Designers

• Trish Beaudet
• Jennifer Bertrand
  Jennifer Bertrand
  Jennifer Bertrand is the host of Home & Garden Television's Paint-Over! with Jennifer Bertrand and the season three champion of HGTV Design Star. Paint-Over! with Jennifer Bertrand is an hour long show that showcases Jennifer's decorative painting and murals...
  
  
• Stephanie Cook
• D. Paul DeRouen
• Tracee Dore
• Matt Locke
• Jerome "Scottie" Miller
• Michael Stribling
• Mikey Verdugo

The winning designer was:

• Jennifer Bertrand
  Jennifer Bertrand
  Jennifer Bertrand is the host of Home & Garden Television's Paint-Over! with Jennifer Bertrand and the season three champion of HGTV Design Star. Paint-Over! with Jennifer Bertrand is an hour long show that showcases Jennifer's decorative painting and murals...
  
  ; show: Paint-Over! with Jennifer Bertrand

Contestant progress

Place	Contestant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Vote	Comments
1	Jennifer	LOW	LOW	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	IN	IN	WINNER	Winner of Design Star season 3
2	Matt	HIGH	HIGH	LOW	IN	LOW	IN	IN	RUNNER-UP	Elimin: Season 3 Finale
3	Trish	HIGH	LOW	IN	HIGH	HIGH	OUT			Elimin: Hometown Design
4	Mikey V	IN	HIGH	IN	HIGH	OUT				Elimin: Final Five Heat Up the Kitchen
5	Tracee	LOW	LOW	LOW	HIGH	OUT				Elimin: Final Five Heat Up the Kitchen
6	Stephanie	LOW	HIGH	HIGH	OUT					Elimin: Celebrity Suites
7	Michael	HIGH	HIGH	OUT						Elimin: Passport to Design
8	D. Paul	IN	OUT							Elimin: Making Design History
9	Scottie	OUT								Elimin: Home Sweet Lake Home

(WINNER) The designer won America's vote and the competition.

(RUNNER-UP) The designer lost America's vote and received second place.

(WIN) The designer was selected as the top entry in the Elimination Challenge, and was named the best of the week.

(HIGH) The designer was selected as one of the top entries in the Elimination Challenge, but did not win.

(IN) The designer was not selected as either top entry or bottom entry in the Elimination Challenge, and advanced to the next challenge.

(LOW) The designer was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Elimination Challenge, but was not deemed the worst of the designers who advanced in that particular week.

(LOW) The designer was selected as one of the bottom two entries in the Elimination Challenge, and was deemed the worst of the designers who advanced in that particular week.

(OUT) The designer was eliminated from the competition.

Episode 1: Meet the Cast

The first episode of the third season aired on Sunday, June 8, 2008, where only nine contestants were chosen out of an array of designers chosen to be flown to Los Angeles to audition. The judges had picked only eight at the end of the selection process, but allowed America to select who they wanted to see on Design Star by a voting process on HGTV's website. The winner of the online contest was Stephanie Cook.

• First aired: June 8, 2008

Challenge 1: Home Sweet Lake Home

At the end of the first episode where the designers were chosen, Clive Pearse indicated that the selected designers would have to build their own living space near a lake in Nashville, Tennessee. The designers were given a $100,000 budget and were provided with lumber and the necessary tools to equip them in their conquest. However, in the second episode, which was a continuance of the first, Clive indicated that this was simply a hoax and they would not have to endure building their own house. Clive took them to their lake house on a boat where the designers learned they would be designing the following rooms of their new house: living room, dining room and two bedrooms. The designs of the following four rooms can be seen on HGTV's Design Star webpage where they can be voted on whether they are liked or disliked. Near the judging process, there were many disagreements and bickering followed through into the waiting room while the judges discussed the designers' fates. At the end of the first elimination, it came down to Stephanie Cook, the online winner, and Scottie Miller, where Scottie was eliminated for his poor decisions in spatial configuration and design theme.

• Area designed:
  • Living Room/Sunroom: D. Paul, Michael, Tracee, Trish
  • Dining Room: Jennifer and Stephanie
  • Upstairs Bedroom: Scottie
  • Downstairs Bedroom: Matt and Mikey V
• ELIMINATED: Scottie
• First aired: June 15, 2008

Challenge 2: Making Design History

The third episode of Design Star continued with the eight remaining designers choosing one special item from a yard sale in their lake home's front yard. After the designers selected their item, they were divided into four teams of two, each designing a living room at the Oak Mansion in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The mansion has four identical living rooms, therefore it is why the challenge was based there. The designers were challenged to incorporate the item they chose from the yard sale into their design in an innovative manner. Again, there were disagreements as the designers tried to combine their different design styles into one cohesive space. During the episode, the mansion is stated to be haunted and whether coincidence or not, objects would fly off the walls and equipment would go missing. During the elimination process, again, Tracee had difficulty relating to her partner as well as her space. Tracee, as well as D. Paul, were selected to be in the bottom two where D. Paul was eliminated because he put his team in jeopardy.

