HGTV's Showdown

Hip Hip Hurray, I was invited to compete in HGTV’s “SHOWDOWN!” SHOWDOWN is a design/build competition HGTV puts together in a Hollywood studio where they pit two teams of two HGTV hosts against each other in a fierce battle to out design and out build one another. They flew me to Hollywood and made me feel like a rock star. I can’t show you the finished product (you’ll have to tune in at 9 pm on March 1, 6 pm for Direct TV viewers and HD broadcast), but you can check out my super low quality Iphone images expounding my experience, door to door.

The Showdown producers ask if I require ground transportation and I think about it for a about half a second and figure “hell ya!” Yahoo! My own Limo! Louie picks me up and faithfully dumps me at Oakland International with my favorite transportation tool- my super long board which turns out to be a crucial tool later during construction.

Check out this video HGTV threw together. I’m in Orange transporting a big pillar on my skateboard and initiating a pillow fight with my partner Frank. Fun stuff!

The rooms are nice. Suspicious that the front desk may have been tipped off a landscaper was coming to stay, I wonder if they give me the room with the deep candle-lit tub to encourage a good, long cleansing soak before I dare enter their pristine, white bed. I oblige their subtle hint, empty my not so pristine pockets of jujubes and other misc seeds and cuttings from the Huntington, strip down, jump in and scrub hard. Then, I sleep like a baby!

Look at this place! Talk about swank! HGTV treats it’s hosts like royalty! But, since I don’t dress as such, I’m not immediately welcomed. Having successfully navigated the crazy streets of LA to the Sofitel Hotel, I pull up and ask where to park. The valet guy tells me to pull around back where they accept all deliveries. Puzzled, I ask, “Even for the people staying here?” Startled, and pretending he heard it wrong the first time, the well-uniformed gentleman says “Oh, you’re staying here?” I nod and smile, then am welcomed warmly.

Of course he warms up immensely once he finds out I’m not a stalker, just “Gary Gregg.” Abdul and I immediately hit it off and become best buddies. Abdul drops me off, helps with my luggage, and gets to meet “Hugo.” Home sweet Home! LA was a fun place to visit, but I’m glad to be back home.

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The skies are crystal clear on my flight to Southern California and the pilot, as if he knows of my fateful destination, steers the plane right by the famous Hollywood sign. I’ve flown into LAX many times, but have never flown in within eyesight of the iconic sign. It’s even on my side of the plane! That’s super cool!

Ready or not Hollywood, Here I come!

First thing’s first. Let’s get a burrito! I figure where better to get a burrito than from “Chiquita Bonita”, which roughly translates to “Hot Little Chick.”

Turns out, “The Hot Little Chick” serves up a super tasty burrito. If you’re ever in Pasadina, I highly recommend it- Carne Asada with extra grilled onions. So why am I in Pasadina and not Hollywood? Because of my biggest, brightest idea of the week which was to go down a day early, on HGTV’s dime, and spend an afternoon at my favorite place in the World- San Marino’s Huntington Botanical Gardens.

Like “The Hot Little Chick”, I highly recommend you visit this botanical mecca if you are at all interested in gardening, landscape design and rare and interesting plants. Since a few friends of mine run the place, I’m able to stay well past closing and into the surreal lighting of dusk to get some really nice high quality images for the book I’m writing on drought tolerant landscaping. Except for the cute little coyote that scurries past me at sunset, I’m alone. I had the 120 acre gardens all to myself! That’s no typo, 120 impeccably landscaped acres in the heart of the urban LA basin! I can nearly guarantee you that out of all the nearly 20 million people that live in the basin, I had the best garden experience of all of them that evening. That was way cooler than flying over the Hollywood sign!

Here’s a nice shot of a Golden Barrel Cactus colony, variegated Agaves and related flora in the Huntington dry garden.

See what I mean about favorable lighting. Plants can look amazing with the right lighting (kinda like HGTV hosts). This variegated Agave shows it’s semi-translucent golden glowing stripes as the light passes through from the back to the front.

