Chip Wade - Expert Craftsman

The episode of HGTV Showdown that I starred in finally aired. Seeing it on TV took me back to just how intense the show actually was! The premise of the show is that two teams comprised of two HGTV personalities compete in both the design and execution of a makeover in just five hours. I was chosen as the team captain and my partner was Lauren Lake, from Spice Up My Kitchen. We were up against Gary Gragg, from Superscapes, and Frank Fontana, from Design on a Dime, in a front yard makeover. Let the battle of the landscapers begin! 

The most stressful part of participating on the show was the camera crews chasing us around the entire time. They would interrupt us in the middle of the project to do spontaneous interviews. The whole time I was thinking, “I don’t have time for this! I need to keep working!” Lauren and I butted heads when it came to the paint colors and it was a mad dash at the end, but everything came together beautifully. Although we didn’t get to finish everything I had envisioned, I was really proud of the final product. And, so was the homeowner—we won the competition!

You can check out clips or the entire episode at: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv-showdown/show/index.html

Last week my family and I headed up to the Mohawk ColorCenter National Convention in Washington, D.C. The event was hosted at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, set along the Potomac River. Interacting with the retailers is always my favorite part of the convention and I truly enjoyed meeting all of the ColorCenter retail partners.

On Friday night, Mohawk rented out the National Air & Space Museum. I felt like a kid again, touring the museum and imagining being in those old airplanes. My family and I took a night tour of the city on the way back to the hotel. It was a memorable experience, seeing all of the historic monuments, especially since this was my first time back to the nation’s capital since middle school.

We also had a blast attending the Gala on Saturday night. My wife loves 80’s music so we were both excited about the Kenny Loggins concert following dinner. He put on a rocking show and it was the perfect way to wrap up the weekend!