Best Season of 'Design Star' Ever? Vern Yip Weighs In

Vern Yip = Simon Cowell?

Not quite, but if the 'Design Star' judge has seemed exacting this season, it's because he's just as serious about finding the next 'HGTV Design Star' as Cowell was about finding 'American Idols.'

This season of 'Design Star' has felt more intense and dramatic than ever, which Yip said is all thanks to new producer Mark Burnett ('Survivor') and the show's move to New York.

Yip spoke to TV Squad this week about Sunday's episode, featuring Donald Trump, Jr., and previewed the rest of the season. And don't forget, you can vote for your favorite designer at HGTV.com!

It seems like, this season, you and the other judges have higher expectations and your critiques are more intense. Do you feel that way?

I wouldn't say that our expectations are raised because our expectations are high every season. It's an incredible prize to win your own television show ... Each one of us worked really really hard to get to where we're at and nobody handed us a television show. It's something we take very seriously because we're inviting somebody to not only become our peer, but to be in the homes of our audience to disseminating information. That's a huge responsibility.

It's different than cooking somebody a meal. It's different than giving somebody a fashion makeover. If you give somebody a bad haircut, guess what? They're eventually going to grow out of it. If you give somebody a bad outfit or cook somebody a bad meal, it'll be over, you can change the outfit or not eat the meal. But when you do a bad job in somebody's home it can be financially really difficult to get out of, and so we take this responsibility really really seriously. And I think we've always taken it seriously since season 1.

I would say the key difference between this season and maybe other seasons, and why maybe you're sensing that we're more intense or we're scrutinizing than before is because there's a fundamental shift in the format of this show. [This season] the only people who make it to the studio this season are the people who are at the bottom. And in previous seasons ,everybody came into the studio and we'd talk about why somebody's a rock star or what they did right ... and then we talk about what somebody else didn't do so well ... It feels, maybe to some people, like we're being more heavy-handed at the end of the show when in reality it's the same amount it's just formatted differently.

What can you tell us about the next episode, which features Donald Trump, Jr.?

The Trump episode is one of my absolute favorite episodes because I think when people think of New York City, you have people to name some of New York City's famous citizens, they will always rise to the top of the list. They represent New York, they are iconically New York ... and to give our contestants the opportunity to have the Trumps to be their client is pretty stunning -- I never had that opportunity! In this upcoming challenge, our contestants are asked to do design work that represents the Trump brand. It's really interesting because the Trump brand is so closely associated with not only luxury and quality, but everything that's special about New York. And New York being the setting for this 'Design Star,' it was really appropriate challenge for our contestants.

There are contestants who really do special things -- really incredible, beautiful things. Then there were things that we weren't so crazy about, but that's like every challenge. At the end of the day, we're looking for somebody who not only has a defined perspective, a defined point of view when it comes to design, but who's able to work under the duress of time and who's able to work under the duress of clients who have certain specific demands.

What surprised you most about this season so far?

There is some phenomenal design going on this season, some stuff that I've been totally enamored with. I think in the second episode, when Courtland did the amazing striped wall that brought together the entire apartment during the fashion challenge, I thought that was such a special, inventive moment. The fact that he was actually able to take all these disparate outfits and translate it into one wall that would normally be overlooked. He completely made it a feature wall. I thought it was so smart and so well executed, it was really beautiful.

They've really dug deep for some special elements. At this point, this is where things for me get really get interesting because we already had great contestants to begin with, but now you have the ones that are really in it, the ones that are really hungry and they just churn out some pretty great stuff. Some of my favorite things I've ever seen on 'Design Star.' For me, that's pretty exciting.

What can you reveal about the rest of the seaon?

What I will say is that in the remaining episodes, you really get to see the contestants' individual talent come to surface. They really begin to showcase why they're still there. And it's pretty great to see -- I was very surprised by a couple of them, pleasantly surprised. I knew that they were all talented but you never know how talented somebody is until they're put through the test and they're doing something that's out of their norm, and I really like that. That's what this show is about. It's those moments where you see somebody pull something out of nowhere and do something so beautiful, when they do something you didn't think they could do.

How do you think this season's winner may stack up against previous winners?

It's really an unfair and hard comparison just because after somebody's won, they have the chance to go make their own series and the person who has won this season really hasn't had their series tested yet. Their series isn't out for public viewing yet so it's difficult to kind of compare. But what I will say is that from the very beginning, as a group overall, this was our most talented and experienced cast. Tom's been a design director at a major, international firm. Nina has done so much incredible work for Ralph Lauren. [We have] people who have their own firms already, people who are stylists for major companies, people who really have a lot they can bring the competition. So we start off with a really talented cast and it's just interesting to see how everybody grows during this competition.

This season has had a great energy, I think because of moving to New York.

Well let's be honest, if you had to name the design capital of the world, I think most people would say it's New York. It's where the fashion stars are, the culinary stars are and the interior design stars are. It's where the most creative people from all over the world come together and they're in one location and they're feeding off of each other's energy and that energy is palatable when you're walking through the city. So it's very hard to be in New York and not be inspired because you have the best of everything at your fingertips and it's so special to see all of these creative people operating at such a high level in all kind of professions. Everybody who goes to New York wants to be the best at whatever it is that they're doing. They're hardcore and it's where the individual is really celebrated ... So I agree with you, I think that's an important aspect of this year's show because New York is like a character in this show.

Do you know if they're going to keep next season in New York?

I don't know specifically but what I can tell you is that I love New York. It's a place that has a special place in my heart and I love spending time there. My new thing that I do with the network this year, 'Urban Oasis' is based in New York, we're giving away a New York apartment and it was just so much fun to explore the city top to bottom, go through all the best places in New York, searching for the special elements. It really underscored for me how much New York City really does have to offer. So I would totally be on board for doing 'Design Star' in New York again.