While You Were Out
Encyclopedia
While You Were Out was an hour-long American television reality program that aired episodes on the cable channel TLC
. The format of the show is similar to TLC
's Trading Spaces
(which, in turn, is based on the BBC
TV series Changing Rooms
). While You Were Out adds a suspenseful gimmick
by keeping the entire redecoration a secret from the homeowner.
While the person is out, the friend or family member with the help of a designer redecorates one room in the house, though gardens have also been made over. The initial budget for the makeover was U.S. $1000, later raised to $1500, and then $2000.
The designers must work with the homeowner to come up with a design, shop for supplies and redecorate the selected area within a 32-hour time frame, though during the beginning of the show's run, the designers designed a room, and it was a surprise to the helping homeowner/friend when the host and designer showed up on the first day. While the redecoration is in progress, a "secret shooter" trails the person who has been sent out of the house and tapes an interview with the unsuspecting person. The footage is then used for the purpose of quizzing the spouse, friend or relative at home. If the person who sets up the individual answers the questions correctly, they will win a prize that further enhances the room's décor.
At the end of the show, the person being surprised returns home to the redecoration, and their reaction is recorded. The surprised person is then quizzed for the opportunity to win a further prize.
One of the aspects that made both Trading Spaces and While You Were Out stand apart from previous home renovation shows was that they openly depicted conflict between the cast, crew and homeowners. These conflicts were usually fairly friendly, but sometimes devolved into rather bitter arguments. While You Were Out, in particular, revealed many personality quirks of both the cast and guests.
On some occasions, the individual to be surprised disliked the redesign of the home. Teresa Strasser
's final episode has become infamous for just this reason. The homeowner returned to find that his deck had a large hole in it, and subsequently launched into a lengthy tirade while his wife wept.
The premise of the show evolved somewhat as the series progressed (see below for details).
" was a fun, toy version of the real thing (for example, a globe pencil sharpener instead of a real globe). The show was first hosted by Anna Bocci, who swiftly departed and was replaced by actress and writer Teresa Strasser, who remained for the rest of the first season. Strasser never considered herself terribly handy but compensated with her empathy for the homeowners—their travails drove her to tears on several occasions—and a sometimes dark sense of humor. During the Strasser era, the humorously "sneaky" aspect of the show was stressed, and many episodes began with Strasser and the designer hiding in a van or a neighbor's house early in the morning and observing the departure of the unsuspecting makeover subject.
At the beginning of season 2, Evan Farmer
came aboard as host. An actor, singer and former boyband member, Farmer was much more high-energy than Strasser and was a skilled carpenter in his own right. While Strasser's humor had been verbal, Farmer tended more toward physical comedy. Farmer also enjoyed a teasing relationship with the show's designers and carpenters: where Strasser tended to lead with a nervous, mother-hen approach, Farmer was likely to chide the crew for wasting time or for their personal quirks such as Jason Cameron's sideline as a bodybuilder. New music and some new graphics were introduced, the quizzes were reduced to three, and booby prizes were eliminated. The homeowner only had to answer two quizzes, and the unsuspecting person would answer the third quiz. The third quiz question was always the same: Why did the homeowner want to do the room makeover for their loved one? Only once did an unsuspecting person get the answer wrong and lose the prize.
Both Strasser and Farmer had considerable difficulty letting guests lose prizes; on more than one occasion, they would offer "hints" so obvious that they essentially gave the prize away.
In the beginning of season 3, the budget was raised to $2,000 and quizzes kept the same. Toward the end of season 3, the quizzes and secret shooter were eliminated entirely. The homeowners also became more involved in the designing of the room.
Season 4 was the show's final season, with the concluding episode airing on August 5, 2006. The final episode was beset with problems, including illnesses on set and Farmer's flight not arriving until the final day of the shoot. The episode ended without an obvious acknowledgment that it was the series finale, although Farmer did passingly refer to the final scene as "the end of the era" and designer John Bruce addressed the camera in close up to say, "Thank You, While You Were Out." At the very end, Farmer told the audience, "We'll see you next time on While You Were Out," perhaps out of habit or perhaps so that audiences would keep watching reruns without knowing the show was no longer in production.
Due to the success of the show in Latin America, Mientras No Estabas was created for the Discovery En Español channel. The show's name is a literal translation of While You Were Out and is hosted by Arturo.
Hosts
Designers
Landscape Designers
Carpenters
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
. The format of the show is similar to TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
's Trading Spaces
Trading Spaces
Trading Spaces is an hour-long American television reality program that aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms. The show ran for eight seasons....
(which, in turn, is based on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series Changing Rooms
Changing Rooms (TV series)
Changing Rooms is a Do It Yourself home improvement show broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC between the years 1996 and 2004. The show was one of a number of home improvement and lifestyle shows popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s...
