You may have seen us tweeting and posting up a storm about our big news: our own Kathy Kuo is famous! Actually, she was already famous in our minds, but tonight, she’s hitting the small screen as an interior design judge on FYI Network’s new show, Rowhouse Showdown, which premieres tonight at 9PM ET.
Kathy will be judging three teams alongside Carter Oosterhouse, a popular TV design and lifestyle expert, and Jim Bronzie, the founder of Bronzie Design + Build, a design and contracting firm based in Cincinnati (where the show takes place). With Carter as host, and Jim and Kathy as judges, three teams will take to the streets of Cinci to renovate and design rowhouses in the city’s Price Hill neighborhood – one room at a time.
We can’t wait for you to see KK in action, and we’re pretty psyched about the show in general. We got a sneak pee
k last week, and let us tell you: it rivals the design competitions we’ve seen on HGTV. To help kick things off, we asked Carter and Jim to do a short little Q&A for us. Their favorite rooms, favorite vacation spots…even their go-to karaoke tunes. We got the deets, and we got the dirt.
A Q&A WITH CARTER
What’s your favorite room in your home? Why?
Besides the workshop…The kitchen..It’s where everyone loves to congregate and it truly is the heart of the home.
What’s one part of your home that you really don’t like and want to change?
The kitchen.. I have remodeled it once already and now my styles have changed a bit. I wish I would have made it a smarter, more sophisticated space.
Favorite item at KKH?
I want all of it but If I had to choose I would say the Industrial Loft line is more my speed. I could easily decorate my house with those items.
Who was your favorite cast member on Rowhouse Showdown? Favorite crew member?
I really liked Dan and Katie from Minneapolis. They both work really hard and its seemed that nothing phased them. As for the crew, thats tough, but we had some good PA’s that had to wear a lot of hats. Without those guys the show doesn’t get made.
What’s it really like behind the scenes?
Long days and really long nights. We had one night where people where sweating up a storm and we had no AC in this archaic building. We all had ice packs and towels to stay cool and tried to stay focused. We ended up working for 20hrs, but the shots looked great and that’s all that matters.
What was your favorite part of doing the show?
I loved having the chance to really mentor the cast. I’ve worked on a ton of home renovation shows, but this was different and for the first time I really felt that I had a chance to share my experiences so the teams didn’t make the same mistakes that I used to make.
Tell us about your fans – ages, demographics, etc. Any real crazy ones?
You get all kinds. But that’s the beauty of being on TV. Your life becomes an open book.
You’re involved in charity organizations – tell us about them. What do you do? Why do you do it?
Carter’ Kids is a non profit I started in 2007. We build one playground a month for deserving communities all over the country. When kids see a brand new playground it’s like putting Disney World in there back yard. You can find more info at Carters-kids.org.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Jack and Diane
It’s 10pm and you’re just getting home. What do you drink?
Old Fashioned
You’ve got a week off for vacation. Where do you go?
Traverse City MI. A true hidden gem.
A Q&A WITH JIM
What’s your favorite room in your home? Why?
My family room…because it’s exactly that. It’s where my kids and I can just hang and relax.
What’s one part of your home that you really don’t like and want to change?
I don’t like my kitchen anymore. When I bought my house almost 8 years ago, there were homeless people living in it. Dilapidated is a compliment when describing this thing when I bought it. Anyway, it was completely remodeled and it was done in a style that I’m not a huge fan of anymore. I can’t stand the cabinets, tops, etc…
Favorite item at KKH?
That’s a tough one because all of KKH’s lines are great! But, I would have to say the Industrial Loft Collection is my favorite.
Who was your favorite cast member on Rowhouse Showdown? Favorite crew member?
I’m not sure I have one. I liked all the teams and the competitors. Ms. Dunia was so great to work with. When she came in and started yelling at me through my ear piece for slouching and telling Carter to fix his hair, I was completely taken by her! Dunia’s the best.
What’s it really like behind the scenes?
The unlimited Americano’s, candy and unhealthy food was a serious bonus. But, getting to meet some great people and spend some quality time with Kathy and Carter was definitely the best. I’m very fortunate to call Kathy and Carter friends…they are both amazing people.
The only bad thing was the sweat box inferno room, aka the evaluation room. Damn, I think the makeup artist literally used a pound of powder and a stack of towels to dry me off one night in there. It was so freakin’ hot up there at times…one time I literally felt sweat dripping down my forehead…horrible! I’m all for sweating and getting dirty but there’s a time and place for it and it’s not when you have 7 cameras pointing at you.
What was your favorite part of doing the show?
Just being part of something that was completely different and new from my career was refreshing and a lot of fun. I’ve never been part of a school play yet alone a national tv show production. It was so interesting to see the process and all the hard work done by so many people to bring this show together…very impressive to see first hand.
Tell us about your fans – ages, demographics, etc. Any real crazy ones?
I don’t have any!
You’re involved in charity organizations – tell us about them. What do you do? Why do you do it?
I am involved with Transitions Global. James and Athena Pond started this program based out of Cambodia. It’s an aftercare program that helps restore the lives of young girls rescued from sex trafficking. Having a young daughter, Naomi 9 years old, and realizing that this horrific behavior effects girls not much older than her is something that just tore at my heart. I met with James about 4 years ago and asked him how I could help. We became good friends and one day I was honored with the request to join their board. Transitions continues to grow and help more girls every year.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Beatles – Come Together
It’s 10pm and you’re just getting home. What do you drink?
Ovaltine…Ha! Or a beer.
You’ve got a week off for vacation. Where do you go?
Somewhere I’ve never been before…I like to explore new places and vacation to different places. There’s way too much of this world to see to go back to a place you’ve already seen.
One thought on “Meet the Stars of FYI Network’s Rowhouse Showdown”
I watched the whole season and was very disappointed that Josh and Geoff won when week after week you complained that they didn’t finish. And still won not sure how that is fair to the other teams that worked their butts off and those two barely got their hands dirty!!