Last week, I saw a preview episode of "The Antonio Treatment," the newest HGTV Design Star show set to debut March 14.
The heavily-tattooed Antonio Ballatore is tagged as "edgy"- certainly distinctly different from the cute-but-obnoxious Ty Pennington, from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" with his Sears empire of goods.
Ballatore, a New York native who hails from L.A., was mostly known as a set designer for celebrities. He taps into those connections for his new show. The preview I saw showed him redoing a pro-bono musical studio for local kids with a musical passion. Although he looks tough, he has a real soft spot for helping the less fortunate. And he's a different thinker – he likes to spray paint sayings on furniture pieces and he was sawing an electric guitar into pieces to use as an art element.
I got a kick out of his unusual crew. If you watch enough HGTV shows, you'll see that crew members are pretty conservative in dress and manner - often young, good-looking carpenter and designer types. His crew members looked a little older, a little rougher around the edges. I think producers saw the need for someone who stands out.
And his bulldog dog, Chewie, is a big part of the show, too. This will be fun to watch. See a sneak peek here
Another show I love is "Designed to Sell." I can watch that for hours on end. Too bad there is not a Twin Cities version.