THE BIG DAY!

MY OWN DRESSING ROOM?

But I’m already dressed. I guess I’ll just kick back until they tell me to do otherwise. I had a phone, but they wouldn’t let me use it. Weird. I really wanted to call all my friends to tell them I was relaxing in my own Hollywood studio dressing room. Of course, they would never believe me.

They finally let us out of our cages onto the floor to get the party started and this is what we inherit to start with. When first seeing it, my initial reaction is to do a little mow and blow and call it a day, but this is HGTV- we need something fabulous! And we only have 5 hours to do it! My fearless partner Frank is ready to go. Call me crazy, but does he not look a little bit like the incredible hulk? I’m glad he’s on my team!

Don’t tell any of my buddies this, but I’m wearing makeup- and it’s not by choice. I really don’t know what good makeup does for someone covered in sweat and dirt. At least this isn’t part of the “Superscapes” daily regimen. Kari is gentle though!

I catch Lauren trying to make off with my glass roosters to use in her garden- but at least she doesn’t get my lucky wabbit!

I’m Done! WOW! That was a workout! I’m back in my dressing room and really appreciate the couch now. After a little bit of fresh makeup, we’re ready to find out who wins as selected by the homeowner. I tease Jamie from behind stage as he intently tries to deliver one of his fabulous orations. I told him to smile, but I can’t tell if he does or not. Maybe not. !

Fairy tale’s over, time to go home! This guy thought I was a bit strange taking his photo. But I’ve never had a guy at an airport holding my name- I had to capture the moment on film. My name is spelled wrong, but that’s nothing new.

Turns out, it’s my lucky day! The Huntington has a bunch of Jujube Trees (Zizphus jujuba, native to China) dropping fruit in the parking lot! It naturally dries up and tastes like a really chewy almost gum like date with less sugar. I get some strange looks- which isn’t new- but I love this fruit! I have a tree at home, but it’s too young to bear yet and you can’t buy them in stores. Of course I stuff my pockets full before heading to my Hotel to rest up for the big day tomorrow.

I wake up nice and refreshed and ready to rumble. I hit the Sofitel restaurant for some fuel in the form of a monster omelet. (sorry, no photo). Then I hit the road for Bronson Sunset Gower Studios and find it without a hitch. But, I get a case of dejavu all over again. The gate guard asks who I am and what my business is. I tell him I’m here to build a garden in one of their studios.

He then instructs me to enter through the guard gate into the parking lot, make a U turn, exit the parking lot, make a right on Sunset Blvd, drive 3 blocks and park in the vendor satellite lot and walk in. Having been through this once before, I know immediately what to say, “I AM THE TALENT, and can I please park in the main lot since I am a little late?” At first, he does not believe me, but with some more explanation, he brightens up, courteously smiles, gives me a parking sticker, and waves me in. I now wonder if this will happen inside the studio next.

Allow me to introduce the fabulous SHOWDOWN CAST: From left to right are master carpenter from “Designed to Sell”, Chip Wade who is the proverbial boy next door that any father would hope his daughter would marry, next is hugely talented host of “Design on a Dime”, Frank Fontana who all the girls on set couldn’t stop smiling at, in orange is some unknown funny looking landscaper they found off the streets, dawning the classy sport coat and winning best dressed, the well spoken (with a sexy Australian accent no less) SHOWDOWN host Jamie Durie who always seemed to be talking to himself until I realized he had a hidden earphone and could talk to “mission control” producers, and finally in sunny yellow, the beautiful and quick witted, most articulate host on the HGTV network (just my humble opinion), Lauren Lake of “Spice Up My Kitchen.” I bet she only needs one take for everything she does- makes me jealous. So it’s Frank and I against Chip and Lauren. Lauren’s the only SHOWDOWN veteran with a undefeated 1-0 record. BRING IT ON!!!!!

I eventually figure out that the dressing room is really a solitary confinement cell since the producers don’t want any of the hosts talking to each other before the event to gain any unfair advantage in the competition. The couch was nice though.