Room for Improvement

Stacey Ballis tackles home improvement and reality TV€"and reminds us that sometimes life and love are better left unscripted€¦

What do you get when you give two hopeful singles fashion consultants and interior designers, allow them four days to perk up each other€s homes and get a total style overhaul, then let their single friends celebrate the results at a fabulous party? You get Swap/Meet, the newest reality show on the network block, where major changes are either embraced or embarrassing€"and Lily Allen€s dream job turned nightmare.

At first, Lily was thrilled to appear on Swap/Meet. What better way for a Chicago interior designer to promote her business and enjoy some pseudo-celebrity? She just didn€t think she€d be doing take after take with the ditzy host, dodging sabotage attempts, and getting caught in the middle of the fashion czars€ lovers€ spat. Plus, the cute, curmudgeonly carpenter on her team knows just how to push her buttons. Episode by episode, through do-it-yourself disasters and matchmaking miracles, Lily discovers that a little bit of controlled chaos is the spice of life€"and love€¦