TV Preview: HGTV Fall Highlights

For novice do it yourselfers like me, HGTV has been a godsend. Shows such as Curb Appeal and All American Handyman have always had good, practical advice as well as being quite entertaining. This fall season promises some intriguing new programs on the station, as well as the return of some old favorites. We decided to look at three early winners:

All American Handyman

Hosted by Molly Ivins, All American Handyman is now in its second season. It is an elimination show, which presents a number of challenges to the contestants each week. These are usually timed events, such as "The Gate Challenge" on the premiere episode. Basically, the contestants were given the materials and two hours of time to build the best gate they could. The three worst entries were to be sent home.

The quality of the projects varies wildly, and the time limit definitely plays a major role in what the participants are able to accomplish. The contestant pool was winnowed down from hundreds of applicants, to the twenty who made the final cut. So along with the various styles chosen for each project, we get quite of number of different personalities. Judges Mike Holmes and Scott McGillivray keep things interesting, and it looks like All American Handyman will do well again this season.

The High Low Project

Where All American Handyman is something of a game show, with incidental advice thrown in depending on the task at hand, The High Low Project is a real goldmine of suggestions. The show begins with interior designer Sabrina Soto asking homeowners to lay out the room they wish to redesign as if money were no object.

On the season premier, the homeowners wanted to transform their dining room. The first step for Sabrina was for them to describe exactly what they wanted. When all was said and done, the cost of refurbishing their dining room came to $32,400. Sabrina’s task was to get the room to look the way they wanted it to with a budget of $5000.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is a Seattle native who was first published in 1988, in his hometown music magazine, The Rocket. Since then his work has appeared in print and online for numerous sources. He Googles himself so often that his mother told him it would make him go blind.
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