21:01] Shari: my room and Tristyn had put her grubby little feet and body. On my light colored, she

[00:21:08] Rhonda: Tristyn, off,

[00:21:10] Shari: I'd be like, get off there. I'd be like, get off there. Even watching it, I could feel like, oh, oh my God, she's not sitting on that.

She's not sitting on that. How dirty must she be? 48 hours, no shower.

[00:21:23] Rhonda: painting. 

[00:21:24] Shari: I could feel like starting to tense up in my neck.

I needed the wellness room 

to relax after seeing Tristyn lay on that.

[00:21:34] Rhonda: I 

thought the tea station was kind of silly.

[00:21:38] Shari: yeah,

[00:21:39] Rhonda: mean, am I gonna go up there and make tea?

 Success to Jonathan I'll probably give it to Kristina, but as far as, the intention of that space and translating it to the person in the room, you know, the, the 

[00:21:51] Shari: Yeah. 

of the room, it was really well

They did the best with what they had. 

 Now, the

judging, I thought it was so smart in how HGTV addressed the alliances and 

winning, so the judging wouldn't get a little skewed. And definitely Alison and Michel took some hits on the fact that their room looked so adult and the teams weren't crazy about the color.

In fact, Jonathan said, he wanted a more cheerful color, and I felt myself go all Miranda Priestly and say what you don't know is this color was selected for you by the very people in this room. 

[00:22:24] Shari: How insulting could you be if you say, I hate this color. The person you're telling that to Is wearing a hat and a jacket in the same color? 

that Jonathan is so oblivious to it.

That's kind of the funniest part of it. I feel like he's totally Anne Hathaway talking about, 

[00:22:43] Rhonda: Yes. 

[00:22:43] Shari: know, how ridiculous is that They're

arguing over the colors of the belt. 

[00:22:47] Rhonda: I do think Jonathan looked more worn out than anybody else.

 So the built-ins were loved by all, but everybody commented, there was no closed storage. So kids junk, office junk, whoever's junk, there just needs to be a place to put it away. It's not gonna stay. Neat like that if you don't have someplace to put it away. So 

[00:23:04] Shari: No, 

[00:23:05] Rhonda: the comment, this is the sexiest kid's homework space I've ever seen.

Right? Like,

[00:23:11] Shari: which was not a compliment.

[00:23:13] Rhonda: no, no. But again, that, that was a little confusing, right? Because initially it started off as these options, these three options, and then every time they showed it, it just said homework,

[00:23:22] Shari: Tristyn and Kamohai got quite a few comments about their moss wall. ,most of them were kind of about the downside of having a moss wall, they could say it looked good, but probably not very functional.

[00:23:34] Rhonda: Yes. They mentioned the fake plants and I noticed that when I watched it the second time, that there are some fake and it's gonna be 

[00:23:40] Shari: yep. 

[00:23:41] Rhonda: look terrible and 14 feet up.

[00:23:44] Shari: And then Chelsea's take on it was that the loft itself and the stairwell really had different vibes.

I didn't really get that. I When you go into a kid's space, it's clearly gonna have a little bit of a different vibe, because that's intentional.

[00:23:59] Rhonda: Yeah. I

didn't

think 

it was bad, but maybe if you saw it with your own eyes and that lighting, maybe it was incongruent, but it didn't seem that way on television to me. And even Alison said about Tristyn and Kamohai's space that she liked the color and she's just not a color person like you.

I thought they they did a great job and. I would say they brought some Hawaii in with that plant wall, 

[00:24:21] Shari: yeah. Alison actually said it was sophisticated, but still very much a kid's room, 

[00:24:26] Rhonda: I did agree they did need some padding 

down under that, that, climbing wall. Yes. Would've been cool if, Cole would've fallen and then we could drive that home.

[00:24:35] Shari: You know, he did seem to be struggling on that wall. That was kind of funny.

[00:24:40] Rhonda: he's tired. He is been up for

48 

hours.

[00:24:43] Shari: And then Chelsea and Cole got a lot of great feedback on their space

[00:24:49] Rhonda: Classy lounge.

