Clive Pearse

Clive Pearse is the host of HGTV's "Design Star".

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HGTV Design Star Winner, Design Star Winner 2009, Hgtv Design Star 2009

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Category: News | Tags: hgtv design star winner design star win

Antonio Ballatore, 40, a set
designer from Los Angeles, has been crowned the season four champion of the
hit reality competition HGTV Design Star. Judges Genevieve Gorder (Dear
Genevieve), Candice Olson (Divine Design) and Vern Yip (Deserving Design)
watched as HGTV president Jim Samples personally delivered the life-changing
prize to Antonio -- a contract for his own show on HGTV.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090914/CL74926)

"From the start, I was here to win," said Antonio about the competition. "I
want to bring something fresh to the network and live up to the design star
title. I hope America will have fun with me on the ride."

While his series will premiere in January 2010, Antonio also will star in a
one-hour special, The Antonio Project, premiering on Sunday, September 20, at
10 p.m. ET/PT. During the special, Antonio will tackle his toughest client
ever -- himself. His challenge will be to makeover his house in just five days
and then show it off to his friends and family. The special also will include
previously unseen footage of his journey to becoming HGTV's newest design
star.

"Antonio is our bad boy of design," said Olson. "He designs with his gut --
it's raw, emotional and entertaining. I hope HGTV viewers are as excited as I
am to see what our punk-rocking, ex-New Yorker, set-builder will throw at us
next!"

In the HGTV Design Star finale, Antonio and his final competitor, Dan Vickery,
went toe-to-toe in the series' biggest challenge to date: the completion of an
entire home makeover. While Dan completed a beautiful makeover for his
clients, a mother and daughter in need of a fresh start after a divorce, it
was Antonio's uniquely eclectic design for the Starr family that impressed the
judges. By moving several doorways to enhance the design flow, creating a
functional kitchen area and adding several distinct design touches, Antonio
delivered the winning design plan.

"Antonio is the unexpected," said Gorder. "He possesses a maturity that is
confident and driven, along with the curiosity and playfulness of a child --
the perfect ingredients for a powerful designer. America won't want to stop
watching him." Yip agreed, saying, "Without a doubt, Antonio possesses an
original design perspective that isn't currently represented on the network.
He also has a natural ability and charisma that viewers will find compelling."

While the majority of HGTV Design Star was shot in Los Angeles, the show
traveled to a naval base in Ventura County, Calif., to redesign the on-base
housing for two military families. The finalists also faced designing spaces
for celebrities such as Kathy Griffin, Jason Priestley and Tiffani Thiessen,
as well as the viewer favorite "white wall" challenge in which the finalists
choose design materials from a grocery store.

"Antonio was a consistent performer who never failed to push the envelope,"
said Freddy James, senior vice president, program development and production,
HGTV. "His unique ideas paired with his dynamic personality bring a fresh
design perspective that our viewers will love."

Although the judges selected the HGTV Design Star winner, the show's fans also
will have the opportunity to select a Fan Favorite designer who will win his
or her own online show on HGTV.com. Viewers can go online at
HGTV.com/designstar or enter a text message to HGTV1 or 44881 to vote for the
designer they believe is the best of this season's talented finalists. Voting
ends at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 15. The winner of the Fan Favorite
vote will be announced online on Wednesday, September 16.

From its premiere on July 19 through last night's season finale, HGTV Design
Star generated stellar ratings. As of Sunday, September 6, nearly 22 million
people had tuned into the fourth season of the series. Additionally, it was a
huge hit at HGTV.com with millions of weekly page views driving traffic and
video plays.

About HGTV
HGTV, America's leader in home and lifestyle programming, is distributed to
more than 98 million U.S. households and is one of cable's top-rated networks.
HGTV's website, HGTV.com, is the nation's leading online home-and-garden
destination, which attracts an average of 5 million unique visitors per month.

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HGTV Design Star Winner, Design Star Winner 2009, Hgtv Design Star 2009
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