Ellen's Next Great Designer
{{Short description|American reality television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| genre = Reality competition
| based_on =
| creator =
| developer =
| writer =
| director = Ramy Romany
| creative_director =
| presenter = Ellen DeGeneres
| judges = Scott Foley
Brigette Romanek
Fernando Mastrangelo
| starring =
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 6
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Caroline Baumgard
- Sharalynn Howard
- Jeff Kleeman
- Ian Mallahan
- Arthur Smith
}}
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Sean Neumann
- Rachel Abarbanell
}}
| channel = HBO Max
| location =
| cinematography = Brent Barbano
| camera =
| runtime =
| first_aired = {{Start date|2021|04|22}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2021|05|20}}
| company = {{Plainlist|
- A Very Good Production
- A. Smith & Co. Productions
- Telepictures
- Warner Horizon Unscripted Television
}}
| related = The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Ellen's Game of Games
Ellen's Design Challenge
}}
Ellen's Next Great Designer is an American furniture design reality competition television series that aired from April 22 to May 20, 2021, on HBO Max.{{cite news|last=Wang|first=Jessica|date=April 18, 2021|title=Ellen DeGeneres Has a New Furniture Design Competition Series On the Way|work=Apartment Therapy|url=https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ellen-degeneres-next-great-designer-hbo-max-36907050|url-status=live|access-date=August 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823041630/https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ellen-degeneres-next-great-designer-hbo-max-36907050|archive-date=August 23, 2021}} The six-episode season was announced in April 2021, as the latest furniture competition series executive produced by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.{{Cite web|last=Maas|first=Jennifer|date=2021-04-15|title=Ellen DeGeneres Takes Furniture Design to a Very Intense Level in Trailer for HBO Max Competition (Video)|url=https://www.thewrap.com/ellen-degeneres-hbo-max-ellens-next-great-designer-furniture-trailer-premiere-date-video/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=TheWrap|language=en-US}} Previously, DeGeneres had executive produced two seasons of Ellen's Design Challenge on HGTV that aired in 2015 and 2016.{{Cite web|date=2021-06-22|title=Ellen DeGeneres Introduces Her New Show, "Ellen's Next Great Designer"|url=https://www.hauteresidence.com/ellen-degeneres-introduces-her-new-show-ellens-next-great-designer/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=Haute Residence: Featuring the best in Luxury Real Estate and Interior Design|language=en-US}}
Background
The competition series featured seven promising furniture designers competing against one another in a series of weekly furniture design challenges and had just four short days to bring their piece of furniture from concept to production.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-22|title=Stream It Or Skip It: 'Ellen's Next Great Designer' On HBO Max, Where Ellen DeGeneres And Scott Foley Host A Furniture Design Competition|url=https://decider.com/2021/04/22/ellens-next-great-designer-hbo-max-review/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=Decider|language=en-US}} Each designer worked out of their home studio and was assisted by a helper of their choice. Each time was designed in-house, but the designers were also able to with outside vendors, such as welders and CNC technicians, to bring their designs into reality.{{Cite web|last=Corbett|first=Kelly|date=2021-04-19|title=Ellen DeGeneres Will Reward One Up-and-Coming Designer $100,000 in New Furniture Design Competition|url=https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a36165148/ellen-degeneres-next-great-designer-hbo-max/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=House Beautiful|language=en-US}}
“I really want to know: Where is design heading? What are the exciting things that the most talented and creative people are thinking about that don’t exist yet?” DeGeneres told AD over email. “No other show is asking and answering these questions, so I’ve created one that does.”{{Cite web|date=2021-04-22|title=Ellen DeGeneres's New Design Competition Show Is a Must-Watch|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/ellen-degeneress-new-design-competition-show-is-a-must-watch|access-date=2021-08-23|website=Architectural Digest|language=en-US}}
The judging panel featured award-winning furniture designer Fernando Mastrangelo, renowned interior designer Bridgette Romanek,{{Cite news|last=Medford|first=Sarah|date=2021-02-11|title=Interior Designer Brigette Romanek Took the Long Road to Finding Her Calling|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/interior-designer-brigette-romanek-took-the-long-road-to-finding-her-calling-11613050669|access-date=2021-08-23|issn=0099-9660}} and actor and furniture enthusiast Scott Foley.{{Cite web|last1=Pener|first1=Degen|date=2021-05-18|title='Ellen's Next Great Designer' Host Scott Foley Picks His Favorite Classic Furniture|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/shopping/scott-foley-ellens-next-great-designer-best-furniture-1234955069/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Heller|first=Emily Palmer|date=2021-05-14|title=Scott Foley on Puppies, Plywood, and Pursuing Your Woodworking Dreams|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/05/ellens-next-great-designer-host-scott-foley-interview.html|access-date=2021-08-23|website=Vulture|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|title=Ellen's Next Great Designer {{!}} HBO Max Originals|url=https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GYFuzuwmKpY-KwgEAAABO|access-date=2021-08-23|website=HBO Max|language=en-us}} DeGeneres also weighed in at times.
