It’s more than just a show, it’s a slice of life. It was on today, and it has to be my absolute favorite episode of the show “Trading Spaces” on TLC. After explicitly instructing the designer not to paint the fireplace, the designer adds a facade that essentially does the same thing. (Fans of the show can probably guess which designer was responsible for this.) Upon seeing the completed room, the wife breaks down in tears and runs off camera. Right before she does, she gets this panicked look of pure fear and revulsion on her face that’s absolutely priceless.
Now I realize that there are people for whom the comfort and familiarity of home is kind of a rock when their lives are going through rough times. Why would somebody like that go on the bloody show in the first place? You know what you’re getting into when you sign on. Even so, I cannot possibly comprehend such an emotional response to the decor of a living room. I’ve seen people cry less when their dog died than this woman cried over a fireplace facade.
Baffling. Simply baffling. Trying to search for an explanation has been utterly futile. My best two ideas are: A) she hid $1 million in gold dubloons in a brick of the fireplace that is no longer accessible, or B) at age six, her father was crushed to death before her eyes by a beige fireplace facade falling off the Sears truck.
There was more going on with her that weekend than the fireplace. The homeowner posted on the Trading Spaces message board on the TLC site after that was aired. There is still a thread for it and someone recently reposted the original letter. I’m sure if you go over there you could find it. Actually there are several threads about her over there.
Apparently Crying Pam’s grandmother had gone into the hospital a few days before the taping, but she decided to continue with the show. When TS got there, the room she had picked out was deemed too small to accomodate the camera crew, so she allowed them to do her living room on the condition of not painting the fireplace.
Personally, I think her stress over her grandmother’s illness, paired with her love of Kuntry Krafts, her distaste for clean, contemporary lines, and her controlling personality (I did not like her attitude with her husband, neighbors, and Frank) resulted in her overreaction. People who go into TS with set expectations always get disappointed, and they are usually nasty about it.
On preview: Try Arden Ranger’s link, and I would suggest Television Without Pity, also.
I had heard so much about this episode and this was my first time seeing it. I didn’t realise it was the “Crying Pam” episode until she actually started bawling offscreen. From what I’d heard I assumed something horrible was done to her room (Hilde style, anyone?) and couldn’t believe that this really nice room was what drove her to tears. Bizarre! There have been much MUCH worse looking rooms than this. (Yes, I’m familiar with the situation with her grandmother, but how could you be anything but impressed with a room like that?) The husband was a jerk too: “I see a lot of firewood here.” I didn’t think the bright “artwork” fit in much, but big whoop, take it out and use the frames for something else. The fireplace was 100% improved by the facade, and was NOT PAINTED, haha. (I love the way he left the little “NO paint” card right in front of it, lol.)
I’m reading the TSMB right now and people are saying “well she didn’t want contemporary.” Did it seem contemporary to you? It seemed totally country to me: wainscotting, denim, the old-timey fireplace lamps, the wall paint effect looked like a nice wool blanket or something. There was a lot of contrast but that doesn’t make it contemporary! I’m no fan of brown to be sure but I thought it looked really livable.
It was a hell of a lot better than what it looked like before hand. I watched that episode a couple of times. Today, I checked out TLC to see what was on, and when I realized it was her, I had to change the channel. OK, I’m not an expert on behavioral disorders, mental disorders (except mine) actually, not an expert on anything at all…but I really, really think this woman has a raging case of Borderline Personality Disorder. (husband is typical co-dependant–He was fine with it, til he saw her face starting to contort.) Did you see at the end when her she asked her friend if they liked their room? Then she did this thing like all smug–ya, I’m sure you did, we worked really hard on it. Whatever, she was just upset because the nice way her new room looked made her hair and makeup choices look even more outdated. He he so there is my 2 cents!
Juniper, you have written a thing of brilliance and beauty, which will stand as a landmark in poetry sure to be taught to every schoolchild for years to come. However, I am honor bound to inform you that Hideous Hildy is responsible for the Horror in the Hayloft (AKA Child Endangerment for Fun and Profit!).
Ok, I’m a glutton for punishment…they ran this AGAIN tonight and I had to re-watch the reveal. I just popped in again to say my hat is off to Paige. Those two made it SO HARD for her and she did her darndest to get them to say ANYTHING positive. I would not want to be in her shoes for all the tea in China. I was really shocked when the guy said that although he hated the room he loved the experience. I think most of the people would say the exact opposite. Something like “oh the labor was backbreaking but the final result was worth it!”
NO, SHE DIDN’T CHOOSE THE ROOM. She didn’t choose the room. Geezus. She chose another room, and the TS people rejected that, and said they wouldn’t change the fireplace.
I’m usually on everyone else’s side, the whole “well, if you chose to be on this show, you deserve what you get” opinion. For God’s sake, people, the production crew promised her the fireplace wouldn’t be changed and her grandma was in the hospital.
Plus, let’s be honest. If it was Vern designing, that’s something else. But it was Doug. Doug sucks. Doug gave her DIRTY bathroom tile wallpaper in her living room, along with poop brown furniture. It sucked. I would have cried. But then again, I wouldn’t have gone on this show in the first place (of course!)
Pam’s grandmother was in the hospital–which she found out the day before the crew arrive. Sucky enough–but factor in #1 and that’s super sucky.
As stated in the contract, the phones were disconnected for filming…so, grandma’s in the hospital and she can’t call from either home, although I’m sure other means were used.
Now, I watched this show for the first time tonight after having read this thread, two threads about it at the TLC message board, and the linked article. I was expecting Pam to be hysterical, or controlling, or something other than what I saw. She seemed compliant and quiet (and actually, my hubby found Laureen to be the annoying one). I expected her crying to be loud wailing…but it was just a couple of semi-suppressed sobs.
BTW, this is the first full episode of this show I’ve seen.
Doug, IMHO, came across as a spoiled brat. A dick at times, but more or less he was just a “I want to paint the fireplace because that’s why I’m here” egotist. Another quote from the article, this time regarding The Fireplace:
Of course, as many here and at the TLC board protested, he didn’t paint it! He didn’t! See, it’s okay! But c’mon…that’s really walking a fine line. It’s in line with Bill Clinton saying “I did not have sex with that woman!” Technically true, but ducking the intended meaning. What Doug did was technically within the contract, but just an underhanded form of getting his way (which, it seemed from this one episode, is all he really wants).
About the final look: Very contempory, very dark, and rather severe. I would probably like it, but for such a conservative couple it was a ridiculous mismatch.
Ah, but there is absolute truth in this: ** You run the risk of U-G-L-Y (or at least So Not You) when you do a show like this. ** Their reaction was stronger than most people would have, but with a show like this, I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often.
If I were Doug, I would have written evil messages on her fire place in my own blood.
Besides, we are talking a fireplace for goodness sake, not life and death. Her grandma being sickly should have helped to put the whole interior design thing in perspective. And even if the TLC people did choose the room, she did know about it to some extent, hence the little notes. She could have backed out at the last minute instead of writing pretty little notes to place strategically around the room.
I wish Doug had painted evil messages all over the fireplace in his own blood. That would have given her something to freak out about. She had enough time to go around writing little notes and displaying them strategically around the room, so she should have had enough time to say “no.”
