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Durango Herald, Arizona Republic, TVWeek

Bizarre Ending to Ellen DeGeneres’ Furniture Design Challenge Show on HGTV: Series Crowns Winner, Then Disqualifies Him and Replaces Him With the Runner-Up

Mar 3, 2015  •  Post A Comment

“Outrage broke out online Monday night after a Durango, Colorado, man was disqualified from Ellen DeGeneres’ new show ‘Ellen’s Design Challenge’ on HGTV,” reports the Durango Herald.

The man is Tim McClellan. He was disqualified because his final design too closely resembled a furniture piece already in the marketplace, the show said. Contestants were supposed to make an original piece.

To make matters even more embarrassing, according to the Arizona Republic, of the six contestants who were on the show, McClellan was “the only contestant recruited by DeGeneres after she watched his furniture-making video on YouTube. The other five contestants applied for a spot on the show.”

The ending of the six-episode series, which aired last night, Monday, March 2, 2015, was bizarre. Ellen announced that McClellan won the “Design Challenge,” which included $100,000 and having his work featured in a spread in HGTV magazine. Confetti fell from the ceiling, hugs were had all around. McClellan was thrilled.

Then, on the screen flashed the words “One Week Later.”

That’s when viewers were told, matter of factly, that McClellan had been disqualified because of the similarity of his last piece of furniture to another piece of furniture already available in the marketplace, and that the runner-up, Katie Stout, had won. Ellen invited Stout onto the set of her talk show to surprise her with the news.

To read the latest regarding this item, please click here.

According to the Durango Herald, one angry viewer tweeted, “Everyone involved including Ellen should be fired. None of you were aware of Tim’s similarities until after?”

Others tweeted that they still supported McClellan, the report says.

As for McClellan himself, he wasn’t seen on-screen after the show announced his disqualification. However he tweeted last night that being on the show was “a most blessed and wonderful experience!”

ellen's design challenge

71 Comments

  1. loved the show ! can’t understand why three professional judges and all the back stage research folks did not “uncover” the similar traits of Tim’s design and the other piece before the winner was announced on March 2nd. Or was this all part of the tv show from the beginning? One never knows what goes on in the land of ratings.
    Ellen certainly owes her viewers an explanation as to how this came to happen.

  2. Though I have great respect for Ellen DeGeneres, I was very unhappy with the results of the show.
    1. The show was way to short with only 6 contestants
    2. Ellen was only on the show twice, they just used her name to get people to watch
    3. It was the show’s producers fault to not be aware of other designs that were “similar”
    4. Tim was clearly the best designer and builder. Katie’s designs were good but not a experienced of a designer, not only not my style but almost too youthful. More for a college dorm then for someone who would purchase an original designed piece of furniture. Katie was also clearly not as good of a builder, her skill level was very basic and she would not have gotten as far if she did not have such a good carpenter.
    5. Kind of crappy how they handled the whole thing with Tim, almost like slander…
    6. I will not be watching further shows because of what I have listed above.

  3. What a farce! Similarities in design can always be found if you stretch your qualifications enough.

    Stout’s final design was nothing extraordinary, but in fact resembled similar products found at such creatively original places like IKEA. A table with nested stools and a pull-out shelf looked like a project I would have made in 7th grade woodshop.

    Tim’s design, using stacked wood, was far more original and exuded quality and class. My Dad made a similar desk with sliding areas and hidden compartments in the 1930’s…should I be collecting residues for his original design? Ellen should be ashamed.

  4. I wonder why they were still checking out Tim’s design after the show. Shouldn’t that have been done earlier? I also don’t know how one person is supposed to know all the furniture designs in the world. If he was not aware he should not have been stripped from winning. They could have also awarded the same prize to the runner up…. seems a little harsh – especially for Ellen!

  5. The whole show ended being a scam. How could anyone know that Tim’s design was similar to one out of millions over the decades of building furniture. When Ellen let Katie back in the competition after being eliminated, we felt that she had already been picked to be the winner, but had not told the judges. I think Tim should sue, and my wife said that she would never watch anything that Ellen is involved with again! My wife watched everything that Ellen had ever been involved with and thought that she was a good person and a good host. Everything really stinks!

