I think Dan should have been eliminated. His nursery just seemed hodge podge to me. Too much stuff and not enough focus. Antonio's room just has too much stuff pushed up against the walls and I agreed with the judges comments about some items not looking to scale. Plus the gray desks reminded me of the drab office in the movie 9-5. Loni's room stood out as the best to me. She shouldn't have been eliminated. I don't know what the screw up was with the headboard, but I don't think she tried to accomplish too much, sometimes things just go wrong for no reason.

Where o where is that bed in the 4th picture from?

Loni wuz robbed!

This was the best episode so far. It finally felt like they came with ideas and executed them.

To me, Dan and Loni's rooms were the best. Antonio's room was more of my personal style but, I think it fell short on the decor. The white chairs were great but the placemat rug was way too small. The map on the wall was nice but, I hated wall color and the grey storage parts of the desk just took over the space..

I think they used the fact that the headboard in Loni's room wasn't mounted as an excuse because they really couldn't find anything else in her room that made it lest successful than the others. I think she made all the right decisions and used her time wisely but the people installing it just couldn't get it right.

They wanted to keep Dan and Antonio so, she had to go.

I think Antonio will win because his is the more unique voice when it comes to adding to what's currently on HGTV and can bring a new audience and Dan will get a show later because he kinda seems like he already works for HGTV.

I certainly thought that Anotino was going to be sent home. Loni had the best room. who knows what type of show either of the boys will do, since their styles are jumping all around. Hate to say it but I am tired of Color Splash and Myles of Style.

I'm so pissed that they eliminated Lonni.

She had the best room and she had the best presentation - the only thing that failed her was the contractor's inability to mount the headboard on the wall as promised within the time allowance, and leaning it against the wall really didn't detract from the overall effect of the room. I'd like to know how many times Vern, Candace and Genevive have gone overtime because of a contractor snafu...

Dan is cute and he had a good room - but HGTV already have one David Bromstadt, and David doesn't giggle or spend $10,000 on plastic pergolas...

IMO, Antonio is annoying, unattractive (who wants to look at all those tattoos???) and his designs are lame - I still can't believe he covered a terracotta tile floor w/ laminate, covered a functioning fireplace with TV's, swapped black laminate shelves and desks with grey laminate shelves and desks, and put a bathmat on the floor as a rug...
...and his TV presentation is pathetic. "Yo, Wassup. There's your desk an' there's your shelf" That's not a presentation, that's taking inventory.

It's obvious to me that the judges have a crush on Antonio and he's going to be declaired the winner...
...but for me, this show is cancelled.

What I didn't get is I swear that the Priestly's mentioned that they didn't have any other guest rooms so they were hoping that there would be some transitional furniture that they could use that nursery to house a guest if needed, but I don't remember that ever making it's way into the room.

I think Loni's undoing is that she does a focus wall with repeated patterns in every single design. I agree that too much focus was put on the non-hanging of the headboard as a reason for her to go. Her problem is that her show would be just like a lot of other shows already on HGTV.

That's the reason Antonio is still in the running. The office wasn't executed as well as Loni's guest room, but at least he'd have an edgier, younger vibe which is frankly missing from HGTV's design line up (I think that's why Rob hung around for son long last season even though he was a jerk and only so-so.)

Dan bores the crap out of me, though I think the nursery was really well done. He's not interesting and he giggles all the time.

I did not see the episode, so this opinion is perhaps not fair; however, Kathy Griffin's office just does NOT appeal. There are some neat aspects but it is not special at all. The nursery is not my style, but it is cohesive and I'm sure many would love it. Loni's definitely looks the most polished and interesting.

Lonni was penalized for not finishing -- eliminated on a technicality. I preferred her room to Antonio's and actually I liked where the headboard ended up. It looked too high when they were trying to hang it.

I really liked the boat hull sculpture/mobile Dan designed; that's what propelled him to the next round. But the nursery seemed crammed full of stuff -- I was surprised at the reveal because it didn't look that busy when he was working on it.

