Thank You HGTV Design Star Fans!
Hi HGTV fans! First of all, I was so touched by all of your kind comments on the HGTV message boards, my Facebook Fan Page, and Design Star Facebook Page last night. They just kept pouring in, and I couldn’t believe what supportive things everyone had to say. Thank you so much for helping me to go out on a good note! And of course, keep on voting for me at http://www.hgtv.com/designstar and go to Fan Vote at the top. You’re the best 
Just so you all know, I loved working with Tiffany & Brady on our eco-friendly guest room challenge. They are an amazing couple and no matter what happened in the judging room, I’m really proud of how my room turned out. Reality television editing being what it is, you can only imagine how hard it was to pull that room together in the time we had and the obstacles put in the way.
Here’s what I have to say about that: on Design Star, we had a camera or two in our faces at LEAST 18 hours a day. If you multiply that times 3 days (to shoot an episode—sometimes 4) that adds up to at least 54 HOURS of footage! On EACH contestant! So with a 45 minute show (excluding commercial) we end up on screen for 2-5 minutes each depending on the number of designers per episode. As Dan said last week in an interview, we signed a contract that allows HGTV to do whatever they want to with those 54 hours of footage. Some of their choices have surprised me, particularly the ones that show less of my personality or my professionalism, or show less of the circumstances that would explain, say, why a particular headboard couldn’t be hung in one day, when it was hung in 15 minutes the day after…
I know I’ve promised you all a “behind the scenes look” at my elimination episode, and as much as I’m dying to give it to you, I can’t. I am under contract and so much was edited out of the episode last night that I would be telling you about things you didn’t even end up seeing. So I’m going to stay positive here: the main thing is, I’ve made friends I wouldn’t trade for all the world. And I’ve had all of you supporting me, the entire way. So thanks for that — because at the end of the day, nobody can edit you out, bloggers and friends and fans and family! You’re the best, and you make getting kicked off a reality tv show a true pleasure.
See you here on planet lonni!
xo Lonni
September 7th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Lonnie, if you are reading this, I am extremely disappointed that you were eliminated. I think your show on HGTV would have been such a winner. You have it all. I am so sorry you didn’t win.
September 7th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Does this mean that you can’t reveal the behind-the-scenes stuff until the show is over? Or does your contract prevent you from sharing even then?
September 7th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
You should NOT have been eliminated! I loooooved your room! Best room on the show this season! Can you tell me where the custom wallpaper is from?
September 7th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
OMG!! If it isn’t bad enough that HGTV eliminated you when Antonio should have been the one eliminated, some NUT calls you a coward. How pathetic! I feel that HGTV may have contacted you somehow and let you know that there would be a law suit if you spoke up now. I’m sure that you have lots that could have been said, but I (and I’m sure many others) know that it may not be reasonable to do that right now. Anyway, Lonni, your designs are very professional and so perfect for the spaces you were designing. I’d love to see you at least get the online show so I’m voting for you.
September 7th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Loved your designs and sorry to see you go. I’m sure you were extremely successful before Design Star and will be even more successful after.
September 7th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Lonni,
Your room was fabulous. I was very disappointed they sent you home, I think they definitely sent the wrong person home. I would have been most comfortable in your room for myself, and I think you really listened to your clients and gave them what they wanted and asked for. You handled yourself very professionally and your hosting was so polished and yet personable. Your show on HGTV would have been so classy. I do think you ended on a high note and the comments from the judges were very positive. It’s really too bad the headboard was such an issue – I have a hard time believing thay was the reason you went home – it seems like such a small thing. Here’s hoping continued success and time with your family.
September 7th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Did those nasty HGTV people have lawyers call and threaten you? Because it’s not like that would be a SHOCKER. That show seems so out of control this season. Has it always been like that or is the show changing? The whole thing seems SO RIGGED!!!!!
Anyways, I’m glad someone posted your website last night, it’s just as classy as I would have expected from you. I really enjoyed you this season and I can’t wait until BRAVO snaps you up!!!
And as the other person said, where did you get that awesome printed seagrass wallpaper? Are you allowed to say? Or do the editors not let you say that stuff either?????
September 8th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Lonni,
I was so sorry to see you go last night. It was a huge mistake. Your room was the absolute best of the three!! And you were the best on camera. I really don’t understand. You are so professional, you listen to your clients and are so creative in your choices of products. You have a great eye too. All of these things you had before you joined Design Star and still have them. You were successful before too. I know itwas a disappointment not to get this, but I am a firm believer that when one door closes another one opens. You will continue to be a great success and I am rooting for you (and voting for you)
September 8th, 2009 at 1:13 am
Lonnie,
I thought you were the best designer and by far the best host of all of the them. You are so beautiful and comfortable on camera and that will be HGTV’s loss. Also, I found you to be very professional and classy no matter what was thrown your way. You never threw anyone under the bus (like some of the other people on the show) and you were extremely gracious when you got eliminated. Unfortunately these programs are very much edited but even though they did that I always could see that you are just a genuine nice person who takes what you do seriously. I’m glad you have the passion and I know that many other people that watched could see that too. You are very successful and this will only make you more so. I wish you the best of luck in life and with your career.
September 8th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Hgtv didn’t dare have an elimination between yourself and Dan. They love the drama. therefore they are keeping Antonio to eliminate him at the end and we will end up with Dan. Well, we already have Kim Myles, and you know how that has been received.