). While You Were Out adds a suspenseful gimmick
Gimmick
In marketing language, a gimmick is a unique or quirky special feature that makes something "stand out" from its contemporaries. However, the special feature is typically thought to be of little relevance or use. Thus, a gimmick is a special feature for the sake of having a special feature...
by keeping the entire redecoration a secret from the homeowner.
Premise of show
The series began with the following premise: An individual sets up a friend or family member with a surprise room redecoration. A typical example of an episode would be a wife who wants to surprise her husband by having the living room redone. The person being set up is sent out of the house for two days on a phony premise, such as a vacation.While the person is out, the friend or family member with the help of a designer redecorates one room in the house, though gardens have also been made over. The initial budget for the makeover was U.S. $1000, later raised to $1500, and then $2000.
The designers must work with the homeowner to come up with a design, shop for supplies and redecorate the selected area within a 32-hour time frame, though during the beginning of the show's run, the designers designed a room, and it was a surprise to the helping homeowner/friend when the host and designer showed up on the first day. While the redecoration is in progress, a "secret shooter" trails the person who has been sent out of the house and tapes an interview with the unsuspecting person. The footage is then used for the purpose of quizzing the spouse, friend or relative at home. If the person who sets up the individual answers the questions correctly, they will win a prize that further enhances the room's décor.
At the end of the show, the person being surprised returns home to the redecoration, and their reaction is recorded. The surprised person is then quizzed for the opportunity to win a further prize.
One of the aspects that made both Trading Spaces and While You Were Out stand apart from previous home renovation shows was that they openly depicted conflict between the cast, crew and homeowners. These conflicts were usually fairly friendly, but sometimes devolved into rather bitter arguments. While You Were Out, in particular, revealed many personality quirks of both the cast and guests.
On some occasions, the individual to be surprised disliked the redesign of the home. Teresa Strasser
Teresa Strasser
Teresa Lynn Strasser is an American writer and television personality known for hosting the first season of the home makeover show While You Were Out on TLC. She also co-hosted The Adam Carolla Show.-Personal life:...
's final episode has become infamous for just this reason. The homeowner returned to find that his deck had a large hole in it, and subsequently launched into a lengthy tirade while his wife wept.
The premise of the show evolved somewhat as the series progressed (see below for details).
Show history and seasonal variations
During season 1 there were four quizzes. The individual who was arranging the surprise (referred to as the "homeowner") for their loved one had to answer three of the quizzes. For each quiz there was a "booby prize" in case the homeowner failed the quiz. Normally the "booby prizeBooby prize
A booby prize is a joke prize usually given in recognition of a terrible performance or last-place finish. A person who finishes last, for example, may get a booby prize such as a worthless coin. Booby prizes are sometimes humorously and jokingly coveted as an object of pride.Booby prizes, however,...
" was a fun, toy version of the real thing (for example, a globe pencil sharpener instead of a real globe). The show was first hosted by Anna Bocci, who swiftly departed and was replaced by actress and writer Teresa Strasser, who remained for the rest of the first season. Strasser never considered herself terribly handy but compensated with her empathy for the homeowners—their travails drove her to tears on several occasions—and a sometimes dark sense of humor. During the Strasser era, the humorously "sneaky" aspect of the show was stressed, and many episodes began with Strasser and the designer hiding in a van or a neighbor's house early in the morning and observing the departure of the unsuspecting makeover subject.
At the beginning of season 2, Evan Farmer
Evan Farmer
Evan Ragland Farmer, Jr. is an American actor, musician, designer, songwriter and television personality.-Career:Farmer then moved to NYC to get started in the entertainment business...
came aboard as host. An actor, singer and former boyband member, Farmer was much more high-energy than Strasser and was a skilled carpenter in his own right. While Strasser's humor had been verbal, Farmer tended more toward physical comedy. Farmer also enjoyed a teasing relationship with the show's designers and carpenters: where Strasser tended to lead with a nervous, mother-hen approach, Farmer was likely to chide the crew for wasting time or for their personal quirks such as Jason Cameron's sideline as a bodybuilder. New music and some new graphics were introduced, the quizzes were reduced to three, and booby prizes were eliminated. The homeowner only had to answer two quizzes, and the unsuspecting person would answer the third quiz. The third quiz question was always the same: Why did the homeowner want to do the room makeover for their loved one? Only once did an unsuspecting person get the answer wrong and lose the prize.
Both Strasser and Farmer had considerable difficulty letting guests lose prizes; on more than one occasion, they would offer "hints" so obvious that they essentially gave the prize away.
In the beginning of season 3, the budget was raised to $2,000 and quizzes kept the same. Toward the end of season 3, the quizzes and secret shooter were eliminated entirely. The homeowners also became more involved in the designing of the room.