    • I’m so confused! The Ellen show I watched never eliminated Katie, she handed a note to both women and they were both allowed to stay. Likewise, Tim’s cabinet is completely unique, and lo and behold some other guy did one almost exactly like it. Please. Does Katies stuff look like other things I’ve generically found, yes. But it had far more originality than the one Tim decided to BLATANTLY copy. I’m not saying it was conscious…I’m saying it was a COPY. I love his work, I think he is an amazing craftsman. He just goofed. Good for Katie. She played the game well.

      • The only reason katie was in the final is because Ellen changed the rules and didn’t eliminate her when she made the cow table.

        I believe the show has potential, but they need to get rid of Ellen and get new judges who can judge a piece for itself and not because the piece is too big for 5′ 1″ girl. I’m sure 99% of the furniture in the world is too big for her.

    • Nothing propriatery about furniture piece. Anyway Ellen took entry form off so is this show over??

  6. Tim’s table was definitely a copy of the other table, and was not created by his process of design. The original European design was too unique and had several features that Tim used: Stacking wood, metal legs, slides open to show drawers, middle lifts to show compartment, all the same! No, Tim definitely saw this table and copied it.
    Tim also took away Katy’s chance to be the winner on show and have the joy of being announced to an audience. She still won and got the prizes, but didn’t have that moment thanks to him.
    The show did the right thing, but it did seem brutal to have it end that way. Everyone was hurt and
    plagerism has no part in the creative process. A lot of people try it but here’s an example of why it is not worth it!!

    • Sorry, but that is just not fair. In our modern house we have two similar pieces from Denmark built 20 years ago – wood, pull outs on ends revealing hidden compartments, metal legs, etc. My wife said, “It’s our table!” in his store are several pieces with all these attributes.

      • I think you should take a photo of your desk/table and post it. I think it would help prove that he didn’t cheat and that similar designs are out there 20 years before.

        • Come on now. You all know the fact he used metal legs is not what disqualified him. It was the stacked wood, bound-in-metal theme and the fact that the ends both pull out to reveal compartments/drawers and the middle compartment was revealed by a lift up lid. That is too distinctive a design with too many similarities to ignore.

          Whether or not, as one commenter here alleges without showing proof, there was a similar design 20 years ago is irrelevant. Whether he coped someone else’s original design or someone else copy does not matter. As for the disingenuous way he was shown winning and then not winning on the show that was a big mistake, but not relevant to the fact he cheated if indeed it was required to be an original design.

          No question he was aware of it. How do I know? I looked at his videos and his other designs. This had a sophistication his other work does not have. I do believe in the execution of the piece his is superior, but I don’t know if he or the cabinetmakers (why do they call them carpenters on the show?) he worked with should get the credit for that.

          Watch his videos and you will see he thinks a lot of himself and was trying to do his own TV show before this opportunity arose. That’s how Ellen found out about him. He is a ham. His design work is very unsophisticated. There are way too many red herrings being used to defend Tim. I wonder how many he is behind?

  7. Tim McClellan should have his own show. His designs and character were consistently at a high level watching the show. I was as impressed by Tim McClellan as a person as I was as a furniture designer! He is a complete package rarely seen on television. For The Ellen Design show to pull this publicity kind of twist is to say the least disappointing and unmerited. What design today is not inspired by something else? His table is a logical solution to the pile of wood idea. For the Ellen Design show to imply his design was a knock-off is despicable. Clearly a corporate bs reaction.
    The Ellen Design show should try on this original thought that would follow the Tim McClellan stand-up character; declare two winners. The show discovered two designers that exemplify New Wave Traditional and New Wave design ideas. They are too cheap and shallow to take a cut off the bazillions they’ll make off this.
    Ellen Degeneres degrades herself with this hokey ending. Boo HTGV and Un-way-fair’s greedy bad decision to taint a contestant designer’s reputation for higher ratings. ### hashtag that in your next Un-way-fair show! Designers beware…

  8. While I have to concede that Tim’s design does look a lot like the one by Simon Schacht. Though, I have no idea if it was an intentional copy, or something that Tim just happen to see at some point in the past, and got buried in his subconscious.

    Now, Kathie’s design isn’t all the original either. I bought something just like it for my son and daughter-in-law’s first apartment, for their kitchen. It was used as a breakfast table, with those two “u” shaped stools that could be stored on the shelf. Yea, the material is different (no zebra wood top, just plain old maple), but that didn’t seem to factor into their decision on Tim’s design.