[00:24:51] Shari: but the one thing that people pointed out was it didn't have as much storage, like it didn't have as 

much built-in storage.

[00:24:57] Rhonda: yes.

[00:24:58] Shari: The advantage of 

that is that 

whoever buys it doesn't have to deal with these built-ins they may or may not want.

[00:25:03] Rhonda: Mm-hmm. Good point. Yes. Somehow they made it look good, was a quote that I wrote down. 

[00:25:08] Shari: So do we wanna talk about who won?

[00:25:10] Rhonda: Sure.

[00:25:10] Shari: So I'll tell you, when Jonathan says Tristyn and Kamohai's room was the one space where he felt emotion.

I thought, this is game over.

[00:25:21] Rhonda: Yes.

[00:25:22] Shari: Tristyn and Kamohai are gonna take this win. Jonathan was already a little salty, maybe from the Himalayan salt blocks in his spa about 

the loss 

[00:25:33] Rhonda: He was, a little angry.

[00:25:35] Shari: I also felt so happy seeing Tristyn's face. Talking again about how this was for their kids. I was tearing up and I don't generally tear up at HGTV shows.

[00:25:47] Rhonda: No, it was really lovely. Really lovely to mention their kids and, the muse for their room was their kids. I thought that was

lovely. 

[00:25:53] Shari: Well, I was very happy for the winners Tristyn and Kamohai, and I'm really grateful that this week brought back some of the fun we've seen in past seasons and that we've been missing for the last couple of episodes.

[00:26:05] Rhonda: Agree.

[00:26:05] Shari: Thanks for sticking around besties. This week finally brought back the chaos, creativity, and cattiness we live for. Watching the teams fumble through their transportainer treasures and somehow mostly pull it off. Chef's kiss. Some of those themes were a blessing some were a curse, and a few felt like a prank from the HGTV Gods.

[00:26:24] Rhonda: Agree.

[00:26:25] Shari: And let's hear it for Tristyn and Kamohai, they finally snagged a win. And honestly, that kid's playroom was so good. It might convince child free buyers to start a family just to justify it.

[00:26:37] Rhonda: Or buy this house just, 'cause it has that room. 

[00:26:40] Shari: Of course we came armed with Hot Takes, tiny tantrums, and a full Pinterest board full of opinions because what kind of podcast would this be if we didn't?

[00:26:48] Rhonda: so My nitpick this week is insulting someone to their face about the color of their room. When they're actually wearing that color. Yes.

[00:26:57] Shari: Poor Michel.

[00:26:59] Rhonda: Rude,

[00:27:00] Shari: What did he say he wanted to do to Jonathan?

[00:27:02] Rhonda: tear his ass  up.

[00:27:06] Shari: I can't believe that they left that in. And of course, we weren't offended because we're full on loving White Lotus, and it reminded me of the conversation between Rick and his best buddy.

[00:27:20] Rhonda: It couldn't, nothing shocks us now. 

[00:27:23] Shari: Nothing

does 

[00:27:24] Rhonda: the white lotus. 

[00:27:27] Shari: if you are vibing with us and your brain is basically made of HGTV at this point, you need to catch up on all of our episodes at designingbitches.com. We're literally everywhere you listen to podcasts, so hit that follow, like, star or whatever, a button your app throws at you. We're not picky. We're just needy. 

[00:27:46] Rhonda: Also, we'll be posting our bingo card for week five, so let us know if you won. Give us your comments and they could earn you a spot on our Designing Bitches Bestie of the Week sticky board.

[00:27:58] Shari: As always, we have some apologies to make. I'm sorry to people who love living walls and are fans of The Devil Wears Prada. I'm not sorry to you, Rhonda, but I'm sorry to all the others.

[00:28:08] Rhonda: I am. I'm a fan.

Also, look for our reels online if you need a laugh and let us know what you think of our crazy observations about this episode.

[00:28:20] Shari: We've had a lot of fun putting those together. Well, until next time, besties. Bye.

[00:28:25] Rhonda: Bye.