Antonio's room met all of the needs Kathy Griffin laid out, but it was kind of blah despite the purple walls. In fact, if the walls hadn't been purple, it could have been any insurance or accounting office. It looked dark, like a cave, despite the big glass doors. I expected him to use color a little differently (brighter and more fun) and I thought the room looked unfinished and sort of unprofessional (and by that I mean not created by a designer, just something Kathy could've done herself).

I personally disliked Lonni's room with the exception of the wall paper. There was just sooooo much grass cloth. Putting it behind the bookcase, and the wall and then using it as a window treatment just made all the light leave that side of the room, and created just one giant wall. Blah.

Each room had some major misfires and, while I liked Antonio's map idea, I thought Antonio should go. For me his room fell far short, of where it needed to be, though in all fairness each room seemed to fall short of 'finished'. Lonni: headboard left unmounted and one side of the room appeared unfinished (TV side); Dan: room felt lopsided, like two different rooms meshed together at the last minute, though I loved the abstract boat hulls.

@bonjourmiette: I think Dan must have considered the seating area and the trundle daybed 'transitional' pieces for guests?

Sorry. Loni deserved another chance...

I love Antonio... I REALLY do... but even then, I didn't think his room was as "designed" as just simply "put together"... I think the only way his show would be high-quality (which most likely it's not... never will be) is if he had a stylist doing the work for him and he just focused on building and making things look "manly"... in other words, his sh*t looks cheap. His aesthetic is Ikea's tagline from a couple of years ago... "Be Brave, Not Beige"... regardless of what you get at the end.

Dan just put another catalog page together with... but as much as I hate him, those ceiling "boats" were freaking awesome and unexpected, and that by itself had to save him. I just don't know what else he CAN come up with... 'cause he's apparently he's a genius... but only in spurts. Antonio had to go.

BUT on the other hand... what would Loni's show be called?... Loni's Wall Patterns? Here's my scoop... people like Antonio and his cute little fangs; they like Dan too... it's a Rocker vs Preppy thing... Loni didn't stand a chance to go to the finals like that... AND I think she'll bounce back, she showed she can do things (that headboard wasn't her fault, it was the crappy, unprofessional store management and installers) and she'll have no problem finding work (unlike Tashika... who'll starve to death unless she finds another line of work).

At this point, I think they set out the designers to fail... 'cause they've already have a high-end show on HGTV (Divine Design), a bunch of fixer-upper shows (Deserving Design, Color Splash)... and they're missing the lower end demographic that started it all (Trading Spaces 2? Design on a Dime 2? Cheap-Cheap-Cheap 2?) For which, Antonio would totally fit in... and would just be thrilled to be in, for mere exposure. I really doubt they'll let Dan out there to do nothing but Celebrity make overs.... ('cause they're the ones that can afford $20,000 nursery room makeovers) or anything of that sort, and he's not that smart with money... so I dunno... I think that's their little game... but who knows?

Lonni's room was nice but, she has the personality of a wet noodle.

Antonio's room was a dud but, he's got some charm and a different personality that would be a nice change on HGTV.

Dan's room had so much going on you didn't know what to look at first. He also has a blah personality that gets annoying when he trys to pump up his hosting skills.

I think Candace Olsen should take her Antonio shtick on the road.

I hate that the judges keep Dan. I think they have some bizarre, misguided opinion that women will like him because he vaguely resembles what's considered generically attractive.

His room was crowded and way to schizo for a babies room. Besides, he is like a watered-down, less talented version of David, previous winner and host of Color Splash. Also, homeboy spent $10,000 on an pergola.

I'm cheering for Antonio--He's my kind of people and just what HGTV needs.