    BTW, in previous episodes, the one judge would make it a point to come over and actually sit on the design. Why didn’t the judge try to sit on Kathie’s stools? Was it possibly as obvious to that judge, as it was to me, that the stools might not be able to hold the weight of an adult without bending/flexing and collapsing? I mean, there was no obvious structural supports in the stools.

  9. Really??!!
    So a fantastic designer blunders and (perhaps) inadvertently BLATANTLY copies a design that happens to be very unique and therefore (probably) easily recognizable by many and is then disqualified because he COPIED the original and ((again, perhaps) attempted to make it his own by not completely stealing the idea and making a few changes that are, unfortunately for this talented man, not enough to disguise the fact that he TOTALLY PLAGIARIZED the table. (If one can plagiarize a piece of furniture..)
    Now…
    What’s a show to do? Well here’s not such a hard idea to mull over, let’s give it to the runner up. Duh. I simply wonder how many people emailed the Ellen Design Show with pictures of the COPIED table. Was Katie’s the be all end all of design? No. That’s why Mr. I-copied-my-design won the competition. But uh oh! Turns out people don’t like it when you COPY their design, call it your own, and win 100,000 dollars. Well who knew?

  10. Tim’s piece is fantastic and difficult to do while Katie’s is her least interesting and definitely no big deal – i thought IKEA too with nicer wood and color!

    The judges should have stood by their decision.

    Also Tim’s work was always interesting! More so than Katie’s!

    And what designer doesn’t reference what they have seen before?

  11. I personally did not like Katie’s design style. I was surprised that she made it to the finals. I thought the cow table would have been enough to get her “voted off the island”. Having said that, I could clearly see why Tim was disqualified. The table/desk he made looked as though he had Schacht’s plans. I don’t know if it was intentional or subliminal, but it wasn’t original. It’s too bad. He clearly has talent. Neither designer went outside of their comfort zone for the final challenge.

    • He may very well have had Schacht’s plans. This piece was apparently a project Schacht submitted towards a master craftsman diploma in 2014. The final paragraph in this article links to Schacht’s detailed description of the piece (use the translated link if you don’t know German.)
      http://homeli.co.uk/sekretar-wood-beam-desk-by-simon-schacht/

    • much of Tim’s work in his store is pullout, hidden, fold over, etc so it is not surprising he built something like this in the finals. Why would he suddenly cheat just to win a silly reality show? He did not ask to go on the show – Ellen recruited him!!

    • Not true that neither went out of the comfort zone. The entire challenge Katie had never worked with wood or a straight line. Said Karl on the “Carpenter of the Week” video for Episode 6. Her piece incorporated both.

  12. My husband and I watch ellen’s show every day and have followed the challenge from the beginning we thought Katie should have been eliminated weeks ago. Tim should have been winner. The judges, Ellen and Producers should have checked everything. I feel Tim,s furniture was original to him. He should fight to regain his title.

  13. Hello? Are Tim’s fans bling to the clear copy of Simon Schachter’s work? If the photo of the original work aired while you blinked, then Google the European designer, and you’ll see the startling similarity (which is undeniable) for yourself. I appreciate that people in Arizona and Colorado who feel a kinship for Tim are disappointed, but research the facts before expressing outrage.

    • I agree, but they are not interested in the facts, you are wasting your time.

  14. Why did they wait until Tim won to start playing by the rules????

    Back when Katie made that rediculous cow table she should have been eliminated at that time. But Ellen decided to keep her in the game by changing the rules and not eliminating her.

    Looks like the results where rigged for katie to win. To be honest there is nothing Katie made that I would buy, but on the other hand everything Tim made I would buy.

  15. I was APPALLED that Tim was disquaified because of the similarities between his design and someone elses. I can go online and find the “unique” table that Katie made in thousands of sites. A table with a pull out side and bench seating is NOTHING NEW or inovative. Tim has been cheated. Ellen should be ashamed. Throughout the entire series the judges badgered Tim about his designs not being feminine enough. Excuse me but I didnt realize the show was Ellens Design Challenge for furniture women will like. Tim needs to be reinstated. Katie doesnt deserve the win.

