The Most Awkward Trading Spaces Moments That Were Caught On Camera
When it comes to home renovation shows, TLC's "Trading Spaces" was one of the most entertaining. Hosted by TV personality and actor Paige Davis, each episode featured two pairs of neighbors who wanted rooms in their houses revamped. With the assistance of designers and carpenters, the neighbors would swap homes for a few days and renovate each other's spaces (hence the name), keeping the changes under wraps until a ceremonious final reveal. Although the series is tragically no longer on the air, it had a good run — it aired from 2000 to 2008, with a brief revival from 2018 to 2019 — so there's plenty of material to look back on.
You'd think that since the couples who appeared on "Trading Spaces" were friends, they'd be able to redesign each other's rooms in accordance with each other's tastes. Alas, this wasn't always the case. When the designers wanted to try out a chaotic whim, they'd typically get their way — which led to plenty of situations that were cringeworthy, uncomfortable, or just plain odd. In a 2018 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Davis addressed these notable fails. "We remember those episodes because they were so rare. They stand out. The reason why they pop is because they didn't usually happen. So much of the time... they loved it." While this may be true, the awkward moments tend to be the most fun to revisit — and that's why we're rounding up ten of them here, from the infamous "hay room" to a menacing mural.
These homeowners said nay to straw walls
Designer Hildi Santo Tomas was notorious for incorporating unconventional twists into the rooms she renovated. Case in point: In one episode of "Trading Spaces," she glued pieces of straw all over the walls of a living room. That's right — homeowners April and Leslie walked into a room that had essentially been turned into a giant hay bale.
"It smells great in here," April remarked as Paige Davis led her through the doorway. "Well, open your eyes and see what it looks like," Davis said. Upon noticing the bizarre wall decor, April immediately squeaked out an expletive. Meanwhile, Leslie decided to address the elephant in the room: "The wall's a little bit funky. I'm not sure about this straw action here." April added, "I'm gonna be cleaning up straw for the rest of my life!"
This episode was so jaw-dropping that it caught the attention of SFGate. April and Leslie as well as their neighbors Mike and Rhea were interviewed about the makeover — and nobody had anything good to say about it. Apparently, Rhea had expressed concern that the hay-covered walls might pose a safety hazard to April and Leslie's small children, but her pleas were ignored. "The baby the next day was gagging on the hay," she said. Santo Tomas doubled down on her vision in a 2018 interview with People: "The straw was a great idea... I had seen it done in an ex-boyfriend's living room and it was a cool finish."
A new perspective didn't help this couple
In 2019, the "Trading Spaces" reboot proved that it could be just as awkward as the original series when designer Ty Pennington installed a fabric ceiling with a bizarre geometric pattern — and the neighbors helping him renovate the space were not enthusiastic about it, to say the least. Tara and Kin walked into the room dancing, eager to see his handiwork ... but when Pennington asked them, "What do you guys think?", Tara replied, "Hell no, to the no no no."
Pennington tried his best to change the couple's minds. "I think what it is, is you're not realizing the beauty of it because you really haven't soaked in the view," he said. He then instructed them to lie back on the ground and check out the renovations from a new angle. "Now do you see how more amazing the ceiling is?" he asked once they were all on the floor. His strategy didn't work as planned: "Hell no, to the no no no," Tara repeated.
Pennington was positive that he could persuade Tara, but she remained firm. "Are y'all gonna keep talking and try to convince me to like it? 'Cause I'm not gonna change my mind," she volleyed back. We have to hand it to her for her honesty.
This about-face was shocking, to say the least
"I like to be different. I like to be original. It's not about shock value. It's about pushing the envelope," "Trading Spaces" star Hildi Santo Tomas once told People TV. Sure enough, the designer likes to leave her stamp on every space she decorates. Walk into a room that she renovated and chances are you'll recognize her handiwork after the quickest of glances. This is especially true of one dining room she infamously overhauled. How can you tell it's a Hildi special? Because there's a giant mural of her face, naturally. The mural's background is a blinding shade of yellow. Santo Tomas's hair is a vibrant purple, while her skin and lips are different shades of pink. Her facial expression is locked in a wide-eyed, open-mouthed smile that's just a tad bit creepy.