Season 4 was the show's final season, with the concluding episode airing on August 5, 2006. The final episode was beset with problems, including illnesses on set and Farmer's flight not arriving until the final day of the shoot. The episode ended without an obvious acknowledgment that it was the series finale, although Farmer did passingly refer to the final scene as "the end of the era" and designer John Bruce addressed the camera in close up to say, "Thank You, While You Were Out." At the very end, Farmer told the audience, "We'll see you next time on While You Were Out," perhaps out of habit or perhaps so that audiences would keep watching reruns without knowing the show was no longer in production.
Due to the success of the show in Latin America, Mientras No Estabas was created for the Discovery En Español channel. The show's name is a literal translation of While You Were Out and is hosted by Arturo.
Other variations
Over the series, the producers have created different formats of the show including:- Bringing in designers or carpenters from Trading Spaces (and vice versa--the carpenters from While You Were Out have made several appearances on Trading Spaces)
- Having "on the fly" designs in which the designer does not see the room until the day before the makeover begins, although the carpenters and host are sometimes allowed to see it early. Recently, they have started filming the carpenters and designers shopping for supplies on what is called day 0 (the day before general taping).
- Remaking a room with a celebrity guest. These guests have included Penn JillettePenn JillettePenn Fraser Jillette is an American magician, comedian, illusionist, juggler, bassist and a best-selling author known for his work with fellow illusionist Teller in the team Penn & Teller, and advocacy of atheism, libertarian philosophy, free-market economics, and scientific skepticism.-Early...
(for his partner, Teller), Shannon ElizabethShannon ElizabethShannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...
(for her then-husband), and football player LaVar ArringtonLaVar ArringtonLaVar RaShad Arrington is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League. He was drafted second overall by the Washington Redskins in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno.A two-time All-American at Penn State, Arrington played...
, for his brother. - While You Were out/What Not To Wear Double Crossed: For this show the homeowner was unaware that the "surprisee" was also getting a makeover from another TLC show, What Not To Wear; for this episode the budget was $5,000.
- Royal Renovation: An entire home was redecorated; the episode featured 3 designers: Nadia Gellar, John Bruce and Chayse Dacoda, celebrity guest Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson and a budget of $10,000.
Cast
A list of the crew is as follows:Hosts
- Evan FarmerEvan FarmerEvan Ragland Farmer, Jr. is an American actor, musician, designer, songwriter and television personality.-Career:Farmer then moved to NYC to get started in the entertainment business...
(season 2 - 4) - Teresa StrasserTeresa StrasserTeresa Lynn Strasser is an American writer and television personality known for hosting the first season of the home makeover show While You Were Out on TLC. She also co-hosted The Adam Carolla Show.-Personal life:...
(season 1, episodes 11-60) - Anna Bocci (season 1, episodes 1-10)
Designers
- John Bruce (decorator)John Bruce (decorator)John Bruce is an interior designer best known for his many appearances on the Learning Channel home renovation TV series While You Were Out. Bruce appeared in the first season and stayed with the show until the very end - he was the featured designer in the final episode...
(season 1 - 4) - Chayse Dacoda (season 1 - 4)
- Nadia GellerNadia GellerNadia Geller is an American interior designer, artist and television personality from Schaumburg, Illinois, near Chicago. She is best known for her roles as a host and designer on The Learning Channel While You Were Out, Home Made Simple and Trading Spaces...
(season 2 - 4) - Lauren Lake (season 1)
- Mark MontanoMark MontanoMark Montano is an American interior designer, artist, writer, and TV personality.-Television:Mark Montano is perhaps best known for three series on the Style Network and The Learning Channel: 10 Years Younger, which he hosted, While You Were Out, on which he frequently appears as a designer, and...
(season 2 - 4) - Christy Schlesinger (season 1)
- Stephen Saint-Onge (seasons 1 - 2)
Landscape Designers
- Peter BonSey (season 1)
- Mayita Dinos (season 1)
Carpenters
- Ali Barone (season 2 - 3)
- Jason CameronJason CameronJason Cameron is an American television presenter and actor most notable for his role on the TLC reality show, While You Were Out and is currently hosting for the DIY Network.-Acting & modelling:...
(season 2 - 4) - Andrew Dan-JumboAndrew Dan-JumboAndrew Dan-Jumbo co-starred as a carpenter on the TV home makeover show While You Were Out, and is the current host of Take Home Handyman on TLC....
(season 1 - 4) - Troy Dunn (season 1)
- Jennifer Ann Halpern (season 1)
- Adrienne Haitz (season 1)
- Jaqui Jameson (season 1)
- Leslie SegreteLeslie SegreteLeslie Segrete is an American designer, seamstress, carpenter, and television personality. She is best known for her work on the TLC show While You Were Out, which concluded a four-year run in 2006, She also appeared as a designer on Trading Spaces and Ugliest House on the Block.-Biography:Segrete...
(season 1 - 4)