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'Trading Spaces' Takes Paige From Its Past

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By WALT BELCHER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 26, 2008

TLC is turning a new page in "Trading Spaces" history by turning back - to Paige.

Paige Davis, the perky host who helped make the remodeling series a hit from 2001 to 2005, has returned for the eighth season, which begins at 10 tonight.

"New people have taken over the reins of the show, and they wanted me back," she said in a recent telephone interview, adding she was given a schedule that allows her time to pursue other interests, such as singing, dancing and acting.

"The schedule is less demanding, so I could come back and not completely destroy my marriage. It also feels good on a creative level, so the time seems right to come back."

As with the original version of the show, two teams of acquaintances each get a designer and carpenter to help them make over a room in the opposite team's home. The teams have to complete their makeovers for no more than $1,000.

A tweak in the format adds an intensity that Davis likes.

"And as icing on the cake, the people who are making the trades are more interesting," she said. "We are getting people with great stories that have interesting reasons for making the trade. The emotional stakes are higher."

For example, tonight's episode involves a divorced couple.

"The wife has remarried, and her ex-husband wants to redo her master bedroom and make it just right for her because he wants her to be happy," Davis said. "And he has not remarried, so his ex-wife wants to give him a fresh start so he can get on with his life.

"But some interesting things happen emotionally when they are forced to spend two intensive days on these projects. The ex-wife begins to realize that she had never allowed herself to feel sad about the end of the marriage. It was a loss, the end of a dream, and she couldn't really move on until she took the time to grieve over the loss."

Seeing Enemies In A New Light

On another program, feuding women who are bitter enemies come to see each other differently after spending time in each other's homes, Davis said.

"They see things like family photos, and each begins to realize that the other person is a mother and not a monster," she said.

Another episode involves a daughter who thinks her mother always favored her brother, so she wants to prove to Mom that she can do something right.

And in yet another, two moms try to restore the friendship between their feuding daughters - who happen to be on rival cheerleading teams.

"I wouldn't have believed that a two-day makeover could have such an impact unless I had seen it," Davis added.

Joining the host are four original designers who have been less frequent contributors during her absence: Frank Bielec, Laurie Hickson-Smith, Hildi Santo-Tomas and Doug Wilson.

"The most important thing is, viewers are getting their show back, the one they knew and loved," Davis said.

The 38-year-old still wants to perform on the stage. Since leaving "Trading Spaces," she starred in a national tour of the musical "Sweet Charity," as well as in Broadway's "Chicago." She also performed in a one-woman cabaret.

Off-The-Wall Attention

She was upset when she was unceremoniously dumped from the show in 2005, she said, when TLC said it needed an overhaul. The new format would not include a host.

She didn't understand the need for changes.

"We were successful, and we were among the first of the makeover shows," she said.

There was speculation that she was let go for making a splash in the national media. In 2004, she appeared on the cover of TV Guide wearing little more than strips of wallpaper.

Shortly after the TV Guide article, some revealing photographs of her surfaced on the Internet. The pictures, which showed her cleavage and thong underwear, were taken during a celebrity appearance at a charity event.

TLC officials have said there was no connection between the controversies and the format change.

Without Davis, "Trading Spaces," which had given TLC good ratings and a brand identity, floundered. Viewers never stopped asking for Davis' return, said Brant Pinvidic, TLC's vice president of programming.

"We kind of feel like the boyfriend who dumped her at the prom and are now coming back to ask her for a second chance," he told The Washington Post.

But can the show that also launched the career of affable carpenter Ty Pennington, who went on to become host of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," recapture its glory?

"We helped start the genre, and we have our niche," Davis said. "We never were a how-to show. We made home improvement fun.

"And now that our homeowners have more of a reason to make the trade work, we have something that makes the show fresh."

ON TELEVISION
Trading Spaces
WHAT: Home swap makeover show starts its eighth season with host Paige Davis.

WHEN: 10 tonight

WHERE: TLC

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

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