  16. Didnt the ending just feel plain weird? Tim seems to not really be phased that he was stripped of the title. You think he would either apologize or defend himself, but its almost like he didnt get the memo. And Katie’s reaction to winning was strangely tepid “oh wow, I won…really?…”

    Who knows if Tim copied consciously or not, but if you are disqualifying people for imitation, how about the cow table? the table with the two rough edges turned in on themselves? The red acrylic cabinet that looked like something out of the “SIMS Home Collection”, any of the couches……there are no original ideas in this world ..

  17. Tim’s final piece was an obvious knockoff. If one simply Google the name Simon Schact, one would see the piece that was copied. Simon’s piece has two small drawers on each side, Tim’s has one on each side. Simon’s looks like a stack of 2 by 4’s,Tim’s looks like a stack of sheets of plywood. Both have a desk in the middle, same metal stands, same way to open them. Any notion that the producers did this as a stunt or whatever is lunacy. Tim cheated, and it wasn’t discovered immediately. That’s what happened. His work may have been better, but it was not original.

    • 100% agreed. Frankly I’m shocked that so few people are able to see it this way. The producers had no choice but to handle it the way they did.

      • Ellen changed the rules for Katie to remain in the competition. Katie should have been eliminated on her cow table. Ellen decided since the show had her name on it she could change the rules at will. Katie should have never been in the final to begin with.

        JWHouse said Tim cheated……Tim was clearly the best designer and craftsman.

        Be honest would you buy a plastic chair with electrical wires for a seat, REALLY??????

        • Tim was very likeable… Handsome and charismatic, perhaps a bit arrogant, and he was very talented. He simply stole someone else idea… Completely. He had to be disqualified. He didn’t even put a twist on what he copied. He even basically admits to it, too while riding in the limo. Watch the show again, you’ll see.

        • I would not buy anything on Tim’s website or in his own videos for 1/10th of what he wants for it. He is a good craftsman, not a good designer, which is what this show was about. His stuff may appeal to some yahoo in Arizona or Colorado who hasn’t been to the big city to see good design proportions but that’s all.

  18. How can anyone PROVE that there is no similar design anywhere in the world?

    I think joint winners should be declared for this first challenge, both people should get the money and the article, and the rules should be changed for next time.

    • Tim’s design wasn’t similar…. it was IDENTICAL. That’s why he was disqualified.

  19. Yes, Tim clearly took his design fully from another artist, Simon Schact’s work. For this piece Tim was not original nor honest, despite how wonderful the copycat table turned out. I really liked his earlier work though. I did not care for Katie’s designs, especially the sloppy foolish cow table. Her first storage piece was OK. I believe she stayed on as the token female for a primarily female HGTV audience. I think Simon Schact should be respected and protected for his creative & original creation.

  20. I think the most important question to be askedis who would buy from Tim or Katie? Do you prefer items made of wood and steel or items consisting of a large amount of acrylic? I know what I prefer. Also if this show has any future at all the contestants should be able to build the item they design without any help from a carpenter. I think it would make the show much more interesting to watch.

  21. If you want proof, watch the show again… I did. Tim says to his carpenter in the limo… “we have to make it look like it was my design, not some guy from another country” that is jus exactly what he did…. He copied a European… A desk that looked like a stack of wood…. That was his plan. He totally copied it, and admitted it in his plan.

  22. If original design is the requirement, everyone probably could have been disqualified at one point or another. As one way of “keeping score” – I would purchase everything that Tim built,and nothing that Katie built – although I liked them both and respect their abilities.

  23. ?

  24. what a bust!

    It was fun to watch the various designs of the artists but the judging was subjective and flawed.
    The finale lost all credibility, and was poorly resolved.

  25. Seems to me the only real winner of “Ellen’s Design Challenge” was Simon Schacht. While I enjoyed watching this season, the handling of the finale was disappointing and leaves me wondering what really happened with the filming of this show.

  26. This was an outraged! I will never watch another show that has Ellen is associated with and will not order anything from wayfair. Integrity is every thing, and this show what lack they both have. They slandered Tim who did his best and Katie, made something that you can see other places if you look. All designs start out with similar design elements, and you had plenty of time to fix the ending. This was very poor and I will not waste my time or money with stations or companies who think this is the way you treat people!