• Area designed:
  • Living Room #1: Tracee and Jennifer
  • Living Room #2: Mikey V and Stephanie
  • Living Room #3: Matt and Michael
  • Living Room #4: D. Paul and Trish
• ELIMINATED: D. Paul
• First aired: June 22, 2008

Challenge 3: Passport to Design

The fourth episode of Design Star continued with the seven remaining designers finding out that they would be traveling to an airport because they would be designing rooms around the world. When the designers arrived at the airport, they were faced with the infamous paint can with a star informing them of their location. They also found out that this was the first individual challenge with the, also, infamous white rooms. The designers were able to create a room for Italy, Mexico or Thailand, with one paint can being empty, which let that one designer choose whatever country he wanted. Michael chose the empty paint can and decided to choose Spain as his inspiration. The designers were then informed they would be able to shop at Michael's Arts and Crafts store with a budget of $500 and only 60 minutes to acquire all of their necessities for their spaces. The designers then had 12 hours to create the room based on the country they have previously chosen. Before the elimination round, the designers were driven to a building where they met Angelo Surmelis

Angelo Surmelis

Angelo Surmelis is a German-born Greek-American professional designer who resides in Los Angeles. He has been a professional designer since 1995. His clients included entertainment companies , television shows , as well as private individuals. His company name is...

, host of Rate My Space, and Lisa LaPorta, designer on Designed to Sell

Designed to Sell

Designed to Sell is an HGTV American reality television show hosted by Clive Pearse, Shane Tallant, Michael Johnson, and Rachel Reenstra, and produced by Pie Town Productions and Edelman Productions . Each 30-minute episode focuses on the fixing up and renovation of a home that is about to go on...

, and learned both of them were elated about the series and who would become the next Design Star. At the elimination round, the judges were on edge about the ways the designers brought that certain culture through into their space. The judges did not find any reason to pinpoint one person as a possible future Design Star, which left the game field in reach for everyone. The decision on who would be eliminated, though, came down to Matt, Michael and Tracee, where Michael was eliminated for his take on a hip Spanish lounge.

• Area designed: White Room
  • Italy: Tracee and Jennifer
  • Mexico: Trish and Stephanie
  • Thailand: Mikey V and Matt
  • Spain (choice): Michael
• ELIMINATED: Michael
• First aired: June 29, 2008

Challenge 4: Celebrity Suites

The fifth episode of Design Star continued with the six remaining designers designing celebrity suites at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center

Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, formerly known as Opryland Hotel, is a large hotel and convention center located in Nashville, Tennessee and owned by Gaylord Hotels, a division of Gaylord Entertainment Company...

 in Nashville, Tennessee. The designers were separated into two teams, dodgeball style, where the two designers with a star would be the team leaders (Jennifer and Trish), with team one consisting of Jennifer, Stephanie and Matt and team two consisting of Trish, Mikey V. and Tracee. The designers later met with country singer Sara Evans

Sara Evans

Sara Lynn Evans is an American country singer and songwriter.Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Evans has made five No. 1 Country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by...

, where they used her tour bus to meet at her house to discuss design options. Sara Evans mentioned she was interested in shabby chic yet southern elegance. After meeting with her, the designers headed off to work on their spaces. They were given 28 hours of worktime, over a course of three days, and $15,000 to transform bland celebrity suites into a likable suite by Sara Evans. When Clive came in to announce the end of the challenge, he notified them that they would be presenting their space outside the Gaylord Opryland with their hosting abilities. During the elimination, team two (Trish, Mikey V and Tracee) came out on top with many elements of Sara's preferred design styles while team one failed to meet spatial configuration and style suitable for the suite. The bottom three were Matt, Stephanie and Jennifer, with Stephanie being eliminated because of a horrible couch choice.

• Area designed: Celebrity Suites
  • Team One: Jennifer, Matt, Stephanie
  • Team Two: Trish, Mikey V., Tracee
• ELIMINATED: Stephanie
• First aired: July 6, 2008

Challenge 5: Final Five Heat Up the Kitchen

The sixth episode of Design Star continued with the final five working together again as a team in order to transform a drab kitchen in 24 hours. The designers were given a $10,000 budget with Sears gift cards for appliances. The designers were first, though, placed in front of the infamous paint cans where they learned the designer choosing the star would be the team captain. Tracee became the team captain, with the other designers in disappointment. It was also revealed that two designers would be eliminated after this challenge, as well as having their hosting abilities tested again. Before the designers began transforming the kitchen for a Nashville family of 4, Trish needed medical attention to remove her wedding band that had started to cut off circulation toward her wrist after a mishap moving furniture during the first challenge left her with a swollen finger. Two firemen came to the house where the designers were making over a kitchen and removed the band. Before long, the designers began to bicker about Tracee's inability to maintain leadership in the group and she continued to prove that she was incapable of listening or following her fellow designers' requests. On the second day of the renovation, Carter Oosterhouse

