I was surprised to learn that Paige Davis was returning to Trading Spaces. After she was removed from the show in 2005, and they went to a host-less format, it faded into obscurity; I thought it had been canceled. It turns out that many other people thought the same thing. It is rumored that some minor tabloid stories lent to her firing. Regardless of why she was fired, she found it a harsh experience.

Trading Spaces is an hour-long television reality program that made a huge splash on TLC and the Discovery Home channel. It copied the very popular British TV show, Changing Rooms and was popular from its debut in 2000. It became a runaway hit when Paige Davis was hired in 2001. Unlike most home decorating shows of the time, Trading Spaces was the first show to go beyond furniture selection and wall decor. They did not give you instructions on how to make unique wall decoration for the home. They actually re-did a room while you watched. Trading spaces is more about giving you ideas than instructions.

Paige thought the Networks plans to bring her back were a joke. She realized they were serious after she discovered a different team that was hiring her back. During her "time off", she spent time in television show development for CBS and did quite a bit of regional theatre. She also did the National tour of Sweet Charity, and wrote and premiered in a one-woman cabaret.

Things you will not see on the New Trading Spaces:
Bonus rooms where money was given for room makeovers.

Things you will see on the new trading spaces:
The old theme music
The old format
The original rules: 2 houses, 2 days, $1000.00
The old host
Doug Wilson
Hildi Santo-Thomas
Frank Bielec
Laurie Hickson-Smith
Edward Walker

New changes to the New Trading spaces:
Production value is increased with more cameras.
Homeowners will have more of a story.
Homeowners do not necessarily have to be neighbors.

You will find the new and improved Trading Spaces on TLC.

• December 2007