HGTV SHOWDOWN

HGTV, 10pm et/pt (Sunday, July 5)

By Jose Salazar

If television has done nothing else for society, I think it’s fair to say watching TV has become perhaps the best way to zone out – relax, leave the day behind, say “adios.”

And some television shows are perfectly suited for this task. They don’t ask too much of us. We’re not challenged to think or ponder. We don’t get riled up and storm off.

We just sit there, our minds drifting to some faraway thoughts.

HGTV Showdown, a fluffy piece of fluffy fluff, is a show that’s perfectly suited to this kind of mental vacation.

Now, before I give the impression that this is a wonderful show, a classic, it’s not.

This is a good show that’s worth watching, although it could use a bit of editing to speed up the pace. Missing an episode or two won’t hurt. Coming in late to the season won’t make any difference.

This is a competition show without any real prize at stake. The fun is simply in watching designers design rooms.

In the case of Showdown, HGTV stars are pitted against one another.

They pair up in teams of two and each redesign the exact same room for a family who gets to pick which design will go in their home.

The odd thing is that the designers design the room – two, one per team – on a soundstage. The room is recreated – shag carpet and all – and designers fix it up.

The family whose room is getting redesigned is handed $10,000, I suppose with the thought they’ll use it to redesign the actual room in question.

This weekend, HGTV designers Sabrina Soto and Matthew Finlason pair up with celebrities Drew Lachey and Kristi Yamaguchi.

Video Clips: hgtv.com/hgtv-showdown/show/index.html

Content: Appropriate for all ages