HGTV Star

HGTV Star, named HGTV Design Star for the first seven seasons, is an American reality competition show airing on the cable television network HGTV. It premiered July 23, 2006, and has completed seven seasons.

Clive Pearse served as host for Seasons 1-4. Vern Yip (Deserving Design), Genevieve Gorder (Dear Genevieve), and Sabrina Soto (The High/Low Project) currently serve as the show's three judges. Candice Olson ("Divine Design", "Candice Tells All") served as a judge for seasons 5 and 6; starting with season 7, a third rotating judge was brought in to fill the spot left by Olson. Previous judges include Cynthia Rowley, a designer of fashion and home accessories; Martha McCully, Executive Editor of InStyle magazine; and Mary Jo Wardle.

The contestants compete for their own design show on HGTV, which follows the format of The Next Food Network Star on sister channel Food Network. Each week, the judges decide whom to eliminate; and, in Seasons 1-4, Clive Pearse would tell the contestant(s) who had been eliminated, "Your show has been cancelled...please exit the studio."

HGTV Design Star (season 5)

The fifth season of HGTV Design Star premiered on June 13, 2010. The series returned to New York City for the new season. Clive Pearse did not return to host. Instead, Vern Yip served as both lead judge and host. Candice Olson and Genevieve Gorder both returned for their second season as judges. As part of the elimination process this season, the designers up for elimination are taped presenting their designs so the judges can evaluate their preparedness to host a series. The winner of this season was prop stylist Emily Henderson. Her show Secrets From a Stylist was aired as a special one-hour premiere on August 29, 2010, where she redesigned the Los Angeles home of Ian Brennan, her friend and the co-creater of Glee. HGTV has since ordered twenty-six more episodes of Secrets From a Stylist, which are due to air in 2011.

Designers