# WYWO: Goodbye Teresa, Hello Evan **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103 "2003-08-23T04:57:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/1 "2003-08-23T04:57:04Z")
So tonight was the debut of the new host of _While You Were Out_, Evan Farmer. Former host [Teresa Strasser bowed out because of the strenuous pace of the production](http://www.teresastrasser.com/pages/goodbye.html), bringing this relative unknown to the helm of the series. The debut show itself was weird, in that a bunch of dumb coincidences and poor secret keeping left the surprisee unsurprised. After the irate husband of a couple of weeks ago, having one who _knew_ what was happening was almost too much. At least this time the design was (as usual) a Chayse Decoda masterpiece, so the situation wasn’t compounded with ranting and anger. But back to Evan. He’s very cute, he didn’t seem quite as game to jump in and paint or do decor projects as Teresa (or the first host, Anna Bocci) but he seemed to have fun helping Andrew move the massive carpentry installations and doing other heavy lifting and manly man things. He doesn’t seem to have quite the same facility with the lingo of decorating that his predecessors did. As he said “I’m going to have to study the crayon box.” But _if_ he can stick it out longer than the gals, I could see him changing perspectives the whole home-improvement show schtick – he’s a good foil to Andrew Dan-Jumbo, he’s not a fey designer ala [Robert](http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/surprisebydesign/bios/robert.html), nor abrasive ala Doug Wilson, nor is he a Bieleckian character. He’s just a ringer t-shirt wearing dude. He’s a first! What do the decor-show habitue Dopers think of Mr. Farmer? ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/2 "2003-08-23T05:15:39Z")
According to his [bio](http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/wywo/bio/bio_10.html) at TLC, he studied architecture at Tulane and worked for a while as a graphic designer before starting his own home renovation business. Obviously, he’s capable of helping out. I think he’ll do more as he finds his place on the show. He also appeared on _2GE+HER_, a really silly MTV affair, and has hosted TRL on occasion. Apparently also has a band of some sort. And he’s really, really cute. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/3 "2003-08-23T13:14:38Z")
I missed it, and didn’t realize this was the debut of the new host. I’ll have to catch the repeat later today. How did the husband know what was going on? Like the other one, where the radio station announced the WYWO truck was in his neighborhood or something? ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/4 "2003-08-23T15:32:33Z")
I think he said that he saw signs out near his front yard the week before with shooting times and other information on them. Apparently, one of the staffers really dropped the ball. Early in the episode, he called the wife and said he was suspicious of everything, but it later comes out that he’s known all along. He decides to take an early train home and freaks everyone out. Real nice guy, tho. I was fearing another fishing wharf meltdown. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Wrong_Girl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/5 "2003-08-23T15:37:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tlw \* > \*\*nor is he a Bieleckian character. \*\* This made me giggle. I don’t know–I really liked Teresa. She was my dream host–nice, but always ready with a good quip. She won an Emmy for television writing, which really impressed me. It was really nice to see someone who I thought was truly intelligent on these sorts of shows, and that’s why I liked her. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/6 "2003-08-23T15:48:41Z")
I knew Evan looked familiar. No, I didn’t watch 2GE+HER. Why are you looking at me like that? I didn’t watch it! Honestly! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/7 "2003-08-23T18:23:14Z")
Damn. I went to the TLC website to see when this one was going to be one again, and I found out this show (last night’s) and next week’s show were filmed here in Baltimore. I am so insanely jealous. I applied to be on _WYWO_ last spring (stop looking at me that way!) and never heard back from them. I think I’ll boycott the show just on principle. Bastards. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![serenitynow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@serenitynow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/serenitynow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/8 "2003-08-26T03:09:18Z")
I think Teresa made the show what it is. Evan left me clammy. His voiceovers are ho-riffic. I am most likely a former watcher of WYWO. Maybe I will catch the last few minutes to see the final result every so often, but Evan got on my nerves, and the chemistry is just not the same. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wywo-goodbye-teresa-hello-evan/197103/9 "2003-08-26T05:00:10Z")
I miss Teresa’s attitude and general level of snark; I usually think that if the TS staff went a little nutty and let Paige go, she’d be similarly attitudeful. Evan seems nicer than Teresa, but he may be allowed to get a little ruder later on. That said, Evan is really cute, even though his voice is a little strange for a host.