  27. Regardless of what one feels about the work produced by any of the designers, Tim’s piece was a direct copy of another designer’s work. He basically admitted this fact to his carpenter. I’m mystified why the carpenter did not refuse to build an obvious copy, which also implied that he was complicit in the lie.

    • I am not sure what comment the cabinetmaker made that makes you think he knew. Please elaborate. I would not blame the cabinetmaker. You do not know what all went on behind the scenes or who he may have alerted about the issue if indeed he knew it was a copy. If Tim knew it was a one-off piece made as a school project by a German student. I am sure he felt safe in copying it.

  28. Very poorly and unprofessionally done. They never should have aired this episode without an explanation and comment from Tim.
    Hope this show has been cancelled. I certainly will not waste my time watching again.

  29. This WAS my new favorite show. NOT NOW. Tim clearly is the best at design and mastery of skill. They owe him an apology. Please cancel the show. Loved the blacksmith and Gasbar. My husband enjoyed reviewing the tools. I was looking on Wayfair for the first time but now I am determined that I will never buy anything from Wayfair. I like Ellen a lot but I think she was wrongly influenced by sponsors to change the rules in the middle of the show. I think Tim’s store is going to be very popular.

  30. I knew Ellen would figure out a way to make sure that crazy girl won. So wrong!!!

  31. When was the Design Challenge show actually taped and when did the Schacht table article first appear? Is August 2014 the publication date?

  32. What a sad ending. Tim’s talent is undeniable and should have been rewarded, but to give him the title and money and turn around and strip him of both is totally unexceptible. The judges should have decided long before the final night that they felt the entry was a replica of another designer. If that was their decision, he should not have been declared the winner, but changing their minds after the award was given was not the answer. Ellen took a big chance by going with that decision. Personally I have lost a great deal of respect for her and her show. She kept bragging about the fact it was her show and she could change the rules if she wanted. Well news flash Ellen, you handled it poorly and you owe Tim an apology and the money.

  33. As an artist I know that no matter how original you may think your idea is there is probably someone who has the exact some idea. You just had to do your projects and be happy with what you`re doing, because there is no avoiding other`s having the same idea. They just went out and ruined his reputation for a “twist”. Come on Ellen, even when America`s Next Top Model disqualified one of it`s winners they had more class than that.

    P.s. it made me really angry when the female judges kept assigning genders to the furniture. I hope they get new judges or they don’t do that in the future because it was completely idiotic. “this is a man’s bar” Stop!!!! It’s like they think they speak for every single woman on the planet. Objects don’t have gender.

  34. I am so disappointed with the finale and Ellen for the way she and her production company handled the finale. I really feel they always wanted Katie to win and this was just a BIG publicity stunt to bump ratings and get a second season. Sell out!
    I will not watch her anymore. I lost a lot of respect for her and her team.

  35. I also was a fan of Ellen’s new show. I have already taken off my shows to record. I knew from the beginning who was going to win, don’t no whether she was acting or just high, couldn’t understand a word she was saying. nothing she had her carpenter to build was original, no talent just a flake that’s what makes the money too bad!!!

  36. ℗ the show was badly designed. Too few contestants, Ellen was a goofy noshow trying to be funny 24/7 from afar, the judging was almost exclusively female (and poor) and the ending was an unmitigated disaster. The judges valued “design” over technique and how many times did we hear, “It’s just too masculine”?

    Katie is innocent. Her win is now questioned and this inevitably will lead to cries of “copying” with virtually every piece. She can design but Tim both designed and built his pieces. And why, if he had a very successful business, would he copy another piece just to win a stupid reality contest?

  37. I loved Tim’s work. Note to judges, I am a feminine female and did not feel that his pieces were too masculine at all. They were warm and rustic. Just my style. So note that your personal opinions aren’t gospel. IMO, Tim had no competition in that room, evident by the end of round 1. And frankly, what he did was original enough. Yes he borrowed inspiration from a piece he’d seen, but there is nothing wrong with that, it is done all the time and the final look was different enough to call his own. Really, zillions of chairs have 4 legs, a seat and a back.. so that means all credit for original chair design with 4 legs a seat and a back goes to the first person to ever make one?

    Meanwhile Katie produced some of the flat out ugliest furniture I’ve ever seen. If that’s what’s “on trend”, I feel sad for the trendy. I wouldn’t put a single piece of that tacky junk in my home, ever. Personally I was over plastic furniture by age 4. Her designs took last place in my book every single round. Additionally, her annoying nasal valley girl “gag me with a spoon” way of talking made me cringe every time she opened her mouth. Side note, I know, but it was really annoying.

