Hit The Ground Running

(Thanks to HGTV for letting me "borrow" their logo.)

Whenever starting something new while going to school all those years, it seemed someone would invariably give this advice. But I don't think the good people at HGTV have heard this one, because Episode 1 of Design Star 3 started very slow.

I wasn't one of those who went to the the website to see the cast before the first episode aired. Everyone was a new face to me. I like starting out fresh with no preconceived notions.

The first half hour was a little tedious. I get that the selection process for the finalists is interesting to some people. And there was a good smattering of goofballs to laugh at.

But there shouldn't have been goofballs. These are the finalists, for crying out loud. These people should have been weeded out a long time ago.

Then again, we are talking about designers, here. Everyone's bound to have a little goofiness to their personality.

This does look like a good group, but it seemed the HGTV people went out of their way to state how much better this year's group was. Implying last year's group was subpar.

Ouch. Did anyone else pick up on that? I have to admit, however, I agree with them- last year's group was subpar as a whole, especially compared to the first season. Just look at the two finalists.

Whether this year's group is better, however, remains to be seen.

It's good to see old Clive-boy back again. And our 3 judges.

The unquestionable leader of the judges again this year is, of course, Vern Yip. Some have said on other sites that they wanted different judges, but I like these 3 and think they do a good job.

But they made a horrible decision in giving that Michael guy a second chance. He is too young and inarticulate to host his own TV show. That was obvious at his audition. But the judges felt sorry for him. I'll never forget the sight of Vern running down the hall after this cat. That was pathetic.

And didn't this happen with a finalist last year, also? I must go to the archives of last season to see.

"America, it's official- Michael blew up under pressure."

At any rate, are they going to give the other 8 contestants second chances when they flame out? Doubtful. So the whole "contest" is already unfair.

And what's with D. Paul and his Elvis soul-patch persona? He and Michael were really the only finalists I disagreed with.

Anyway, I love the first week's challenge- 1 week and $100,000 to design and build their own living quarters! That was brilliant! I can't wait to see what happens.

The look on their collective faces- that "we're sleeping where?" look- was priceless.

So, let's play Oddsmakers, like on PTI.

I love making the odds- and this week based only on first impressions. Remember, though, just like last year- no wagering allowed on this website, please.

The favorite: Tracee at 2:1.
A good chance: Jerome (or is it "Scottie"?) and Matt at 5:1.
Fighting chance: Trish 10:1, Jennifer 10:1, Mikey 10:1.
Puncher's chance/no chance: D. Paul 20:1, Michael 30:1 and Stephanie ("I've never used a power tool") 30:1.

Who to root for? So far, I'm behind Jerome and Mikey. One's an engineer and one's a police officer. And I can pull for Matt, he's a historian, and also Tracee, a UK grad.

Remember to tune in Sunday night to see what gets built.