On Monday's premiere of the sixth season of HGTV's 'Design Star,' the first challenge saw the designers pair up to decorate rooms in a ginormous New York apartment. It yielded some excellent results -- and more than a few disasters.

Most importantly, we got to know the 12 finalists, who range from a Type-A former newscaster to a criminologist.

After the jump, read my first impressions of the contestants and share your own in the comments.