    Katie rubbed me wrong in every direction. I quickly tired of her work and her voice, and every round I had my fingers crossed that they would get rid of her so we could focus on the real designers. But for whatever mysterious reason, the judges kept raving over her, leaving me scratching my head in disbelief. Katie absolutely should have been drop-kicked out the door when she produced that hideous cow table. When the judge said “I could see it in a museum.” I laughed my ass off!! Perhaps reconsider whether or not she’s qualified to be judging any furniture competitions.

    I think all the black and white cows in the world should get together and sue Katie for her unoriginal design. Class action.

    Tim, keep doing what you do. I would choose your work any day of the week, regardless of the source of your inspiration.

    Sad ending to a promising show.

  38. Extremely disappointed in the ending. I started watching the show at about episode 3, missing a show I regularly watched on that night. After the cow table didn’t disqualify Katie (definitely original but I would trade attractive over original any day), I decided to watch the final episode if Tim or Gaspar were still in the contest. To say I was disappointed in the ending is an understatement and I think the way it was handled will cause many people (myself included) to not watch another episode IF the show continues after the stunt they pulled. LASTLY, all furniture is based off of designs of other furniture. I have been to Wayfair’s site many times and all of their items are short term trendy pieces that I wouldn’t waste my money on. Epic fail.

  39. I feel like a conspiracy theorist for saying I think Ellen made a deal with Tim from the start. He probably got a fat bonus for agreeing to take the fall like that. It’s the only way his design copy would make sense. He’s far too talented and is already successful, and has no need to copy to win a competition. If you think about it, his design in the first challenge was like every one of those desks in the field during the civil war. Why wasn’t he disqualified then?
    Katie was “quirky” (to be nice) but I did like her earlier designs. Being a girl, the hidden storage in that red closet was killer! In my opinion, she has a lot of potential, but that also means she has a lot of learning ahead of her. For real, trends fade. She will have to learn to branch out even farther than that table with the flimsy stools.
    I do respect Ellen for not having naked competitors – and for having a cast of talented and LIKEABLE people who genuinely seemed to care about each other. Or maybe all that kind of negativity just got cut 😉

  40. It is possible Simpn Schacht was also influenced by an earlier piece of furniture in coming up with his design? I would not be surprised. Not that it would settle the current controversy, but just curious.

  41. There is, of course, a chance that Tim’s helper suggested the design. Hmm. Tim’s work was so beautiful, the wood silken smooth, the metal work well done. Katie probably has a niche in young suburbanites, but out here in the San Joaquin Valley, Tim’s work would be coveted.

  42. My husband and I were gutted by the final twist. Although both designers were excellent, with completely different skills and tastes, we appreciated their work. To end on a note leaving the viewer to believe Tim cheated was horribly unfair. Shame on HGTV! HGTV should have interviewed him for the show so not to leave us in a place of negativity. We thoroughly enjoyed the series, but are unsure if we would ever watch a new series again. It had left a bad taste in our mouths.

  43. Tim and his carpenter were masterful in the design and execution of the desk made for Ellen’s Design Challenge. Superb quality I expect is in every piece Tim makes. The frame that Tim made on the show was in itself beautiful with polished seams and the bolts.
    I had an excellent craftsman help me design a particular cabinet that I wanted. The piece was so attractive to the designer/builder that he made a copy of the cabinet and changed the pattern of the top and placed it on the market after mine. I was flattered.
    In the design world all too often designs are created similarly by different people. Each one puts their own creation into the piece that makes it unique and different.

    Tim’s work was simply the best design and execution on the show. The base he made for his table was outstanding along with the finished product.

    So sad to see a prospective great show fall into such a dismal ending. At least there are other shows in the time frame next time.

  44. Extremely disappointed in the ending. I started watching the show at about episode 3, missing a show I regularly watched on that night. After the cow table didn’t disqualify Katie (definitely original but I would trade attractive over original any day), I decided to watch the final episode if Tim or Gaspar were still in the contest. To say I was disappointed in the ending is an understatement and I think the way it was handled will cause many people (myself included) to not watch another episode IF the show continues after the stunt they pulled. LASTLY, all furniture is based off of designs of other furniture. I have been to Wayfair’s site many times and all of their items are short term trendy pieces that are based on the current trends (and based off of furniture designed by other furniture makers). I would’nt waste my money on these types of pieces personally and much prefer the timeless and quality creations made by Tim. This show was an Epic Fail.

