Should You Put A Bid On American Dream Builders?

What Is This Thing?

Designer, former daytime talk-show host, and sometime Banana Republic model Nate Berkus serves as host, mentor, and judge on a reality competition for interior designers. The twist? The contestants aren't wannabes hoping to use this opportunity to break through: they're already established in the profession. The other twist is that their designs aren't judged by the homeowners but by the members of a neighbourhood council who determine who added more value to the property, and thus, to the community.

When Is It On?

Sundays at 8 PM on NBC.

Why Was It Made Now?

NBC loves a cheap reality show: in case we forgot, it reminded us by renewing Celebrity Apprentice yesterday. And it might as well try something totally different from everything else in that time slot, to go up against Once Upon A Time and The Simpsons; I guess The Amazing Race is also a reality competition, but it's (a) aging, and (b) possibly too kinetic for the people who might potentially be interested in watching people argue about carpentry. And...the basically the same HGTV Star is in its off-season at the moment, minus the part where the winner gets his or her own design show. I would say the other reason it's happening now is that enough time has passed for everyone to have forgotten the dismal failure that was Bravo's Top Design.

What's Its Pedigree?

The no-name executive producers have previously worked on shows like Minute To Win It, Chef Wanted With Anne Burrell, and The Baby Borrowers. Eddie George, one of the show's panel of judges, is an ex-NFL player who now has what we're frequently told is now the owner of a very successful landscaping company. But the most famous person is, of course, Berkus, a fairly famous home design personality since Oprah Winfrey laid her Midas touch on him back in 2002.

...And?

It follows the format of almost all judged reality shows: there's a challenge; mentors check in midway through to offer advice and/or warnings; contestants help and/or fight with each other; then there's a reveal and a verdict and someone gets kicked out. So your tolerance for the usual filler will determine whether it's worth it to you to watch the process of the designs' coming together. If you liked HGTV Star, you'll probably like this; the biggest difference is that these designers' professional status means that they aren't all that great at being team players AND, in some cases, feel the need to remind one another how fancy and important they are. So if you wish there were more bitch fights in your home design shows, all of that is a big plus.

...But?

If you noticed that I haven't said what the winner of the competition actually gets, that's because, as near as I can tell, said winner gets nothing. As Berkus himself says of the contestants in the show intro: "They're not trying to become anything: they already are." I think he means this as a positive, but from my perspective, it kind of means the show has...no stakes? I mean, granted, the winners of Dancing With The Stars don't get anything either, apart from a trophy or whatever, but ballroom dancing is a lot more dynamic than chair arranging. Then there's the whole thing with the neighbourhood council. Though the homeowners in the pilot get a first look at a big reveal of their homes' exteriors, then they have to sit tight while the councillors tour the homes to do their judging; we don't see the homeowners' reveal until the show is practically over. Maybe all their excitement is supposed to leave us on a happy note so close to the contestant boot, but it just makes their reactions anticlimactic. Aren't their judgments the most important? They're the ones who have to live in the house, with all the probably shoddy workmanship!

...So?

I love a reveal, so I can see continuing to record this in order to put it on while I'm working so that I can just glance up and pay attention for the few minutes of before and after. As for devoting a whole hour of my life to watching it closely, or recommending that to you...I just can't. And since I watched every episode of The Nate Berkus Show, if I'm not fully on board, you probably won't be either.