The same will happen to Dan. He will be endured for a couple of years, and then he will dissapear into the sunset. He has no talent as a designer, and this will show in the future. DS will elevate him for a while, but the true test lies in TIME.
You have a carrer that you have earned with your designs, you don’t need the exposure of HGTV. The whole country knows who you are, and we all know about how HGTV works.
Think of this experience and its results as a blessing in disguise. You are a successful designer, please always believe that.
September 8th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Lonni:
You don’t have to win a competition for us to know that you are a design star. I just wish a) I could afford you b) you were in the NorthEast. I’ll be visiting your planet often.
Best wishes.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Lonni sorry to see you go What where they thinking?
You are our next Martha Stewart – so go get ‘em!
HGTV is the real loser here!
September 8th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Dear Lonni,
It was a pleasure getting to know you through the show. It is clear to see that you have refined talent and a fabulous personality; I would have enjoyed watching your show. Keep creating with your heart and stay in touch. So many are still cheering for you!
September 8th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I thought your design was great and livable. The reason you were sent home was idiotic. There was a post on HGTV that said the carpenters should have been more capable. I agree. You looked sad during the show-did the producers tell you it would be your last because they want to go out with a bang season finale of battle testosterone. Dan should have been eliminated for several rooms-candice made no secret of liking his looks and antonio was a little talent bully. He did several boring design and the scale of the kathy room, which is everything, was horrible. You host very well. I hope you can get a job on a worthwhile channel like create which hasn’t fallen into garbage tv. The lame excuse of you did a feature wall more than once was silly. a candice room looks like hers and a vern room looks like his it’s called signature style. I doubt if the home owners go to other clients homes to see if they are like each other, after you are hired. It seems like a rigged show. As elise seward said about the first season of top model, it’s tv not a competion.
September 8th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Hello Lonnie , I think that you should have been in the last too. I loved your room, I think I can;t live without that beautiful wall paper could you please tell me where you got it from ?
I ‘ll vote for you 10000000 times !
September 8th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Lonni, your obvious skill , fun personality, and integrity won me over as I watched Designstar this year. Those qualities couldn’t be hidden by all the “creative editing”. I join many others in being disappointed that you aren’t in the the final two. Your beautifully designed guest room should have won you that place, in my opinion. Searching for your website was worth the effort. I especially love the skilled way you put together patterns in the rooms shown in your gallery. I love that sort of depth in a room and it’s not easy to achieve!
best wishes and I continue to vote for you in the online poll.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:21 am
Lonni -
I’m so sorry you were eliminated from the final DS challenge. Your room was superior to the others, and one that would certainly work for me. I hope that Tiffany and Brady do hire you to do more rooms in their home! The guest room was FABULOUS!!!
I find the blog comments a little hard to read, the gray type on the white background is harder, but if the type was just a couple of points larger, it would be easier. Just my opinion!
I wish you well in your career. You have class and poise and are a truly great designer.
I hope you will be able to share some of the behind-the-scenes information later. I am very interested in the whole pergola debacle, having read some of the blogs on HGTV’s DS page. And who knows what else was misrepresented by the sound bites HGTV chose to air!
September 10th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Hello Lonni and friends!
If people will check out the BIO of Antonio you will find that he is the set designer for Candice Olson’s Divine Design – I would say he needs to be eliminated and step down as Candice is one of the judges!!!!! Other wise this is a Rigged Contest!
Current Job: Set designer
HGTV show: Divine Design and Design on a Dime
http://www.hgtv.com/antonio-ballatore/bio/index.html
September 11th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Lonnie,
Still voting 10x a day for you on the HGTV website. I posted my complaint comment on their site that you were eliminated. You were by far the better designer over Tatoo and Mr. Giggles.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Lonni, besides being a beautiful woman, by far the best at the interview part of the shows.
Your room for Tiffany and Brady would make anyone proud to have it for their own. You have shown class and real talent. I hope HGTV has the good sense to hire you for your own show. If not at least you should be proud of the way you conducted yourself. Good luck with your other designs – and i hope you will print what really happens if the time ever comes that you would be allowed to comment. Your going green is a thing all the designers need to try to accomplish. I am sure your nation wide viewers will be waiting to see more of you in the future. Good luck Lonni – you are a class act and i have enjoyed watching you.
September 13th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I wanted to offer my condolences on your elimination from Design Star. You are a talented designer and, from what we were allowed to see on the show, a decent, caring and honest person. I was truly discouraged that you were eliminated, because the quality of HGTV programming is definitely decreasing, and I’m sure your show would have been a pleasure to watch. Now that I have seen the finale and the selection of Antonio as the winner, I am more sure than ever that they picked the wrong person. I can’t help thinking this was fixed from the beginning. You were robbed! I know you have had and will continue to have a successful life. We viewers are the losers here. Good luck in the future.
Oh, yes. Your room for Tiffany and Brady ROCKED!
September 15th, 2009 at 9:39 am
hi Lonni- you would have made a wonderful host. I think you were eliminated simply because the last two winners were female. I think we all missed out on learning about accessible design that would make our spaces more beautiful. I don’t want any plywood boats on my ceiling. The time constraints on the challenges are ridiculous. Why not give you the time to make a room the way you would like it? I’m sure you’ll continue to be a great success in your business as in life. Enjoyed seeing those model shots from your early career. You were a babe then and are still one! good luck in the future!!!
September 24th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Regardless of the editing I remain a fan. You are a talented young woman. Best wishes for a bright future.