  45. Eliminating Tim ruined the show for me. He was far better than Katie and I don’t think he copied. He had an idea similar. The table that Katie designed are a dime a dozen at Ikea and Target. I couldn’t even watch Katie receive the prize. I probably won’t watch it again.

  46. Bottom line is everyone has different tastes in furniture. I happened to like both Tim’s & Katie’s furniture pieces almost equally, but it stands to reason that Tim would have honed his skills due to his age, etc. He proved that by mastering what looked to be a difficult furniture piece for his finale concept (with great help from his carpenter). Maybe the show needs a furniture “expert” on board who has seen everything ever built in the marketplace?? As if that is even possible. 🙂 Avoid the swift change of winners. If design rules were broken, don’t air that episode. Disqualify the guy & go down another path for the finale! It is nice that Katie got the prize, but how happy can she be since I think she did respect Tim’s talent?

  47. Such a travesty. I do believe Ellen wanted Katie to win …. why else did she survive the infamous cow table (and that was a copy). And …Carleys couch was awesome … much better tan Katies. My honest feeling is …. it will be cheaper to mass produce and market Kates designs than Tims unique rustic pieces. It’s all about ROI ……. and then ending was pure crap. Close to … if not … slander. Tim does have a lawsuit opportunity … but I do believe he has too much character to pursue that course. Did he blatantly copy ?? I do not believe so ……. where the inspiration came from ….. where all our inspiration comes from ….. life experience …. what we eat, breathe, live, experience, touch, feel, read ……. do we remember it all …. no …. but it is locked away in our cranial archives to influence us another day. Tim s/b the winner ………..

  48. I am sorry to say that the ending was so poorly executed even for television that both HGTV and Ellen lost credibility. If you are smart enough to be in that business you should be smart enough not to doubt the intelligence of the American public. Shame on you for trying to take advantage of us like that.

  49. Letter I wrote to Ellen which I am sure she will never see
    I am not sure if this Design Challenge Show scandal involving Tim Mc Clellan was a promotional gimmick, or if there really was an “anonymous phone call” but you and HDTV and that nameless coward caller have tarnished the reputation of what once was a “sterling” talented artist. Tim will always have the words “plagiarism”, “disqualified”, and “stripped of his prize” attached to his work. His work is magnificent. Certainly not plastic junk or cow designs. If this was a publicity stunt to enhance HGTV viewership than you certainly did not live up to your closing statement of “Be Kind to Each Other”. If it was real and there was an anonymous caller complaining about the similarity in the desks, than don’t you think it would have been kinder to re-tape the ending with Tim as the runner up? Your actions were in direct contradiction to what you say.
    Through the years I have seen you give thousands of dollars to needy deserving people and now I can say I have seen you strip a man of his dignity and demean his talent. Ten minutes of explanation on your show can not undo the damage you and HGTV have done to him.
    There is not a movie or TV drama that does not have the core idea that stems from something Shakespeare wrote, who in turn got his ideas from the Greeks. Who plagiarized whom? Did you know that there were several men working on the Telephone at the same time? Alexander G. Bell got the title of inventor. No one got accused of stealing the others idea. Great minds think alike.
    Did the people at HGTV really think that this controversy would be so exiting that it would encourage us to continue watching the program? Did they ever explore the idea that people would be irate that a network could destroy a human beings reputation and livelihood to a point of disgust and never tune in again? That is how I will represent them. I hope it backfires on them. As for me, real or gimmick, I will never watch your Design Challenge show again nor the HGTV network.

  50. I think the decision was very unfair. All the pieces were similar “somewhat” to pieces that have previously been designed by someone!

  51. Unimpressed with anything on the series, frankly. You could grab any average design student from Art Center and they could rattle off better designs in their sleep…

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  54. I have never looked at the show.Not a fan of the show.I think HGTV.Is better canceling the show..

  55. I do not like Ellin. I think HGTV.Needs to candle the show.Dumb mistake HGTV.

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