Community Corner
Video: HGTV and Bachelor Bob Make TV Magic in Cranberry
Former Bachelor Bob Guiney kept the crowd laughing during a hot afternoon shooting 'Showcase Showdown' at Mystic Ridge, the new Heartland Homes development.
More than 750 people showed up Saturday for the filming of in Cranberry.
HGTV and Stone & Co. Entertainment partnered with Pittsburgh’s Heartland Homes (operated by Peters resident Marty Gillespie) for the series, which is being filmed in cities across the country. The show pits two experts against each other in competition to design the best model home. Members of the community where the show is being filmed act as judges and get to pick the winning look.
The show is hosted by former season four Bachelor Bob Guiney, who mugged for the camera and happily interacted with the crowd Saturday at the Mystic Ridge development.
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The homes, which are located on Center Oak Drive and Castle Brook Drive off Garvin Road, were open to the public from 1 to 3 p.m. While everyone who attended was allowed to tour the homes, only the first 150 people to arrive got to be judges and give their opinions on air about which designer should be named the winner.
By noon, a long line of viewers circled the tents where HGTV had everyone sign a release to be on television. By about 12:15, all the judges were all chosen.
Find out what's happening in Peterswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
At one point Guiney said this was the largest crowd HGTV had filmed yet for the show.
Aspinwall resident Jenny Bradshaw, who was accompanied by her daughter, said she attended Saturday's filming because she's an HGTV fan.
"I love HGTV and I wanted the see the house and just be there," she said.
Lisa Earl, manager of Ross Park Mall, also said she wanted to check out the homes, but for a very different reason.
"I'm thinking about buying a Heartland Home," she said as she waited in line.
As for the models themselves, one was designed by Alisha Gwen of Pittsburgh. The other home was conceptualized by Philadelphia-based designer Joe Berkowitz.
The winner of Saturday's event remains a mystery. HGTV shot two alternate endings, and each named a different designer as the champion. Fans will have to tune in when "Showhouse Showdown" premieres on Sept. 12 to learn the real winner.
If you missed Saturday's filming, don't worry. This isn't the last Pittsburgh has seen of HGTV and Guiney. The team will be back in two weeks to shoot another episode of Showhouse Showdown, this time at the new Edgewater neighborhood of Oakmont.