Honestly, the work of art might have made for a fun souvenir if it had been hung as a canvas or framed and placed on a table — but it takes up an entire wall (and then some), meaning that there's no easy way for the homeowners to hide it if they don't want Santo Tomas' painted eyes staring into their souls as they eat their dinner. At least it adds a pop of color to its surroundings.
This Prince-themed living room reveal threatened to get messy
The Prince-themed episode of "Trading Spaces" is infamous for being hard to watch ... or fun to watch, if you're entertained by home decor fails. Both couples featured on the show wanted renovations inspired by the late superstar musician. Both were unhappy with their rooms — and they weren't afraid to express their disappointment.
When Paige Davis showed the Blue Team their newly renovated basement, the wife was less than pleased. "What the f***?" she called out, unable to hide her shock. Although the room didn't look too out of the ordinary (no bizarre murals or hay-covered walls here), we understand her surprise, as it didn't seem Prince-themed in the slightest. You would expect the room to at least feature a pop of purple, the singer's signature color.
After staring into space, the homeowner boldly declared, "I'm about to pee myself." "You're about to what?" Davis responded, keeping her cool. "Pee myself," the homeowner repeated as her husband chuckled hesitantly. The situation grew increasingly awkward as everyone realized the extent of the homeowner's disappointment. "All I asked for was a Prince room," she sighed. "You've got your little red Corvette in here," Davis pointed out, referring to the Prince song of the same name. Cut to a shot of a red Corvette figurine on a coffee table — perhaps the only allusion to the artist in the entire space. Needless to say, the homeowner was not satisfied. "This is disgusting," she concluded.
Another Prince-themed room hit all the wrong notes
You know an episode of "Trading Spaces" is historically awkward when the room reveals begin with a warning. After the first homeowners had quite the adverse reaction to their renovated basement in the show's Prince-themed episode, Paige Davis felt the need to tread with caution while leading the Orange Team into their new room. "I know you guys did work hard. I know it was contentious over there. But over here, they were working really hard, too," she said. "And you do have a brand new basement that is a lounge where you can entertain. Open your eyes!"
Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. "Oh, f*** no," the wife said before looking around in stunned silence. Somehow, this room seemed even less Prince-themed than the last one — the walls were bright blue, and not a single reference to Prince or his songs could be spotted. When the neighbors were brought back in, the Blue Team wife jokingly put her hands around the Orange Team wife as if to choke her before wrapping her in a hug. "I cannot remember ever a time when we have had two negative reveals in one show," Davis remarked. "It's not so much negative," the Blue Team husband offered, trying to be helpful. The Orange Team wife doubled down, saying what no Trading Spaces contestant had dared to verbalize before: "I like Hildi personality-wise ... but I don't like her style at all." Yikes.
DIY is not for everyone
Just because "Trading Spaces" was a major TV program, that doesn't mean the teams had millions of dollars to work with. During the original run, each team was given $1,000. The amount was doubled to $2,000 for the reboot — a significant increase, but still relatively tight when compared to the budgets for other home improvement shows. This means that sometimes designers had to think outside the box — as we can see in "Trading Spaces designer" Vern Yip's first appearance when he had a homeowner work on some DIY ceiling lamps with him.
"We are going to make beautiful light fixtures on our budget because we can't afford to buy them," he announced, presenting his team with two materials: a spool of white yarn and two silver exercise balls. The idea was to wrap the yarn strategically around the balls, creating eye-catching patterns. Although Yip's final product looked stellar, the same could not be said about the tangled, knotted mass that the homeowner created.
"I am definitely not cut out for this," she commented, beholding her masterpiece. She and Yip began laughing as he asked her, "What happened?" "I don't know! I don't know what happened," she replied. Neither do we.
The Sandman paid this room a visit
In one of the most infamous episodes of "Trading Spaces," Hildi Santo Tomas spearheaded the design of a beach-themed room. Her plan to make it feel authentic involved rolling a giant wheelbarrow of sand through the door and spilling it all over the floor. "No!" one of the homeowners helping her renovate the room cried out, holding a hand to her mouth in shock at the sight. Santo Tomas was oblivious to her terror. "Now we can take our shoes off and get the sand in our toes!" she exclaimed, clearly satisfied with her master plan. The walls of the rooms didn't help matters much, calling to mind a circus tent with its giant red and yellow stripes.