The seven contestants included Christina Z. Antonio{{Cite web|date=2021-04-08|title=Designer of the Day: Christina Z Antonio|url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/christina-z-antonio-designer-day/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=SURFACE|language=en-US}} (Manhattan, NYC); Artless founder, Alejandro Artigas (Los Angeles, California); Slash Objects founder, Arielle Assouline-Lichten{{Cite web|date=2021-06-03|title=This Brooklyn furniture designer is making recycled rubber a high-end finish|url=https://businessofhome.com/articles/this-brooklyn-furniture-designer-is-making-recycled-rubber-a-high-end-finish|access-date=2021-08-23|website=businessofhome.com}} (Brooklyn, NYC); Vidivixi founder, Mark Grattan{{Cite web|last=Okhio|first=Camille|date=2021-03-24|title=You May Not Know Designer Mark Grattan Yet. But You Will Soon|url=https://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/house-interiors/a35799676/mark-grattan-mexico-city-apartment/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=ELLE Decor|language=en-US}} (New Hope, Pennsylvania/Mexico City, MX); Paul Rene Furniture founder, Paul Jeffrey (Phoenix, Arizona); Studio S II founder, Erica Sellers (Brooklyn, NYC); and Indo- founder, Urvi Sharma (Providence, Rhode Island).
After a final head-to-head battle with Arielle Assouline-Lichten{{Cite web|date=2021-06-15|title=Arielle Assouline-Lichten Is Firing on All Cylinders|url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/arielle-assouline-lichten-slash-objects-interview/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=SURFACE|language=en-US}} in a shared Los Angeles woodshop, Mark Grattan{{Cite web|title=You May Not Know Designer Mark Grattan Yet. But You Will Soon|url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/may-not-know-designer-mark-123000159.html|access-date=2021-08-23|website=www.yahoo.com|date=March 24, 2021 |language=en-US}} as named the winner of the series and awarded the $100,000 prize.{{Cite web|date=2021-05-20|title=Exclusive: How Mark Grattan Dominated "Ellen's Next Great Designer"|url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/ellens-next-great-designer-winner/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=SURFACE|language=en-US}}
Episodes
| class="wikitable"
|+ ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Season ! rowspan="2" |Episodes ! colspan="2" |Originally Aired |
| Season Premiere
!Season Finale |
|---|
| |1
|6 |April 22, 2021 |May 20, 2021 |
= Season 1 (2021) =
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Episode No. !Title !Original Air Date |
| 1
|"Back to Basics" |April 22, 2021 |
|---|
| colspan="3" |Scott Foley tasks seven talented designers handpicked by Ellen DeGeneres with their first furniture-making challenge: transforming basic raw materials into show-stopping signature pieces. |
| 2
|"Portia's Art of Design" |April 22, 2021 |
| colspan="3" |Ellen's wife and special guest Portia de Rossi gives the designers their next challenge: use the color, form, and general feeling of a painting from her art publishing company to inspire an original piece of furniture |
| 3
|"Shaping Up With Ellen" |April 29, 2021 |
| colspan="3" |The remaining competitors work against the clock to incorporate a 3D geometric shape - from a humble cube to a 20-sided icosahedron - into a furniture design of their choice |
| 4
|"Foley Artists" |May 6, 2021 |
| colspan="3" |After a virtual tour of Scott's new home, the designers are tasked with building a safe, beautiful, and fun outdoor play structure |
| 5
|"Ellen Loves Surprises" |May 13, 2021 |
| colspan="3" |Jockeying for a spot in the finals, the designers face their most ambitious challenge yet: bringing a surprise element to a multi functional piece of high-end furniture |
| 6
|"The Collection" |May 20, 2021 |
| colspan="3" |For their final challenge and the $100,000 prize, the remaining designers face the ultimate test: creating a cohesive three-piece collection for an iconic Los Angeles home. |
Season 1 Elimination Table
| class="wikitable"
|+ ! rowspan="2" |Place ! rowspan="2" |Contestant ! colspan="6" |Episode |
| 1
!2 !3a !4 !5 !6 |
|---|
| 1
|Mark | | | | | |WINNER |
| 2
|Arielle | | | | | |RUNNER UP |
| 3
|Erica | | | | |ELIM | |
| 3
|Urvi | | | | |ELIM | |
| 5
|Christina | | | |ELIM | | |
| 6
|Paul | |ELIM | | | | |
| 7
|Alejandro |ELIM | | | | | |
: {{Color box|limegreen|border=darkgray}} (WINNER) This designer won the competition due to another contestant's disqualification.
: {{Color box|silver|border=darkgray}} (RUNNER UP) This designer finished in second place.
: {{Color box|crimson|border=darkgray}} (ELIM) The designer was eliminated from Ellen's Design Challenge.
{{refbegin}}
:{{note|non-elim/2|a}} No one was eliminated during this episode.
{{refend}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}