Antonio's truck driver aesthetic and delivery has nothing to do with design. He's annoying.
Dan is weak and boring. He's cute but that goes so far.
Loni had the best room by far. Silkscreening that design on bamboo wall treatment was really cool and modern. Loni also was the most natural in front of the camera.
I ask that nasty Vern- how many times has he had to delay an installation because of a contractor problem. The only person who needs their show cancelled is Vern. His show is one big yawn!

lonned was totally ripped off. her room was fantastic. that feature wall made it. how can they say 'be sure your style is represented' and yet berate her for a signature move that never fails?! i want that wallpaper in my place. i've been thinking about doing just such a pattern with a rollerwall stencil and some of those ikea straw paper panels for the past couple years. it's f-ing genius!

i was wowed by dan's room (which has guest space in the far corner with the daybed), and antonio's had some great ideas (i've also wanted to paint my place purple like that), but headboard versus that dinky seating area? please. i have to agree the terracotta tile was a keeper. the size of the space was awkward to make a seating area, but then didn't it require some cleverly *designed* solution? kathy's sidekicks have the run of the house. they can lounge elsewhere. also, i really thought the desks and shelving should have been transparent if not shiny. how better to maximize the sense of space? the shelves in the middle block the flow of light. whoever gets the desks nearer the door has no direct light falling on the workspace.

i don't mind dan's giggle. that's part of his charm - look at his face. it's no more distracting than candice's goofy antics and mini-plays, or genevieve's bug eyed reactions and aggresive lower lip. vern is just very dry and stiff. he is the embodiment of the phrase "old soul."

when is "top design" back?

Once again, I didn't like any of the rooms. I do like all three designers (they were my initial choices from reading bios before the season started). However, I think I'd like to see Antonio get his own show. I think he's edgy and I like the accent even if I don't care for all the tats.

I agree that Loni should have been one of the two finalists, however, none of the rooms blew me away.

Loni's room had great architectural details that were lost with all the grasscloth against the cream-colored woodwork. It would have been nice to see that deep blue painted on the walls behind the built-in cabinetry and around the window below the window seat. I also don't like her choice of window treatment. Just because something is "green" doesn't make it aesthetically pleasing. And instead of putting the printed grasscloth on the entire wall, she should have just used one floor-to-ceiling piece behind the bed for the headboard.

bepsf, I totally agree with you about Antonio's room, when he replaced that floor with laminate, I thought that was the end of the line for him. And covering up the fireplace? What a jerk. I've worked with people like him. Unless they "lift their leg" on everything, they're not happy. Just so ya know, Antonio, if you have a long, narrow room, the best way to make it seem longer and narrower is to line up all the furniture against the walls.

As for Dan's room, meh. I think some of his ideas were interesting, but if the parents wanted a room that could grow with their son, maybe he should have purchased a bookcase instead of a daybed. And what's with the television? I think Dan has included a TV in almost every room he's designed. I'm surprised there wasn't one in the plastic pergola!

BTW, Lady J, calling someone an "old soul" is usually considered a compliment, meaning someone who has inner peace and wisdom beyond their years. I think the term you may have been looking for is "old fogey."

I will be shocked if Dan doesn't win. The fact that HGTV bailed him out to the tune of $5,000 during the landscape challenge and sent someone else home when he should have been given the boot are a dead givaway that TPTBs want to keep him around.

Antonio's different, but his design has been lacking and I felt bludgeoned after seeing him host for all of 3 minutes - I'm pretty certain I couldn't handle an entire show without developing a migraine.

I think Dan & Loni are about equal designwise, but Loni's easily the best host by far - ergo, she had to go. *sigh*

Having not seen much of the show, let alone these 3 rooms, judging by the images here, non of them floored me but Antonio's room looked more like a cheap TV studio set than a real room, almost reminds me of something that'd have been done on shows like the Mary Tyler Moore show of yore instead of being a real room.

I don't think Loni lost because of her room. I have the feeling it's because there's the possibility of her being a real bee-otch if she doesn't get her way. I don't see her getting along with TV execs AT ALL!