Carter Oosterhouse

Carter Oosterhouse is an American television personality and model, who was born in Traverse City, Michigan. Oosterhouse first gained national fame as a carpenter on the TLC series Trading Spaces and has hosted other home improvement and how-to television shows...

 of HGTV's Carter Can showed up to talk with the remaining designers and encouraged them to finish their project. He had told the designers that he has done approximately 400 makeovers and never has not finished a project, which led the designers to scramble to do the same. When the elimination round came, the designers were faced again with a hosting challenge, where Trish and Jennifer excelled. But before their hosting was taken into account, the room itself was discussed and Vern indicated that it is the first kitchen in Design Star history to be completed, but it was "boring." Martha had also stated that it was very predictable, therefore not very much a success. Tracee was the first to be an eliminated due to her inability to take responsibility for her decisions after labeling Trish's incident as a significant reason the kitchen failed. The final decision came down to Mikey V. and Matt, where Mikey V. was eliminated over his nerves in front of the camera. The final three remaining are Trish, Jennifer and Matt.

• Area designed: Kitchen makeover
  • Team Captain: Tracee
• ELIMINATED: Tracee and Mikey V.
• First aired: July 13, 2008

Challenge 6: Hometown Design

The seventh episode of Design Star continued with the three remaining designers doing another challenge, this time involving families. However, the designers did not realize that the families would be family members of their own. Clive had the three remaining designers stand in the work room where the paint cans are stored, and they watched videos from family members who needed their assistance. The designers were informed they would be designing family rooms with 26 hours and a budget of $10,000. Jennifer was sent to Iowa to help her sister, Trish was sent to Michigan where her parents are located, and Matt was sent to Colorado where his own parents live. The three designers were given a helping hand by being given a carpenter of their own, with each showing responsibility for the project they were given. When the designers were finished, they headed into the elimination room where they would find out who would be the final two to participate in the final challenge. Jennifer was critiqued with a rather decent liking, and her sister was very pleased with her design decisions, even though she covered the wood floor. Matt's design was well liked by his parents, but this did not cross over to the judging panel. Vern was impressed with the innovative way Matt hid the kiln, but Martha was displeased with him choosing four bulky, black, leather chairs to cause imbalance in the space. Trish's space was well liked, as well, by the three designers, even though one of the judges stated that it was rather "textbook" design, causing the elimination to be unknown at the end of the viewing. The judging came down to Trish being eliminated, with the final two being Matt and Jennifer.

• Area designed: Family member rooms
  • Location: Jennifer (Iowa), Matt (Colorado), and Trish (Michigan)
• ELIMINATED: Trish
• First aired: July 20, 2008

Challenge 7: Designing for America's Heroes

The eighth episode of Design Star continued with the final two designers traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

 to makeover houses for two families who were victims of Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

. The designers would be given a $20,000 budget, with Sears supplying appliances and Lumber Liquidators supplying hardwood flooring, and a total of 36 work hours over 4 days. The designers would have to redesign the living room, the dining room and the kitchen on the budget they were given. The designers were assigned to help officers who worked after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area. On day one, the designers were given one carpenter to assist them with their challenge. On day two, however, they were given three carpenters, along with a past eliminated contestant from the show, to help them with their challenge. Mikey V. and Trish returned to help them along with their makeovers. Matt chose Trish out of the paint can after he picked the one with the New Orleans knickknacks inside, which meant he decided who would get which designer first. Matt let Jennifer have Mikey V. because of his experience in carpentry. On day three of the renovation, the two eliminated designers switched; Trish went with Jennifer while Mikey V. with Matt, and the three carpenters the show had given them all followed suit. On the fourth day, however, they were not entitled to have any more assistance from others, which stressed Jennifer out because of the amount of work that was required in a 36 hour time frame. After the 4 days were finished, the designers assembled outside of the houses they redesigned to meet the judges one last time before they were, again, tested on their hosting abilities as the judges watched in an enclosed, private room. The designers then met with the two families and showed them their newly renovated rooms. Near the end of the experience, the St. Augustine High School

St. Augustine High School (New Orleans)

St. Augustine High School or "St. Aug" is an all-boys parochial high school in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1951 and covers grades 6 through 12 .-History:...

band played for the families and the designers, and Clive announced that HGTV would be donating $5,000 to the band for its efforts to keep the town together after the tragedy. This was the final episode before America voted for who they wanted to become the next Design Star. Voting ended on Wednesday at 10:00 A.M. Eastern time.

• Area designed: Living Room, Dining Room and Kitchen
  • Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
• First aired: July 27, 2008

Episode 8: America Decides!

The ninth episode of Design Star was the season 3 finale, where the designers met once again before an audience to find out who would be revealed as the winner. The winner of Design Star season 3 was Jennifer. Jennifer's show, entitled Paint Over was scheduled to begin in January 2009 but did not air until September 7, 2009. The sizable delay spawned rumors that HGTV execs did not want her to win the competition and thereby canceled her show before it even aired.

• ELIMINATED: Matt
• First aired: August 3, 2008