The couple who owned the house didn't have the worst reaction in the world to the big reveal. The wife dropped to the floor in a raucous fit of laughter, while the husband just shook his head. "Look!" she screamed. "I don't want to," he mumbled, his expression between amusement and fear.
In her 2018 interview with People, Santo Tomas looked back on the iconic moment. "The homeowners wanted an adult retreat, so what's more of an adult retreat than a cabana? It was a fabulous room." Apparently, she accounted for the potential mess that the sand might make: "I even had a little pail of water so they could clean their feet." We can't help but wonder if the space is intact today.
These homeowners had one rule, but the designers ignored it
Some "Trading Spaces" guests think that they can avoid a disastrous makeover by specifying their wishes to the designers ahead of time. Oh, the foolishness. If you've watched enough episodes of the series, you know that when a designer has a grand vision, resistance is futile. Homeowners Nancy and Lenny learned this lesson when they dared to appear on the show.
Nancy and Lenny explained that they had one stipulation for the room: no Asian-inspired decor. (Keep in mind that this was the early 2000s, when "exotic" home decor was just one of the questionable design trends sweeping America by storm.) Alas, designer Genevieve Gorder had a different idea. She went for a Japanese-inspired concept, even fashioning curtains out of the obi (or sash) from a kimono. When Nancy and Lenny opened their eyes, their befuddled expressions said it all.
Perhaps the most awkward moment occurred when Paige Davis asked them what they thought of some throw pillows. "Do you like the fabric on the pillows?" she inquired. "Umm ..." Nancy stammered. Lenny jumped in, clearly trying to smooth over the situation: "I do, I do." Eventually, Nancy came clean: "I'm not sure about the fabric on the pillows." Davis continued to nudge her, ever the picture of diplomacy: "Do you like the idea of them? You don't have to." Nancy wasn't much more cooperative. "Not really," she finally admitted.
These partitions caused a problem
On yet another memorable episode of "Trading Spaces," homeowners Chris and Casey opened their eyes to a room that heavily featured a sunburst motif. One would think that such a symbol would lead to a warm reception, but instead, Casey's reaction was rather stormy. "Definitely, the thing above the bed has got to go," she insisted, pointing to a mirror with a sunburst border. When a homeowner refers to a mirror as a "thing," you know you're off to a rocky start.
Chris jumped in with some positivity: "These sunburst walls are really cool," he commented, noting he liked the partitions that the designers had installed. Casey's reaction couldn't have been more displeased. "Oh, that? No. I don't like that ... I don't like the partitions ... I absolutely hate the partitions," she groaned. Paige Davis tried to moderate — "He likes the partitions," she chimed in — but her efforts were fruitless." "I'm sure he does," Casey retorted. "That doesn't mean they're gonna stay!"
Shortly after this exchange, their neighbors came in with glasses of wine. Casey reached for one eagerly, calling out, "I will need a drink!" When they, too, tried to hype up the partitions, Casey met them with the same rage: "I'm sure you do! You wanna help me take them down?" If we had to take a guess, we'd wager that those partitions are long gone.
This fireplace drove a woman to tears
In what is perhaps the most awkward moment in "Trading Spaces" history — and possibly the history of home improvement reality television — homeowners Pam and John had quite the adverse reaction to their fireplace, which designer Doug chose to have remodeled against their wishes. When Paige Davis introduced them to their new room, John opted for a diplomatic response: "Wow ... It's different," he remarked. Pam, on the other hand, raised her eyebrows and made a face. "Well ... I like the wainscoting," she commented after an uncomfortably long pause.
All hell broke loose when Davis asked, "The real question is, what do you think about the fireplace?" Pam's curt response said it all: "You guys are gonna be fixing that in a little bit." An even longer silence ensued, only broken by John's occasional huffs. Pam eventually whispered, "I'm gonna have to leave the room now" and ducked out. John took this opportunity to state the obvious: "Boy, she's not happy."
Believe it or not, the situation got even more awkward after that. Pam forgot to turn her mic off once she stepped off camera — so as Davis tried to make conversation with John, her sniffles and sobs rang out loud and clear. It wasn't all a waste, though: when Davis asked, "Did you enjoy the experience?" John said, "I loved it. These two minutes ... I would go through [them] again just to go through this experience." Well, that's good to hear.